Katie Holmes Faces Anti-Scientology Protestors on Broadway Debut
Katie Holmes by Ray Tamarra/Getty Images
Tom Cruise wasn't the only one who showed up for
Katie Holmes' Broadway debut Thursday evening.
Nearly two dozen anti-Scientology protestors swarmed the streets outside the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater, where Holmes is starring in Arthur Miller's
All My Sons, to demonstrate their distaste for the religion, shouting such chants as "Scientology is a cult," and the staple since TomKat hooked up in 2005, "Free Katie," the New York
Daily News reports.
"We aren't protesting Katie," an anonymous protestor said. "But Scientology is a cult and once you become a member you can't leave, and we've heard that Katie isn't able to leave because of Tom Cruise."
The hubbub didn't seem to distract Holmes or Cruise though. The actor was welcomed inside the theater by fans and cheered loudly, alongside Dustin Hoffman, as his wife took to the stage.
The 29-year-old actress reportedly held her own against her costars and theater vets, John Lithgow, Dianne Wiest and Patrick Wilson, drawing ample applause from the crowd and two standing ovations at curtain call.
"She was extraordinary," Cruise said afterwards.
Currently in previews,
All My Sons will officially open on Oct. 16. -
Joyce Eng
