Posted: 7/9/15 at 5:35pm
I am referring to those non offenders getting fed up having their experience screwed up by these idiots.
Posted: 7/9/15 at 5:37pm
People are so damn rude and egotistical! It seriously makes my blood boil. When I am at the Theatre or even the movie theater I switch my phone off. There is no reason your phone should be on. The emergency argument is so ridiculous. Don't go to the theatre if you think the odds are high that you will get a life or death emergency call that you can fix by having your phone on. Ms. Lupone is did the right thing. They should have a sign at the box offices that say ushers can kick people out or take their phones if they feel it is disturbing the audience or cast. It is interesting that it seems to happen mostly in broadway houses. I can't remember at time of being disturbed at BAM, St Ann's, Theatre for a New Audience, CSC, or The Public.
Posted: 7/9/15 at 5:42pm
It is because Broadway theater owners do not care and do not want to make waves. They are probably afraid of being sued.
Posted: 7/9/15 at 5:49pm
"I personally don't believe the price of a ticket has a thing to do with rude phone behavior."
I agree. There are really 2 problems collapsed in this discussion now, phones ringing and texting during shows. The former, any HM will tell you, is a greater problem at matinees, and especially in subscription houses. Unfortunately, the audiences then skew towards people who are not very phone savvy, and who are less agile. The second problem skews younger, but certainly doesn't correlate to the price of a ticket.
Posted: 7/9/15 at 5:51pm
I have to say, I laughed at the idea of Patti Lupone impersonators...
It's just so disheartening. People just aren't getting the true theater experience if half their attention is on their phone. I was at Hedwig recently and the girl next to me had her phone on. When the show started she kind of tucked it under one leg, but kept glancing at it. I gave her a few minutes and then asked her politely to put it away - which she did. It was probably a new experience for her to just have to focus on one thing.
Posted: 7/9/15 at 5:53pm
Posted: 7/9/15 at 5:58pm
It hasn't been covered much on the internet but brain injuries to lacrosse players on Long Island is a serious problem.
Posted: 7/9/15 at 6:30pm
As far as blocking cell phone signals, I think that purposefully blocking them is illegal for one reason or another. Plus, you never know if there would be a legitimate emergency where having no cell phone service would be a major issue. I don't know what the solution for theatres would be, but hopefully this and the Hand to God incident call attention to the problem of cell phone use.
And good for Patti. She's always been very open about how irritating and disruptive this all is, and I'm glad she's continued to take stand about it.
Posted: 7/9/15 at 6:36pm
Did anyone read the interview Patti gave to Playbill.com she stated that because of this she has even considered giving up theater. Can you imagine that a performer gets so fed up that they would actually consider doing that? Patti needs to hang tough, stick to her guns and continue moving forward. I hope this was just a knee jerk reaction on her part.
Posted: 7/9/15 at 6:36pm
According to Playbill, Patti released a subsequent statement questioning whether or not she wants to perform onstage anymore...I hope it's hyperbole trying to get a point across, but that is still an unfortunate thought.
Posted: 7/9/15 at 6:37pm
Posted: 7/9/15 at 8:56pm
Eyewitness News is promoting this story on commercial breaks for what's coming up at 11pm. lol!
Updated On: 7/9/15 at 08:56 PM
Posted: 7/9/15 at 11:18pm
Patti gave the curtain cell phone speech tonight to thunderous applause and an ovation. The press were swirling and she is doing the talk show circuit tomorrow starting with Good Morning America. I guess there is no press like bad press. Perhaps the show will now run all summer long and Patti will be nominated for President.
I think the idea of actors not performing anymore because of cell phones is rather silly. There are so many important things in the world to worry about, things like cancer and people starving.
The price of ticket argument has been used several times with patrons that are told they cannot do something. It primarily centers around late seating and running to and from the bathroom during dramatic moments. I do think ticket prices especially when they are up to 325.00 have created some entitlement issues. I think the phone and texting problems are a series of issues and not one particular one. Yes it happens with seniors but it also happens with other ages as well. I think checking phones and cameras makes the most sense, kind of like they do in a men's steam room.
Between this incident and the Hand To God patron trying to plug his phone into the set you couldn't write this week any better.
Posted: 7/9/15 at 11:20pm
There WILL be a song about these incidences once I get to work on my magnum opus, "Not Another Diva Musical."
Posted: 7/10/15 at 12:20am
"I think the idea of actors not performing anymore because of cell phones is rather silly. There are so many important things in the world to worry about, things like cancer and people starving."
But an actor's feelings about their career aren't usually affected by cancer or people starving. Their feelings towards their career are affected by the work they can get and the audiences they perform to. If audience behavior has become markedly different over the past 40+ years of her career, why shouldn't LuPone start bemoaning her profession? She's an actor who is there to perform, not monitor audience behavior.
My mother, a nurse, feels that she is now too tied to her computer, and that the entire profession of nursing has changed because of it. So many of us are tied to computers, so we might not see that as a big deal. But my mother believes it pulls her away from her core responsibilities as a nurse and case manager, and so she can be dissatisfied at times.
Everyone sees their profession change over time, and it's okay to say that something that isn't life-altering to outsiders has impacted your enjoyment of what you do.
I'm actually kind of curious to see LuPone interviewed on the talk shows. I feel like she is 100% behind public manners and not being plugged into our cell phones all the time, but I do sometimes feel like she does something impulsively and then looks back and thinks "oh, hmmm, maybe not." It'll be a good round of interviews, that's for sure.
Posted: 7/10/15 at 12:46am
This needs to be addressed...and if Patti LuPone gets interviewed on GMA, Today or CBS This Morning then that is great....hopefully this will bring about some change...change that is desperately needed!!!
Posted: 7/10/15 at 1:02am
Actually you make a very good point and I can't ague with you. I do think that none of us ever get the perfect work environment. But I guess as you say we all have the power to move on and do something else. I was always trained that no matter what happens the show must go on. If the set falls down the show must go on. If is starts raining in Central Park the show must go on. And if there are distractions in the audience to ignore them for the show must go on. So perhaps that colored my thinking. But your very intelligent response has changed my mind...I wish Patti well if she decides to do something else.
Posted: 7/10/15 at 1:06am
The show DID go on; there was just a slight alteration.
Posted: 7/10/15 at 1:25am
I did not say that she stopped the show. The subtext was about not getting wrapped up in distractions, having power over them and not letting them defeat you and moving on. But I admitted that was an old way of thinking. I think the previous poster gave a very good analogy about moving on from your work when it has changed and your satisfaction with it has changed as well.
Posted: 7/10/15 at 2:58am
Since I just had a movie experience negatively impacted by an incredibly inconsiderate cell phone user, I'm entirely on Patti LuPone's side on this.
It's bad enough for a comparatively low cost, filmed event like a movie, but for a higher ticket, LIVE event like stage, it's ridiculous.
I'd never consider having my phone on other than vibrate for even a movie and would not respond to it until intermission or post curtain call. I've worked after hours support for critical IT systems and sat out in the parking lot working the crisis. There's no need to be rude.
Medical emergencies, OK. Vibrate, then go out to the lobby to return the call.
Posted: 7/10/15 at 3:04am
Patti gets away with a LOT more than 99% of those on stage ever would/do. I thought staying in character was one of the disciplines that professional actors were supposed to have.
She is pissed about the cellphone? WHO ISN'T? How would she react if a chorus member during a production number she was in suddenly broke character and chastised an audition member? Or, if during a scene that she was in, one of the lesser characters started glaring at someone who was making too much noise with a candy wrapper and finally grabs the candy wrapper? The person would probably be fired.......she might HAVE that person fired. She is not the only one in the show. If it was her own one-woman show, fine. But not being able to deal with a distracting audience member to the point that she cannot control herself and essentially stop the show............. is MORE of a disservice to the audience.....her fellow actors.....and the people who wrote the show than some idiot who can't turn his phone off.
She cannot control others, but hello, she can control herself. Of course I would be pissed if this happened, but I would be MORE pissed if one of the actors decided to break character and say so long 4th wall to yell at/take something away from an audience member when I have paid to see show (and not necessarily a particular actress).
Posted: 7/10/15 at 3:06am
Maybe theatres could replace ushers that are inside the theatre with security guards that have permission to escort people out of the theatre when there is a cell phone or camera distraction. If this were the norm maybe people would be more careful with their electronic devices.
Posted: 7/10/15 at 8:05am
To Tsao
Why should she have to? Imagine you are doing intricate work like say cutting diamonds. You have a co worker who continually nudges you. Should you just suck it up? What about someone next to this idiot who paid big bucks and cannot enjoy the show. Should he just suck it up too? Why should many people suffer because one person cannot follow the rules and acts like a jackass.
Sorry but your argument doesn't fly.
Posted: 7/10/15 at 8:06am
"She cannot control others, but hello, she can control herself. Of course I would be pissed if this happened, but I would be MORE pissed if one of the actors decided to break character and say so long 4th wall to yell at/take something away from an audience member when I have paid to see show (and not necessarily a particular actress)."
But she didn't break character.
Posted: 7/10/15 at 8:14am
Put yourself in her position.
How about the audience member breaking character and not just sitting there? Typical argument. Blame the victim and not the one breaking the law. By this logic everyone in the theater could be texting or talking on their phone but it would still be up to the actor. Sort of like having someone on a diet and eating deserts in front of them and saying you cannot have any
Sorry but I do not agree.
Updated On: 7/10/15 at 08:14 AM
