Best / Worst Usher Stories

I have honestly NEVER had a 'bad' usher experience. But that might be because I interact with them politely, respectfully as another human being going about their business, and generally in a good mood because I'm entering a theater.

My experience is that those who don't cause the problem, rather than just have it thrust upon them.

Kindness is an amazing thing.

I have never had a bad experience with an usher, but I did think my friend was about to get her ass kicked by an old lady at Gypsy when she took a bite of a muffin in her bag before the show started. heh.

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I could write a book, lol!

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I haven't had any bad experiences, but some ushers could definitely be more polite and careful. Pointing the flashlight right at people's faces, or yelling at a patron for taking the picture of a show curtain (okay, yes, it's against the law. But a friendly warning would still be suffice.), etc., definitely doesn't show much care.

Honey, it's just my opinion that people who hold positions treating patrons/customers need to be as least condescending as possible.

Yes, you see some obnoxious, rude theatergoers who take pictures throughout the performance or takes thirty minutes trying to choose a seat at the box office. But they're not the ones I'm talking about. When there is a need to point something out to a patron, there is a polite way to do so without blinding the other patrons with a flashlight.

And it just comes down to their personalities. I rarely see an usher have a good day/bad day. If they're loud and authoritarian, then they'll be that way for the most of the time; if they're kind and gentle, that's just how they approach their patrons. It is my point of view that rude ones shouldn't be ushers at all.

A few too many instances of ushers not doing their jobs seating people before the show, so they spend half the first act moving the entire mezzanine around to the correct seats.

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Of course there are surly ushers. There are surly waiters, cashiers, railroad conductors, and every single other profession you can name that are in service industries.

ushers are at the mercy of the patrons. If they decide to sashay into a theater late, then it's now the usher's problem to seat them while trying not to make anyone unhappy, which is an impossible chore.

And if the patrons decide to videotape the show, take photographs in the theater, talk loudly, smell bad, put their feet, coats, playbills, drinks, purses, and whatever else they FEEL LIKE, ON THE STAGE DURING THE SHOW, it is again the usher's problem to deal with. Oh, yes, without disturbing anyone else.

There's usually not one performance when ushers are not called upon to take action which is bound to disturb someone.

You might be surprised at the amount of patrons who are nice and polite when they enter a theater.

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Updated On: 11/29/09 at 07:57 PM

Oh and how could I forget the cell phones? There are so many of them turned on inside the theater that it looks like a rock concert with half the audience holding up candles in the night.

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I saw Usher in Chicago and he was surprisingly good.

Oh, it should be a small 'u'? To me, ushers are almost always courteous. I don't envy them their job; I'd go crazy trying to manage all the ignorant people who come to the theater. There have been several occasions where I've asked to move to another seat, usually for comfort rather than proximity to the stage. Whether my request is granted or denied, it's always done with courtesy, probably because I am courteous when I ask.

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"If someone puts a playbill up or is doing something that is not directly affecting a performance or those around him than the usher needs to wait until intermission or not at all to deal with those issues instead of disturbing an entire section of people by shining flashlights or yelling during the show. It's completely inappropriate and happens far too often."

Re the above-when I was house managing, I would never address a minor issue until intermission.

However, there are many cases of people with their legs and feet up on steps leading onto the stage, or their shopping bags and such are in the aisles, where actors need access. also, it's a fire hazard and has to be addressed immediately . Video taping and photographing must be addressed instantly, according to my current place of work. And that directive is issued by the stage manager.

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Good/Bad Experiences, both having to do with my father, who had Parkinsons which severely limited his mobility.

Bad: KISS ME, KATE, Martin Beck Theatre, 2000. A Saturday Matinee. We had seats down front, on the far left side of the theater. The usher made a comment about "these goddamn matinees and alteh kakehs who clog up my aisles."

Good: THE PRODUCERS, St. James Theatre, 2003. A holiday matinee. By then my father was in a wheelchair. During intermission, he had to use the restroom, and because of the lines he and I were late getting back and the 2nd Act had already started. Our seats were once again down front, but this time dead center. The House Manager and ushers couldn't have been more gracious or helpful. They obviously couldn't get us back to our assigned seats, but they were very kind to my dad, and wheeled him to an unobtrusive spot in the theatre and let me stand next to him so we could see the rest of the show. When the show was over, they came directly to us and helped us fight the crowds out to the street. I've never forgotten how helpful and gracious they were to him.

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No, but there were two doors behind me that had very visible exit signs on top of them plus my SRO spot was located right by the door that goes from the lobby into the house.

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