Former NHL agitator Sean Avery will not be making his off-Broadway debut this week. In fact, Avery may not be making his off-Broadway debut ever.
Avery threw a tantrum and quit the production of “Negative is Positive” just days before opening night, according to a report from The New York Post’s Page Six.
Avery was set to play the best friend of a lead character in the production, which focuses on an interracial married couple. Avery’s meltdown was over pizza, apparently.
“He’s a playwright’s worst nightmare,” said author Christy Smith-Sloman.
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More on the story via Page Six:
On Monday, Avery left rehearsals early after growing agitated. On Tuesday, Avery’s behavior grew worse. According to Smith-Sloman, when a young assistant stage manager named Natalie asked the athlete-turned-actor if he wanted a slice of pizza, he said no, but somehow thought the assistant had called him an [bleep]hole.”
Smith-Sloman has no intention of bringing Avery back.
“It’s unbelievable he would do this two days before we open. At this point I don’t want him to be a part of this production. He can’t call people pieces of [bleep] and say, ‘Do you know who I am?’ [He] can’t threaten people.”
Avery, a pest on the ice, has made headlines in his post-playing career as an advocate for same-sex marriage. He’s also been involved in various dealings in the fashion, restaurant, and advertising industries since his retirement in 2012.
Avery will be replaced in “Negative is Positive” by an understudy. Cue the ‘sloppy seconds’ jokes.
