Brawl at Gypsy. - Page 2

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 4/26/25 at 9:23pm

I wish there were little discreet buttons at each seat like on an airplane. Where you could click something like "phone use" or "filming" or "disruptive behavior." (Tacky, I know, but would solve some problems.) It's impossible to get an usher's attention mid-show if you aren't on an aisle.

Updated On: 4/26/25 at 09:23 PM

[Jonathan Cohen]

Posted: 4/26/25 at 10:10pm

TotallyEffed said: "Anyway, do you see theatre in New York? Audience behavior and aggression has gotten significantly worse the last few years. We aren’t just making this up for fun."

What I'm getting at is it's a serious concern but not a widespread problem. I have literally never heard of an audience member punching another audience member at a Broadway show before this. That doesn't mean that there aren't examples I don't know about and I do think this incident should be taken seriously. 

At the same time, when people complain about how Broadway audiences act now it's mostly related to audience members talking during performances or filming on their phones. Not physical altercations in the audience. 

If there's any larger trend around audience behavior getting physical, it's performers getting threatened. Like Dan Hoy in Pirates! getting an unwanted kiss at the stage door, or a woman grabbing Eddie Redmayne’s skirt during a Cabaret performance.  Absolutely, tighten security's response to conflicts within the audience, but as a general problem, I think performers are the group more at risk. 

[Phantom4ever]

Posted: 4/26/25 at 10:15pm

I don't know if the ushers at the Majestic are the same as during Phantom's run, but more than once I asked them to confront disruptive audience members at intermission and I was met with resistance and reluctance on the usher's part to get involved. 

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 4/26/25 at 10:18pm

A psychotic woman at Swept Away had a total mental breakdown on me during the show because I politely asked her to stop checking her phone (I waited until the third time she did it). She was so manic I truly was bracing to be physically attacked or spit upon. This is just the temperate of our culture these days. People are very ready to fight and they are seething with arrogance, ego, entitlement, and anger.

[RUkiddingme]

Posted: 4/26/25 at 10:28pm

If this happened when Patti was playing Rose she would have beat up the bad parents in between verses of a song.

[Jonathan Cohen]

Posted: 4/26/25 at 10:43pm

TotallyEffed said: "A psychotic woman at Swept Away had a total mental breakdown on me during the show because I politely asked her to stop checking her phone (I waited until the third time she did it). She was so manic I truly was bracing to be physically attacked or spit upon. This is just the temperate of our culture these days. People are very ready to fight and they are seething with arrogance, ego, entitlement, and anger."

I'm sorry to hear about that experience. Watching Swept Away you're paying to see total mental breakdowns on stage, not in the seat next to you. 

If ushers were more consistently on top of policing people being on their phones, the audience experience would be better for everyone. Paying customers shouldn't be put in the position of needing to say something. 

[ACL2006]

Posted: 4/26/25 at 10:44pm

the audience at Smash today(matinee) was well behaved except for them needing an almost 30-minute intermission.

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 4/26/25 at 10:50pm

Jonathan Cohen said: "TotallyEffed said: "A psychotic woman at Swept Away had a total mental breakdown on me during the show because I politely asked her to stop checking her phone (I waited until the third time she did it). She was so manic I truly was bracing to be physically attacked or spit upon. This is just the temperate of our culture these days. People are very ready to fight and they are seething with arrogance, ego, entitlement, and anger."

I'm sorry to hear about that experience. Watching Swept Away you're paying to see total mental breakdowns on stage, not in the seat next to you.

If ushers were more consistently on top of policing people being on their phones, the audience experience would be better for everyone. Paying customers shouldn't be put in the position of needing to say something."


Thank you. Last week the woman next to me at Just in Time filmed throughout the entire first act. I kept my mouth shut. Shoutout to the house manager who approached her very sternly at intermission and gave her a firm and rather humiliating talking to.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 4/26/25 at 11:20pm

Phantom4ever said: "I don't know if the ushers at the Majestic are the same as during Phantom's run, but more than once I asked them to confront disruptive audience members at intermission and I was met with resistance and reluctance on the usher's part to get involved."

I used to usher. Until I was assaulted by an audience member who didn’t like that I “disrupted the show” to tell him to stop filming. Despite a coworker backing me up, I was never given another shift by Nederlander because the customer said I was rude for “interrupting his show”.

usher still get paid a lot. They don’t get taken care of by the viewers. This is why so many don’t want to get involved anymore

[spicemonkey]

Posted: 4/26/25 at 11:50pm

I remember when I was at one of Max Clayton’s performance as Harold Hill in The Music Man, two young girls (probably in high school, sitting in the front row) snapped photos of Sutton Foster when she appeared on the stage. 
 

Then right after Act 1, one of the ushers walked up to them and told them firmly that they were not allowed to take videos or photos during the performance. The two girls initially denied it. Then several other younger audiences sitting in side orchestra immediately called them out “ we all saw it! You used your phone”.

 

 

It was so pleasant to watch / hear the interaction ! Probably more memorable than some of moments in the show 

 

Bravos to the usher and the brave audience

[binau]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 5:25am

At the very least the Brawl should be over something worth it, such as a complaint that the lights were on for the overture in the early previews or a passionate Nicole vs Audra fan showdown! 

[MasterThespian 2]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 8:27am

First, sporting events. Now, Broadway. If this kind of animalistic behavior reaches NY Phil, NYC Ballet, or Met Opera audiences, I know my days of in-person performances are done. 

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 10:22am

iluvtheatertrash said: "Phantom4ever said: "I don't know if the ushers at the Majestic are the same as during Phantom's run, but more than once I asked them to confront disruptive audience members at intermission and I was met with resistance and reluctance on the usher's part to get involved."

I used to usher. Until I was assaulted by an audience member who didn’t like that I “disrupted the show” to tell him to stop filming. Despite a coworker backing me up, I was never given another shift by Nederlander because the customer said I was rude for “interrupting his show”.

usher still get paid a lot. They don’t get taken care of by the viewers. This is why so many don’t want to get involved anymore"

That should have said “ushers don’t get paid a lot and don’t get taken care of by producers”. Apologies. I have been dictating due to some vision issues lately and Siri is terrible!

[AC126748]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 11:33am

Assuming tickets were purchased with a credit card, it would be very easy for the theater to identify the assaulter based on his seat number.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 11:37am

My friend was ushering at MJ and a drunk patron pushed her, hard, against a wall. Her manager told her to not escalate the situation and she was pretty traumatized by the entire experience. The "hands off" approach clearly is not working for audiences Post Covid. 

I get how cheap the people involved can be about this but until they hire actual security guards who make their presence known (like any concert), these violent assaults will keep happening. And for the poster who said "it's such a rare thing, and we should be focused more on cell phones and protecting the actors"? You're delusional and misinformed. This sh*t happens all the time. And it's not like Times Square doesn't have cops that could have been there in 30 seconds but I guess they didn't want to "bother" them. I hope the man assaulted for doing nothing wrong sues. 

Updated On: 4/27/25 at 11:37 AM

[Kad]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 12:03pm

House staff are put in such an unfortunate position. They’re the de facto faces of the theater since they’re the ones with whom audiences interact directly so they get the initial blame when something isn’t handled well, but they’re absolutely not equipped to deal with a lot of problems and especially not violent or extreme situations (nor should they be!). A lot of ushers are older folks, and depending on where you’re seeing a show, they may even simply be volunteers. 

[kdogg36]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 12:05pm

It seems very strange to me that the show wouldn't be stopped for something like this. If I were a witness to (or victim of) a violent assault like this, I'd call 911 right then and there, theatre etiquette be damned.

[DAME]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 12:38pm

Sutton Ross said: "My friend was ushering at MJ and a drunk patron pushed her, hard, against a wall. Her manager told her to not escalate the situation and she was pretty traumatized by the entire experience. The "hands off" approach clearly is not working for audiences Post Covid.

I get how cheap the people involved can be about this but until they hire actual security guards who make their presence known (like any concert), these violent assaults will keep happening. And for the poster who said "it's such a rare thing, and we should be focused more on cell phones and protecting the actors"? You're delusional and misinformed. This sh*t happens all the time. And it's not like Times Square doesn't have cops that could have been there in 30 seconds but I guess they didn't want to "bother" them. I hope the man assaulted for doing nothing wrong sues."

We are in complete agreement.  If the man that was hit sues the theater owners then something will start being done.  Money talks.  Unfortunately.. if you read all the fine print when you purchase your tickets.. you basically give up on all rights.  I belive the legal term for that is Abatement?  

[dramamama611]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 12:39pm

Many employees are told not to intervene if their personal safety is at risk.  My son in a manager for a nationwide pharmacy, and corporate policy is to NOT interfere with a shoplifter - to not even contact the police.   It's covered under their insurance policy.  And, now, more stores are locking up more merchandise in many markets.

It's not worth the $ to bring them to court, or to have to pay for an employees possible medical bills.  (It guts my son when he sees it happen, they even know a number of people by face that rob them semi regularly.  But corporate's stance is: ignore.)

 

I don't know that this is happening with ushers (policies keeping them from intervening) but I'm sure they don't get paid enough to deal with it.  

 

Didn't the UK have a rash of escalted poor behavior about 1 year or 2 ago?   

 

 

[SteveSanders]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 12:49pm

dramamama611 said: "Didn't the UK have a rash of escalted poor behavior about 1 year or 2 ago? "

I remember articles about certain shows struggling with audiences containing drunk groups out for a night on the town.

[kdogg36]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 12:51pm

dramamama611 said: "Many employees are told not to intervene if their personal safety is at risk. My son in a manager for a nationwide pharmacy, and corporate policy is to NOT interfere with a shoplifter - to not even contact the police. It's covered under their insurance policy. And, now, more stores are locking up more merchandise in many markets."

That’s shoplifting, though. I assume any employee would assist a customer who had been physically assaulted to contact the police and, if necessary, receive medical attention. 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 3:54pm

Of course, it's different, but not as much as you might think.  Assist after the fact - it's not the company's policy to put themselves in danger.  (A call to the police is about as much as they are instructed to do should this arise.)

That being said, my son has put himself in danger for the safety of others. Twice. (That I know of.)   Once he got an official reprimand.  The 2nd time, he didn't write a report, but the customer bought him a great bottle of whiskey.

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 4:01pm

Witnessed a mother acting very similarly at The Outsiders towards someone who appeared to be a young trans man who had asked her tween kids to be quiet. Mom whirled around and started shouting threats, climbing up on her seat. It really is scary in a Broadway theater because there's nothing you can really do crammed into those narrow rows. 

[DAME]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 4:47pm

The theater owners are not rising up to the challenge.  This is on them.  Our safety as audience members should be taken seriously. 

Updated On: 4/27/25 at 04:47 PM

[Jonathan Cohen]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 5:10pm

Sutton Ross said: "I get how cheap the people involved can be about this but until they hire actual security guards who make their presence known (like any concert), these violent assaults will keep happening. And for the poster who said "it's such a rare thing, and we should be focused more on cell phones and protecting the actors"? You're delusional and misinformed. This sh*t happens all the time. And it's not like Times Square doesn't have cops that could have been there in 30 seconds but I guess they didn't want to "bother" them. I hope the man assaulted for doing nothing wrong sues."

If you want to call me delusional, that's fine. But at least have the decently to reread what you're actually responding to before calling someone delusional. I was saying was things like cell phone usage during shows are what people most frequently complain about, not that it was the most serious problem. If you don't care about actor safety, fine. At least I actually did express that as a priority concern. 

But the larger point I was getting at that I didn't articulate is this: There have been studies showing there's a problem in America where since 2000 violent crime has been going down but people polled have constantly said violent crime is worse than the year before. This is especially a perception in major cities. 

I suspect audience on audience violence isn't a a larger trend and you seemingly think I'm wrong for focusing on threats to performers, but the truth is neither of us actually know. We're relying on personal anecdotes or individual news stories, and I'm not trying to diminish the importance of addressing those, but without an actual study of the data, we have no idea what the actual trend is. 

We're all at risk for being that person claiming violent crime is for sure worse this year based on how it feels as opposed to empirical evidence.

Updated On: 4/27/25 at 05:10 PM