Saturday night when Laurence Fishburne took the stage for an encore standing ovation for his lead role in “Thurgood” at the Booth Theatre. The play about former Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, a descendent of slaves, was a pioneering civil rights attorney, sucessfully arguing Brown v. Board of Education before the Supreme Court, prior to becoming a member of that exclusive body. .

An audience member reports Fishburne, who has been estranged from his parents for 15 years, was overcome when he saw his father in the crowd and began to weep as he introduced his dad to the playgoers.  As they say there wasn’t a dry eye in the  Theatre.

Actor Mario Lopez’s opening night on Broadway in A Chorus Line didn’t run as smoothly as he had hoped.  The former Saved By The Bell star and Dance with the Stars performer kicked off a run, playing the choreographer in the long-running dance show this week.  Speaking after Monday’s first show, he told the New York Post, “I was a little nervous and I had lots more to work through tonight than just my job. Four understudies were in their roles, so that wasn’t as smooth as could be, and then a lady patron in the theatre had a heart attack. I mean, I had all that to deal with.”