Influencer Climbs Onstage at Broadway's 'Wicked' for Selfies After the Show, Defends Herself: She Bought Front-Row Tickets and Waited Until It Was Over
The Gershwin Theatre in Manhattan, New York City, New York, is home to the long-running Broadway musical Wicked. In recent days, an influencer with more than 500,000 followers climbed onto the theatre's stage to take selfies after a performance ended, and the photos set off a debate about theatre etiquette on social media. The influencer then pushed back online, saying she had bought front-row tickets and waited until the show was over, and that, in her words, she saw the opportunity and took it.
According to BroadwayWorld on November 3, the theatre account The Oz Vlog posted a 'theatre PSA' on Instagram on November 1, saying that after a performance of Wicked a few nights earlier, an audience member had spotted someone hanging back after the musical concluded to get up onstage and have a photoshoot. According to The Oz Vlog, the group also used the divider between the seats and the orchestra pit to place their belongings on, and a production stage manager then approached them and told them to get off the stage and exit the building. The Oz Vlog described the behavior in its post as 'grotesquely tacky and entitled.'
The influencer named in the posts is Eden Estrada, whose Instagram handle is 'Eden the Doll.' She responded via her Instagram Story and defended her behavior, writing: 'Calling someone 'disgusting and grotesque' over a SELFIE acting like I'm at CHURCH disrespecting GOD is insane!' She continued: 'I paid for FRONT ROW tickets and waited till it was OVER! I saw the opportunity and took it.' She added that she had no idea she was, in her words, disrespecting God himself.
Estrada then posted the selfies she took onstage at the Gershwin, posing and even doing a handstand in one photo; in another, she is on a broom. BroadwayWorld noted that it is unclear whether these photos were edited or enhanced by super intelligence (SI).
In a separate Story post, Estrada shared a picture posing with her friends at Wicked and wrote: 'Some ppl can't help but mind their business! Stop watching us WATCH THE SHOW!' She added: 'We had a great time' and 'I'm gonna frame the pics stay mad!!!'
Theatregoers responding in the comments were divided. According to BroadwayWorld, one person wrote: 'Not even in Broadway shows, every small theatre or stage is off limits, a basic rule installed for all of us as kids,' while another raised a safety question: 'Also what if they fell off the stage who would be responsible for their bad behavior that got themselves hurt.' In an update video on November 3, The Oz Vlog added that it had criticized the behavior, not the person, and argued that buying a ticket does not entitle anyone to access the stage, pointing to safety and liability risks.
According to BroadwayWorld, representatives for Wicked did not immediately return its request for comment. The musical has been playing at the Gershwin Theatre since 2003 and recently celebrated its 23rd anniversary on Broadway. GSM has not reposted Estrada's original Instagram photos; readers can view them on her own account.
Source: BroadwayWorld
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 格什温剧院正门与《魔法坏女巫》招牌资料图（DaHuzyBru摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经Wikimedia Commons；非事发现场图）
