I sympathize with Eric Ringham's Opinion Exchange item ("Phones in the theater..." Nov. 11) as a ringing cell phone interrupted the penultimate scene in the performance I saw of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" with Patrick Stewart at the Guthrie a few years back. While it lasted only two or three rings, it succeeded in killing the scene. But even that doesn't compare to the Guthrie's Nov. 1 evening performance of "A View From the Bridge."
Letter of the day: Put the fear of Eddie Carbone into theatergoers with cells
Late in Act 1, during an intense scene between Eddie Carbone (John Carroll Lynch) and Altieri (Nathaniel Fuller), someone sitting close to the stage blurted something aloud. I heard it several rows away, as did many others I'm sure. Lynch actually stopped his performance in mid-speech, broke character, walked downstage and told this person that he was sorry but he had to be quiet so the show could continue. My jaw dropped. I have never seen this happen in 45 years of professional theatergoing. Lynch was the ultimate pro and picked up where he left off, and the show did indeed go on.
I learned later from a Guthrie staffer that the patron apparently was quite inebriated. I have a sense that this person may have been quietly disruptive before Lynch stepped in. But I have to wonder why this person's companion(s) didn't keep him under control, or why the house staff couldn't handle the situation, leaving it up to the imposing Mr. Lynch to take the matter in hand. Maybe everyone figured no one was going to argue with Eddie Carbone ...
Michael Norman, River Falls, Wis.
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