Bad Theater Behavior- Page 23

[carolinaguy]

Posted: 4/3/17 at 12:33pm

I saw a touring production of Evita a few years ago, and the two grown women next to me started singing along during "Buenos Aires". I couldn't believe it and thought surely someone else would shush them or they would come to their senses (I'm conflict-averse). But they kept singing, so when the song ended, I had to inform them this was a theater, not a karaoke bar. They seethed for the rest of the first act. One started singing again later during "Rainbow High" but stopped when I turned to look at her. At the end, they shoved past me to get out of the row. It brought out a primal urge in me to bite them. (But I didn't.)

[gleek4114]

Posted: 4/11/17 at 2:09am

This past weekend, I got to see the wonderful We're Gonna Be Okay at the Humana Festival of New American plays in Louisville. Granted, this was my 2nd time seeing it, and the first time the audience was wonderful. I returned to the show for their closing performance (I loved it that much). Someone around me had some kind of bag that they would periodically crinkle, someone a couple rows behind us wouldn't stop with the ice in the bottom of a cup, a couple next to me dropped one of their drinks on the ground during the show, spilling it, and the couple on the other side of my friend and I felt the need to give their own commentary to each other as the show progressed. I was glad to see the show again, but very disappointed my friend didn't get to experience it without the constant distraction. We both kept looking it each other with dead "I want to kill them all right now" eyes.

Either way, keep a lookout for We're Gonna Be Okay. I highly recommend it. It was a hit at the festival, and I hope it goes on to bigger things. 

[mailhandler777]

Posted: 4/11/17 at 7:20am

At Wicked in Rochester on Saturday night the lady behind me was cracking her gum throughout the show.

 

At On Your Feet Sunday afternoon 4 people in the last row in the orchestra(I was in row V) would not shut up. Finally an usher told them "this is not your living room so would you be quiet". It didn't work. I heard them the rest of the show.

Speaking of ushers. They were more distracting to me constantly running around during the show flashing lights in everyones faces thinking they were taking pics. I have a smart watch that I put on airplane mode but it still lights up when I clap. Guess that confused them.

[TweetyPie2]

Posted: 4/11/17 at 8:13am

mailhandler777 said: "At Wicked in Rochester on Saturday night the lady behind me was cracking her gum throughout the show.

 "Speaking of ushers. They were more distracting to me constantly running around during the show flashing lights in everyones faces thinking they were taking pics. I have a smart watch that I put on airplane mode but it still lights up when I clap. Guess that confused them."

 

Simple solution: Take your watch off during the show.

 

[AC126748]

Posted: 4/11/17 at 8:41am

The ushers at the Marquis are very aggressive with talkers, texters, and the like. I've noticed that every time I've seen a show there. Honestly, I've seen so much indifference from ushers in other theaters--or, worse, ushers who are more distracting than poorly behaved patrons--I actually find it refreshing.

[bryan2]

Posted: 4/11/17 at 8:53am

Saturday night I was at Hello Dolly and I could not believe the way people act now in theaters.

a family of 7 were behind me and before the show started the two boys actually started throwing punches at each other and the Mom< who instigated it seemed to think it was funny, the little girl was whining about not being able to see so I suggested to get booster seats...which caused another "crisis" the poor little girls bum hurts...again Mom made a snide remark...and the girl started to kick the gentlemen's chair in the back next to me. The woman in front of him had her hair in a high ponytail ..I guess she thought it was invisible...so he piled his coat and sat to help him see...I had to do the same thing but the joy was the nasty loud mother behind me now couldn't see as well..I never have sat so straight up in my life...LOL  the show started the 2 teenagers 13 and 16 were sighing and flipping the playbill pages and complaining...I finally turned around and said ENOUGH ...and the all sat perfectly still the rest of the show..I don't understand why it is has become so hard to sit quiet and just enjoy a SPECTACULAR show...

 

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 4/11/17 at 12:09pm

bryan2 said: "The woman in front of him had her hair in a high ponytail ..I guess she thought it was invisible..."

It's not like it was a beehive. I don't that's being intentionally inconsiderate. That's in the same category as sitting behind someone taller than you. 

 

[bryan2]

Posted: 4/11/17 at 12:34pm

VintageSnarker  I don't agree because adding 5 to 8 inches on the top of your head can be avoided.. Being taller than the person behind you is not avoidable....It might as well have been a beehive for the gentleman who sat behind her ..he was short had she had the hair down he would have seen fine...just my opinion!!!  back in the 80s in London a older woman tapped me on the shoulders and said "your hair is in my way...it was short but spiked up, so I always remember that...LOL

 

[BruceBogtrotter]

Posted: 4/11/17 at 12:43pm

Lot666 said: "I think it started with that idiot who climbed up on the stage at Hand To God and tried to plug his phone into the set wall socket."

Sorry, but this is the funniest thing I've heard in a long time. How he justified that in his mind is way beyond me.

bryan2 said: "The woman in front of him had her hair in a high ponytail.. I guess she thought it was invisible..."

A high ponytail seems a strange choice for the theatre. Also a strange choice overall. Who wears a high ponytail? Is she on the theatres cheer squad or something? The fact you called her a woman implying that she is at least 20 makes it that much worse. Was it in a scrunchie? Please tell me it was in a scrunchie.

These stories are lovely. The worst I ever had was a bad spreader who had half of his thigh on my seat. It was seriously like he was almost doing the splits in his chair. He left it that way through act 1 and even actively pushed against my leg when I was trying to move it back to his own seat. He recoiled when I ended up putting my hand on his thigh. Invade my personal space and I'll invade your comfort zone.

[Lot666]

Posted: 4/11/17 at 1:08pm

BruceBogtrotter said: "...He recoiled when I ended up putting my hand on his thigh. Invade my personal space and I'll invade your comfort zone."

Fabulous!

[dramamama611]

Posted: 4/11/17 at 1:49pm

bryan2 said: "VintageSnarker  I don't agree because adding 5 to 8 inches on the top of your head can be avoided.. Being taller than the person behind you is not avoidable....It might as well have been a beehive for the gentleman who sat behind her ..he was short had she had the hair down he would have seen fine...just my opinion!!!  back in the 80s in London a older woman tapped me on the shoulders and said "your hair is in my way...it was short but spiked up, so I always remember that...LOL

 

 

"

Ridiculous.  A pony tail does NOT add 5-8 inches on top of any head.  (Unless we're talking more of the poof you can get from African American hair.)   Still, it's not likely the person purposefully styled her hair that way TO be an annoyance.

[BruceBogtrotter]

Posted: 4/11/17 at 1:54pm

dramamama611 said: "Ridiculous.  A pony tail does NOT add 5-8 inches on top of any head.  (Unless we're talking more of the poof you can get from African American hair.)   Still, it's not likely the person purposefully styled her hair that way TO be an annoyance."

Five inches, maybe. Eight inches seems to be a stretch unless she was going for that Cindy Lou Who look. And I don't think he was saying she was doing it to be purposefully annoying, but that it was inconsiderate whether she meant it or not.

[uncageg]

Posted: 4/11/17 at 4:33pm

War Paint makes 2 announcements. (At least they did at the first preview) I was upstairs. When they got to the final number a guy 4 rows in front of me started filming. At the end of the song, phones came out left and right. Out pf nowhere ushers swooped in to stop the filming and picture taking. Unfortunately there were so many doing it that I am sure they didn't catch them all. They didn't get the guy filming. I was totally going to tell an usher but he got out before I could get to an usher.

I will, without hesitation ask someone to turn their phone off. At Finding Neverland I approached a guy 2 rows up across the aisle who kept checking his phone during Act 1 and asked him to stop and thatnit was very distracting. I scare the hell out of a guy sitting in front of me at ROCKY when he pulled a mini camcorder out and starting filming. I quietly lened into his right ear and said "I work here and you meed to stop that right now". He stopped. I don't work at The Winter Garden.

[mailhandler777]

Posted: 4/11/17 at 10:39pm

TweetyPie2 said: "mailhandler777 said: "At Wicked in Rochester on Saturday night the lady behind me was cracking her gum throughout the show.

 "Speaking of ushers. They were more distracting to me constantly running around during the show flashing lights in everyones faces thinking they were taking pics. I have a smart watch that I put on airplane mode but it still lights up when I clap. Guess that confused them."

 

Simple solution: Take your watch off during the show.

 

 

 

"

I'm afraid I'll lose it if I take it off. Most times I don't have a bag with. I turn the light down as far as I can and try to keep my sleeve over it. 

[karen24]

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

Just wanted to comment that I saw "Sunday in the Park" last Saturday night (loved it) and I realized afterwards that I didn't recall them doing any pre-show "turn off your phones" announcement. There was a notice in the Playbill that using cell phones in the theater is illegal, but how many people would really see that before the show? However, at least in my area (3rd row of the mezz), everyone was well-behaved. No phones going off, no whispering, etc. Was everyone just loving the show? Excited to be near Jake? Excited to be in the beautiful newly- renovated theater? Or was I just lucky? Does this reinforce the idea that the announcements are pointless?

The one thing that kind of irritated me was that both Jake and Annaleigh got entrance applause. I find that distracting although obviously not nearly as bad as some of the things described here. At least Annaleigh got her share and not just the Big Movie Star (he was great, nothing against him in the role!)

Updated On: 4/12/17 at 11:11 PM

[Tsao5]

Posted: 4/11/17 at 11:16pm

When I saw Sunday in the Park last week, same experience.  No announcement.  Great audience.  No phones, no talking, no bad behavior.  Audience loved it.  Same at Fun Home last year.  I guess it's kinda luck of the draw.

[bwaykelly2]

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

So I will preface this by saying I am a tall lady. I'm 6'2" and there isn't anything I can do to change it! That being said, I see shows between once and three times a week sometimes and I'm always very conscious of the people around me. I don't wear my hair in a bun, I don't lean forward in my seat, and I try to switch with a friend if I notice there's a little kid behind me. I think that's a lot more courteous than most! 

So now for my story. It was September when Hamilton had just opened and the in person lottery was still going strong. I won the lottery and brought my husband along. He's a tall guy as well. Our seats were in the front row just right of center. When we came in to take our seats we were so excited! We were seeing Hamilton in the front row! Well, when we take our seats, the woman sitting behind m husband starts huffing and puffing. She was doing this loud enough that I could hear. Then she said her husband, "Well. I can't see anything now. Will you switch with me?" He must have said no because she started huffing and puffing even louder. Then she says, "well, my night is ruined now. I might as well just go sit out in the lobby." And when I say huffing and puffing I mean that breathy "hmffffffffff" sound that people make when they don't get their way. It didn't ruin our night, but it did make me feel super self-conscious about something that's completely out of my control. I've been in plenty of situations where I can't see because there is a tall person in front of me! It has more to do with the rake of the seats than anything else. 

[PepperedShepherd]

Posted: 4/11/17 at 11:33pm

Okay, this was a really bad one:

Last week, I am seeing An American in Paris at the Hollywood Pantages and sitting in Center Orchestra, Row F, 3 seats off aisle.  Not, in other words, the cheap seats.

The show starts, and the 3 seats in front of me are empty. They remain that way for about 15 minutes until, during "I Got Rhythm", a man and two women -- all middle-aged -- arrive. Now, rather than quietly slinking into their seats to minimize their disruption, they fuss and bother, taking off coats, juggling purses, etc. They finally get settled. But apparently the one woman doesn't like her seat, so they all get up and shuffle around -- moving themselves and the aforementioned coats & purses to a new configuration.

Well, thank goodness that's done. But wait! Scarcely two minutes go by before the man stands up, talks to the women, and then makes his way out of the row -- once again disrupting everyone around.  Then, unbelievably, within seconds of his departure, both women pull out their cellphones!  One starts texting, while the other fires up a game!  Before I can say anything, the guy sitting next to them tells them to put the phones away, which -- after some fussing -- they do. (Remember, these are not kids I'm talking about but grown, middle-aged adults.)

The women actually start paying attention to the stage at this point, but the man is nowhere to be seen. He doesn't come back for a good 20 minutes -- at which point he doesn't return to his seat but, rather, stands in the aisle, leaning over to talk to the woman who is 3 seats in. I can't hear what is being said, but he's obviously asking for something as she picks up her purse and starts digging through it.  (Meanwhile, I can't believe this ass has the nerve to stand there and block people's view of the stage. But, as he's not blocking mine, I don't say anything.)  The woman finally locates whatever she was looking for, hands it to him, and he disappears again.

He is gone for most of the rest of the act, only returning for the last 15 minutes or so.  At which point, he sits down -- and proceeds to carry on a conversation with one of the women!  He never even looked at the stage.  After about a minute and a half of this nonsense, I have had enough and lean forward. In my quietest, coldest voice I say, "Could you please be quiet? You are disrupting the entire audience."  I was a little afraid it might trigger a brawl, but, believe it or not, it worked!  He shut up, turned to the stage -- and the final 10 minutes of Act One proceeded without further incident.

During intermission, with the offenders absent, everyone in the vicinity was talking about them.  Several people actually thanked me to speaking up.  We also apprised the ushers of the situation, and they were going to talk to the party -- but, fortunately, the jerks did not come back after intermission.  

It made for a much better experience during Act Two.  :) 

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 4/12/17 at 1:07am

Re: ponytail discussion

I don't think we should really be policing hairstyles. Especially a simple ponytail. Unless you do something to wrap the hair where it's tied I don't understand how you would get it higher than the top of your head. Would you complain if someone was wearing their hair in a teased out afro? I think it's a different situation if someone is wearing a big hat. It's easy to take off a hat. 

[haterobics]

Posted: 4/12/17 at 8:38am

mailhandler777 said: "Speaking of ushers. They were more distracting to me constantly running around during the show flashing lights in everyones faces thinking they were taking pics. I have a smart watch that I put on airplane mode but it still lights up when I clap. Guess that confused them."

If it's an Apple Watch, they added a Theater Mode in the last update:

https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/watchos-3-2-theater-mode/

[mailhandler777]

Posted: 4/13/17 at 12:52am

haterobics said: "mailhandler777 said: "Speaking of ushers. They were more distracting to me constantly running around during the show flashing lights in everyones faces thinking they were taking pics. I have a smart watch that I put on airplane mode but it still lights up when I clap. Guess that confused them."

If it's an Apple Watch, they added a Theater Mode in the last update:

https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/watchos-3-2-theater-mode/

 

"

It's a Samsung but I'll look into seeing if they have that available. 

[Dancingthrulife2]

Posted: 4/13/17 at 3:40am

mailhandler777 said: "TweetyPie2 said: "mailhandler777 said: "At Wicked in Rochester on Saturday night the lady behind me was cracking her gum throughout the show.

 "Speaking of ushers. They were more distracting to me constantly running around during the show flashing lights in everyones faces thinking they were taking pics. I have a smart watch that I put on airplane mode but it still lights up when I clap. Guess that confused them."

 

Simple solution: Take your watch off during the show.

 

 

 

"

I'm afraid I'll lose it if I take it off. Most times I don't have a bag with. I turn the light down as far as I can and try to keep my sleeve over it. 

 

"

Don't you have a pocket or two in your pants?

[Dancingthrulife2]

Posted: 4/13/17 at 3:47am

bwaykelly2 said: "So I will preface this by saying I am a tall lady. I'm 6'2" and there isn't anything I can do to change it! That being said, I see shows between once and three times a week sometimes and I'm always very conscious of the people around me. I don't wear my hair in a bun, I don't lean forward in my seat, and I try to switch with a friend if I notice there's a little kid behind me. I think that's a lot more courteous than most! 

So now for my story. It was September when Hamilton had just opened and the in person lottery was still going strong. I won the lottery and brought my husband along. He's a tall guy as well. Our seats were in the front row just right of center. When we came in to take our seats we were so excited! We were seeing Hamilton in the front row! Well, when we take our seats, the woman sitting behind m husband starts huffing and puffing. She was doing this loud enough that I could hear. Then she said her husband, "Well. I can't see anything now. Will you switch with me?" He must have said no because she started huffing and puffing even louder. Then she says, "well, my night is ruined now. I might as well just go sit out in the lobby." And when I say huffing and puffing I mean that breathy "hmffffffffff" sound that people make when they don't get their way. It didn't ruin our night, but it did make me feel super self-conscious about something that's completely out of my control. I've been in plenty of situations where I can't see because there is a tall person in front of me! It has more to do with the rake of the seats than anything else. 

 

"

It was not your fault. She could've got a booster seat if she wanted to.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 4/13/17 at 3:49am

Just recently, I noticed the reflections of the lights on wristwatches look like a device, too 

[clb10162]

Posted: 4/13/17 at 6:15am

I'm afraid I'll lose it if I take it off. Most times I don't have a bag with. I turn the light down as far as I can and try to keep my sleeve over it. 

Have you tried turning it so the face is on the inside of your wrist (i.e., the palm side of your hand)?  You can still see the time with just a quick glance.