Katie Holmes' Broadway Debut Marred By Protesters

NEW YORK — Katie Holmes knows how to draw a crowd _ including anti-Scientology demonstrators.

Nearly 100 people lined up outside the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre Thursday night an hour before Holmes acted on Broadway for the first time in a preview performance for "All My Sons."

Not in the line: roughly 30 Scientology protesters who stood behind a barricade and loudly chanted "Scientology kills!" Some wore masks like in the movie "V for Vendetta," and one poster read: "FREE KATIE."

Moments before the curtain went up, Holmes' husband _ and Hollywood's most famous Scientologist _ Tom Cruise entered the theater, where he mingled and shook hands with some other theatergoers who took photos and clapped. He then hugged Dustin Hoffman, who was sitting a couple rows away, which drew another cheer inside the theater.

Amid the hubbub, it took awhile for people to take their seats.

Melissa Doyle tried to ignore the ruckus. She said she took her spot in line early, and saw Holmes rush into the theater wearing skinny jeans, a black blazer and oversized sunglasses.

"I love Katie Holmes," the 27-year-old New Yorker said. "I think she's a great actress and right now, I really love her for her fashion, her style! I think she really kind of differentiates herself among young Hollywood. Plus, she's a mom _ and I just think she's a really good role model."

Meanwhile, 27-year-old Alistair Savides, visiting from St. Louis, said he wasn't there to see Holmes. He said he's a fan of Arthur Miller's drama, which first played on Broadway in 1947.

"I don't really care about who's performing as long as they're good at what they do and it's a good play," Savides said.

As protesters' chants grew louder, Savides called it "surreal to be right in the middle of this thing. But, you know, there's always two sides to every story and they just really strongly believe in one side of the story. ... If it adds to public debate, maybe that's a good thing."

Cruise's membership in the Church of Scientology has made him a controversial target of criticism. And last year, Jada Pinkett Smith felt compelled to deny her good friend Holmes is a prisoner in her marriage to Cruise, who's been depicted by the tabloids as a controlling husband.

"All My Sons" concerns businessman Joe Keller (John Lithgow) whose factory supplied defective cylinder parts to the military, resulting in the deaths of 21 pilots during World War II. Yet it was his business partner who went to jail for the mistake.

Dianne Wiest plays Keller's wife; Patrick Wilson his idealistic son; and Holmes the son's fiancee and daughter of Keller's disgraced partner.

The play officially opens Oct. 16.

Comments

[DarwinAtWork]

LOL. To us atheists, the argument for who's religion is "right" is like splitting hairs between a thief and a con man.

[Zao]

Upon Cruise entering the theater, some theatergoers took photographs and clapped?

WTF are they clapping for? Because he's Tom Cruise? Or because he's "Tom Cruise, Scientologist," and he and his bodyguards made it through that harrowing crowd of 30 peaceful protesters unscathed.

Anywhere there's an article about Scientology, a dozen or more Scientologists always show up to make comments, posing as non-Scientologists, who are able to be open minded and think objectively and rationally. They write things that seem sensible on the surface, e.g., "It is just like any other religion." As if that will dissuade a reader from googling "Xenu" and having a jaw dropping look at the lunacy and outrageous crimes behind this cult.

Scientology is the only "religion" (I put religion in quotes because Scientology is a not a religion but only pretends to be for tax purposes) with separate training facilities for celebrities. Why? (one might ask). Hubbard deliberately targeted celebrities in a special program, knowing that it would bring a lot of glassy-eyed celebrity worshipers, and therefore more money.

I think Katie Holmes is brighter than Tom, and that she'll escape one day and tell her story. Katie has a father who is intelligent and not in love with Tom Cruise.

[rzan1]

Scientology is a pretty odious religion as evidenced by that constnat s*** eating grin on Tom Cruise's face. He looks blissed out.

[KitWit]

When did Katie Holmes become worthy of Broadway? What's next, an Oscar for Pete's sake?

[PopeRatzo]

The headline of this article is exactly backward.

It was the anti-Scientology protest that was "marred" by Katie Holmes' awful play.

[FarOutFish]

As Bill Maher points out. all religions traditionally have been formed in an attempt to combat anxiety. Fear of fire; invent the Fire God, a little nervous about the wolves in the forest find a God that keeps them there. The capacity for self-delusion is unlimited. Scientology is no different. Instead of a Messiah it has a Science Fiction writer as its founder. By the way just what is the difference between a Messiah and a SiFi writer anyway?

[BlackWidowPilot]

I happen to be a published writer of sci-fi back stories for the adventure game industry as one of my several professional pursuits. While I freely admit to being a legend in my own mind at times (Bwahahaah­ahahaaa!!)­, I still don't see myself as hitting *messiah* anytime soon... >;D

IMHO a sci-fi writer - a good one anyway- knows damn well what they are: a teller of fantastic tales of derrin' do, not the founder of a new "religious movement" designed to separate the vulnerable among us from their hard earned money.

Leland R. Erickson

Citizen

[Mort]

Ah, Bill Maher, the world's greatest authority on anything religious! He wouldn't know a spiritual experience if it smacked him on the head and said wake up stupid! But then neither would L. Ron.
There's a huge difference between a Sci-Fi writer and a Messiah, by the way.

[rini]

A spiritual experience is exactly that. It is something that you go through. External factors can start the process, but is your own neurochemicals that make you feel the 'faith." There is no connection with this feeling and the actual existence of god. One does not prove the other.

Our intuition can be correct. It can also be mistaken. Many religious people assume that their religion is the only one and true one. Yet there are different religions. Someone must be wrong somewhere.

[rzan1]

Except I can't wait to see his film that points out the hypocrisy in the major religions. I would agree that Bill needs to add something of a spiritual nature to his existence. A person does not have to believe in God to be spiritual.

[gogocat]

Where is God when children, women and men are being are being raped and killed. No Where! Religion(GOD) is an excuse for not taking full responsibility for your actions and blaming satan when God decides to look the other way while humans suffer greatly.

[Puller58]

The whole mess just reflects the absurdity of the cult of celebrity. Whether Katie is a beard for Tom, or a tool for Scientology, she remains a passingly pretty actress with a meager volumn of work.

[rzan1]

How would being a beard benefit her? I've seen her interviewd, and she does not strike me as someone who is particularly money grubbing.

[AdultFilmLegend]

Maybe someone can set up an intervention meeting with Patty Hearst.

[repugnicansfearme]

Meeeeeee-Yowwwwww! Katie is H.O.T.!!!!

[1manisland]

I don't know ! She was cute. She is looking scraggly since she's been with Tom.

[usakaput]

THE LOVE OF SCIENTOLOGY IS NO DIFFERENT THAN THE LOVE OF RIGHT WING CONSERVATISM. ITS ABOUT THE MONEY

[Hollis-Greene]

Spot on... it's Facebook with a membership fee and a little bit of sci-fi thrown in. These people are gonna the new Republican party...2012.

[Agentlady007]

Gee, neither of you know it is a philosophy. I think having to pay for it is wrong though.
Sci - fi? They are advanced with finding keys to the universe. You can't reduce people for progression. No drugs either. Just Clear minds. Cult part of it is scary.

[ThinkCreeps]

Marred by protesters? Given they were protesting against scientology, I'd think they enhanced it.

[ZimboChick]

Grown people who take it upon themselves to JUDGE other people are such critters. It's God's place to judge....why do you care where whose soul is going? Y'all need jobs sheesh

[BlackWidowPilot]

OK, you need to educate yourself on the subject matter before *you* rush to judgement:

http://www.clambake.org/archive/books/bfm/bfmconte.htm

Hail Xenu.

Leland R. Erickson

Citizen

PROTESTant

[JohnMucci]

I think the point being made was that it is not our business to be passing judgment on the beliefs of others. Let's live and let live, shall we :-)

[Retrofuturistic]

America is rife with other cults that are just as bad as Scientolog­y---mind-c­ontrol Bible cults. These cults, some of which pass as megachurches, use sophisticated mind-control, brainwashing, social engineering, and behavior modification techniques to get and keep members. They satanize the families of their recruits, often recruit under-age children against the wishes of their parents, and they enjoy tax-exempt status while doing so.

This problem, which is largely ignored because it is perceived as mainstream "Christian", is partly responsible for the rise of the Religious Right and the ascendancy of George Bush. Hence, our current situtation.

[TheSpiderMind]

So your position is why should anonymous do a good thing when a better thing can be done?

What about the point that it is better to do a good deed than to criticize someone for not doing a better deed?

If you think the "bible cults" you refer to work young children 15 hours a day in manual labor and separate them from their parents for years at a time, I would really like to see a link. That's what they do to scientology "sea org" kids, as show by credible accounts from ex scientology kids, like Jenna Miscavige Hill, nieces of the head of the COS. It's all over the web, and youtube. Google is your friend.

[CL696]

Those crazy kids on the left, what will they think of next?

[TheSpiderMind]

Nope, Anonymous is not left. Many people who identify with anonymous are conservative, and of all religions. Also, this is not a group in a traditional sense. The idea of "anonymous" stems from the "inside" joke that the people who post as "anonymous" on internet forums is actually one person of epic proportions. Thus, the concept is that anyone can call themselves "anonymous" at any time. There is no cohesive group of anonymous, but there are various facts, lurkers, and many many lone wolves. There is no agenda, and most of the time, the anonymous name is evoked for a lark. This is is why the idea that anonymous is "left", or far far "right" as argued by the Church of Scientology, is very far from reflecting what's going on.

In fact, "Anonymous" has been behind several conservative causes, like debunking 911 truthers and neo nazis like al turner. Remember the "all your fakes belong to us" video, debunking liberal media photos? That was anonymous material, largely. Also, considering Hubbard teaches that Christianity is a fake hologram projected into the minds of our souls by an evil galactic overlord named xenu, Anonymous wanted to expose COS abuses is also very conservative.

[GayTalkExpress]

To all of you who think Scientology's criminal activities are "no big deal", well, I guess you've never been "disconnected" from a family member because you're a "supressive person". I have and it would galvanize you to action too. No, they're not the end of the world (Sun Myung Moon is still a far more pernicious problem) but they need to be exposed for the criminal scam that they are. Three cheers for anonymous and the many people who risked their lives and livelihoods standing up to these litigious bullies.

[Nooneyouknow]

That seems to be true. Scientology keeps the money for themselves; Moon uses his ill-gotten billions to fund extreme right-wing causes.