Patti LuPone had a message for two theatergoers on Tuesday: Wear your masks properly — or leave.
The Broadway legend, who was participating in a filmed Q&A at the American Theater Wing alongside her “Company” costars, called out patrons who didn’t appear to have their masks covering their noses.
“Put your mask over your nose, that’s why you’re in the theater,” LuPone told them, according to videos of the incident.
“That is the rule. If you don’t want to follow the rule, get the f— out. I’m serious. Who do you think you are, if you do not respect the people sitting around you?”
When an audience member yelled back, “I pay your salary,” LuPone was quick to challenge it.
“You pay my salary? Bulls—,” she said “Chris Harper pays my salary,” referring to the show’s producer.
A spokesperson for LuPone did not immediately respond Wednesday to a request for comment.
“We stand with Patti,” a spokesperson for “Company” said in a statement.
“Over the course of her storied career, Patti has always had an unshakable bond with the audience, and she takes their role as seriously as her own. She is also a fierce advocate for the entire theatrical workforce, ”the statement read her. “We stand with Patti and support her efforts to keep our entire community — from patrons to ushers, cast to stage crew — safe and healthy so we can keep Broadway open.”
Earlier this year, LuPone missed 10 performances after testing positive for Covid-19.
“I’m so sorry,” she wrote in a Feb. 27 tweet updating people about her test result.
In a March interview with “The View,” she said “wore that negative test as a badge of honor for over two years, and the little bugger found me.”
“But I’ll tell you, I’m grateful to the scientists and the science and the vaccinations because it could have been worse. And it wasn’t.”
She said on “The View” that she hopes theaters keep mask mandates in place, “for longer.”
“…just because those theaters are old,” she said. “The seats are closed. And we’re not out of this.”
LuPone’s been vocal in the past about theater etiquette, telling “The View” about a more recent incident when she was hit on the head with roses.
While the gesture is a compliment, she said “one should throw underhanded… aim for the feet, not the head… and take the thorns out of the roses.”
In 2015, LuPone also made headlines after she seized the cellphone of an audience member she saw texting during her performance.
On Twitter, many praised LuPone for calling out the theatergoers.
“i was gonna go to bed but then i learned patti lupone cussed out an audience member for not wearing a mask correctly and suddenly i have enough energy to lead an army into battle for her,” one Twitter user wrote.
“i cannot believe a new Patti LuPone “Who Do You Think You Are” Audience Member Smackdown video just dropped,” joked another Twitter user.
“A missed opportunity not putting Patti LuPone in charge of covid safety,” one person wrote.
The incident came just one day after LuPone received a Tony nomination for best performance by an actress in a featured role in a musical for her role in “Company.”
She’s taken home two Tonys in her career, for her roles in “Evita” and “Gypsy.”
On Wednesday, a Twitter account for “Company” posted a GIF of LuPone mouthing “wear a mask.” tweet reads: “PSA.”
Bianca Britton and matthew johnson contributed.
www.nbcnews.com
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism