Theater productions, unlike their movie counterparts, are living and breathing things that can become affected by the audience response. A laughing patron at a comedy can drive the actors to give more zip in their delivery, and the show becomes something slightly different than it was the day before.
Sometimes noises in the audience become a distraction for the actors, and this is why there is a no cell phones policy in many theaters across America. Some sounds are so off-putting that the whole experience can get ruined for everyone. For instance, no one wants to sit next to the guy who has a head cold and can’t stop loudly blowing his nose throughout King Lear.
What happened to actor Kelvin Moon Loh during a performance of “The King and I” on Broadway nearly brought the production to a stop, though the show did go on.
A young autistic child, responding to a stirring and emotionally charged whipping scene, shouted out in the middle of a show. His mother, who tried to both comfort her child while removing him from the theater, was harassed by other patrons for bringing a special needs child to such a prestigious and expensive event. Since some tickets cost $6,000, one can almost understand why they were ticked off.
After the show, Loh went to social media and wrote an open letter to those who gave this mother and child a hard time.
“I am angry and sad,” he began. He admonished the audience for yelling at this mother and asked, “When did we as theater people, performers, and audience members become so concerned with our own experience that we lose compassion for others?”
He goes on to laud the mother for her bravery to bring her child. He reminded the rest of the audience, and by extension the rest of the world, she paid the same price as everyone else, and she did not get to see the rest of the show.
This letter challenges us to have more compassion and understanding for our fellow humans. We are, after all, in this together. The price for admission to life may not be measurable, but human kindness and compassion are worth spending on those around us, no matter where we are.
