Madonna's representative, Liz Rosenberg, issued a statement to Us Weekly, saying, "It's not true. She was invited backstage four different times. She texted post show when they were doing their fundraising pitch. Madonna had already made a generous donation."
However, according to a source close to Playbill.com, the singer showed up late to the performance at The Public Theater and took out her phone several times during the first act. She continued to use her phone, which glowed brightly in the Public's intimate Newman Theater, throughout the second act.
Rosenberg has not yet responded to Playbill.com's request for comment.
As previously reported, following the Saturday evening show, Miranda took to Twitter at 11:29 PM. He tweeted, "Tonight was the first time I asked stage management NOT to allow a celebrity (who was texting all through Act 2) backstage. #noselfieforyou"
The tweet was later deleted, but audience member Casey Erin Clark's tweet remained:
That time you want to smack
#Madonna upside the head for texting during the best show I've ever seen.
#HAMILTONpublic
— Casey Erin Clark (@caseyerinclark)
April 19, 2015
Miranda, who is very active on Twitter, is known to take celebrities — including First Lady Michelle Obama, who also attended this weekend — backstage at the theatre for a post-show picture, but Madonna was not invited.
The Grammy Award-winning "Material Girl" is known for her inability to keep off her phone. In October 2013, the Alamo Drafthouse movie theatre chain banned Madonna from its theatres after reports that she was texting during a New York Film Festival screening of "12 Years a Slave."
Representatives for The Public did not respond to Playbill.com's request for comment. Read up on proper etiquette for theatregoing audiences in Playbill.com's guide!
The show's sold-out engagement continues through May 3 at the Newman Theater, prior to the musical's Broadway transfer to the Richard Rodgers Theatre, where it will begin performances July 13. The production, featuring a book, music and lyrics by Miranda, will officially open on Broadway Aug. 6.
Click here to watch the show's tribute to the original cast of A Chorus Line.
Our readers sound off on proper theatre etiquette here.
