A confused woman was escorted out of the theater after refusing to leave and trying to stop a Broadway performance.
The unidentified woman, who many theatergoers said was under the influence, caused a disruption in the second act of “Death of a Salesman” at the Hudson Theater in Midtown Manhattan on Tuesday.
Such was the excitement that the cast was ordered off the stage, but lead actor Wendell Pierce, who stars on HBO’s The Wire and played Meghan Markle’s on-screen father in Suits, broke character to beg for the woman.
“Okay, here’s the deal, I’ll give you your money back,” he said to the woman who was wearing a fur coat. ‘If you want your money back, I guarantee your money back.’
An unidentified woman (pictured below left), who many theatergoers said was under the influence, caused a disruption in the second act of “Death of the Salesman” at the Hudson Theater in Midtown Manhattan on Tuesday
When she was escorted out of the theater by the NYPD, she turned away the cheering audience
The woman was not arrested and the NYPD marked the incident as “corrected.”
A Reddit user walking past Toss182 on the platform said they were “four seats away from the lady” and her husband, who were “in the middle of the front row.”
“During Act 1, she was constantly rummaging through her bag, loudly, screaming in response to whatever the actors were saying. She was obviously drunk and/or high.”
They also claimed that during the intermission her husband “tried to get her to leave the three-hour play,” but as Act 2 began, the woman began “screaming at the top of her lungs that she wasn’t going and.” if she could”. I can’t see the rest of the show, nor can anyone else.”
Video of the event shows the woman making her way back to the front of the theater, standing right next to the stage, and appearing to be arguing with her husband.
The woman’s husband reportedly encouraged her to leave the theater during intermission, but by the time Act 2 began, she began “screaming at the top of her lungs” and told theatergoers if they couldn’t see the rest of the play, they could neither do they
Lead actor Wendell Pierce (pictured on stage) tried to reason with the couple, who also demanded their money back. He told them he would “guarantee” they would get a refund. It’s unclear if they received one, as the NYPD arrived moments later
Her husband told her to “quit” eventually, but she replied that she wasn’t “playing” as Pierce leaned in and tried to reason with the couple.
The husband then began “claiming her money back,” according to the Reddit user, and Pierce prompted the usher to pull the money out of petty cash to pay her. It’s unclear if they received a refund.
“I said I’ll give you your money back,” Pierce, who plays Detective Bunk Moreland on HBO’s The Wire, can be heard saying.
‘Now!’ the woman seemed to scream.
Seconds later, two NYPD officers arrived and were escorted out of the theater.
As the audience started cheering as she walked out, the woman turned and kicked her out.
Pierced played Meghan Markle’s on-screen father in Suits (pictured)
He also stars in the HBO series The Wire (pictured) alongside Dominic West
The woman was not arrested, according to the NYPD, and the issue has been “corrected.”
“I wish they pulled her out but they argued with her and she left with the husband,” the Reddit user wrote.
The cast restarted the scene from above after they left.
The play’s producers told the New York Post, “We are grateful to the entire team at the Hudson Theater for working together to resolve the situation and resume performances as quickly as possible.”
Death of a Salesman runs on Broadway through January 15.
Pierce was nominated for an Olivier for his performance in the London West End production of the play.
Pierce is never one to turn away from drama. After his former co-star Meghan Markle and her husband Prince Harry gave Oprah a bombshell interview, he called it “insignificant” compared to the number of people dying a day from COVID-19 at the time.
Death of a Salesman runs on Broadway through January 15
“Today, 3,000 people will die from COVID in America. Even at this hour a few hundred people will die in the UK,” he said on radio station LBC in March 2021.
The actor, who said he hadn’t spoken to the Duchess since 2019, added: “It was quite insensitive and offensive that we are all complicit in this type of palace… gossip amidst so much death. I think it doesn’t matter.’
When asked who he was including in this criticism, he said “everyone,” including Oprah, US network CBS, ITV, Prince Harry and Meghan, and the Palace.
He later said his words were twisted and that his “comments were about the obsession around the royal family and shouldn’t take priority over the deaths of the pandemic.”
“I live and work in Budapest. I don’t like the royals and my point was that we are all complicit in this whirlwind of royal obsession that feeds the tabloids with so much death around us. That’s the wrong priority. I know 12 people who have died. I didn’t see the interview or know it was about her suicidal thoughts,” he told ET at the time.