Faye Dunaway Fired From ‘Tea At Five’ Play Amid Reports of Bad Behavior

Faye Dunaway has been fired from the one-woman play Tea At Five, Deadline confirmed on Wednesday (July 24).

The 78-year-old Mommie Dearest star was removed from the production, which was headed to Broadway, according to a statement from producers Ben Feldman and Scott Beck.

“The producers of Tea at Five announced today that they have terminated their relationship with Faye Dunaway. Plans are in development for the play to have its West End debut early next year with a new actress to play the role of Katharine Hepburn.”

Faye had performed the play in a pre-Broadway tryout in Boston from June 22 to July 14. The final week’s performance was canceled, reportedly because “moments before curtain because Dunaway slapped and threw things at crew members who were trying to put on her wig.”

“She was frequently late for rehearsals, sometimes up to two hours, sources say. She refused to allow anyone to look at her during rehearsals, including the director and the playwright. Although she had the script for six months, sources claim she was never able to learn her lines. During the run of the play at Huntington she was fed lines and blocking through an earpiece,” the New York Post reported on the same day.

Tea at Five is a one-woman play by Matthew Lombardo about Katharine Hepburn’s recovery from a car accident in 1983.