Patrick Healy, late of the Boston Globe and current New York Times theater reporter, conducted this interview with Irish author and playwright Colm Toibin last week.

The Testament of Toibin: A Tony Nod, and a Closing Notice

The Irish writer Colm Toibin was shaving in his bathroom on Tuesday morning, and savoring the news that his “Testament of Mary” had just been nominated for a best play Tony Award, when the telephone rang. The voice on the other end said, “I have Scott Rudin on the line for you.” And so began one of the more surreal phone conversations that Mr. Toibin ever had: He was a freshly minted Tony nominee, but his producer Mr. Rudin was telling him that the play would close on Sunday, after only 43 performances and far earlier than planned, due to poor ticket sales.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Mr. Rudin was not amused (tip o’ the pixel to the Missus):

Scott Rudin Dresses Down NY Times Theater Reporter

In a Saturday ad, the producer makes no secret of his irritation at the Times’ coverage of his decision to close the Broadway play “The Testament of Mary.”

There’s nothing like a public spat to liven up Tony Awards season on Broadway.

An ad in TheNew York Times Saturday Arts section theater listings for The Testament of Mary states “Last 3 Perfs.” It also carries the following unusual quote from producer Scott Rudin: “Let’s give a big cuddly shout-out to Pat Healy, infant provocateur and amateur journalist at The New York Times. Keep it up, Pat — one day perhaps you’ll learn something about how Broadway works, and maybe even understand it.”

The quote is a direct response to the Times theater reporterPatrick Healy‘s Q&A that ran on Wednesday, May 1 with Irish author and playwright Colm Toibin, who wrote Testament as both a critically lauded novella and a theatrical monologue.

Saturday’s Times Theater Directory:

Rudin’s Testyment notice:

No response so far from Healy. Maybe he’s not such an amateur after all.

UPDATE: Thanks to the ever-reliable Dan Kennedy for pointing out that the hardworking staff is an idiot and got its Patrick Healys mixed up.  (Ex-Globie here, and in the Metro section as political correspondent.)