Oscar winner Kevin Spacey reprimanded an audience member whose mobile phone kept ringing during the opening night of his new one-man show.
Music from the telephone grew louder and louder as the House of Cards star was making an impassioned speech as the pioneering 19th century American lawyer Clarence Darrow.
Eventually, while staying in character, Spacey told the culprit: "If you don't answer that, I will.". The rest of the audience applauded his intervention.
The disruption came on the opening night of Clarence Darrow by David W Rintels with which Spacey is marking his 10th anniversary as artistic director of the Old Vic.
The character of Darrow, who was a courtroom giant and civil rights hero, is one he has played before, on stage at the Old Vic in the longer play, Inherit The Wind, and 22 years ago in the PBS film Darrow. He has been also played by some of Spacey's favourite actors including Henry Fonda and Orson Welles.
It was his idea to return to the role, directed by Thea Sharrock in the theatre which has been turned into a venue in the round - with a central stage - for the current season.
"Wanting to get up on my beloved Old Vic stage in our 10th anniversary season was important to me. And taking on a play that I feel very close to seems right," he said.
"It's entirely unlike any experience I've had. I've never done a one-man show and never worked in the round. And I've loved bringing this man to life especially for a British audience, many of whom I think have never heard of him."
Darrow, who lived from 1857 to 1938, was a leading member of the American Civil Liberties Union and famous for a string of cases where he proved both witty and courageous. "The issues he was grappling with in the United States are still with us today. The play is remarkably powerful and relevant," Spacey said.
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Spacey will be succeeded as artistic director next year by Matthew Warchus, whose hits include Matilda and Art. He described Warchus as "a wonderful choice".
But he said it was too early to be talking about his departure. "I don't want to get into a long goodbye. There will be time enough next May to start talking about the end of my time."
