Dressing for the theater

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 7/30/16 at 10:29am

Dressing for the theater? When did this start?

[veronicamae]

Posted: 7/30/16 at 10:36am

Is this your article?

My response to its premise: No.

Summer in NYC is gross and humid and hot and I am not going to dress up, even if it's in jeans instead of shorts, for a show when it's 90º outside. Would you rather look at my bare legs in a pair of shorts or sit next to hot, sweaty person for 2.5 hours?

Broadway is a tourist industry, and tourists are doing things both before and after the shows they are seeing that dictate their wardrobe.

And as I mentioned with summer, this "people dress terribly for the theatre!" argument only seems to come up in summer, because in winter people are in pants/jeans and wearing sweaters, etc. which are inherently "dressier," when all people are doing is dressing for comfort whether hot or cold weather.

Stop worrying what other people are wearing and instead focus on what's on the stage.

Also, where can I get Kylie's shirt?

[aaaaaa15]

Posted: 7/30/16 at 10:41am

I do sometimes long for the days when people put more effort into their clothing choices but it doesn't bother me at the theatre any more than it bothers me anywhere else. I certainly don't think there should be any rules put into place. It would just associate Broadway theatre with elitism, even more than it already is, as well as being impractical to enforce. No-one should be turning away someone that has paid hundreds of dollars because they have rips in their jeans.

[mailhandler777]

Posted: 7/30/16 at 11:07am

Today I'm in shorts and a t-shirt. I usually wear jeans and a button down shirt but it's been too dang hot for that. 

[JIMG3]

Posted: 7/30/16 at 11:11am

As someone who's been working front of house for close to thirty years, I can honestly say that what I see many people wear to the theatre, is one step above what I'd see at the gym. Is it really that much of an effort for gentlemen to wear a pair of clean, pressed trousers or a pair of jeans  and a seasonally appropriate shirt, and a pair of casual shoes??  Women have even more options. It's got everything to do with an appalling lack of appreciation for "sense of occasion", and nothing to do with personal comfort. 

[mailhandler777]

Posted: 7/30/16 at 11:25am

I don't give a crap what people wear to the theatre. As long as they are well behaved, bathed and not drenched in perfume or cologne is fine by me

[Broadway Joe]

Posted: 7/30/16 at 11:38am

I wear shorts and a t-shirt because I am almost always hot, I rarely ever find the theatres too could. I actually try to avoid going from June to September unless something is closing that I haven't seen. 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 7/30/16 at 11:53am

It doesn't bother me any more than what kids wear to school every day.  I think the key is: things change.

 

I'm not going to defend what I wear...except to say: people would be a lot happier if they stopped judging others.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 7/30/16 at 11:53am

Double post.

Updated On: 7/30/16 at 11:53 AM

[playbill-love]

Posted: 7/30/16 at 11:57am

I think as long as someone isn't dirty, smelly, or so scantily clad that their outfit isn't appropriate for any public setting, they should wear what that want. I enjoy dressing up slightly for the theatre, but I also rarely wear a t shirt and shorts even when I'm not doing anything special that day. It doesn't bother me what others wear. Like the person a few posts above me I'm much more concerned with people being quiet and non-disruptive during the show. 

[promisespromises2]

Posted: 7/30/16 at 12:02pm

I dress up when I see regional theatre (Washington DC for me) but when I go to NYC to see two shows in one day AND be a tourist, there is no possible or feasible way that I am going to be uncomfortable in dress clothes (a dress and heels for me) from midnight when we leave to go to NYC to 11:30PM from when we leave to go home. 

[Dave13]

Posted: 7/30/16 at 12:14pm

Wear whatever you like as long as you are comfortable.  I wear shorts and a t-shirt in the summer.  Jeans in the winter.   

[HogansHero]

Posted: 7/30/16 at 12:20pm

BRING BACK SPATS!

It's not enough that some people want us to like the same shows and music that they do, now they also want us to like to dress like they do. Are Dockers more dressed up than Saint Laurent ripped jeans in this alternate universe?  

I would caution against wifebeaters and shorts however, because it sometimes gets quite cold in theatres. 

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 7/30/16 at 1:06pm

Well, there are ripped jeans and then there are ripped jeans. It has nothing to do with rips, it has nothing to do with shorts or pants. It has nothing to do with the temperature outside. 

It has to do with dressing to show respect. Show respect to the people onstage, Show respect to the other 1000 people in the audience with you. You can do that in a t-shirt. You can do that in summer shorts. You can do that in sneakers. 

Last time we went to SHUFFLE ALONG, I showed up in a bow tie and striped jacket. Someone ahead of me on the staircase wore a dazzling 20's dress with floral hairpiece, which made my night. It's all about respect.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 7/30/16 at 1:31pm

I totally do this. Sometimes I'll even wear gym clothes because of circumstances - going back home to change, time, etc. It happens. We are only dressing for each other. The actors don't know or care, so who cares? Be comfortable! 

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 7/30/16 at 1:54pm

This is the same article that started the last thread, isn't it? To me, it's not generational. I've seen plenty of patrons in their 30's, 40's, 50's, 60's dressed casually at the theater. As as I said in the last thread, I make the odd choice of dressing based on the show I'm seeing when I can. But you should also make allowances for the practicalities of people's lives.

I'm with Someone in a Tree2. There's a respectful way to still dress casually. And there's a way to dress casually that says, I see this Broadway show as being on the same level as that animal show at Universal Studios.

[HogansHero]

Posted: 7/30/16 at 1:56pm

@PT, I get it. You want to get me drunk and take advantage of me. 

Someone in a Tree2 said: "Show respect to the people onstage, Show respect to the other 1000 people in the audience with you. You can do that in a t-shirt. You can do that in summer shorts. You can do that in sneakers. 

Last time we went to SHUFFLE ALONG, I showed up in a bow tie and striped jacket. Someone ahead of me on the staircase wore a dazzling 20's dress with floral hairpiece, which made my night. It's all about respect."

I'm getting whiplash from the disconnect here. 

P.S. Most of "the people on stage" don't dress for the theatre when they go so I seriously doubt they give a rat's behind what you where. Wanna dress up? Go for it. Want others to dress a certain way? Become a costume designer. 

[Dave13]

Posted: 7/30/16 at 2:27pm

Exactly.  Most performers are in nothing more than shorts and a T-Shirt arriving at or leaving the theater 

[Olivia11]

Posted: 7/30/16 at 2:29pm

This is my first post, after lurking for awhile.  :)


I too have noticed the change over the last 25 years of theatre going. ...noticed, not judged. I tend to dress up (suit or dress) because that's what I feel good doing and it is normal for me. I also "dress" for work more than most, wearing suits most days, which has benefitted my career. 


I don't really care what others wear, but for me, it is a sign of respect and also signifies a special event (not how I dress for a movie, for example).  Others feel differently and that's ok.  I like the idea that accepting casual dress removes some real or perceived "barriers to entry" and potentially gets more people into the theatre.  I have also noticed how actors dress when they go to other shows, and it is frequently more casual than not, so I doubt they are in any way affected by patrons more casual dress. I think casual can also take many forms and clean, well fitting clothes in reasonable repair are a good practice.  


We will be in the city at the end of this week with tickets for five shows. It will be hot and I hate hot. :). We will walk and I have some knee issues. Linen sheath dress and flats (or comfy shoes and dressy shoes in my bag to change into). That makes ME happy. 

 
Bringing 8 year old and he will have first Broadway experience. It's important to me that he dresses appropriately. He will wear a collared shirt and chinos (not hugely dressed up but a step up from shorts and tees that he wears to school on West Coast). I've already had the conversation that others will dress differently, and that's ok, but I want him to learn that more traditional ways and sometimes dressing up a little opens doors in life, and it's easy to do.  

I do agree with the statement. - don't wear a tank top and shorts and then complain about the AC being too cold in the theatre!
 

Updated On: 7/30/16 at 02:29 PM

[HogansHero]

Posted: 7/30/16 at 2:56pm

yay Olivia and welcome

[trpguyy]

Posted: 7/31/16 at 6:21am

PThespian said: "I would rather have a naked person sitting next to me than be sitting next to an empty seat."

Think of the possibilities! Broadway Nudist Night.

Those velour seats would never quite be the same again. 

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 7/31/16 at 4:16pm

^^^^ When I worked at the Fabulous Palm Springs Follies, we actually received a request from a local nudist club to buy out our small balcony for a "Nudist Theater Night". With the possible exception of bare shoulders, they would not have been visible from the main floor. A standing ovation from the balcony would have been out of the question.

Now why anyone wants to go to the theater and sit around naked for three hours is beyond me. (Their usual activities run more toward hiking naked in the local mountains. Not my cup of tea, but I can at least understand the appeal.)

And I never got to ask because the owners were so grossed out at the thought of bare butts on their theater seats that they quickly declined the request.

[Hellob]

Posted: 7/31/16 at 4:35pm

I think the people who are dressed way down are going to the show as a pit stop in their day. The theater isn't the main reason for the NYC visit whereas the tourists who are in town primarily for shows tend to dress much better. 

[sng]

Posted: 7/31/16 at 4:40pm

I'm not sure if this is just an American thing but here in Sydney, every time I go to the theatre I always see people dressing very formal to smart casual. I've never seen slippers or shorts in theatre.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 7/31/16 at 4:51pm

The way it is in Australia was the way it used to be here. Sad to say it us another tradition that is dead and buried.

Updated On: 7/31/16 at 04:51 PM