Cell phone hell at Shows for Days; Ms. LuPone remains silent

Fascinating story. I'm so sorry the show was almost ruined for you, but I hope you still got the "meat" of the more tense moments. A small theory of mine- is it just me, or did the whole cell phone/camera in the theatres crusade mostly fly under the radar until that fateful night at Gypsy? I feel like that was the shot heard 'round the world in this war. So to speak.

How was the show, otherwise? It looks pretty good.

The first act is (reviews be damned) mostly quite a lot of fun, LuPone in full command, never overcooking, even when the script invites her to. She keeps a lid on the camp potential, even in a badly directed scene in the frontseat of a car. The second act is harder to warm to for many reasons, the play piles on a lot of plot, some gay blackmail stuff that is hard to invest in (and parse), and some predictable melodrama.

But if you are a LuPone follower, it's an unmissable event this summer. Was it written for her? It seems to have been. Fans and detractors: She is absolutely at the top of her game, and you can't take your eyes off of her, waiting for her to brain an idiot with a cell phone or merely playing the hell out of the script that's never as good as she is. I wanted to love Michael Urie, whose warm connection to the audience at the top is winning. But the play doesn't give him much to do until very late, and then it's not all that compelling, despite his charm and effortless ease with the narrative.

Updated On: 7/8/15 at 08:13 PM

Or at least turn the volume all the way down if you don't want to turn it off, Jesus Christ.

Look, I know technology can be intimidating, but do they just not ask when they buy one/obtain one from one of their kids?

I showed my Mom a hundred times and she either forgets or won't hold it down long enough. She panics! Good news: She doesn't go to the theater.

"But if you are a LuPone follower, it's an unmissable event this summer. Was it written for her? It seems to have been. Fans and detractors: She is absolutely at the top of her game, and you can't take your eyes off of her, waiting for her to brain an idiot with a cell phone or merely playing the hell out of the script that's never as good as she is."

I'm very much a LuPone fan, and while I never quite thought she could do no wrong, it's always a joy seeing her onstage. However, after seeing her in The Rose Tattoo in April, I was convinced she simply relearned how to act, because it felt like a whole new level for her. I'm so looking forward to seeing her in this, even though I know the script won't serve her nearly as well as The Rose Tattoo did.

The two previous posters here will appreciate the work LuPone is offering this wisp of a play. She finds much, offers everything. On a muggy July day, in front of an indifferent audience, she was weeping and giving unstintingly of herself, moment by moment. It was duly noted, all the more because the environment was so inhospitable, even art-threatening.

Updated On: 7/9/15 at 10:29 PM

HAHAHA

https://twitter.com/heytravistravis/status/618971586998222848

https://twitter.com/HeyCatu/status/618970585712996352

Whoa my gosh...that's just...wowza! Can't wait till more details of that emerge. Ten bucks says she was in-character when she did it.

The Newhouse has a huge subscriber base as does MTC. So matinees are usually full of seniors who are cell phone compromised. And many of them a reliant upon hearing devices. So these problems tend to arise more at matinees. Patti is probably just used to it. I do think if she saw someone younger texting, gaming or watching Utube (which some of them do) she might be tempted to throw a bucket of water in their face.

But it is a new world. The Shuberts advertise Wi Fi in every seat. Eventually there will be a screen behind the performances where people can post hashtags and pictures that relate to the play.

I do appreciate Patti not stopping the show for I do think that the show must go on. I pay too much money to watch someone stop the show to comment on a phone ringing.

It's all over Twitter. And everyone seems to be on her side.

SmoothLover: I was at a college production of "Edwin Drood" last fall where cell phones were used in a number of ways throughout the show, very effectively. (We used them to vote for the murderer and so forth, and we were also asked to tweet stuff, text stuff, etc.) Granted, that's a particularly interactive show, but I can imagine other shows finding ways to use them as well. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em, I guess!

Now I do love that she snatched the phone while leaving on her last line! I imagine it got a huge laugh. I hope she held onto it until the patron crawled back and whimpered for it at the stage door.

It is so funny how reliant people have become on cell phones. Someone once said to "what did you do before cell phones, how did you survive?" After making a joke about Morris Code I was like we got along just fine. We had more reverence for the theatre and would have never dreamed of using a phone while watching show.

On a side note and this is no excuse; but manuals that come with electronic devices now days are incredibly hard for older folks to read. The fonts are so small one needs Mr. Magoo glasses to read them. Some folks can probably barely read the fonts on their phones. I think some older folks are also afraid to really learn how their phone works because they think they might break it.....