Wendell Pierce delivered a masterclass in dealing with disruptive audience members.
The Louisiana-born actor, 59, is currently performing on Broadway in Death of a Salesman, playing central salesman Willie Loman and starring opposite British actor Sharon D Clarke as wife Linda.
During their show at the Hudson Theatre on Wednesday (December 28), one heckler in the crowed forced the play to a halt at the beginning of the second act.
Footage captured by other ticket holders show the person demanding their money back while shouting at Pierce, clearly believing the show wasn’t up to standard.
Chaos ensued as everyone stood up from their seats, while the woman actually walked to the edge of the stage to talk to Pierce face-to-face.
However, the star was quickly able to capture everyone’s attention and had a truly excellent response.
‘Hold on,’ he said loudly. ‘I’ve waited too long for this.’
‘If you would like your money back, I will guarantee your money back,’ he told the unimpressed audience member.
As she continued to shout in his face, Pierce remained calm, telling her: ‘I understand.’
‘If you want your money back, I’ll give you your money back,’ he repeated.
It seemed Pierce was fully willing to pay the woman out of his own pocket as he pointed to himself and emphasised: ‘I will give you your money back.’
The woman eventually put on her coat and escorted out of the theatre by security, allowing the performance to continue.
After the clip of the disruption circulated online, fans had a lot of praise for Pierce and the ‘gracious’ manner in which he dealt with the woman.
Claiming that the audience member was drunk, one fan tweeted: ‘@WendellPierce was quite gracious throughout the ordeal which reportedly went on for 30+ minutes! For a live theatre performance, that can really take an actor out of their flow. But the show went on.’
Another hailed the star an ‘absolute legend for his performance and the way he handled this situation’, while one praised him for treating her ‘with respect and kindness.’
Plenty have also left glowing reviews for Pierce’s performance in Death of a Salesman, with one tweeting that they were ‘absolutely floored’ by his talents.
‘@WendellPierce you were nothing short of AMAZING in this play!’, tweeted another.
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