People walk-out of new LaBute premeire (Bash Ain't No McBeal)
Mr Showbiz News 16Jun99 L2

Some audience members walked out of Monday's preview of LDS Church member Neil LaBute's new off-Broadway play, Bash. According to a New York Daily News review, the audience members walked out during a monologue in the first of the three one-act plays, one in which the main character, played by Calista Flockhart (who plays Ally McBeal on the popular TV show of the same name), tells how she gave birth to her high school teacher's baby and then killed the child.

Evidently, some audience members came to the play assuming Flockhart would perform a part similar to the McBeal character. One attendee left saying, "I'm a pediatrician and a father, why should I spent 45 minutes listening to this?" In only one of the three one-act plays that make up Bash does Flockhart play an "Ally-like" character, but this character happens to be dating a violent, homophobic Mormon.

LaBute, who is an active member of the LDS Church in Indianapolis, is best known for two recent films. "In the Company of Men," gained significant praise after it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. But the film was controversial for its portrayal of mysogynistic men that abuse a deaf co-worker. The other film, "Your Friends and Neighbors" was also very dark, but was a critical flop.

Bash will run for just one month off-Broadway starting June 24th.