Cell Phone Rings at History Boys - Griffiths Stops The Show- Page 3

Posted: 5/31/06 at 11:45pm

Munkussap.....aren't YOU Michael Riedel!!!! I mean....your hate tactics are identical!

[PalJoey]

Posted: 5/31/06 at 11:55pm

I think the stage manager should be armed with a Taser, which he or she could use on offending audience members ...

AT THE STAGE MANAGER'S SOLE DISCRETION.

Updated On: 5/31/06 at 11:55 PM

[zzannahk]

Posted: 5/31/06 at 11:59pm

does anyone think it strange that some shows do not have this announcement?

I know that the wedding singer had nothing and i was suprised.

howver the best annoucement, which i think should be used universally was the Village Theater before I love you because
it was somethin along the lines of "to do any thing that would be annoying prior to the show starting." but much funnier.

[Fabrizio2]

Posted: 6/1/06 at 12:07am

PalJoey

BRILLIANT

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 6/1/06 at 12:08am

I think it's unusual, but apparently wasn't needed in SF -- I saw Les Miz *mumble2digits* times last summer and a cell phone NEVER went off. The only pre-show announcements I ever heard were last-minute understudy changes.

I haven't heard a phone ring at a show in a long time in SF. Even at Lestat or White Christmas, neither of which had an announcement either, come to think of it. Maybe we're just well-behaved.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 6/1/06 at 12:17am

Not at Blow Buddies you're not.

Posted: 6/1/06 at 12:34am

WHAT??????????????????? That is the sign of an arrogant actor! I do NOT...I repeat do NOT...agree with anyone bringing cell phones into theatres! That's wrong.......BUT.....It's not the place of an actor (in my opinion) to step outside of the play and stop US from the continuity of the show. Yes, we for that "instant", all hear it and are jolted for a brief moment, but it has been my experience, when this has happened in the past, that we as an audience jump right back in immediately to continue to pay attention to what we are watching.
That arrogant ACT-ORRR, took the audience from momentarily being interrupted to complete HALT!! Not cool. It reminds me of how much I hate acceptance speeches, that are used to make political statements. They may be perfectly valid, but that is not the appropriate way to make your opinion heard.

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 6/1/06 at 12:46am

I'm sure there are plenty of people who feel as I do: that a cell phone going off is so disruptive that I wish actors would more often stop the show and restart the scene.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 6/1/06 at 12:47am

It's not arrogant for the actor to want to restore the experience for the rest of the audience, all of whom have paid good money to be there, by starting the scene again. The arrogance lies with an audience member who feels he or she is so important that they are entitled to disturb 1,100 people with their cell phone. If you are so important that you can't live without a cell phone for two and a half hours, or even courteous enough to turn the damn thing to vibrate for that period, JUST DON'T GO.

Posted: 6/1/06 at 12:48am

NBH I doubt it! But, hey, it will be interesting to see if you are right?

[ShbrtAlley44]

Posted: 6/1/06 at 12:52am

I was at Inishmore yesterday and a woman in the front row's cell phone went off very loudly - it was a bit from the Nutcracker (the one the mushrooms dance to in Fantasia). A very well-dressed dowager behind her loudly stage whispered "F*ckin' as*hole!" I was inclined to agree.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 6/1/06 at 12:56am

I know that there are stage crew and house staff that sometimes keep a count of the number of times cell phones go off at performances. The most I've heard of was during Billy Crystal's 700 Sundays. At one performance, according to the spot operator, cellphones went off 22 separate times!!!! I have no idea if that's due to lots of people who aren't used to going to theatre or what, but that's outrageous.

I know that lots of actors from Laurence Fishburne to Patrick Stewart to Brian Denehey have all at one time or another stepped out of character and embarassed people who have answered their phones in the middle of a play. I have zero problem with it, especially in serious dramas which tend to be much quieter than musicals and a phone ringing is impossible to ignore (some musicals are so loud you can't even hear cell phones go off). In such cases, while, yes, I suppose we could all pretend not to hear it and the actors could simply go on without incident, the moment is destroyed anyway and you the audience have been jarringly taken out of the world of the play and are reminded loud and clear that you are sitting in a theater in 2006 watching actors perform. If a cell phone goes off repeatedly, the spell is broken (and it's hard to get back) and I think there's nothing wrong with an actor acknowledging what we all are hearing and are aware of anyway and say something. Not to mention such public humiliation may make others in the audience triple check that their own cellphones are shut off.

It's great that Griffiths started the scene over from the very beginning which made it much easier for the audience and his fellow actors regain their concentration and quickly put the interruption behind them. Unfortunately, until theaters install jamming technology, this is going to keep happening all the time.

Posted: 6/1/06 at 12:56am

SA I agree!! F*CKin' asshole is CORRECT!!, that's what that person is at that moment!!! But the show went on, right? Like I said, Cell phones suck, but I dont pay $100 and up, for an actor to stop a show, wait, then restart...from the top of the scene! There's gotta be a better solution.

[ShbrtAlley44]

Posted: 6/1/06 at 12:59am

I say public humiliation is a great solution. The offender is unlikely to do it again.

The other night when I was ushering, an armrest fell off one of the seats in the center section - when I went over and picked it up and stood there holding it during intermission, a thought occured to me: perhaps ushers should be armed with these and smash any cell phone/camera users or people who eat, talk, and/or get drunk during the show.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 6/1/06 at 1:01am

No, there's no better solution. Maybe you should stick to watching television or DVDs in your own house, in a nice, safe controlled environment.

Posted: 6/1/06 at 1:26am

Smaxie. NOOOOO perhaps YOU should stay at home and watch DVD's! ....then I'll call you on your cell phone!

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 6/1/06 at 1:30am

You are so. annoying.

I can just see your response now:

"No munkuSAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU are nnoayingh! Youre micheal riede4al. !"

Posted: 6/1/06 at 1:33am

"No munkuSAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU are nnoayingh! Youre micheal riede4al. !"

[folkyboy]

Posted: 6/1/06 at 1:35am

hahahaha munkustrap!

[HumATune]

Posted: 6/1/06 at 2:47am

If two separate cell phones rang, shouldn’t both people have been ejected?

[KJisgroovy]

Posted: 6/1/06 at 2:58am

A cellphone takes the entire audience out of the play instantly. For an actor to ignore it... to me... it seems kinda silly. While the cellphone is ringing everyone in the theater is thinking... "Are they gonna turn that thing off?" For an actor to acknowlege that... then restart the scene... I think that's really classy... not restarting the scene/song... I would have a problem with that.


kmc

[allofmylife]

Posted: 6/1/06 at 3:00am

I dread the thought of what would happen if a cell phone went off in a play starring Nicol Williamson.

I heard he slapped a nun once....

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 6/1/06 at 4:45am

You were misinformed, allofmylife. He did not slap a nun once.

He slapped her several times.

Actually, he slapped several nuns several times.

During Lent.

[MaronaDavies]

Posted: 6/1/06 at 5:35am

Good for him. I also wish more actors would take this tactic. unfortunately they're the only ones the patrons will listen to. I've seen people completely ignore the ushers telling them to get off their phones.

In my old line of work (flight attendant) we had this problem quite often. You go up to someone and tell them to put the phone away. They literally turn their backs on you and keep talking. By the time you press the button for security, they're off the phone. It's a no-win situation because they don't respect the rules, they don't respect the staff and they don't respect what you are telling them.

there are only two solutions here: jam the phones or beef up security to have the existing fines/laws actually enforced. The more people put up a fuss; the likelier it is to happen. It's out of the crews' hands. In the meantime, bravo to Mr. Griffiths. Wish more actors would respond that way.

[BROADWAYFAN3]

Posted: 6/1/06 at 5:53am

I hope his heart doctor isn't in a theatre when he has his attack. sounds like a real Type A persoanlity, at that size-- a real ticking bomb.