
During a rehearsal of “Much Ado About Nothing” on Monday night at an Off Broadway theater in the East Village, Antonio Salieri F. Murray Abraham, sitting in the audience, noticed a fellow spectator rise and slink toward the dressing rooms. Abraham informed the house manager, and together they went backstage and found the man in a dressing room, hiding under a table. Much ado about something ensued; cast members hurried to the scene while Abraham and the robber tussled, with Abraham eventually taking a punch. “I don’t need to go to no fucking hospital,” Abraham said (or so I imagine), and accepted a bag of ice instead. The criminal—who made off with Martha Plimpton’s purse—escaped, and the actors went back on stage and finished the performance, which was far less compelling than the debut of F. Murray Actionhero. [ArtsBeat]