When Nicole Kidman goes to the theater, you better believe there’s plenty of drama!
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, cops were called to the Sydney Opera House in January after The Undoing star and her husband Keith Urban went to see The Merry Widow — and got into it with another audience member!
The outlet reports that the 53-year-old actress and 53-year-old musician got some heat from an upset theatergoer who was offended by their standing ovation and applause after the show ended. Apparently, Urban stood up at the end of the show and was followed by the Big Little Lies star, her mom Janelle Ann Kidman, and the rest of the audience.
Related: Nicole Cryptically Reflects On Former Relationship With Ex-Husband Tom Cruise!
While many consider the standing O to be standard theater etiquette when one finds a production worthy of extra praise, the audience member sitting behind the duo found the move offensive. The attendee allegedly exchanged words with Urban, who tried to explain that his gestures were signs of appreciation for the show, and continued to clap.
But the opera lover apparently wasn’t having it, and allegedly proceeded to swat the Academy Award winning actress with his program. That’s right: someone had the audacity to whack *the* Nicole Kidman — which is essentially a hit to the performing arts themselves!
Urban responded to the alleged swatting by ordering his security to escort the couple and Kidman’s mom out of the audience, while Opera House security were summoned to seize the aggravated attendee. Following the incident, Urban accused the man of assaulting his wife after he “swatted” Nicole — who was “visibly upset” by the incident, per the Herald — with his program.
Authorities confirmed to the outlet that officers were, in fact, called to the venue after the argument broke out in the audience. While police didn’t mention any names, they offered in a statement:
“Police have been told a 53-year-old man and a 67-year-old man were both attending the entertainment centre when an argument broke out. Officers spoke to both men and no further action was taken.”
After the drama came to an act break, Opera Australia boss Lyndon Terracini reportedly escorted the famous family through the back of the house, where they posed for a photograph with the show’s star Virgilio Marino — despite the alleged swatting Nicole had just endured.
Now, we should point out that while standing Os are common these days, it used to be considered rude back in the olden days, as standing up would potentially block one’s fellow audience members’ views of the performers’ bows. Of course, it’s also generally considered rude to swat strangers with your program — yes, even Oscar-winning strangers — so we definitely don’t condone this behavior.
Hopefully, Nicole has recovered from the alleged attack.
[Image via Instar/WENN]
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