Members of a climate justice group called Extinction Rebellion created a disturbance mid-way through a Broadway performance of “An Enemy of the People” on Thursday and a star in the play, Michael Imperioli (“The Sopranos,” “The White Lotus”), took matters in his own hands to personally eject one of the activists, all while remaining in character.
According to coverage of the fracas by various outlets, as well as videos from all angles posted to social media by a number of attendees, the group made themselves known during a scene featuring “Succession” actor Jeremy Strong, shouting out, “There is no Broadway on a dead planet.” And as things escalated, with one activist identifying himself as a theater artist, Imperioli shouted back, “Go back to drama school!”
Exiting the stage to help security push out one of the activists, Imperioli earned a hoot of “Christopher!,” from a woman seated for the event, in reference to his character on “The Sopranos,” Christopher Moltisanti.
“Tonight was wild,” the actor wrote in a post to Instagram in response to the disruption. “No hard feelings Extinction Rebellion crew. Michael is on your side but Mayor Stockmann is not,” creating a distinction between himself and his character in the Henrik Ibsen revival.