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Volatile Dutch actor Youssef Sjoerd Idilbi did two things that are almost unheard of during a Sunday performance of the play Is.Man at St. Ann’s Warehouse. The first warms our heart: He stopped his performance to confront an audience member about a ringing cell phone. His second move brazenly defied the theatrical tradition of ‘the show must go on’. Technical problems with the sound board had caused the cancellation of the previous night's performance; when those glitches resurfaced 20 minutes into the Sunday show, Idilbi tore off his microphone and stormed out of the theater. Awkward!
We spoke with St. Ann’s Artistic Director Susan Feldman, who told us, “The director and I went out after him... He just said to me, ‘I’m sick, I’m really sick, my stomach hurts.’ He was really overwhelmed and we couldn’t convince him to stay.” Playwright Adelheid Roosen stepped in and, script in hand, finished the play, which probes the hot-button issue of honor killings in Muslim societies, particularly immigrant communities in Holland. As of 11:00am this morning, it was unclear whether Idilbi, who does almost all the talking during the play, would return for the next show tomorrow night.
UPDATE: We've just been informed that Idilbi will be back for the Wednesday performance.
Is.Man is inspired in part by Roosen’s interviews with men convicted of honor killings in Holland; it’s performed in repertory with another play, The Veiled Monologues, which draws on her interviews with over 70 Muslim women from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Somalia, Pakistan, Iran and Iraq, asking them similar questions about their sexuality. Tickets cost $30, the run ends Sunday.
Photo of Youssef Sjoerd Idilbi by Richard Termine.
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Pfff...Primadonna...
ha! fucking actors... what a pain in the ass they are. still, it isn't called drama for nothing. he better be good enough to justify such diva-iciousness.
I saw Ed Harris confront an audience member with a ringing cellphone when he was in that awful Neil Labute play last year at the Public. That moment was the highlight of the show, sadly. He stayed in character for it. She was sitting directly in front of him when it went off, too. eek.
I think more actors are trying to fight back against bad behavior from audiences. What gets me is when cellphones ring AFTER the gentle but firm suggestion to turn cellphones off. I mean, COME ON!
what bugs me euqally as much, if not more, than a ringing cellphone in a theater is when i see people tumbing away at their blackberries. turn the fucking thing for a couple hours and enjoy life. christttttt.
I was at the play and it seems a bit misleading to say that you talked to the Artistic director of the theatre when you simply quote her address to the entire audience. Unless, of course, she repeated verbatim what she said during the chaotic moments of the incident at some later point in the day. To me that is a little improbable.
Every one deserves to have a bad day. His was just a bit inconvenient in regards to timing, that's all. I am sure he will make it up to the audience somehow. Karma, after all is a bitch.
Plus the subject matter is very serious.. to get back into that head must be hard to do.
Anon #6: Just to clarify, when I wrote above that "We spoke with St. Ann’s Artistic Director Susan Feldman...", that was my rather convoluted way of saying that we spoke with Susan Feldman. There was more discussed in our twelve minute conversation this morning that I couldn't include in the post, unfortunately. And, as I wrote above, as of 11am she still did not know if Idilbi would be back by tomorrow night.
So, what happened - did he come back for the subsequent show(s)? Enquiring minds want to know!!
He performed in the 5 remaining shows.