Brawl at Gypsy.

[Bette's Turban]

Posted: 4/26/25 at 4:42pm

Security at the theaters has gotten horrible .  This was posted elsewhere on social media.  But a few people witnessed it .  I hope legal action takes place .

”In all my years seeing Broadway shows this was a first. A few younger girls in our section wouldn’t stop talking so a man leaned over to ask them to be quiet. These were not children, they were in their tweens at least and far old enough to know how to behave in public. All of a sudden, their mom stands up and just starts screaming at the man, and then her husband LEAPT OVER THE ROW, reared back, and slapped the man so hard it reverberated. Then grabbed him and started shaking him. The kids were yelling “dad stop!” and all of us were trying to get security’s attention. It was horrifying. Security barely even blinked?! They slowly came over and took away the man who got assaulted (while the rest of us tried to tell them what actually happened and beg them to take out the assaulter). The husband grabbed his wife and kids and fled the theatre, probably because he realized all of us were about to make statements. This was barely into the second act, and was during the horn part of the show so it was louder and they didn’t stop the show. It was WILD. All of us were pretty shaken for a good 10-15 minutes after. Anyone else there tonight?!

UPDATE: to answer a few questions. We DID try to do something. The Majestic is very large as Broadway theatres go, and it was the last few rows right side orchestra under the overhang. So not in the front middle where everyone could see. We tried to talk to security and they just left and didn’t ask any of us what happened or what we saw. No one went after the man, and they just moved the guy who got assaulted over to a new seat (which again, wild). I was super disappointed in security for their lack of action and zero follow up. I plan on contacting the theatre and giving seat numbers!”

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 4/26/25 at 5:25pm

No one knows how to behave anymore. 

I had hoped COVID would’ve taught us how to exhibit more respect in communal spaces, but it seems like the opposite has happened. 

[spicemonkey]

Posted: 4/26/25 at 5:35pm

The audience behavior has gone downhill to hell 

[spicemonkey]

Posted: 4/26/25 at 5:36pm

For this case specifically, I see it as a side effect of “I-can-do-whatever-i-want” mentality 

[KarenValentine'sheadband]

Posted: 4/26/25 at 5:47pm

Typical of today's parental behavior. The 'my children are perfect and HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO THEM THAT WAY!' Nothing new. Seen this hundreds of times. Kids are usually pretty great but it's the parents who are typically the a**h****. 

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 4/26/25 at 5:57pm

All of the above, plus a direct result of routines being interrupted by lockdowns etc. It affected more than just keeping a regular life schedule, it also affected keeping regular conduct and behavior. The amount of smoke I walk through while in city parks (where it's illegal to smoke anything) increases year over year. Many people just don't care about others.

If there's an upside, it's that the kind people are even kinder because they, too, recognize what's happening and are trying to level up the humanity a bit.

[DAME]

Posted: 4/26/25 at 5:59pm

The man who was hit needs to file a lawsuit .  Till there’s money involved nothing is going to get better.

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 4/26/25 at 6:16pm

This is utterly unsurprising. It fact, it makes perfect sense. We been going down this road for some time now.

[Huss417]

Posted: 4/26/25 at 6:21pm

Well this is enough reason that the Tony should go to Nicole. 

Sorry couldn't resist. :)

[TheGingerBreadMan]

Posted: 4/26/25 at 6:21pm

I wish there was a way to enforce a ban on these trash people in all broadway theatres after an incident like this.

[MasterThespian 2]

Posted: 4/26/25 at 6:25pm

No shock. I would say most people are like animals, but that’s an insult to animals. No manners, no style, no class. Pure trash…and their numbers are increasing fast. 

[stageleftreport]

Posted: 4/26/25 at 6:46pm

I was seated DIRECTLY behind the man who got slapped/punched, literally saw his glasses fly off (and because NYC is so small, one of my friends has a friend who knows him and can confirm he made it out OK enough to post about it on his Instagram story about how crazy it was, no info past that!)

It was in the middle of "gotta have a gimmick" and the juxtaposition was wild but the actors onstage obviously were troopers through it because they weren't told to do otherwise. I didn't see any house management involvement, I saw a security guy take the man who got slapped out of the theatre, and then some patrons behind me went over to the guy who assaulted him and he left after their conversation. It was all very shocking and didn't feel adequately supported by the house management staff before and after the event.

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/26/25 at 7:30pm

The original post

https://www.reddit.com/r/Broadway/comments/1k83r5f/assault_in_the_middle_of_gypsy/

[Jonathan Cohen]

Posted: 4/26/25 at 7:41pm

It sounds like at least one theater, the staff needs a clearer plan on how to deal with problematic audience members. 

I'm a little less convinced this represents a larger trend of how audiences act nowadays. It's not like what happened with Lauren Boebert at Beetlejuice led to a bunch of copycat heavy petting incidents at performances.      

(That said, I'm sorry even one person had to go through that experience.)

[Huss417]

Posted: 4/26/25 at 7:41pm

I would assume in this day and age there are cameras in theatre that would be able to show who this guy is. He should be arrested for assault.

Updated On: 4/26/25 at 07:41 PM

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 4/26/25 at 7:50pm

Jonathan Cohen said: "It sounds like at least one theater, the staff needs a clearer plan on how to deal with problematic audience members.

I'm a little less convinced this represents a larger trend of how audiences act nowadays. It's not like what happened withLauren Boebert atBeetlejuiceled to a bunch of copycat heavy petting incidents at performances.

(That said, I'm sorry even one person had to go through that experience.)"

 

Huh? What a bizarre comparison.

 

Anyway, do you see theatre in New York? Audience behavior and aggression has gotten significantly worse the last few years. We aren’t just making this up for fun.

 

[TweetyPie2]

Posted: 4/26/25 at 8:01pm

I would have followed the man and called the police. Sounds like there were plenty of witnesses.

Updated On: 4/26/25 at 08:01 PM

[DAME]

Posted: 4/26/25 at 8:11pm

Since there are witnesses they probably can narrow down his seat location , where it was purchased , and find him somehow .  But they probably will do nothing . 

[Huss417]

Posted: 4/26/25 at 8:24pm

TweetyPie2 said: "I would have followed the man and called the police. Sounds like there were plenty of witnesses."

I know everything happened fast but I am hoping one of the witnesses was able to take a picture of the guy when he was leaving.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 4/26/25 at 8:27pm

Can you describe what this violent person looked like? It's pathetic how disrespectful people are while seeing shows. It definitely lowers my interest in seeing Broadway shows. I understand also the staff at the theater for being in shock and they are not prepared to know what to do with crazy incidents like this one.

[DAME]

Posted: 4/26/25 at 8:37pm

They shouldn’t be in shock.  They should be trained and ready for such occurrence’s. 

[Kad]

Posted: 4/26/25 at 8:46pm

What's the point of even having onsite security at theaters if they can't handle something like this?

Updated On: 4/26/25 at 08:46 PM

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 4/26/25 at 9:03pm

Kad said: "What's the point of even having onsite security at theaters if they can't handle something like this?"

Honestly? Optics.

I’ve walked through the metal detectors with my phone in my pocket (mistakenly) more than once in the past, and I’ve never had the metal detector go off.

I worry that half of these security implementations at theaters are just to make people “feel” safe and to purport a false sense of security. 

[carolinaguy]

Posted: 4/26/25 at 9:15pm

Honestly, you can’t anticipate crazy at a specific level.  This is life today. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 4/26/25 at 9:23pm

I wish there were little discreet buttons at each seat like on an airplane. Where you could click something like "phone use" or "filming" or "disruptive behavior." (Tacky, I know, but would solve some problems.) It's impossible to get an usher's attention mid-show if you aren't on an aisle.

Updated On: 4/26/25 at 09:23 PM