Bad Theater Behavior — Page 31

ellbellthomps said: "Some lady fell asleep front row of Once on this Island during mama will provide."

Wow. I'm struggling to understand how that would even be possible.

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Lot666 said: "ellbellthomps said: "Some lady fell asleep front row of Once on this Island during mama will provide."

Wow. I'm struggling to understand how that would even be possible."

A few people fell asleep in the front row of In Transit too. That show was pretty dang loud too even without having an orchestra.

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I have been seeing more theater lately than at any other point in my life, and it amazes me how rude people are. When my daughter was young, I told her that when we saw a show, we didn’t talk while the performers were on stage. At intermission and after the show, we would go over her questions or comments. I am tired of ice cubes clinking (so glad they would not serve ice at Meteor Shower or Carousel), M&M bags crinkling, water bottles being molested when empty and cell phones ringing and being held with the light shining. People act as if they are in their living rooms and it is so annoying. In part, I blame the theaters. They should all stop serving ice and stop selling food in paper wrappers. Also, I am tired of the “no late seating” not being enforced.

Honestly, the worst audience experience I've had was when a bunch of people at one of my college's plays kept making loud comments and reactions every time one of their friends was onstage. However, I had an odd experience with Broadway ushers back in August- I was attending an evening performance of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory when a technical failure left a few of the cast members stranded onstage when a moving scenery piece got stuck. Jackie Hoffman had made a very loud, funny comment when the SM called for a hold, so I bent down into my purse to text a friend about it before I forgot it. I was in the front mezzanine, so I guess one of the ushers could see me pull my phone out- what was odd was that she didn't walk down the stairs to tell me herself, instead she just hollered "HEY YOU! PUT AWAY YOUR PHONE!" which prompted the entire balcony and mezzanine to start staring at me. I apologized and put my phone, and then spent the rest of the hold wondering what had gone wrong with the woman sitting next to me. The oddest part of the whole experience though, was that there were at least ten people in my immediate vicinity openly texting and taking photos of the exposed set, since I guess they couldn't drop the curtain while they got things fixed. A girl to my left took FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY of the set and the crew trying to fix it, and when I turned around the usher that yelled at me was chatting with one of her friends, completely oblivious to everything else going on. I wasn't really mad, more just baffled that she chose to single me out and then refused to say anything to anyone else for the rest of the hold.

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I was at Phantom this week and a few people around me would not stop crinkling their peanut M&M packaging and chewing those loudly...

Then, a couple of people tried to take pictures (with the shutter click on...). Includeding someone in the FRONT ROW, who decided to take a photo (flash on, of course) because the marksman was right in front of her. He seemed to scold her after his lines, but come on. Put the phone away and stop being rude. I was livid.

Another time I was there, I sat next to a Brazilian family. The husband was translating almost everything very loudly until someone shushed him. I understand having a question or 2 since it isn’t your first language, but I’ve seen plenty of productions abroad. Read a summary beforehand or (if you have time)listen to the soundtrack to familiarize yourself... It may be harder for small or newer shows, but the mega ones definitely have tons of resources in a multitude of languages...

BrodyFosse123 said: "listen to the soundtrack to familiarize yourself.

Many shows still haven't had a film version made (WICKED, COME FROM AWAY, WAITRESS, etc.), so its impossible for anyoneto listen to the soundtrack prior to seeing the Broadway musical version.

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Waitress was first a movie and all 3 have cast recordings....

BrodyFosse123 said: “Many shows still haven't had a film version made (WICKED, COME FROM AWAY, WAITRESS, etc.), so its impossible for anyoneto listen to the soundtrack prior to seeing the Broadway musical version."

But you can listen to the Original Broadway Cast album, which I’ve done for almost every single show I’ve attended over the last 18 months, including today’s matinee of the National Tour of “Waitress” in Pittsburgh.

BeNice said: "What I’ve noticed more than anything is the tech addiction. The last three Broadway shows I’ve seen (probably more) people of all ages have this involuntary pull to check their text messages, Instagram, etc. in the middle of the show. It’s like their habitual need to check their phone is greater than staying present and I get it I’ve just never succumbed to it."



I also never understand checking texts in the middle of the show. I always put my phone on airplane mode or turn it off, so I’m not even tempted by notifications. Aside from that, I never get reception in the theaters anyway haha, so I don’t understand how people are even checking Facebook or Instagram

Uh, I believe Brody was just being snarky about the use of the term soundtrack.

Anyone who is on a Broadway message board should know proper terminology. Seriously.

Broadway shows have CAST RECORDINGS

Films/Movies/Motion Pictures/TV Shows have SOUNDTRACKS

BrodyFosse123 said: "Uh, I believe Brody was just being snarky about the use of the term soundtrack.

Anyone who is on a Broadway message board shouldknow proper terminology. Seriously.

Broadway shows have CAST RECORDINGS

Films/Movies/Motion Pictures/TV Showshave SOUNDTRACKS"

Sigh... I’m so sorry I made such a catostrphic misuse of a word that rendered my point invalid... nobody could possibly understand what I meant!

Though... a quick, cursory google search of all three examples shows me that, even when using the wrong term, the cast recording of the Broadway show comes up each and every time...

labellaragazza1 said: "I was at Phantom this week...someone in the FRONT ROW, who decided to take a photo (flash on, of course) because the marksman was right in front of her. He seemed to scold her after his lines, but come on."



I know the actor who plays the Marksman and whenever I'm seated in the first few rows of the center orchestra, I purposefully avoid looking directly at him because I'm concerned about disturbing his performance in any way. The character is supposed to be grimly serious and very focused throughout the scene; I can't imagine what a FLASH PHOTOGRAPH in his face would do to his concentration. It would've served her right if he'd fired the gun in her face.

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Updated On: 3/12/18 at 10:19 AM

labellaragazza1 said: "It's Paul isn't it?"

Yes. He's a sweetheart. And he looks like Superman.

labellaragazza1 said: "I cannot for the life of me imagine why someone thought whipping out their phone at that moment (or any, honestly) to take a picture mid show. It was a credit to him that he kept his cool, I would have been livid."

I was once seated front row center and when the curtain was drawn back at the start of "Masquerade", the woman next to me whipped out, not a phone, but an iPad. She held it aloft and began recording video of the scene. My jaw dropped and I sat there glaring at her for a moment, and finally I said "You need to put that away NOW". She did.

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xoffender45 said: "When I told him that the volunteer usher did nothing and spent the whole show watching it, he told me that the usher isn’t a volunteer, hes paid to be there, which is probably even worse.
."

Though it didn't apply in your situation as that usher was paid, I do want to point out that volunteer ushers are specifically not supposed to do anything during the actual show other than watch it. Once they sit down and the show begins, they are patrons same as you. It is not their responsibility to watch for bad behavior during the performance.

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