Do you ever leave a show during intermission?

Well, on some shows, you can leave after Act I and still get the story. For example, I wouldn't mind leaving after the first act in Wicked or Sunday in the Park with George. Not that I'd ever want to leave when I see Sunday. :)

---

Never have. Probably never will. The worse the show is, the more I want to stay and see what happens. If In My Life had an intermission, I would have been one of the few people left for Act 2.

No, but I can't even tell you how many times I glanced at my watch during Brooklyn. I couldn't wait for it to end. What a letdown.

Loved Cleavant Derricks, though.

I've never left a Broadway or Off-Broadway show at intermission but I did recently leave a local production because it was just too unbearable. I saw no reason to sit there and continue to be subjected to what was happening on stage because I purchased a ticket. Broadway or Off-Broadway shows at least have to go through a process before someone will put up some money to back those shows so there should at least be some quality involved, even though, I have also seen a lot of crap in both places.

---

But everyone has to start somewhere. Without commmunity theater I don't think half the people in musical theater would be invovled. I like to support them and hope they continue to put on shows, I just wish we had the talent to supply them.

In 35+ years of theatregoing which includes 1000+ shows on Broadway, off-Broadway, off-off-Broadway, US regional houses, European companies and all manner of experimental and avant garde theatre, you bet I've left at intermission a few times. Mind you, more often than not I've stayed, even though the dreck on stage obviously wasn't going to get any better in the second act -- and you know what? Every time I've had the urge to leave and didn't, I've regreted it. In each case, the show wasn't any better in the second act.

Sometimes things are so badly put together and/or amateurishly performed and/or poorly executed and/or painfully miscast or misdirected and/or simply so awful that they are an insult to the senses that they're excruciating to sit through and so I leave. Some shows should have never been presented to the public in the guise of entertainment to begin with and the producers and all involved should be ashamed of themselves for having the audacity to charge money for the experience.

A ticket is a contract which implies that in exchange for some sum of money, you the artist will somehow entertain me or make me feel something or expand my mind or challenge my way of thinking or -- rarely -- enrich my soul or at the very least, divert my attention for a given period of time. If you fail to do ANY of those things and instead simply bore me or annoy me or offend me with your self-indulgence and/or incompetence, then in my book, the contract is broken and I am free to leave. My time is valuable and rather than have it wasted by something that is not worth seeing, I'd rather leave and use that time for something more worthwhile -- even strolling aimlessly down the street is far more fulfilling than sitting through a really bad play.

I don't pay money to suffer or have my intelligence insulted, so yes, when it is clear that a piece of theatre has nothing of value to offer and is beneath my contempt, I leave at intermission or at the soonest possible opportunity.

---

Updated On: 8/2/06 at 01:59 PM

Dollypop: You left Bring Back Birdie at intermission??? It couldn't possibly have been that bad. It was Chita Rivera!

oh me neither bwaylvsong I'm really anal about getting there fifteen minutes ahead and sitting reading the program examining the stage...getting in the mood. I can't stand being late to the theater and the only time I wasn't 15 minutes early was Sweet Charity last year in Chicago and that was because of traffic and it sucked because we got in took our seats and a minute later the show started.

---

I have left 2 shows at intermission in 21 years of life.

Freshamn year of college there was a production of some restoration play (i cant stand restoration).

Last year at fringe, i left the musical that was about cloning at intermission

and last year at NYMF I almost walked out on Banger's Floppera, but the last song of the first act was actually really good, so I stayed, regreted it.

---

Zoneace, didn't you leave Bombay Dreams during intermission?

---

I know people are going to hate me(even more), but i have left shows while they were playing. Bridge & Tunnel and Slava's Snow show comes to mind. Only shows that don't have a story to follow, but i try never to leave shows during intermission. Musicals in particular.

---

Updated On: 8/2/06 at 02:18 PM

I left Will Rogers Follies at intermission at our local regional theatre. It was so boring. Oh and my parents dragged me out of Chicago at intermission once because they hated the show, but other than that, I've never left.

---