It's a common assumption that when actors are interrupted by audience members during a performance, they feel disrespected. But that hasn't been the case for the actors in An Enemy of the People on Broadway. On March 14, the play, starring Jeremy Strong and Michael Imperioli, was interrupted by climate change activism group Extinction Rebellion NYC, who stopped the show. The protesters were then ushered out of the theatre. Now, Strong has reacted to the protest, in an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers.
In the show, which takes place in a small Norwegian town, Strong plays whistleblower Doctor Thomas Stockmann, who discovers that the town bathwater has been poisoned. But because the town depends on those baths economically and for tourism, its officials refuse to listen to Thomas. On his Late Night appearance, Strong admits that while he was thrown off by the protestors, he understood where they were coming from.
"This is a play about trying to communicate an inconvenient truth to the power structure," he says. "I have kids…I’d be a hypocrite if I didn’t, in a way, support what [the protesters] were saying. It only underlined the message of the play, which is that we’re all in this together and we’re all in deep shit. It’s, like, record wildfires, record heat, record flood.” He also added that if An Enemy of the People "could be a force multiplier for saying something about the world we all live in, then I’m all for that.” Listen to more of Strong's thoughts on returning to Broadway after starring in HBO's Succession in the video above.
Strong's opinion is shared by his castmates. In an interview with the New Yorker, Imperioli (who plays Thomas' brother, Peter, the town's mayor) also gave his thoughts. "I kind of agree with the protesters! I think we’re headed for disaster, climate-wise. And it’s a lot more pressing than I think a lot of us want to admit," he said, adding that he thought the protesters had "soul and guts" and that, "I think there’s something very touching about people who care that much. I think they know the show’s on their side. We’re all on their side. I’m on their side. The show is about this!"
Read: Michael Imperioli Is Making His Broadway Debut, But He Actually Used to Run a Theatre
Similar protests have disrupted performances at The Metropolitan Opera, and at least one West End performance of Les Misérables. The latter was the work of a different activist group, Just Stop Oil.
An Enemy of the People continues its run on Broadway at Circle in the Square Theatre. The revival of the Ibsen classic features a new adaptation from 2023 Tony nominee Amy Herzog, with Tony winner Sam Gold directing. The cast also includes Victoria Pedretti (The Haunting of Hill House) as Petra Stockmann, David Patrick Kelly (Once) as Morten Kiil, Katie Broad as Randine, Bill Buell (Ink), Caleb Eberhardt (Choir Boy) as Hovstad, Matthew August Jeffers as Billing, David Mattar Merten, Max Roll (Good Night, Oscar), Thomas Jay Ryan as Aslaksen, and Alan Trong as Captain Horster.
The production also features scenic design by dots, costume design by David Zinn, lighting design by Isabella Byrd, sound design by Mikaal Sulaiman, hair and wig design by Campbell Young Associates, production stage management by Rachel Bauder, technical supervision by Juniper Street Productions, fight direction by Thomas Schall, and casting by Taylor Williams Casting. 101 Productions serves as general manager.
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Andrew Moredyk, Kimie Nishikawa, and Santiago Orjuela-Laverde
Andrew Moredyk, Kimie Nishikawa, and Santiago Orjuela-Laverde
Sam Gold
Sam Gold
Amy Herzog
Amy Herzog
Sam Gold and Amy Herzog
Brian Anthony Moreland
Brian Anthony Moreland
Michael Arden
Michael Arden
Tony Marion
Rob Raco
Rob Raco
F. Murray Abraham
F. Murray Abraham
Laura Schirripa and Steve Schirripa
James Gray
Isabelle McCalla
Isabelle McCalla
Dan Stevens
Dan Stevens
Morgan Spector
Rebecca Hall
Alex Edelman
Kit Connor
Kit Connor
Paula Wagner and Rick Nicita
Michael Cerveris and Kimberly Kaye
Greg Nobile, Dede Gardner, Anna Mack Pardee, and Patrick Catullo
Lisa Ann Walter
Lisa Ann Walter
Micaela Diamond
Micaela Diamond
Rachel McAdams
Rachel McAdams
Annie Baker and Deirdre O'Connell
Annie Baker and Deirdre O'Connell
Zell Steele Morrow
Zell Steele Morrow
Miriam Silverman
Miriam Silverman
Juliana Canfield
Juliana Canfield
Sophia Anne Caruso
Sophia Anne Caruso
Tobias Menzies
Marisa Tomei
Marisa Tomei
Josh Safdie
Richard Kind
Richard Kind
Lear DeBessonet
Lear DeBessonet
Justin Peck and Patricia Delgado
Company of An Enemy of the People
Company of An Enemy of the People
Thomas Jay Ryan
Company of An Enemy of the People
Jeremy Strong and company of An Enemy of the People
Company of An Enemy of the People
Victoria Pedretti and company of An Enemy of the People
Jeremy Strong
Caleb Eberhardt and company of An Enemy of the People
Matthew August Jeffers
David Mattar Merten
Michael Imperioli and Victoria Pedretti
Victoria Pedretti
Victoria Pedretti and Jeremy Strong
Company of An Enemy of the People
Company of An Enemy of the People
Jeremy Strong, Michael Imperioli, and company of An Enemy of the People
Michael Imperioli and company of An Enemy of the People
Matthew August Jeffers
Amy Herzog
Katie Broad and company of An Enemy of the People
Victoria Chlebowski and Michael Imperioli
Victoria Chlebowski and Michael Imperioli
Michael Imperioli
Michael Imperioli
David Patrick Kelly
David Patrick Kelly
Bill Buell
Bill Buell
Thomas Jay Ryan
Thomas Jay Ryan
David Mattar Merten
Jeremy Strong
Jeremy Strong
Emma Wall and Jeremy Strong
Emma Wall and Jeremy Strong
Amy Herzog, Jeremy Strong, and Sam Gold
Amy Herzog, Jeremy Strong, and Sam Gold
Jeremy Strong
Matthew August Jeffers
Matthew August Jeffers
Max Roll
Max Roll
Michael Imperioli and Jeremy Strong
Michael Imperioli and Jeremy Strong
Michael Imperioli and Jeremy Strong
Stage Management team
David Mattar Merten and Max Roll
Alan Trong, Caleb Eberhardt, Victoria Pedretti, David Mattar Merten, and Katie Broad
Katie Broad
Katie Broad
Caleb Eberhardt
Caleb Eberhardt
Alan Trong
Alan Trong
Victoria Pedretti
Victoria Pedretti
Victoria Pedretti