Bad Theater Behavior- Page 25

[Nycat63]

Posted: 5/8/17 at 10:51pm

ArtMan said: "It always seems to take that person five minutes or more to get that little piece of candy out of the wrapper.  It drives me crazy too.

 

"Right?!?? I think they are actually trying to do it quietly but instead they just do it slowly!!  How about just opening it BEFORE the show starts if you must?  While I would never have a phone on myself I almost understand the phones more than I understand the candy thing.  

 

[10086Sundays]

Posted: 5/9/17 at 12:33am

Nycat63 said: "ArtMan said: "It always seems to take that person five minutes or more to get that little piece of candy out of the wrapper.  It drives me crazy too.

 

"Right?!?? I think they are actually trying to do it quietly but instead they just do it slowly!!  How about just opening it BEFORE the show starts if you must?  While I would never have a phone on myself I almost understand the phones more than I understand the candy thing. "

People around me always seem to wait until the emotional, quiet moments of the show to open their candy/rattle the ice in their cups.  So aggravating.

The first time I saw Groundhog Day, the couple next to me were both checking their phones and Apple watches throughout the first act.  The women even took a picture at one point.  When the guy wasn't on his phone he was asleep.  I asked them to stop, to no avail.

At intermission they had a nice discussion about how unhappy they both were in the relationship.  They moved over one seat for act 2 which helped, but the women took 2 selfies just as the lights when down for the entr'acte.  So crazy.  

Also at that show, there was a 7 year old boy, with his parents, in front of me.  It is very much not a kids show, so not only was he asking questions(if you know one of Andy's first lyrics, you know what I mean), but he got bored and restless.  He was actually less distracting than the people next to me though.

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 5/9/17 at 2:29pm

I get unwrapping hard candies but unfortunately there doesn't seem to be much you can do when the theaters sell bagged candies. I will never forget the man who munched peanut m&m's next to me at Doctor Zhivago. Thankfully I was able to go again and have a much better experience.

I was at a concert with an older crowd. Now, I'm very sympathetic to all the health issues that arise as bodies age. But it seemed like there was a chorus of pills falling out of purses. It was very odd. At one point it sounded like someone's entire bag had spilled onto the floor... and they proceeded to pick up their things. It was just a concert and the songs weren't terribly emotional so I found it more amusing than anything else. This is definitely a new one. 

[LxGstv]

Posted: 5/21/17 at 12:50am

Saw 1984 tonight, the guy next to me was wearing flip flops. I'm not sure if that's falls on rude behavior, but it's not really good behavior either... I mean, I don't dress amazingly nice for the theater, but I feel that at the very least you should have closed shoes.

[Robbie2]

Posted: 5/21/17 at 12:53am

LxGstv said: "Saw 1984 tonight, the guy next to me was wearing flip flops. I'm not sure if that's falls on rude behavior, but it's not really good behavior either... I mean, I don't dress amazingly nice for the theater, but I feel that at the very least you should have closed shoes.

 

"what about the ladies wearing open shoes this time of year...right? Doesn't make a difference dude!

 

[LxGstv]

Posted: 5/21/17 at 1:05am

Robbie2 said: "LxGstv said: "Saw 1984 tonight, the guy next to me was wearing flip flops. I'm not sure if that's falls on rude behavior, but it's not really good behavior either... I mean, I don't dress amazingly nice for the theater, but I feel that at the very least you should have closed shoes.

 

"what about the ladies wearing open shoes this time of year...right? Doesn't make a difference dude!

 

 

"

I should have said person instead of guy, I don't think that flip flops are appropriate for the theater regardless of gender or how the weather is. That's just me though. I suppose a last minute situation can happen. Had guests staying with me that ended up going to theater in gym clothes, they said they felt bad, but it was better than not seeing the show...

[PatrickDC]

Posted: 5/21/17 at 3:46am

Re crinkling wrappers, I have a chronic sore throat. I take Chloreseptic lozenges. They come in a blister pack, half plastic, half aluminum that make a crinkling sound with the absolute lightest touch or movement. So, for the theater, I pop several into a no-noise ziplock snack baggie. I rest the baggie on my thigh and wait until applause and when I know a big crescendo of music is coming. I've gotten very good at sneaking a lozenge and popping it into my mouth and with zero crinkling noise. 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 5/21/17 at 4:01am

Chicken_Flavor said: "I don't know if this necessarily pertains, but I saw a Groundhog Day playbill in a trash bag outside my house! It just breaks my little heart to see that. ;(

 

"

Lord, I hope you're joking.  I throw out every single one of them after I read it.  I have saved them since I was about 20. 

[tomwsjr]

Posted: 5/21/17 at 7:07am

I was at the matinee of Present Laughter yesterday and in the very front row a husband and wife took iPhone photos throughout the entire second act.  I was sitting three rows behind them, it was very distracting, I kept hoping Kevin Kline would notice and call them out on it. 

[djoko84]

Posted: 5/22/17 at 6:50am

If you see people taking pictures during a performance and it's bothering you tell an usher. Having said that, during the song "Hello, Dolly!" people were taking video and pictures which I didn't notice, but there was an usher who ran down the aisles making so much noise to try and stop these people that it was so distracting. I get it that they have a job to do, but they don't have to go trudging up and down the aisles during the performance.

Updated On: 5/22/17 at 06:50 AM

[Public User]

Posted: 5/22/17 at 7:09am

Serial coughers.  Sometimes it seems as if they are intentionally injecting themselves into the proceedings.  

[amaklo]

Posted: 5/22/17 at 7:28am

"If you see people taking pictures during a performance and it's bothering you tell an usher. Having said that, during the song "Hello, Dolly!" people were taking video and pictures which I didn't notice, but there was an usher who ran down the aisles making so much noise to try and stop these people that it was so distracting. I get it that they have a job to do, but they don't have to go trudging up and down the aisles during the performance."

The same thing happened at the performance I saw.  During 'Hello Dolly'  I saw a bright light to my left, looked over and there was an usher frantically waggling a very bright flashlight, apparently at someone in my row who was taping.  I hadn't noticed the picture taker but I sure noticed the usher! As you say, it's their job but it was very distracting.

 

 

[JustAnotherNewYorker]

Posted: 5/22/17 at 7:55am

At 1984 first preview, some people got bored and wanted to see what time it was. Since no one wears a watch anymore, the phones come out. Oh, and since they are out anyway, let's check Facebook. Infuriating

Updated On: 5/22/17 at 07:55 AM

[djoko84]

Posted: 5/22/17 at 10:53am

Public User said: "Serial coughers.  Sometimes it seems as if they are intentionally injecting themselves into the proceedings.  

 

"

I had a great seat in orchestra for Falsettos and this guy behind me kept coughing non-stop. And I mean NON-STOP. It was so distracting my friend and I had to move to much worse seats in the mezzanine. Totally ruined the experience for me. I get it people have coughs, but if you're coughing non-stop then there's a problem and you shouldn't be at a show.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 5/22/17 at 1:42pm

I get it that they have a job to do, but they don't have to go trudging up and down the aisles during the performance.

I couldn't agree with you more.  The theatres should just employ snipers with night vision scopes and laser sites.  

[JustAnotherNewYorker]

Posted: 5/22/17 at 2:59pm

Mister Matt said: "I get it that they have a job to do, but they don't have to go trudging up and down the aisles during the performance.

I couldn't agree with you more. The theatres should just employ snipers with night vision scopes and laser sites.



"



Laser pointer would not be the worse idea

[EthelMae]

Posted: 5/22/17 at 6:21pm

And on we go...even with an announcement yesterday about cell phones, my partner had to tell two people to turn off their phones. They were on their phones during Indecent!  Fools.

And I must have been in a cheerful mood or I would have told different people around me to shut up.

You can not win.

P.S. What I don't get is if you like to be on your phone or talk and you can not stop it for an hour at a time, why did you PAY to come to the theatre in the first place?  I was wondering why these people weren't out on 9th Avenue yesterday at the Street Fair. There you can talk and eat and shove your phone anywhere you like. Sorry. So fed up with it.
Also, at a screening of a film the other day with Union members in attendance in a screening room, this guy was texting. I told him to turn off his phone and he told me to wait a minute. Another gentleman told him to shut off his phone and he told him the same thing. I was getting scared vibes from this guy so I shut up. You never know what these fools will do. They turn the whole situation around and suddenly you're the one making waves.
 

Updated On: 5/22/17 at 06:21 PM

[staticradar]

Posted: 5/22/17 at 6:47pm

When I saw Falsettos last November I had the misfortune of being sat next to this teenage boy and his mother.  We were in the front row of the top balcony.  First he pulls out some Nathan's french fries during the performance and the smell was super strong.  Why an usher didn't catch the outside food I don't know.  It was super distracting.  On top of that he kept rocking in his seat and the way the seats are it moved mine too.  The whole show I kept being taken out of the moment by his constant fidgeting.  It also annoyed me that the usher kept having to tell him and his mother to not put stuff on the railing and then 5 minutes later they'd have stuff back on the ledge.  

[loveinnewyorkcity]

Posted: 5/23/17 at 10:05am

I once attended a performance of Jersey Boys and the woman in front of me apparently thought she was at a hard rock concert and began whipping her head so violently back and forth during one song that the sunglasses on top of her head (which was more poor theater etiquette) whipped off and fell onto my lap. SHE didn't to even notice her glasses falling off until I tapped her shoulder to give them back.

Updated On: 5/23/17 at 10:05 AM

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 5/24/17 at 1:30am

I saw a Shakespeare play tonight at a regional theatre and sat behind a group of high schoolers who were all well-behaved and sat quietly the whole show, and I didn't see any cell phones out during the performance.

The grown-ass adults in the theatre showed up late, had their cell phones ring, rustled bags incessantly, whispered and were generally less well-behaved.

[JayElle]

Posted: 6/20/17 at 12:21am

Can't anything be done with the increasing number of rude theater-goers.  Specifically, those who can't disconnect from their phone, taking pics or videotaping during the show, constant chatters who think they are the only ones in theater, etc.

At Sunset Blvd, this tall woman wore a hat similar in design to those worn by catholic cardinals (biretta).  I warned the usher about it who insisted "I'm sure she'll remove it."  No.  SHE WOULDN'T TAKE IT OFF, despite complaints from those behind her who couldn't see.  A man was screaming at her during intermission and she flipped him off.

During War Paint, the woman next to me starting videotaping the opening number.  Shocked, I said, "you can't do that.  Didn't you hear the announcement?"  She put the camera away.

I know Glenn Close, Patti LaPone, Hugh Jackman stopped their shows at rude behavior.  This isn't a $15 movie.  With shows at staggering $800 (Hamilton, Dolly) or even those that are $100+, it's frustrating as hell.

 Disgusted.

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 6/20/17 at 4:43am

Question: Was there any indication that the hat was something she couldn't remove easily or had some religious or cultural significance. I'm thinking of something like an African headscarf or Sikh turban. Otherwise, yes, take off the hat. I remember going to the ballet and seeing a woman (obviously in one of the expensive seats near the front) wearing a giant hat like she was going to the Kentucky Derby. I breathed a sigh of relief when she walked past me. Actually, I had a perfect view that performance because the seat in front of me was empty. 

[SweetLips]

Posted: 6/20/17 at 5:51am

It's unfortunate that the people we are complaining about will never read these columns. This is where we can vent our frustration on the increasingly bad behaviour of fellow audience members.

There is an unspoked code of conduct in a theatre that any well mannered person observes.You sit down,observe/react/respond/applaud and leave.

You don't need company,need to talk,eat,photograph[that's what Playbills/program are for]--the show is what you bought your ticket for.

Entitlement is the problem with the younger generation and the older generation--I got this far so I can do what I fvcking well like.

Unless theatres enforce different policies, united, the problem will only get worse.

Managment should stop a performance NOT a performer as the audience is the front of houses' responsibility.

 

 

[AC126748]

Posted: 6/20/17 at 7:51am

I saw a regional theater production over the weekend and was seated directly in front of a (very minor) local critic. This woman loudly took notes throughout the entire performance, shuffling the papers of her notebook distractingly, AND chewed gum like a heifer with her mouth open. (I have no problem with taking notes during a performance, but it should be done discreetly.) I admonished her during an appropriate break in the performance. I'm friends with the artistic director of this theater, and I told him he should think twice about inviting this person back to his shows until she learns some manners.

[ArtMan]

Posted: 6/20/17 at 8:04am

When I saw Hello Dolly a woman was texting towards the end of the first act.  Even though she was in the center section and I was on the aisle of the side section, the light was still distracting.  At intermission, I approached her and nicely (especially for me) asked her not to text during the show.  She responded with a "how dare I" attitude and stated how it was important and she had to text her friend.  I stated then go into the lobby.  She then told me that if she did that she would miss part of the show. Now....not so nice,  I responded "but you rather distract others with your phone".  Called her a "piece of work".  People behind her thanked me for saying something to her, but none spoke up on their own.  As someone already mentioned, no one wants to say anything to the culprits, and that's the problem.