Audience Behavior- Page 3

[musical_ash_09]

Posted: 4/14/11 at 5:40pm

The worst experience I've had was seeing Next to Normal in Pittsburgh. The couple sitting next to me came in late at the beginning of the show and after intermission. The woman was eating candy and the man had some sort of cold and kept coughing and blowing his nose. Both of their cell phones rang at different points during the show.

Plus to make it even more awkward the man was on the larger side and decided he would be more comfortable if he put his arm across the back of my seat. I whispered for him to move it and he politely did, but come on! That's just ridiculous to me.

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 4/14/11 at 5:50pm

ash, what night were you there? I was there Tuesday and there were some people in the orchestra who came in, like, I swear to God 45 minutes into the first act. At that point, I totally wouldn't have bothered. (And I don't think they were the type that had seen it a few times already.)

At iHo last Wednesday, the man directly behind me slept on and off through the first act, snoring loudly, then during both intermissions proclaimed vehemently into his cellphone that it was the most amazing play he'd seen in a generation and that it would change the face of theater. He riffled his program in my ear during all of Act 2, and slept again in Act 3. It was like "Candid Camera."

[musical_ash_09]

Posted: 4/14/11 at 6:13pm

This was on Thursday night and I was front row center Mez. I really just don't understand some people.

[sbflyfan]

Posted: 4/14/11 at 8:14pm

I have to agree that the "Next To Normal" behavior was ridiculous in Pittsburgh. I was in the left pit on Saturday night. Someone in the row behind me (there are only about 5 seats in the side sections) was tapping their foot rapidly throughout the first act. TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP. Didn't matter what was going on. Even through "There's A World." And the pit floor is hollow, which doesn't help things at all.

At intermission the first thing I did was whip around and (making eye contact with everyone in the row as to not accuse directly) say "Folks, whoever is doing the foot tapping, please stop. It's very distracting!" Didn't stop them from doing it during the second act.

Also during the first act this younger woman across the aisle in the 3rd row practically JUMPED up out of her seat and left at a point when the actors all had their backs to the audience. She returned VERY loudly clomping her way towards her seat during the quiet section of "Catch Me I'm Falling" where the music drops out and there's just that "heartbeat" bass sound. The audience was COMPLETELY captivated by what was happening on stage, and it snapped everyone out of the moment because everyone turned to look at her. I have no idea why the ushers didn't hold her until the end of such a pivotal scene.

[musical_ash_09]

Posted: 4/14/11 at 8:23pm

I didn't have any problems Sunday night, but Thursday I wanted to HURT people. My little cousin wants to see "Wicked" when it's at the Benedum Center in September and I can only imagine what kind of circus that is going to be. I saw it twice on Broadway and while it's a bearable show it tends to contain an unbearable audience.

Although, that makes me wonder this question. Are audiences worse with touring shows or with actual Broadway shows?

Updated On: 4/14/11 at 08:23 PM

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 4/14/11 at 9:45pm

Probably only me, but I get a bit annoyed when people check their watch - especially towards the end of the show, when things tend to be reaching their climax. Really takes me out of the moment. Also, I hate watches that beep-beep every hour, on the hour.

[Goggles]

Posted: 4/14/11 at 10:37pm

I was at a show the other week and the seat next to me was open, the person sitting in the row behind me thought it was ok to put her feet up on the top on the chair. see looked like she was sitting in her lazy boy at home. i couldnt believe it and of course that is all i could see in the corner of my eye.

[pennydreadful]

Posted: 4/14/11 at 11:44pm

*jaw drop* A BABY in Phantom?? Kids under 4 aren't supposed to be allowed in - I guess they were too busy strip-searching people for recording devices/outside snacks to notice.

I've been to Phantom 4 times, and so far, the audiences have been good. I talked to one mother and daughter tourist pair while we were waiting in line for the restroom, and they marveled how much better-behaved the Phantom audience was, compared to The Lion King. They told me their Lion King audience the night before had sung along to all the songs, talked throughout, kids ran rampant in the aisles, etc.

The first time I went, I sat next to a big, loud, Russian tourist family, and I was seated right next to their little girls (about 9 years old). I was cursing my luck, but they were silent once the curtain went up. During intermission, the two little girls very seriously debated with me if Justin Beiber should play Raoul or the Phantom. *shudders*

[uncageg]

Posted: 4/15/11 at 12:48am

I was at "Sister Act" on Monday and someone was taking flash pictures from the second box on the left. Also annoying was at Roundabout at Studio 54 while seeing "The People in the Picture" in the Mezz. The ushers kept flashing their flashlights. It was really distracting.

[egghumor]

Posted: 4/15/11 at 4:12am

NEWSFLASH: These rude audiences many of you describe are precisely the folks that Broadway is pandering to more and more and more. They're the ones who actually push the production into a very long run. I agree, the behavior you describe is outrageous in many cases, but Broadway is less geared toward serious theater audiences than ever before.
The people you talk about view a Broadway show as as sort of “live” TV show or interactive movie, and the current climate of Broadway drives that mentality. “Priscilla” obviously delivers that type of experience in spades. It's like “Sweatin' to the Oldies” on Broadway.
It is believed that “Oh, Calcutta!” achieved its ridiculously long run on international, largely non-English speaking audiences. Very “exciting” and “taboo” to many cultures, with little or no importance on the text, and which had long outlived its scandalous life with theatergoers omce it closed at the Belasco.
People the world round know ABBA, Lloyd Webber, etc., and its perfectly acceptable in many cultures to sing along with performances as a way of expressing one's adoration of the song or the performance.
I'd find quite challenging to perform a song under such conditions but obviously most seasoned Broadway performers have found a way of coping with this trend.

[OhTossums2]

Posted: 4/17/11 at 8:25am

I will never forget the time I went to see The Lion King about three years ago and all I could hear were children talking. Parents, silence your children. I work in childcare, I understand it can be difficult but when you are paying $70+ for tickets you deserve to actually HEAR the show.

[sorano916]

Posted: 4/17/11 at 8:55am

I was a "By the Way, Meet Vera Stark" a couple of weeks ago and there was a lady a few seats down from me who was texting throughout Act 1 and then decided to check her voicemail during Act 2.

[LittleBitRacist]

Posted: 4/17/11 at 9:50am

After seeing shows in New York for many many years, I just witnessed the absolute worst audience behavior I've ever seen in the audience for The Woman in Black in London. There was a group of about 100 15-17 year old school kids clearly on a school outing, and when the show started (one man on the stage, another comes down the aisle from the back of the house) all of them just continued their conversations in full voice. No one could hear the opening few minutes of the play because about a hundred kids were carrying on their conversations.. then the SHHing started, and a woman a few rows in front of them yelled "CAN YOU BE QUIET?!" over the actors speaking. Any time there was any action in the show-- the woman in black walking down the center isle, a loud noise, a joke-- the teenagers erupted in more talking and laughter until they were each SHHed again about twenty times.

As soon as intermission started a good number of people bolted from their seats to complain to ushers and the house manager and the house manager was huddled with their school teachers I assume trying to tell them to make the kids behave better or leave. I don't know if they ended up kicking out the whole group or the teachers decided that the kids couldn't keep it together but just a few minutes before Act 2 started they told the group they'd be leaving and all of the kids sprang out of their seats laughing and cheering like they were excited to get out and proud of themselves. The whole audience was turned around glaring at them, a few people "boo"ed them, a man yelled "you should be ashamed of yourselves!" while the kids were laughing and waving goodbye and a few stuck up their middle fingers to the rest of the audience as they left. After they left the orchestra was about half empty, but at least we got to enjoy the rest of the show. I had honestly never seen anything like it and everyone around me was totally shocked at how disgusting their behavior was, especially for older teenagers, completely unacceptable.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/17/11 at 10:45am

At SISTER ACT the other night, two people came in late and immediately started talking back to the actors on stage like they were at a movie. Now you all know I don't play that game, especially three rows from the stage. I told them to stop and then to shut the F*CK up. The woman leaned into me while the man was yellIng "that's right bring those nuns out!" and said "sorry if we're bothering you". I told her that they were bothering everyone and a few minutes later I even leaned over her to tell him to SHUT. THE. F*CK. UP! to which he told me he wasn't going to because he was having a good time and then he called me a racist. When the lights came on we immediately ran for some empty seats a few rows back where luckily the people sitting next to us decided to continue the talking.

I don't understand why there are announcements telling you when to unwrap your candy but nothing asking the audience not to talk. I think it's time to start including that.

[Idiot]

Posted: 4/17/11 at 3:20pm

I wish it were only an issue of the differences between cultures, but unfortunately it's not. It's a matter of manners, which more and more seems like a folksy, outdated notion.

When I saw GYPSY with Lupone, my iPhone apparently hit something in my pocket and turned itself back on. Didn't know 'til it RANG! With Lupone on stage no less. Practically ripped my thigh off to stifle it -- I swear I'd have broken it in my pocket if I could have figured out how. Shew. A truly terrifying moment.

[geaj]

Posted: 4/17/11 at 4:00pm

Heck, I coughed three times during Next to Normal last Saturday at Pittsburgh and felt like an ass! People are the worst, that's what we say! I try to be polite, but you know society is entitled now!

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/17/11 at 4:03pm

I farted during PRISCILLA and an usher came over and yelled at me.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 4/17/11 at 4:18pm

Was it odiforous ?

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 4/17/11 at 5:49pm

People are ignorant filthy creatures and egghumor is right on the money. With ticket prices as high as they are and Broadway clamoring to create bombastic, expensive spectacles based on crap movies the bar is being lowered considerably.

People nowadays feel entitled to be not be inconvenienced in any way during a show and the includes talking freely, sharing comments, talking to the stage, eating, shaking their ice in those F@#KING PLASTIC CUPS ( I still want the person who invented that idea to be castrated.), texting, singing along. It's grotesque.

It's no better in movie theatres which are ridiculous as well.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/17/11 at 5:54pm

Oh Christ, those F*CKing plastic cups with ice. Because God forbid people have to sit for two hours without being able to put something in their lard ass pie holes.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 4/18/11 at 11:23pm

"Oh Christ, those F*CKing plastic cups with ice. Because God forbid people have to sit for two hours without being able to put something in their lard ass pie holes."

Amen Jordan. I remember the good old days when you had 3 minutes to pound your drink after waiting 10 minutes to get it and not being allowed into the theatre with it.

Now these slobs come back to their seats LATE with icy drinks in plastic cups, all matter of candy and food. It's like a f#@king tractor pull.

[bwayfan7000]

Posted: 4/18/11 at 11:32pm

At The Little Mermaid years ago, there were some really annoying teenage girls behind me singing during the well-known songs. After a couple of casual looks back at them, I turned and gave them an absolute death stare. They didn't sing for the rest of the show.

Other than that, I've been very lucky with good audience behavior...I've never really had a problem. Maybe other than the two loud cell phone rings during quiet moments of Jerusalem. THAT pissed me off.

[uncageg]

Posted: 4/19/11 at 12:38am

What I don't get is that some shows don't specifically say no taking of pictures. Tonight at "House of Blue Leaves" they just say cell phones and electronic devices. Needless to say people were snapping pictures before and after the announcement. Cell phones popped out all over the place for the curtain call.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 4/19/11 at 5:18am

I guess I'll consider myself lucky then. I've never had to endure anything like the stories relayed here. Sure, the occasional candy wrapper, the hard-of-hearing senior citizen, the sadly expected phone ringing -- but I didn't realize how "lucky" I was!

I find my experience at the movie theate much more troublesome -- which has truly taken away from the experience. Yes, I know to expect more noise when going to a kids' movie -- but not to hear ANY parents attempt to 'shush' them is unfathomable.

[quizking101]

Posted: 4/19/11 at 9:25am

I understand some are foreign require some translation, but they should have the courtesy to keep it to a VERY LOW WHISPER.

At PRISCILLA, there was this Eastern European couple (Whether they were Russian, Polish, or Ukrainian was anybody's guess). The wife was translating for the husband (rather loudly), and I turned around and shot them a dirty look, which they returned.

...Thank God they left at intermission.