“Get rid of that kid!” was shouted across the Vivian Beaumont Theatre in New York City’s Lincoln Center during the September 23 matinee performance of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s "The King and I." It was joined by a chorus of whispers, including “why would you bring a child like that to the theatre?”
During a particularly disturbing “whipping scene” in the second act, an autistic child sitting in the orchestra with his mother cried out in terror. As his mother attempted to calm him down, the child became resistant and he continued to cry out. After many murmurs and complaints of disturbance from other audience members, the young boy and his family were escorted out of the theatre.
As an actor and frequent theatre-goer, I’m quite frankly appalled by the actions of the audience members of Wednesday’s matinee. Luckily, cast-member Kelvin Moon Loh was disturbed by the audience reaction as well, and even spoke out against it on his Facebook page.
Loh implores, “When did we as theater people, performers and audience members become so concerned with our own experience that we lose compassion for others?” He calls the mother “brave” for “refus[ing] to compromise the experience of her child.”
With over 63,000 likes and an outpouring of support on the internet, it seems that Loh’s message has resonated well with Broadway fans. Statements of “Amen!,” “Bravo!,” and “Beautifully said” flood the comment section of his post. He discusses that while some shows hold specifically “autistic-friendly” shows, it is important not to relegate families with autistic children solely to these performances.
My senior year of high school, I played the female lead in Stephen Sondheim’s "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum."
With one of North Jersey’s highest populations of special-education students, my high school’s shows often had several autistic students in the audience. I specifically remember that during one of our Forum performances, a young girl in the audience was particularly vocal. At no fault of her own, she screamed out several times during the performance. However, unlike the incident at "The King and I," the entire room was respectful and inclusive. Not one audience member or cast member had a complaint, and the show was one of the best of the entire run. At that point, I was filled with pride for both my cast and my school.
Hopefully, in time, the entire theatre community can react in the same way that the audience did during my senior show. Ironically, "The King and I" is a show that spread the message of accepting each other for our differences. One can only hope that those in the audience who complained were changed by the message in the end.
Over all, the theatre community – both those who work on shows and those who attend them – is one that preaches inclusivity to all people, regardless of gender, race, or sexual orientation. If the theatre is meant to be a safe place, and what kind of message are we sending if we exclude people from performances simply for who they are?
