Bad audience behavior - revisited — Page 4

Okay, I've got one. I was at Hairspray on Thursday night, and someone in the audience kept screaming things to the actors onstage, like when Amber says, "Link, come!" this woman screamed out, "Oh no she didn't!" Similar outbursts were heard throughout. Have any of you guys ever seen Scary Movie 2, where the girl is in the movie theater and keeps commenting loudly at the screen, and then everyone in the theater starts stabbing her until she dies and then they all cheer...well, let's just say the thought crossed my mind once or twice during the show.

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HBG: Actually, that was Scary Movie. Not Scary Movie 2.

And yes, that was a hysterical scene.

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I have Season Passes for all the shows that come through national tours in Cincinnati, so do the women in front of us who always come in 5 minutes late. Today they came in with water bottles, cell phones, and loud, wrapped candy that they ate during the preformance. Luckily, the cell phones didn't go off, they were just illuminated as the women played with them during the show.

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I was at the Rent tour in Chicago this week, and I have to say-- when did they start allowing food and candy in the theater?!?!? It was NUTS! If you can't control your appetite for an hour and a half until intermission, then stay home.

But then I ordered my glass of wine and was told that I couldn't bring it into the theater. Let me get this right. I can bring in bottled water and rattle around junior mints or unwrap twizzlers during the whole show, but can't sip a plastic glass of wine?

????????

My favorite "rude audience" story (in a thread started by yours truly):
https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.cfm?boardname=bway&thread=867244

Question, though. I understand that dressing up like a character is kind of, well, weird, but... I have a MarkScarf, and it's the only scarf I wear in the winter because it's the warmest. I often wear it even if I'm not wearing a coat. In fact, I even wore it to the movie, and to the show the last time I saw it. What's so wrong with that? I mean, if it was all-out, glasses-maroon-and-blue-sweater-scarf-and-camera, I'd see the point, but... I love my MarkScarf, and I don't see how my wearing it (or anyone else wearing theirs) could really disrupt someone else's theatre experience. I mean, it's not like we're twirling them over our heads like a lasso.

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"Although I did see Chitty in the UK where it was treated like a pantomime more than a musical...and we were encouraged to sing along to the title song."

I, too, saw Chitty in the UK, but there was never any "encouragement" to sing along to the title song during the show, only at the curtain call. I saw the show several times and never heard anyone sing along at all during the show itself.

"Although everyone (when I saw it) sang along during the reprise of the song at the end as well as the curtain call and clapped in time with the song. "

Hmmm... don't remember people singing during the final song, but I suppose it might be possible. Clapping along? Yep, that happened too -- even during the show most times I saw it. The title song more or less "invites" that participation, just by the nature of the tune.

Thanks for the clarification.

Updated On: 4/17/06 at 08:17 AM

Singing along, or even MOUTHING ALONG PASSIONATELY right beside me, emoting and jerking about, is quite possibly the worst.

This always happens to me at Rent. Yes, you know the words. Good for you. You, me and every other Renthead on the planet. The cast doesn't give a crap that you know them, so shut up and sit still.

I also horrified my friend one time by asking an 8 year old girl to stop singing during "Wicked" - I can't help it, my mother never would have allowed me to sing, and I don't want to hear the kid. Her mother seemed embarassed, but it stopped, and that's all I cared about.

I think I'm getting bitter with age.

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When I saw Brooklyn there were 5 kids sitting directly in front of us and 2 other older women. The kids were eating so much candy. It was distracting beacause they were ripping bags of candy open. It was horrible. They kept turning around and sitting on tere knees so they could see over the seats to look behind them. The 2 women did nothing about it. It really made me mad.

When I saw Gypsy with Bernadette Peters this old lady behind me sang along to "You'll never get away from Me." She got a lot of angry stares.

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Astonishing, Your post reminds me of a dilemma I have in a similar situation. I want to turn around and nicely, but firmly say "I paid to hear Ms. Peters sing, not you, please be quiet". But I wonder if my reprimand of the audience member will be more distracting to the performer than the original rudeness. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

harris007: "WELL MAYBE IF YOU SHUT THE HELL UP FOR TEN MINUTES YOU COULD HAVE"

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!! OMG that just made my day!!! I was literally laughing so hard at that, that my mom who is downstairs heard me. that is too funny.


I forgot to mention when i saw The Producers I was sitting next to these 2 old women who obviously didn't know anything about the show at all so everytime someone swore or said something racy they would gasp or say, "that's not very nice". My god their facial expressions during Springtime for Hitler...i almost died laughing, i wasn't even irratated by them anymore because they looked so funny

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"to be honest, i jst cnt understand y ppl who r so rude shud even be near or go 2 theatre in Broadway or West End. coz im not bein funny or anyfin, it's just that it's really skank for the rest of the audience."

Wow. That's as far as I could get in that post. The rest just starts to look like hieroglyphics. Is it so difficult to type words?

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