Broadway Actor Writes Letter To Autistic Child After He Interrupted His Stage Performance

Sep 06, 2019 by apost team

"The King And I" is a true Broadway classic and one that theater star Kelvin Moon Loh has enjoyed performing in. He believes like the late famous theater producer/director Joseph Papp that the theater was created for all people to enjoy.

Loh couldn't hold back any longer and had to tell a story that teaches a lesson to all of us. He was onstage during a Broadway production of "The King And I." A young autistic child was in the audience with his mother watching the performance, but then, something happened.

There is a powerful whipping scene in the play, and the autistic child screamed out loudly during the scene. Angry theater goers watched as the mother tried removing her child from his seat and tried to get him out of the building, but he refused. The child screamed even louder as he gripped the railing trying to remain in the theater.

apost.com

Ticketholders were fuming because a Broadway play can cost hundreds and even thousands of dollars for a live performance, and some thought the show was ruined. A few said out loud that they couldn't believe a mother would bring "a child like that" to such a conservative setting.

Kelvin Moon Loh would stay silent no more. The actor penned a long open letter in defense of the autistic child to his Facebook page, urging theatergoers to have compassion for the child and mother.

The Broadway star applauded the mom for bringing her child to the matinee performance and exposing her child to the love of the theater. He said he would not scold the mom for the scream her child made during a quiet moment in the show. Maybe the child had always sat quietly; maybe that day was a bad day for him, Loh explained.

Then, he set the audience straight, telling them that compassion matters.

Loh went on to say that the mother was doing her best. A similar incident happened during the same powerful whipping scene another time. A young girl cried loudly, but no one said a word. She did not appear to be autistic. It shouldn't matter, and people should not be judged.

This is a great human interest story with a "makes you think" moment. What are your thoughts about an interrupted Broadway play? Please leave your comments and show this to a friend who would be touched by this, too.