It can be traumatic when our phones are about to run out of power and there’s no access to a charging point. For one man attending a Broadway show recently, the panic of missing a message, and the close proximity of what looked like a handy power outlet located on the stage, proved to be too much to resist.
Updated on 07-13-2015 by Andy Boxall: After revealing his identity, the man who tried to charge his phone on stage has blamed the incident on having a few drinks, and sent out a public apology.
According to Playbill, an unnamed man attending a performance of Hand to God at the Booth Theater climbed up on stage with his iPhone and charger in hand, and plugged it into one of the wall outlets on the set — just moments before the show began. There wasn’t even any payoff for the bizarre behavior, because (big surprise) the outlet was part of the set and therefore unable to actually deliver any power.
It’s difficult to work out exactly what was going through the person’s mind. It’s usually accepted that the stage is off limits to the audience (random people wandering around tends to put off the actors, and generally spoil the show), and that no matter how real the set looks, it’s all made of wood and prayers.
A member of the audience posted about the incident on Facebook, saying the pre-show music had to be stopped, the phone removed, and an announcement made that no, it wasn’t OK for everyone to hop up on stage and give their phones a top up. Two of the cast members tweeted their disbelief.
Dear general audience, an electrical socket that’s a part of the set of the play is NOT for you to charge your iPhone…..just an FYI…..
— Marc Kudisch (@MarcKuds) July 4, 2015
A guy jumped on the stage and plugged his phone into the fake outlet on our set just before we started. @HandtoGodBway #fullmoon or #idiot ?
— Sarah Stiles (@Lulubellestiles) July 3, 2015
While we try to wrap our minds around the concept of such obliviousness, there is the chance that none of this is as it seems. In a report by BroadwayAdjacent, it’s said the man desperate to charge his phone may have pulled the stunt as part of a dare. Apparently, after the phone was retrieved from the stage and returned to its owner, he’s quoted as saying, “Well, where can I charge it?”
Public apology
However, this may not be accurate. On July 10, PlayBill published a statement from Nick Silvestri, the 19-year-old student who was revealed as the person who leapt on stage at the show, and no mention of it being a knowing prank was made. Instead, he makes two excuses for his actions. First, he “downed a few drinks and I think that clearly impaired my judgement,” and second, he “doesn’t really go to plays very much, and didn’t realize that the stage is considered off limits.”
He apologized to the members of the audience, to the actors, and the Broadway community as a whole. Vowing “not to set foot on a stage ever again, unless I decide to become an actor,” Silvestri said that he hopes to “become an example of a great theatergoer in the future.” Stick to your vow, Nick, and that’s an easily achievable goal.
Article originally published on 07-07-2015
