Rosamund Pike scolds audience member for poor theatre etiquette
Rosamund Pike shocked audience members when she returned to the stage following her latest performance of Inter Alia to scold the audience.
Audience members had initially begun applauding her return until she revealed that the reason she was back on the stage was to teach a lesson on theatre etiquette after noticing a fan on their phone during the show.
Audience members were left stunned when they realised why Pike had returned to the stage. Jed Cullen/Dave Bennett
“When I feel that, and see it, it’s hard,” she told the crowd.
“I just wanted to say for anyone going to the theatre, it’s a huge thing that we’re trying to give you. I am trying to tell you a story, and I’m feeling you, and I hope you’re feeling me too.”
A member of the audience told The Times that there was a collective feeling among those seated in the theatre that they had “let her down” after Pike had “given her all” throughout the full 100-minutes of the play, which runs without an interval.
“She suggested that spotting someone texting in the climax of this devastatingly emotional play broke this bond. She seemed genuinely upset,” they added.
“We all felt a bit stunned. It is a very emotional play. She indicated the area of the stalls where the person was sitting but said she would not single them out.
“She joked that maybe they were a doctor who was saving someone’s life and said she hoped that was the case.”
Pike is just the latest in a string of actors who have called out poor theatre etiquette over recent years, joining the likes of Daniel Craig, Patti LuPone, Benedict Cumberbatch, Hugh Jackman, and Andrew Scott, who shocked audiences when he stopped Hamlet’s soliloquy midway through after spotting an audience member on their laptop.
Pike's role in Inter Alia marks her first time acting in theatre in 15 years. Jeff Spicer
Inter Alia is written by Australian playwright Suzie Miller, and follows Jessica Parks (Pike), a judge challenging the legal system’s approach to sexual violence, when her son is then accused of rape.
The play opened on London’s West End on March 19 and has been critically acclaimed for both its content and performances.
Pike received the Olivier Award for Best Actress for her performance in the play.
