#1
Posted: 7/3/08 at 12:38am
Tonight Patti had the girl who was sitting front row center removed from that spot at intermission, because she was texting on her cell phone. Before the farmboys number, when Patti talks to the "conductor", the girl was looking down at her phone while Patti was yelling in her direction. Usually she likes to make eye contact with the person in that seat. After the farmboys number before "If Mama was Married" 2 people from the house staff came down and told her that they'd "had complaints she was using a PDA" and told her to turn it off. That was awkward enough.
Then, several minutes into intermission 4 or 5 people from the house staff came down to the front row and one man said that "the company said she was still using it". The girl and her mother started to say "no, she wasn't using it" and then one of the staffers actually said 'Well, Ms. LuPone will not come back onstage until you are out of the front row.' Then they said there were other seats ready for the girl and her mother. No idea if they stayed.
I was in the front row to one side of the girl, and a man on the other side said he did see Patti in character peering out from the wings and really staring at the girl after the first little incident. It was pretty uncomfortable for everyone, but true to her word, Patti really did look out from the wing before the 2nd act. I've seen this production 9 times and I didn't totally understand why people say she chews scenery until tonight. She (and Laura Benanti) demolished the 2nd act. .... Or maybe I took it extra hard because I was scared out of my mind.
Then, several minutes into intermission 4 or 5 people from the house staff came down to the front row and one man said that "the company said she was still using it". The girl and her mother started to say "no, she wasn't using it" and then one of the staffers actually said 'Well, Ms. LuPone will not come back onstage until you are out of the front row.' Then they said there were other seats ready for the girl and her mother. No idea if they stayed.
I was in the front row to one side of the girl, and a man on the other side said he did see Patti in character peering out from the wings and really staring at the girl after the first little incident. It was pretty uncomfortable for everyone, but true to her word, Patti really did look out from the wing before the 2nd act. I've seen this production 9 times and I didn't totally understand why people say she chews scenery until tonight. She (and Laura Benanti) demolished the 2nd act. .... Or maybe I took it extra hard because I was scared out of my mind.