Bad audience behavior - revisited- Page 6

[ShbrtAlley44]

Posted: 4/30/06 at 11:59am

They probably couldn't quite believe he was there in front of them and wasn't on a TV screen.

[JerseyScoundrel]

Posted: 4/30/06 at 8:26pm

When I saw Awake and Sing, the audience could not even shut their mouths during the announcment before the show. They were all talking so loudly. It was like a social event. They did quiet down once the first line was spoken.

[freeadmission]

Posted: 4/30/06 at 9:07pm

I just assisted in directing a local schools production of a straight play adaptation of Les Miserables. Our opening night audience laughed when Eponine, bleeding and dying Marius arms, said, "Promise you will kiss me on the forehead when I am dead. I shall feel it."

I was ready to murder all of them. None of our other audiences laughed there. It still baffles me.

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 4/30/06 at 9:33pm

I have to admit I was part of bad audience behavior. I went to see Wicked last yera, and we went on the weekend of Eater. We were seeing a matinee, and left from Southern PA at about 10 in the morning. the traffic was horrible and I was about eight minutes late for the show. (I haven't been late to a Broadway show since)

[WiiCKED x3]

Posted: 4/30/06 at 9:46pm

I've been late to almost every show i've seen: First time seeing Wicked, seccond time seeing DRS, and a lot more. I'm so ashamed.

Why should you care? Because I was being a very bad girl and I was LATE. I was running up like 3 flights of stairs to get to the 2nd mezz. and I just bought a new pair of jeans the day before and they were reaaaally long, but i didnt realize it until i was running and I tripped. Then i had to run up the last flight of stairs, the lady who's standing by the stairs is screaming her head off at me: 'Don't run, please DO NOT run, there is no running in this theatre, excuse me miss I said no running, if you keep running you are going to get hurt.' The first time she said it I was already up the stairs. The overture started its first 2 notes and i ran across the walk-way to get all the way to the other side of the theatre to find the seats, i fell. Everyone started laughing at me. I couldn't stop laughing.

I learned my lesson. Always try on jeans before you go anywhere.
And to try to never be late again.

[Shiksa Goddess2]

Posted: 4/30/06 at 10:46pm

Okay, I don't have much new to say, but I wanted to mention that discovering this thread has made my night . I have been laughing like crazy reading all your posts.

The worst that's ever happened to me is the couples leaning in front of me. I can understand that they might not know that they are obstructing my view, but I honestly don't get why you need to cuddle during a show anyway. If you can't keep your hands off each other then go home. But NOT before the curtain call *headdesk* Why do people act like the curtain call is the freaking credits to a movie? These are real people in front of you and they just entertained you for 2 hours, show a little appreciation!

[LyTeMyCanDyI]

Posted: 4/30/06 at 11:21pm

I was in my school's show last night. I know it's high school, but a show none the less. Awful behavior.

We had crying babies.
The leads grandmother answered ehr cell and walked in front of the first row to leave and talk in the aisles.
Someone beat his friend with our playbill until my mom and the director's mom screamed.
Then we hada mother hit a student over the ehad with a laybill. They were strangers to each other and it was 100% unprovoked!


GRR

[mrslovett7]

Posted: 5/1/06 at 9:24am

a few months ago i was watching our school production and this guy came in late and sat next to me and proceeded to cross his legs and put his foot in my lap. I'm not even kidding, I glared at him and he moved his foot. Then 5 minutes later he crosses his legs again and his foot gets caught on my skirt and pulls it up. I scooted all the way over to the side of my seat and kept staring at his foot like, "are you ****ing kidding me?!"

[Sleeper2]

Posted: 5/1/06 at 11:12am

I have to admit, I laughed out loud and long at some of these stories. I am the biggest beyotch when it comes to demanding good behavior from audiences, and over the years, I've seen it all: gluttons, pigs, drunks, seniors who demand their friends repeat lines for them, kids who don't sit still, lovers -- you name it.

But the worst for me is seeing a show with other people from the business who decide they need to really hoot and holler for friends on stage. It's so freakin' annoying. Some minor lame-ass character makes an appearance and three out-of-work chorines in the audience scream for him. Then you're subjected to deafening, irritating, over-the-top (and often undeserved) applause because someone they know in the show did a little tap number they teach at the New Dance Group.

So I'm with you all on these stories, but trust me, people IN the business can be the most distracting audience members of all.

By the way, wut is up wid not b-ing able 2 type out wrds? Kewl u fund a new way 2 communic8 but it's weird as ****e. Updated On: 5/1/06 at 11:12 AM

[Parsley]

Posted: 5/1/06 at 11:26am

When I was in Millie in London there was a couple near the front talking at normal volume to each other for ages. When the actress playing Mrs Meers (the wonderful Maureen Lipman) was doing her opening scene she walked to the front of the stage and told them, in no uncertain terms, what they could do and how rude it was. Words to the effect "either stay and shut up, or go.".
Updated On: 5/1/06 at 11:26 AM

[acrocksyo]

Posted: 5/1/06 at 9:17pm

When I saw the Little Shop tour, my friend and I were sitting in the "stupid people" section I guess. When Orin came out and started singing, the audience was in complete shock when they realized that he was a dentist, and then some lady sitting next to us leaned over to her husband and said "Is that Steve Martin?"

Then much to the sorrow of my friend and I, when Audrey 2 started talking everyone in the audience gasped in awe to see the plant talking, and people started buzzing about the plant being able to talk. Then at the end when Audrey comes out wearing a nightie, some people around us started cat calling. It was pretty amazing how ignorant people going to the theater could be.

[Becoz_i_knew_you21]

Posted: 5/4/06 at 11:32pm

i wanna hear more of these!

[LumBabsFan]

Posted: 5/5/06 at 1:25pm

Normally, I'm probably one of the ones "causing bad behavoir" over at Beauty and the Beast, so I came into this thread basically just to make sure that I'm not in it, LOL! (Thankfully read some really funny stories though. =)) I admit, I talk (very quietly!), I comment some inside jokes that my mom, brother, and I have, and I get giddy when I see the actors I've come to know and love up there.

Going to B&B so much, the kids talking does not bother me cause half the time they come up with some funny stuff! There was one little girl who said, when Belle is cleaning the Beast's wounds at the opening of Act II, "Mommy, the objects were right! He should really learn to check his temperature!" (Instead of control his temper. =)) A while ago, I had another little girl nearby who, during "Change in Me" proclaimed very loudly, "Daddy! I want to get this CD! The music is amazing!!" I didn't have the heart to tell her afterwards that CIM isn't on the album =)

But last night, my God, this one couple made ME look like an innocent little angel!

Young couple, sitting right beside me. At first, I thought it would be ok, cause the guy had to get up before the show started and was really polite about saying "Excuse me" and "Thank you" when he left and came back, trying to get passed me. So I smiled and said "No problem, I know I get in the way a lot!" teasing, and he laughed.

During the show...Lordy loo...

1) The guy had quite a set of strong arms...which he proceeded to hang over one of the arm rests and nudge me with at random. After one time, I just kinda skirted in my seat. After two times, I was putting on the polite face when he whispered "Sorry." After three times, I was getting irked.

Which leads us to...

2) He kept falling asleep during the show, part of the reason why after some time he didn't even apologize for the nudge. That, and the fact that his cell phone was brightly lit up and on...grr.

3) The couple seemed to think it was quite ok to just randomly start making out. Now as per my board name, I am a major fan of Lumiere and Babette, who practically do the same thing in the show: start making out randomly in public. Hence why I wanted to turn on the two beside me and say "You know, there's only ONE couple I want to see making out right now. If you don't stop, causing me to miss them doing so, God Himself won't be able to save you cause I'll break your neck and you won't have anything to make out with!!"

And on that final note...

4) There are certain scenes that you just do NOT block my view. Thus you can only imagine that right before the arm kiss during the scene when Lumiere is supposed to be guarding Belle's Door, when the woman got up and had to leave...that I was sending some deadly glares her way. By the time Lumiere was coughing up feathers, she was out of my way and came back just before Be Our Guest started. Thankfully, she was in the seat long before the first famous chord struck.

And that's my contribution.

[mrslovett7]

Posted: 5/5/06 at 3:36pm

i love theses stories, they are so great!

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 5/5/06 at 3:53pm

I've had so many - I always get pissed at atleast one audience member for each show I attend. I've just come to accept the face that audiences suck.

I sat second row, center for FAITH HEALER. There were times when Fiennes made direct eye contact with me, and other around me - so it's obvious that they can absolutely see the first few rows. (Which is obvious anyway.)

The people in front of me obviously went because they were dragged - the man by this wife and the girl by her mother. The girl had no idea what was going on, and kept saying so to her father, who was just as clueless. The man slouched down in his chair as far as humanly possibly, and rested his feet on the edge of the stage. His daughter kept saying "What is going on?" "Who is that?" And no, she wasn't 12 - she was older than me, and could have easily been in her late twenties. Finally, she gave up and in the middle of the second act just stood up and walked away in the middle of one of the monologues. I wanted to poke her eyes out.

In addition to audience members, I have encountered very rude people involved with the show.

When I went to see JACQUES BREL in an early preview, the entire creative team was sitting behind me, talking as loudly as can be about what was going on. I kept turning around and glaring at them, but they never got the hint.

When I went to the special $20 performance of RENT, but I got there so late that they only had standing room left. So I was standing in the back, and someone wearing a RENT 10 baseball shirt was talking as loud as if they were out on the street to an usher. They just kept talking during most of the second act, and I kept turning around and glaring at them. Finally, I just walked over to them and said "Can you PLEASE shut up." The ogre with the baseball shirt on said something nasty under his breath, and then went out into the hallway. I wanted to KILL him.

[rickydrummer]

Posted: 5/5/06 at 4:11pm

Good grief! So many scary stories. I must've had surprisingly good luck this year. A few people snored when I saw "Bernarda Alba," and I had some dirty/smelly seat neighbors in "Fiddler," but other than that most people have been respectful.

What we really need is quick (but thorough) announcement at the beginning of the show -- not that that will help, but maybe it'll stop SOMETHING). Something along the lines of "Please be respectful of your fellow audience members and refrain from eating or talking for any reason during the show."

I personally feel mortified when I think someone sitting around me takes offense to something I'm doing. I felt bad just having cough drops during a show.

My ultimate horror story, which was basically an offense on my part, was when I saw "Doubt" with a friend. During the opening monologue, I noticed that the two people whose heads I had to look through (because of very steep balcony seats) wouldn't stop talking. The lady next to them noticed I was annoyed, and it turned out that the one man was translating for the other, and, because I had been annoyed, they stoped translating. Needless to say, despite the fact that they really shouldn't be audibly translating during the show, I felt absolutely horrible that someone wouldn't have any idea of the story, and he ended up falling asleep. My friend, who was horrified of my behavior, offered that I pay for his ticket, and I felt I absolutely deserved it.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 5/5/06 at 4:36pm

WHAT!

It's not your fault that someone who doesn't understand English attended a play in English! Why should you not enjoy your experience because someone else is too foolish to behave respectfully? I hope you didn't pay for your ticket, that's just stupid!

[MjwTtLvr29]

Posted: 5/5/06 at 5:01pm

I saw Wicked for the first time on March 1st. I went with my high school (there was like 45 of us). Anyway, so there was this group of schoolkids around 7-10 years old, but there were like only 20 of them. They kept of laughing at the part when the chalkboard says "Animals Should Be Seen and Not Heard". They didn't even understand anything and whenever there would be more than 5 seconds of silence, they would laugh or scream Woo! And the teachers wouldn't do anything.


I HATE THOSE PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!

[wackjack132]

Posted: 5/21/06 at 3:07am

Well...worse thing I've ever seen during a B'way show was when me and my friend went to go see RENT. It was the actual 10th aniversary (May 29) and we were sitting to an incredibly cute little gay couple...but anyways, the guy next to me kept nodding his head and mouthing the words. I didnt mind because, even though I didnt do it, my friend was definetly doing the same thing...she even started singing along (by accident) to La Vie Boheme...so I've been lucky I guess.

But the worse ever was just a couple of weeks ago. We were performing the Senior Directed One Act, An Overpraised Season, and I was really only in the last scene...and one of my really good "friends" *wink wink* came to see it...however by the time I got out on stage and was doing my monologue...I look out, their in the second row..........AND HE'S ASLEEP!!! Broke my little heart


And I've got a question...my laugh is pretty loud and very distinctive when I think something is really funny...is it bad etiqute to laugh when I thikn something is funny?

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 5/21/06 at 3:14am

It's not bad etiquitte to laugh. It's bad etiquitte to draw attention to your laugh, and away from what's on stage -- you be the judge.

[Dulcinea]

Posted: 5/21/06 at 3:15am

When I saw the revival of Man of La Mancha during the very emotional death scene someone's cell went off and they picked it up and carried on a conversation, I was livid.

[Tiny-Toon]

Posted: 5/21/06 at 3:34am

About laughing..

When I saw WEDDING SINGER a few weeks ago, after Julia asks Holly if money changes people, and she answers "Yes", this guy started laughing hysterically for about 5 seconds, causing Amy to laugh too and stop the show.. It took her at least 10 seconds to finish and say "For the better" :)

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 5/21/06 at 3:44am

I imagine you're guilty of much of the behavior you complain about...
Updated On: 5/21/06 at 03:44 AM

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 5/21/06 at 5:02am

"gulty"

They have this thing called "spell check" - check it out.

[bostonbroadwayfan]

Posted: 5/21/06 at 8:17am

I went to Movin Out in Boston last night and I was annoyed by two women who decided with five songs left and one of the more dramatic parts of the show, decided they couldnt wait twenty minutes to exit the row. Plus the loud band made it harder for people to whisper so folks behind me were talking rather loudly.
Updated On: 5/21/06 at 08:17 AM