Photos: President Obama And Malia Meet Mark Ruffalo, Danny DeVito At Broadway Play
Feb. 25, 2017, 9:25 a.m.
Malia is probably a fan of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," right?
President Barack Obama continued his father-daughter time in New York City by taking Malia to see a new production of an Arthur Miller play last night. They also met the cast of The Price—Malia is probably a fan of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, right?
This Roundabout Theatre staging of The Price, which debuted in 1968, is in previews (it opens on March 16) and stars Mark Ruffalo and Tony Shalhoub as two estranged brothers going through their dead father's estate; Jessica Hecht plays Ruffalo's wife while Danny DeVito is an appraiser. As it happened, a NY Times reporter was sitting in the row in front of them:
Barack Obama just arrived in row just behind me for Broadway show. Performance is revival of Arthur Miller's "The Price."
— Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) February 25, 2017
With Malia. https://t.co/q6YVY8gWh1
— Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) February 25, 2017
Okay, so it's intermission. Obama and Malia came in and left when the lights were down. The crowd didn't notice. Nice job, Secret Service.
— Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) February 25, 2017
To clarify, I didn't mean left the show! Might've gone backstage. https://t.co/Aa7rxJ8Y5Q
— Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) February 25, 2017
A woman sitting five seats from Obama just said she didn't realize it was him.
— Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) February 25, 2017
They're back for Act 2! https://t.co/tSNyl9Lkxv
— Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) February 25, 2017
Show just ended. The Obama's joined the standing ovation and left. Then Mark Ruffalo morphed into the Hulk and destroyed the stage. Awkward.
— Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) February 25, 2017
I'm sorry, can we just marvel at how absurd it is that a former president was able to watch a whole Broadway play mostly w/o being noticed?
— Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) February 25, 2017
Deb expanded on why the woman didn't realize it was #44:
“Well, I actually didn’t know he was sitting in the row,” said Laralyn Mowers, 37, who lives in Astoria, Queens. She was sitting five seats to the right of Mr. Obama and did not realize he was there until a friend told her at intermission. “I had a really bad day and it all just changed.”
Ms. Mowers said she was actually irritated when the trio first came in. “Who is so rude to come in after the show starts with the flashlights and everything?” she said.
Backstage, the President and Malia met with the cast and crew; DeVito and Ruffalo were/are big Bernie supporters and the director, Terry Kinney, is a founder of Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company. People cheered for the former president as he left the theater (you may also remember Kinney as Terry McManus on Oz).
People cheered as Obama left the theater:
Former President Obama, daughter Malia leave theater after watching "The Price" on Broadway https://t.co/tzKPwwakn3 pic.twitter.com/rhZOVzLpKn
— NBC New York (@NBCNewYork) February 25, 2017
Maybe tonight they'll see Dear Evan Hansen?
