'reasons to be pretty' Monologue Causes Audience Outburst

In the middle of a performance of Neil LaBute's reasons to be pretty this weekend, actress Marin Ireland (above right) was reportedly the target of one male audience member's anger when she delivered a scathing monologue.

During her first act monologue, in which Ireland's character Steph embarrasses her ex-boyfriend (played by Thomas Sadoski) with a list of humiliating facts and all the things she finds wrong with him, a male audience member stood up and began verbally assaulting the actress, including calling her a "bitch" among other expletives. (Reports of the incident are quick to note that this was not part of the performance.)

Ireland and Sadoski, who shared the stage at the time, continued the scene as if nothing had happened. Security has been raised at the theater in response to the incident.

Details of the story vary slightly, however. The New York Times reports that the outburst occurred during the Saturday evening performance, and that the man "stormed out of the theater" after shouting at the stage; but a story on Broadway.com says the man was "escorted from the theater" during the Sunday matinee performance, not Saturday evening.

Were any Blog Stage readers in attendance this weekend? What are your thoughts about the play, the outburst, and this sort of "interactive" theatre?

-- Daniel Lehman

Comments

[Nicole]

Oh shittt