On Saturday, a Santa Clarita, California performance of Tennessee Williams's classic play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof -- which contains homoerotic themes and criticizes societal homophobia -- was crudely and repeatedly interrupted by a drunken heckler who shouted anti-gay slurs for almost half of the show.

One cast member finally had enough and jumped off the stage to confront the guy. He put the heckler back in his seat, the unruly patron was removed, and the play continued, receiving a standing ovation when the curtain went down. But the actor who stopped the outburst is now out of a job: the company fired him after the performance.

The Wrap reports:

John Lacy, who played Big Daddy in Tennessee Williams' classic play that tackles homophobia among other themes, was fired after jumping off stage and physically confronting an audience member who repeatedly made noise and yelled "fag" during emotionally tense scenes, according to audience members' accounts of the incident on Facebook... Lead actor Anton Troy resigned in solidarity with Lacy, writing on the social networking site that the show's producers should have handled the unruly patron, who had apparently been drinking before the show and returned to the audience after consuming more alcohol during intermission. "I will not support homophobia or an establishment that doesn't support its talent," Troy wrote. "Hate in any form is not something I choose to subscribe to. John is a seasoned professional and an honorable man. It should never escalate to a point where the talent has to handle an unruly drunk in the audience themselves regardless of the outcome. Producers dropped the ball, the fish stinks from the head on down."

But not every member of the company agrees with Lacy's handling of the situation. In a post on Facebook that has since been deleted, lead actress Emily Low wrote that Lacy should have shrugged off the heckling as one of the hazards of live theatre: "As actors we must take the positive audience responses with the negative. It's not always about cheers and standing ovations."

Fellow cast member Missy Kaye's criticism of Lacy was sharp: "By you jumping off the stage and putting your hands on this guy put the whole theatre in jeopardy, cast and audience, and to me that is unforgivable. What if this guy had a weapon? Did that cross your mind?"

For its part, the Repertory East Playhouse announced in a statement yesterday that Lacy's firing means the rest of the show will have to be cancelled. The company pledges to respond to future incidents of hateful heckling much more swiftly.