Last night, Tony winner and theater grande dame Patti LuPone took it upon herself, during Act II of Shows for Days at Lincoln Center Theater, to remove a cellphone from a texting-addicted theatergoer. LuPone subsequently issued this statement about her heroic actions: "We work hard on stage to create a world that is being totally destroyed by a few, rude, self-absorbed and inconsiderate audience members who are controlled by their phones... I am so defeated by this issue that I seriously question whether I want to work on stage anymore."

Audience members witnessed what was apparently a moment for the ages:

I saw Patti LuPone deliver her scene exit line tonight at Lincoln Center & SNATCH A CELL PHONE OUT OF AN AUDIENCE MEMBER'S HAND. #theatre
— CatsPolitics (@CatsPolitics) July 9, 2015

THAT TIME YOU STAY FOR THE 2ND ACT & WATCH PATTI LUPONE TAKE A TEXTING WOMAN'S CELLPHONE FROM THE AUDIENCE & WALK OFF STAGE WITH IT IN HAND.
— It's about time. (@_its_about_time) July 9, 2015

#showsfordays Patti Lupone stole a phone that some girl was texting on. As of curtain call, not sure it was returned. #legendary
— stephanie tipon catu (@HeyCatu) July 9, 2015

That moment when you see #pattilupone walk off with a girl's cell during the beginning of Act II cuz she was texting. #badass #showsfordays
— Sarah Oravetz (@moonstone1520) July 9, 2015

Okay, correction: Patti Lupone didn't really steal the phone. She rightfully hijacked the shit out of that lady's phone.
— stephanie tipon catu (@HeyCatu) July 9, 2015

.@romanflute This chick was texting A ROW AWAY FROM THE STAGE & RIGHT BY THE STAGE RIGHT EXIT.
— CatsPolitics (@CatsPolitics) July 9, 2015

But, honestly, maybe we could have seen this coming, as this person Tweeted in February:

Watch out theatre cell phone users! Mt @broadwaycom Patti LuPone is returning to the NY stage! http://t.co/C85GcEk1VL pic.twitter.com/0NdWaik935
— tapeworthy (@tapeworthy) February 6, 2015

Here is LuPone's full, powerful statement, "We work hard on stage to create a world that is being totally destroyed by a few, rude, self-absorbed and inconsiderate audience members who are controlled by their phones. They cannot put them down. When a phone goes off or when a LED screen can be seen in the dark it ruins the experience for everyone else - the majority of the audience at that performance and the actors on stage. I am so defeated by this issue that I seriously question whether I want to work on stage anymore. Now I’m putting battle gear on over my costume to marshall the audience as well as perform."

A spokesman emphasized that Lincoln Center Theater's cellphone policy is that audience members should "turn off their electronic devices before the performance begins," adding, "The theater staffs diligently enforce that policy as best they can."

In the end, the cellphone was returned to the offending texter after the show.

In 2012, Gothamist Managing Editor John Del Signore attended a performance of Death of a Salesman, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Linda Emond, and a cellphone went off during Emond's emotionally riveting monologue in the final scene. He wrote an open letter to the cellphone's owner, "Not to take anything away from Arthur Miller's masterpiece, but why didn't it ever occur to us that what the ending really needed to tie the whole show together was the cheery, all-penetrating jingle of a cellular phone?"

Emond later told Del Signore that she appreciated reading it:

I thought it was great, really. And funny, it did make me laugh, which was good because, quite honestly, I broke down in tears, I just broke down in tears. It was really hard for me to come out for the curtain call. Right before the curtain even was coming up, you know, Phil is on one side of me and Finn on the other and they were holding my hands. And it wasn't because like—I want to be clear—it wasn't because of some poor-pitiful-me thing.
It was really that, we've all worked so hard—see I'm getting like choked up even talking about it. [Pause] We've all worked so hard by that point to bring the audience to a particular place and that's a cathartic last few moments of the play. And to have that intruded upon in such a ridiculous way because, as you said, it was like, "What the hell was that?" What the hell was that thing too, it was like some kind of space alien something, right? I mean, it couldn't just be like even a regular ring, it has to be something so bizarre, that it felt like I'd failed.

Anyway, imagine what LuPone would do with someone charging their phone onstage! Because here she is, chewing out someone taking photographs during Gypsy: