Bad audience behavior - revisited

[Gpvegas]

Posted: 1/30/06 at 9:56am

I know this is talked about all the time, but I was witness to the rudest behavior that I have ever seen at any theater.

I attended that last performance of Christine Jorgenson Reveals at Dodger Stages. I was seated toward the rear of the theater. The couple that sat down next to me were there on papered tickets, and proceed to ask everyone around her how much they paid for their tickets, because as she not so quietly told her guest that she likes to keep track of how much she saved by being a part of a service. First, I know that one of the things you agree to in joining one fo the services is keeping your mouth shout. So that was how the first five minutes of my evening at the theater started.

The show began. The entrance video began. Then I heard an argument behind me. There was an usher trying to have a 2 ladies wait until an appropriate time to seat them. One of the ladies very loudly stated "well I feel now is an appropriate time" and barged through. The usher again said please wait, the lady then stated “see she (meaning the actor on the stage) has not sit down yet”, and this was true as he was making his entrance. It was definitely not the right time, but that did not matter to this lady. She barged through again and said to the usher, “honey, stop being so difficult, I am going to sit down now.” And she did, with her big paper shopping bag making a lot of noise. She was directly 2 rows in front of me. After getting settled, she pulled out and Burger King bag, proceed to open the bag and pull out two sandwiches. She opened the wrapper and gave one to her guest and then opened the other one for herself. They proceeded to eat their sandwiches and their fries from the bag. I was in shock. The person next to them asked them to be quite, they could care less. I blocked it out and watched the show, which I enjoyed. Once the show was over, the person next to them told them how rude they were. Both the person in front of me and I, told them that we agreed. They both said that they did not care what we thought. They left and left their trash in their seat.

I know it should not have surprised me because over the years, I have learned how truly rude people can be.

Updated On: 1/30/06 at 09:56 AM

[gavrochegirl]

Posted: 1/30/06 at 10:00am

Egads, that's horrible.

[ken8631]

Posted: 1/30/06 at 10:40am

Good reason for them to be ejected from the theatre.....

[Gpvegas]

Posted: 1/30/06 at 10:48am

I agree. I know that someone did say something to the usher, but nothing was done. Not sure why. I guess they were afraid the lady would cause a huge scene, perhaps.

[OasisBroadway]

Posted: 1/30/06 at 11:58am

It amazes me that there are people in this world who see nothing wrong with this type of behavior. I am glad you got to enjoy the show despite this.

[JerseyGirl2]

Posted: 1/30/06 at 12:02pm

C'mon, what's wrong with taking BK into a theatre? We are seeing Wicked Saturday night. I am planning on taking a bucket of KFC. Anyone else gonne be there? Bring a jug of iced tea.

[SweetQintheLights]

Posted: 1/30/06 at 12:03pm

For these kind of people, there should be ejection seats in the theatre.
-Just a little suggestions

[lildogs]

Posted: 1/30/06 at 12:03pm

You shoulda torn her face off, Gp! Verbally, of course. I'd have busted out a c-bomb for her.

[WickedOne2]

Posted: 1/30/06 at 12:25pm

Wow that is pretty bad. I hate it when people either don't hear a line or understand what just happened in a show and there friend/relative/etc. has to explain, very loudly, what was said or what happened.

[LeaGirl]

Posted: 1/30/06 at 12:52pm

Last night, at the Sweeney benefit (where I was perched in my last row cheap seat), the old man beside us (who was ALONE I might add, so nobody DRAGGED him) started snoring about halfway through Act 1.

Loudly.

And I wonder why he would even bother going... I didn't really know what to do.

I know his seat was cheap, but if he had made an effort to go to the performance by himself... oh never mind.

[littleredridinghood]

Posted: 1/30/06 at 12:55pm

My dad, during Forbidden Broadway, started laughing really hard, which elevated into extremely heavy coughing, which turned into him choking. It was loud, and that theater's small. Eek.

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 1/30/06 at 1:29pm

Mine is not so bad, but still terribly annoying.

I was at 700 a couple of weeks ago here in LA. There were four older people sitting directly to my left. The man clearly had a cold, and was sniffling up his nose and throat all through the monologue. And, he was hearing impaired so he had those headphones on, turned up to the max, so there was a buzz, with a slight delay of all of the entire show. The four of them brought candy and proceeded to unwrap it throughout the entire show. At least the M&M's were put into separate plastic bags, so that did not make as much sound, of course that is until he dropped the damn bag, and they started to spew all over the floor. By intermission there were scores of wrappers and and bag of dropped M&M's under his seat.

Which leads me to the threesome behind us. The guy had to be the loudest laugh I have ever freaking heard. He laughed really really loudly into the back of my head all through the show. He laughed when things were not funny. He laughed in a crazy, "I get this joke so I must be hip and wise" kind of way. And, his friends must have been young, because they did not understand about 1/3 of the references - so you would hear his screaming laugh, and then him explaining "not in an inside voice" what the joke was about. At one point he sneezed and I swear to god I thought I had been shot. I flinched like I was at Ford's Theater.

I kept leaning right and forward all through the show, trying to avoid the sniffling/grossness/buzz of the man next to me, and he barage of the man behind me.

Just made for an uncomfortable show for me. But, it cannot compare to the first post on this thread.

[renthead112305]

Posted: 1/30/06 at 3:15pm

My first time seeing RENT, there were 3 ladies in front of me, two that had seen the show multiple times, and they would tell the other friend what was going to happen next, loudly I might add. And then they complained because they had won the tickets, and didn't want to see RENT... it was so obnoxious.

[Piazzaslight]

Posted: 1/30/06 at 4:14pm

At RENT, when Roger said, "I'm writing one great song" just before, "Will I..?" some idiot at the back of the mezzanine shouted out, "YEAH!"

Also, before the show, there was a TON of picture taking. That also occured my second time at PHANTOM. Some people.

Here's a link to the old thread, posted by yours truly, by the way. ()

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.cfm?thread=872396#1754387

[uncageg]

Posted: 1/30/06 at 4:29pm

At Dame Edna: Back with a Vengeance 2 weeks ago today here in Denver, we had a guy that talked on his cell phone for the entire second act. Thank goodness I was far enogh back not to hear him. But we could see him with the phone to his ear talking.

Updated On: 1/30/06 at 04:29 PM

[gertiecummings]

Posted: 1/30/06 at 4:42pm

It was the movie of Rent, but two people started laughing during Angel's funeral. I was so f*cking pissed!

[guitargeek0624]

Posted: 1/30/06 at 7:38pm

Argh, that happened to me too! Two times seeing the movie, people were laughing during Angel's funeral. Don't forget the teenyboppers screaming "EW!" at the top of their lungs whenever Angel and Collins or Maureen and Joanne kissed...

Posted: 1/30/06 at 7:41pm

Try having a grown man kick you're chair repeatly and say rude things about you for liking Wicked during the show.

Also during Brooklyn, this little girl kept screaming and crying about how she didnt like the show and wanted to go home.

And this old guy the second time I went to Wicked- fell asleep (hard to believe but he did) and he kept snoring, I wanted to get up and kick him.

[Overthemoon6]

Posted: 1/30/06 at 7:50pm

People did that when I went to Rent, too. I was sitting there, crying, and these older teenagers, who think that they are cool, were laughing loudly. Ugh.

When I saw Wicked for the first time, a man had to have his own little chair off the aisle to the far left, and I was sitting right in front of him. During the second act, he had bought a bag of M&Ms from the concession counter and you could hear *crinkle crinkle* throughout the entire thing. During For Good, when I was getting really emotional, I heard *crinkle crinkle*. It was not fun. My mom and I glared at him after the show.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 1/30/06 at 7:57pm

"Also during Brooklyn, this little girl kept screaming and crying about how she didnt like the show and wanted to go home."

She was just saying what everyone else was thinking

[SirLiir]

Posted: 1/30/06 at 8:09pm

Be nice, OS Wrong thread for this.

Posted: 1/30/06 at 8:12pm

Thats kinda funny, but I liked Brooklyn.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 1/30/06 at 10:21pm

Sounds like the bag ladies went to the wrong show @ Dodger stages. They sound like the perfect show for them would have been The Great American Trailer Park Musical - trailer park trash

People like these need to be asked to leave & if not need to be forcibly ejected & than thrown out into the street bodily

[Michelleruth2]

Posted: 1/31/06 at 4:22pm

I love the ejection seat idea!!! Brilliant!!

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 1/31/06 at 4:30pm

>>>C'mon, what's wrong with taking BK into a theatre? We are seeing Wicked Saturday night. I am planning on taking a bucket of KFC. Anyone else gonne be there? Bring a jug of iced tea.

Really? Me and my 10 relatives were planning to bring a huge steak dinner that night. Dad's grilling the steaks. Mom's making mashed potatoes. Grandma might make the peas and carrots! And my aunt and uncle are bringing this huge cheesecake for dessert! My other Grandma is bringing the fine china and candles. We're just gonna sit our butts in the aisle and lay everything out and feast while we watch Wicked! Everyone does it why can't we?