A furious Broadway theatergoer launched into a group of women sitting behind him, who he says sang and talked during Mamma Mia! – then cursed at him when he told them to stop.
The video, shared by a theater lover named Derek Kahle, depicted the man launching out of his seat during intermission and roaring at the row of women behind him for spoiling the Abba-themed musical, which he was attending with his nieces.
‘I need security over here now!’ the man demanded.
‘You want to make a scene?! I’m gonna make a scene! Mess with my teenage nieces again,’ he screamed at the women, who looked sheepish at the onslaught.
The man continued to scream for a security guard, calling the women seated behind him ‘loud and obnoxious.’
‘Now they want to use profanity in front of my nieces,’ he said. One of the younger women could be seen mouthing ‘I was only singing’.
When a security guard arrived, the uncle apologized for his outburst, adding, ‘Once you start messing with my teenage nieces, then I got an issue with that.’
The video circulated online, and the man responded in a separate post under the account ‘officialuncledaddy.’
A video has gone viral depicting a man’s outburst at the Mamma Mia! show on Broadway. He screamed at the women behind him until an usher finally came to his aid, pictured above
The man posted a response video on social media saying the women behind him were disrupting the performance and taunting his nieces. Mamma Mia! has recently returned to Broadway at the Winter Garden for a limited run (file photo)
The man scolded the woman for singing and talking loudly during the production. He said he was finally set off when they began waving their hands over both his nieces’ heads
He revealed that he was the man in the video and explained that he had asked the women seated behind him numerous times to stop singing and loudly clapping during the show.
After an entire act of outrageous behavior, the uncle, who didn’t reveal his name, confronted them during intermission.
He claimed that the women replied with profanities, and when he got up to find an usher, he saw them hovering their hands over both of his nieces’ heads.
‘That’s when I thought it had gone far enough, so I came back, and that’s when the video starts,’ he continued.
‘At that point, I had had enough. It had gone way too far.’
Witnesses defended the uncle for standing up for his family. Amy Cannella, who was seated near the women, told CBS News that they were ‘rambunctious’ during the first act.
‘They were asked nicely by this man, at first, to please stop,’ she explained. ‘They responded back with some expletives, not a very nice response.’
Cannella added that the women were asked to leave before the second act began.
One of the actresses in the musical even came to the man’s defense online
Kahle, the theatergoer who shared the clip online, told CBS that he had never heard a crowd fall silent so quickly.
One of the actresses in the musical, Carly Sakolove, even commented that she heard the women from the stage.
‘I could hear these women singing during “Money, Money” while I was onstage. Unreal!’ she wrote.
‘They were asked nicely by this man, at first, to please stop. They responded back with some expletives, not a very nice response.’
The internet has rushed to the uncle’s defense, arguing that many theatergoers don’t understand etiquette during a performance.
‘Not valid, because if you wanted to sing along you should’ve just watched the movie in your living room,’ one comment read.
‘People started clapping and singing along during Jersey Boys a few years ago and I nearly crashed out the exact same way. Some people just do not know theatre etiquette.’
The man in the video, pictured above, posted a response on TikTok, explaining what happened from his perspective
Theatergoers came to the man’s defense online and shared their experiences with obnoxious audience members (Pictured: The cast of Mamma Mia! performing on opening night in August 2025)
‘He is absolutely correct- people are obnoxious in the theater. They think they are home watching TV,’ another added.
‘I actually think more people should be doing this,’ a third agreed.
However, some thought the man’s response wasn’t justified, with one writing, ‘All he had to do was find a security guard and explain the situation instead of acting like a maniac and causing a scene. Pretty easy.’
Theatergoers have complained of a decline in audience etiquette and manners in recent years.
Singing along with most musicals is generally a huge no-no.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the man in the video and the Broadway League for comment.
