Rowdy Audience Member Removed From 'Death of a Salesman'

Broadway's "Death of a Salesman" was disrupted Tuesday after an irate member of the audience was escorted out of the theater by police.

During Act 2 of the three-hour production at the Hudson Theatre, a woman in the audience began heckling, it was reported. 

According to one Instagram user detailing the incident, "an irate, seemingly inebriated audience member disrupted the play's second act so intensely that the action had to be suspended." 

Another audience member tweeted: "The woman in question was seated in the front row, just a few seats from us, & during the 1st act was talking loudly, seemingly intoxicated. When ushers intervened at intermission, it became a public spectacle during Act 2, interrupting the show."

According to multiple accounts of the incident, star Wendell Pierce, who plays Willy Loman, tried to reason with the heckler from the foot of the stage.

"He patiently & heroically pleaded with her to leave peacefully despite her insistence that she should be carried out forcefully," wrote the Instagram user.

The production was stopped as the woman reportedly demanded her money back, with Pierce trying to appease her by asking ushers to refund her, a Reddit user noted. Eventually, police were called in to escort her out. 

"After the play resumed, Pierce segued seamlessly back into the role of a lifetime — his first appearance on Broadway in three decades — an acting job all the more remarkable given the real-life drama that could have derailed the entire night," the Instagram user noted.

Soon after the incident, producers released a statement to BroadwayWorld commending staff and crew for their response.

"We're grateful to the entire team at the Hudson Theatre for working together to resolve the situation and resume the performance as quickly as possible," the statement read. 

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