Video published Tuesday by NBC Denver affiliate 9NEWS shows Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) and a male companion being escorted out of the Beetlejuice musical in downtown Denver Sunday night in a huff.
The incident, which The Denver Post first reported, was spurred by accusations the Republican congresswoman was vaping, singing, recording the performance, and generally “causing a disturbance,” according to officials. Theatergoers at the city-owned Buell Theatre had reportedly been warned during the first intermission about the venue’s conduct policies, but apparently the public service announcement fell on deaf ears.
In a police incident report obtained by the Post, an usher at the venue recounted what happened: “They told me they would not leave. I told them that they need to leave the theater and if they do not, they will be trespassing. The patrons said they would not leave. I told them I would (be) going to get Denver Police. They said go get them.”
At about the two-minute mark in the video, which does not include sound, Boebert appears to make a hand gesture at a theater employee while walking towards the main exit. Boebert then exchanges several words with the person escorting them out of the building.
The incident report details what was said at that moment, with theater staff claiming to authorities that the pair resisted leaving and said “stuff like ‘do you know who I am,’ ‘I am on the board’ [and] ‘I will be contacting the mayor.’”
After leaving the venue, Boebert’s companion twirls her around in an apparent ballroom dance move, which she said was her favorite moment of the evening.
Reached for comment via text, Boebert told The Daily Beast: “On the way out is my favorite part of the video. After the twirl I said ‘omg, I was just Beetlejuice’d from Beetlejuice’ and started laughing hysterically.”
The police incident report does not mention Boebert by name, but her campaign manager confirmed to the Post in a statement that she was there and took a photo of the show without realizing it was against the theater’s policies—while denying many of the other allegations.
“I can confirm the stunning and salacious rumors: in her personal time, Congresswoman Lauren Boebert is indeed a supporter of the performing arts (gasp!) and, to the dismay of a select few, enthusiastically enjoyed a weekend performance of ‘Beetlejuice,’ ” Drew Sexton wrote in a statement to the paper.
Sexton added that Boebert praises the “fantastic cast, tremendous visuals and plenty of loud laughs,” and encourages people to see the show—”with a gentle reminder to leave their phones outside of the venue.”
Zachary Petrizzo contributed to this report.
