The family claims an autistic man and his aide were asked to stop performing at the Argyle Theater because they laughed too loudly.
The family of 27-year-old Joey La Monica said he and his aide didn’t feel like guests were welcomed during a performance of “Beauty and the Beast” at the Babylon Theater.
Joey Lamonica’s aide Jennifer Nadeau said the two were contacted by their manager during Wednesday afternoon’s performance and asked to leave due to complaints about the autistic man’s “explosion.”
“I said, ‘What you are doing is wrong,'” Nadeau said. “You can’t kick him out for laughing. He was laughing. He was having a good time.”
Joey’s mother, Virginia Lamonica, was not there, but said she had spoken to her manager about the incident.
“This is a lifetime thing. We know the reaction. We know the stare. We know if there’s an explosion, we know when to leave,” Virginia said.
According to the Argyle Theatre’s Facebook page, the duo were offered a space in the lounge with TV monitors showing the performance. They used the space but then decided to leave, according to social media posts.
According to Nadeau, the lounge space they were placed in was a sofa set in front of a memorabilia table, where they had to hear employees having personal conversations.
The theater referred to a social media statement on News 12 that said the two were never asked to leave the performance and numerous attempts were made to accommodate them.
The statement also said they interviewed witnesses and audio-video recordings and determined the situation was handled appropriately. said.
