Cell Phone Rings at History Boys - Griffiths Stops The Show — Page 3

I think the stage manager should be armed with a Taser, which he or she could use on offending audience members ...

AT THE STAGE MANAGER'S SOLE DISCRETION.

---

Updated On: 5/31/06 at 11:55 PM

PalJoey

BRILLIANT

Not at Blow Buddies you're not.

---

I'm sure there are plenty of people who feel as I do: that a cell phone going off is so disruptive that I wish actors would more often stop the show and restart the scene.

NBH I doubt it! But, hey, it will be interesting to see if you are right?

I know that there are stage crew and house staff that sometimes keep a count of the number of times cell phones go off at performances. The most I've heard of was during Billy Crystal's 700 Sundays. At one performance, according to the spot operator, cellphones went off 22 separate times!!!! I have no idea if that's due to lots of people who aren't used to going to theatre or what, but that's outrageous.

I know that lots of actors from Laurence Fishburne to Patrick Stewart to Brian Denehey have all at one time or another stepped out of character and embarassed people who have answered their phones in the middle of a play. I have zero problem with it, especially in serious dramas which tend to be much quieter than musicals and a phone ringing is impossible to ignore (some musicals are so loud you can't even hear cell phones go off). In such cases, while, yes, I suppose we could all pretend not to hear it and the actors could simply go on without incident, the moment is destroyed anyway and you the audience have been jarringly taken out of the world of the play and are reminded loud and clear that you are sitting in a theater in 2006 watching actors perform. If a cell phone goes off repeatedly, the spell is broken (and it's hard to get back) and I think there's nothing wrong with an actor acknowledging what we all are hearing and are aware of anyway and say something. Not to mention such public humiliation may make others in the audience triple check that their own cellphones are shut off.

It's great that Griffiths started the scene over from the very beginning which made it much easier for the audience and his fellow actors regain their concentration and quickly put the interruption behind them. Unfortunately, until theaters install jamming technology, this is going to keep happening all the time.

---

I say public humiliation is a great solution. The offender is unlikely to do it again.

The other night when I was ushering, an armrest fell off one of the seats in the center section - when I went over and picked it up and stood there holding it during intermission, a thought occured to me: perhaps ushers should be armed with these and smash any cell phone/camera users or people who eat, talk, and/or get drunk during the show.

Smaxie. NOOOOO perhaps YOU should stay at home and watch DVD's! ....then I'll call you on your cell phone!

"No munkuSAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU are nnoayingh! Youre micheal riede4al. !"

If two separate cell phones rang, shouldn’t both people have been ejected?

I dread the thought of what would happen if a cell phone went off in a play starring Nicol Williamson.

I heard he slapped a nun once....

---

Good for him. I also wish more actors would take this tactic. unfortunately they're the only ones the patrons will listen to. I've seen people completely ignore the ushers telling them to get off their phones.

In my old line of work (flight attendant) we had this problem quite often. You go up to someone and tell them to put the phone away. They literally turn their backs on you and keep talking. By the time you press the button for security, they're off the phone. It's a no-win situation because they don't respect the rules, they don't respect the staff and they don't respect what you are telling them.

there are only two solutions here: jam the phones or beef up security to have the existing fines/laws actually enforced. The more people put up a fuss; the likelier it is to happen. It's out of the crews' hands. In the meantime, bravo to Mr. Griffiths. Wish more actors would respond that way.