Audience Behavior — Page 4

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.

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Basing a show off any existing material is akin to a libretto. I mean, isn't Priscilla better than Jersey Shore?

Cole Haan sells shoes with Nike soles.

Try to arrange a sitfown meal before your show.

If you must go into Hershey's before your show, I really would suggest getting the bath product set or a cute t-shirt instead, but the Hershey drops are discrete.

Enjoy the show, and if a song moves you, maybe the Colony has the sheet music.

Awhile ago I saw Billy Elliot again. At the end of Solidarity the curtain went down and they announced a short pause in the show due to technical difficulties. There were some women in front of me who were texting the entire time leading up to this point. I told the quietly more then once to stop as it was not only rude and bothersome to me but to the people around me. They didn't and instead covered up the texting with their jackets etc.

When the curtain came down I had to rush to the bathroom (actually there being a pause at that particular time was a saving grace.) But, in any event I ran like a bullet up to the bathroom, and back with time to spare. They yelled at me for yelling at them about texting. Yet, they acted as if I came up, out of my seat as the show was going to go to the bathroom as if I was creating some sort of double standard. I told them that what they were doing was rude and shouldn't take palace at all during the show. I got up and ran to the bathroom when the curtain was down and house lights up. And, therefor no show going on. They looked at me as if I had two heads.

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A while ago I had to bring my (twenty year old, seemingly mature, I have no idea) friend to the Shrek musical because it was her birthday and I felt guilty because she'd been chattering about it for months. I completely expected for it to be a miserable experience-- a bunch of aggressive twelve year olds opening candy and playing games. We were seated among a bunch of couples who appeared to be in their late thirties though, so I figured OK, this might be alright.
Ten minutes in, two of the couples got into their candy. They continued rustling around the wrappers the entire time. At least three of the surrounding people were humming along or quietly singing. The man in back of me kept trying to put his feet on the empty seat next to me-- right next to my face. When I turned around and sort of gestured asking for him to please put his god damn boots down, he SHUSHED me.
During intermission my friend coughed into her elbow (not even a gross, phlegm cough, just a normal cough) and the woman next to her gave her the dirtiest look. I was so close to going off. Like excuse me, Miss J. Crew, but you've been singing along to a man dressed in a donkey suit for the past hour-- do you even what are you some sort of what is this. But my friend didn't seem to care too much, she was so into the show, so I held it all in.

Seriously though... adults at shows geared toward children. Only thing worse than the children.

Whenever I see people texting, the teacher in me kicks in and I just want to confiscate their phone.

Texting has gotten way out of control. Last Sunday (Palm Sunday, when lots of people who never go to church decide to go to church), I had the misfortune of sitting next to a 20-ish girl who was text and checking the menu of a local restaurant online. As The Passion was being read, I asked her if she planned to continue using her I-Phone of Blueberry or whatever it was. She gave me a dirty look and turned off her gizmo. No I normally shut my phone off when I go to church but I obviously forgot that day and moments later it rang. My ringtone is Louis Armstrong's "Hello, Dolly!". I wanted to crawl out of the church and die!

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When I saw Phantom at the Majestic, some people were on their phones during the 30 or so seconds between the pre-show announcement and start. The ushers on the balcony shined their flashlights down on them to get their attention. The Majestic has some of the strictest and meanest ushers, but with a show like Phantom that has so many tourists, this is a good thing.

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i cant stand people who bring food, and those damn cups back to the seat. Eat and drink before, you idiots. This is a theatre, not your living room, not an arena, and not the movies. Have some respect for the actors, your fellow theatre goers, and most of all for yourself. And if you cant, stay the heck home.

one of the main problems of late, is that theatre has lowered itself to the lowest standards set by the potential audience, rather than trying to bring the potential audience up to a higher standard.
Basically it is a dumbing down in response to what is around these days.
I am not saying one should be elitist, but what is wrong with being shown a little class and culture? Perhaps something they have not experienced before?
But of course this is a business, and so unfortunatly the public is given what it wants and expects. Thus the spate of shows that encourage clapping and singing along, dancing in the aisles etc. And all the theatre owners are so afraid to "offend" their paying customers, (lest they lose their future business)that really nothing is done to curb the rather boorish and pedestrian attitudes and actions of today. There are one or two house mgrs that I have known that do not put up with the crap, but they are exceptions to the rule. But please know, that not only is this rude behavior distruptive to some audience members, it is at times disruptive to those of us onstage.

When I saw Catch Me if You Can, two people, sitting directly behind me, were whispering back and forth. Finally, the woman next to me "shushed" them. They got into a small argument, until the whispering couple decided to get up and find another place to sit.

Then, during the second act, a man's cell phone began to ring. Not only did he let it ring for a little while, he actually answered it!

I could not believe it... Some people have no respect.

A response to talking theatregoers in back of you that I have occasionally used is to glare at the culprits and say, "I'm sorry, but the actors on stage are making so much noise that I can hardly hear you". This usually shuts people up, at least for the time being.

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Two middle-aged women (in the second row, no less) were loudly doing callbacks at SISTER ACT last week. I lost it when Marla Mindelle sings her solo in "Raise Your Voice" and the one lady screamed "SING IT, WHITE GIRL!"

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The children kicking my chair and rolling on the ground behind me in the orchestra of 'Beauty and the Beast' a few years back was immensely distracting.
What takes the cake is when I saw 'Arcadia' at the end of May. The woman next to me came 5 minutes late, stage whispered some questions to me, and then ate take-out food!! She disappeared after intermission, so I was able to focus on the show more.
However, audience behavior I didn't mind was at 'Love, Loss and What I Wore'. I thought it was cute when women responded in various ways when certain type of clothing or fashion was mentioned. It was apparent the show connected with them, which was nice to see.

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