Cell Phone Rings at History Boys - Griffiths Stops The Show — Page 4

Actually, back before cell phones, doctors always left the theatre's phone number with their answering service. When they arrived at the show, they left their names and seat numbers with the theatre staff. If an urgent patient call came in for them, they could be located and pulled from their seat immediately and quietly.

There's no reason they couldn't go back to that.

Updated On: 6/1/06 at 06:19 AM

I agree, I had a similar experience when I saw My Fair Lady in London a few years back. Just after Eliza made her final appearance at the back of the stage and said 'I washed my hands and face...' there was a long pause as Jonathan Pryce had to wait for a phone to stop ringing. It completely ruined the climax of the entire evening! Good on Mr. Griffiths for not putting up with this stupidity

I think the point made by the original poster is that Griffiths broke character after the THIRD cell phone went off... all this happened during within the FIRST act of the play. It's not like he went on a rampage when it happened only once. He did it after the annoyance happened MORE than once. Therefore I would agree that his actions in re-announcing the cell phone law was warranted as the play was already ruined by the audience on the other side of the fourth wall - not only was he warning the people that had the cell phones go off, but he was also warning the rest of the audience so that it wouldn't happen again. As an audience member it's one thing to be brought out of a moment once because of a cell phone, but THREE times is way too many times during the 1 or so hours of the first act.

Anyway, I'm sure back in the old days of Broadway there were other things to ruin the moment in theatres... BUGLES or something....

That would be a good idea, MaronaDavies, except no one picks up a phone at the theaters anymore. Anyway, there is no reason you need a cell phone at the theater for a 2 1/2 hour show. Years ago when no one had cell phones, the theaters were still full. A friend of mine thought she turned off her phone, but didn't hold it or push it hard enough & it went off during the 1st act. The worse part was she couldn't find it in the bottom of her handbag, so it kept ringing. Very embarrassing & quite annoying to everyone. Accidents can happen, but not if you leave cell phones home!

As many times as I read this thread yesterday, I kept confusing it with Jersey Boys and couldn't figure out who Griffiths was! It wasn't until I saw a similar thread on ATC that it all clicked.

I consider myself lucky that I haven't experienced a cell phone ringing during the number of shows that I have seen.

i personally would love to stand near you when you ask the theatre for your money back. i wanna hear what they say

*snicker*

Good for Mr. Griffiths! During The Crucible a few years ago, Liam Neeson was speaking in Act I when a cell phone went off (the ringtone was the Mexican Hat Dance). That just ruined the moment.

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"shame, all of you who applaud this ridiculous behaviour by an 'actor'. if he was in character and in the scene, then the cell phone really wouldn't have bothered him. horrible actor, i say."

It sounds as if you're saying that audience reaction shouldn't affect the actor's performance. By that reasoning, when the audience laughs or applauds, the actor shouldn't hold till the reaction subsides a bit but should just keep going, as the character would in real life. "Who cares if the audience hears the next line? They're not really there. I'm in character in this other place, not at the theatre. My character doesn't hear the audience. I'm so in the moment in this other place that I don't even hear them."

It seems pretty clear that in this case most of the audience had already been taken so out of the moment that Griffiths stopping the scene was not going to break their belief in the reality any more than it had already been broken. His starting over gave them a chance to see the scene uninterrupted.

"this is a situation the FOH staff should have delt with, not an ACTOR."

Ideally, yes. But when the FOH staff fails to do anything, someone has to.

Updated On: 6/1/06 at 03:29 PM

I would normally agree with those who say that there is no justification for an actor to intentionally break character in the middle of a scene, however, the word-of-mouth an incident like this can produce can be especially useful in making future theatregoers especially conscious of the issue.

Just look at how many responses it's generating here. This is truly "passing the parcel."

Maybe so, Lizzie.

That's just so offensively ridiculous.

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"i personally would love to stand near you when you ask the theatre for your money back. i wanna hear what they say "

Thank you, I needed that laugh!

I would also have loved to be there.

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What a--holes. Get some freaking manners, people.

And, again, I love you, Richard Griffiths!

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Bravo Mr.Griffiths!