Was it something he did … or said?
Liberal actor Alec Baldwin, who previously donated a cool $1 million to the New York Philharmonic and sits on its board, got booed by that company’s audience Thursday night.
To be fair, Baldwin himself didn’t get booed. It was his voice which received the audience’s downturned thumb. The Philharmonic plays a recording of Baldwin kindly telling patrons to quiet their cell phones before the performance. That was enough to inspire both hisses and boos from the audience.
A contributor to National Review witnessed the spectacle and guessed this wasn’t a one-time affair.
When the hissing and booing occurred last night, several orchestra members shook their heads, wearily. I imagine they’ve been hearing this before every concert.
Chances are, the Philharmonic will have to change the cellphones announcement. But it could be very awkward, given Baldwin’s relationship with the orchestra — particularly his board membership and his philanthropy.
In recent months Baldwin has been arrested, posted a venomous article blasting the press and uttered homophobic rants in public.