Griffiths Bids to Make Mobiles History???

Audience members have once again become a target of fury for actor Richard Griffiths, who famously berated a woman whose mobile phone kept ringing during a performance of Heroes at the West End’s Wyndham’s Theatre. This time round, it is Broadway audiences who can’t behave. When interrupted during a scene of The History Boys at New York’s Broadhurst Theater last week, Griffiths threatened to stop the show completely if people in the audience did not switch off their mobiles. During the matinee performance on 31 May 2006, several phones rang and, according to the New York Times, Griffiths stopped the scene and said: "I can't compete with these electronic devices. Now you were asked nicely by the stage manager. You were told that it's against the law. If I’m interrupted once more, I won't continue. You've been warned." Griffiths then resumed the scene. Ironically, the scene in question includes the line “I don’t want to be interrupted” – which prompted raucous laughter and applause from the Broadway audience. In April 2003, New York City introduced a law banning the use of mobile phones in theatres (See News, 13 Feb 2003). Offenders are subject to a fine of $50.

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