Dressing up to go to the theatre?- Page 4

[DRSisLove]

Posted: 1/22/07 at 6:19pm

That's a pretty b!tchy statement.
Just because the show in your opinion isnt "Dress up worthy" doesn't mean you should underdress. Dressing up for the theatre shows respect for the actors. You have less respect for actors in The Wedding Singer and MORE for ones in Wicked?

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 1/22/07 at 6:45pm

"Dressing up for theater shows respect for the actors."

I don't disagree with this statement, but I don't agree, either. The actors are there to do their job - perform. At a concert, a standard Billy Joel concert, people dress normally. Billy is doing his job - performing. The audience's paying attention is respecting him - not the way they dress. He doesn't care.

Are actors paying attention to the guy in the 4th row aisle? No. They don't spend time criticizing someone because he or she wore sneakers. I think they care more that cell phones don't go off than what people are wearing.

[singtopher]

Posted: 1/22/07 at 6:57pm

I was appalled the first time I saw a Broadway show. I saw people in shorts and flip flops (it was August)carrying shopping bags with them. It was like I was at a movie theatre attached to a mall.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 1/22/07 at 7:10pm

As long as you come on time & are not eating, snoring & talking (either to someone else or on a cell phone)& you are dressed it is OK with me

[Weez]

Posted: 1/22/07 at 7:14pm

I don't think it's that the actors for one show are less worthy of respect than the actors for another, I think people are just taking the whole thing into account. Again, I'd feel fine in jeans and a nice top for 'Avenue Q', but if I were to wear the same thing to see Patrick Stewart as Antony, I'd feel hideously underdressed and ashamed of myself. Doesn't mean I think the 'Avenue Q' cast aren't as worthy as the Royal Shakespeare Company. Hell, I've not seen 'Antony And Cleopatra' yet, but I've already put my money down twice for 'Avenue Q' and reckon the whole cast is absolutely blinding. It's just the atmosphere and the mood. Nothing to do with snobbery towards casts.

[goofy108]

Posted: 1/22/07 at 8:33pm

Rainbow_Carnagie, you called my first post idiotic saying that going to see theatre is like going to see a movie and you shouldnt have to dress up. In fact you proved my point - people dress according to their respect, mostly.

It's not that I'm against being comfortable or casual - go for it. But with all these other people dressing up, dont you feel stupid in you jeans and graphic tee?

If I'm paying a lot of money to see the show, and I have to drive all the way into town, damnit (sp?), I'm gonna look good!

[MLE]

Posted: 1/22/07 at 9:02pm

I'm a huge believer in wearing jeans to the theatre. Not that everyone has to do it, but I think it can be totally acceptable. I do it all the time and could not have more respect for the actors or theatre itself. I just believe that jeans are incredibly versatile and the right pair can be worn almost anywhere.
I always wear a good pair of dark, unripped jeans with a nicer top. Obviously not all jeans are a good idea. I saw a woman at DRS the other day with faded "mom jeans", New Balance tennis shoes and a sweatshirt. That's just not right.

And yes, I think that what you wear depends on which show you see. Not because one show is better than the other or deserves more respect but because you should dress to match the mood or tone of the evening (or afternoon). Time of the show also makes a difference.

Bottom line:
I hate dressing up, I always have. Why should I have to dress totally beyond myself and be very uncomfortable to go some place I love and would otherwise feel at home? My philosophy is that theatre is a cultural experience and an art, so dress to express yourself with at least a touch of culture. Don't look like you're going to wal-mart.

Posted: 1/22/07 at 9:05pm

I usually like to dress-up a little before I see a show. But I really don't mind what other people wear. It's their choice to wear whatever they want to.

[Liverpool]

Posted: 1/22/07 at 9:13pm

I say go for comfort. As long as the clothes are clean and not overly big (huge hats etc) so as to block surrounding patrons, and don't have sayings that would be distracting (like vulgarities) to actors (specifically if you're in the first couple of rows), i don't care what you wear. I wear sweats to the theatre when it's cold.

If anyone were to ever say anything about my attire i would rip them a new out hole, because honestly, if you are so pathetic that you have to worry about what other people are wearing then, well you need an ass stomping.

[HollyImposter]

Posted: 1/22/07 at 9:19pm

I think that when you see a show, everyone should go dressed up as the characters on stage.

If that's not your cup of tea, whether you're paying $25 or $250 to see a show, you're paying money to see a show. You shouldn't be required to wear anything. You go in, sit down and then you leave. I don't think that any actor on stage is looking out into the audience and is offended because people didn't dress up nicely. There are probably performers who would wear ripped jeans, a t-shirt, and flip flops if they went to see a show. It's their job to just perform. Nothing else.

No one should ever feel bad about what anyone says about what they are wearing. Just remember, you're paying money. You don't have to care what anyone thinks.

(Not including or condoning eating or snoring or any of that distracting stuff)

[roseaddams]

Posted: 1/22/07 at 9:40pm

In Los Angeles, theater etiquette was pretty much dictated by the Music Center in the 1960s -- going to the Ahmanson or Dorothy Chandler required at least a coat and tie if not a tuxedo, and ladies were expected to have gowns with a train long enough to warrant the warning sign at the foot of the escalator, not so much as a dress code but because everybody else did and you'd look silly.

Things have gotten a bit more lax over the years 'round these parts -- I usually wear slacks and a sportcoat with a nice shirt and fit in nicely with the others in the orchestra section. Except for RENT, when I wore said sportcoat, jeans, and black t-shirt and looked better than almost everybody there.

[MerMaggieGalinda]

Posted: 1/22/07 at 9:44pm

When I went to my first Broadway show, Wicked, last year, I wore my Galindafied blue sparkly dress, as I was under the impression everyone dressed up to go to a Broadway show. Little did I know! Everyone except for maybe a few people were wearing jeans, sweaters, t-shirts. I was so surprised, and I felt very out of place. I wore a less flashy, understated black dress the next night to Phantom, and I was still overdressed! I personally like dressing up to go to the theater, it's fun!

[MaronaDavies]

Posted: 1/22/07 at 9:50pm

You know, the actors probably couldn't care less if that person in G 101 is wearing jeans. They have other things on their minds. The only time I've ever heard an actor comment on someone's clothing was at a show where they went out into the audience....one day apparently some adults (key word here, ADULTS, not small children) dressed up in costumes from the show; the actors found it to be distracting and somewhat weird.

Who really has the right to dictate anyone else's attire at the theatre? As long as you're behaving, you're not wearing something that distracts the cast and you don't smell (which disturbs others), IMHO nobody has the right to judge one way or the other. The theatre's dark and you're going to be focused on the stage, so at the end of the day, someone else's clothing choices aren't really going to detract from *your* enjoyment of the show, are they?

[ashbash1990]

Posted: 1/22/07 at 10:02pm

Dress Nicely... No Jeans EVER!!!EVER!!! sorry, I hate it when people come to the theatre dressed in jeans and band t-shirts... Besides, isn't dressing up part of the experience? it always was for me...

[Chrissy*J]

Posted: 1/22/07 at 11:20pm

I don't really dress up for the theatre, but I at least usually wear clean pressed dark jeans, and a cute clean pressed t-shirt. I usually have some nice jewelry that matches the shirt, and my shoes match. Plus I always do my hair and makeup a lot nicer than I would on a normal day.

[B3TA07]

Posted: 1/22/07 at 11:23pm

I like to wear my phantom mask or paint myself green. You know, the usual.

[Revolutionary]

Posted: 1/23/07 at 12:33am

If you're going to the theatre, dress as you would if you were going to a nice restaurant or if you were going to a holiday party, and that's pretty much it. Not a whole lot of room for error, just look nice. There doesn't have to be a list of no nos to go along with it, because it's all up to interpretation, really.

I mean, I don't know what kind of jeans y'all are wearing, but mine cost more than most dress pants or skirts do and in my case I look nicer with a pair of fitted jeans than I do with some frumpy polyester skirt on. I think it's ridiculous when people say that dressing nicely does not include wearing jeans. Also, in case of 'band shirts', well, say if I was wearing a band tee with jeans, heels and my leather dior jacket that cost more than my monthly rent, along with a shiny gucci bag, I would say that I was dressing way up and I doubt anyone would think otherwise.

[C is for Company]

Posted: 1/23/07 at 12:38am

"Besides, isn't dressing up part of the experience? it always was for me..."

To answer your question, the response would depend on the person. Not everyone might hold the same standards or expect the same "experience" as you. For some, going to the theater holds an experience to see the show and stagedoor, whereas others find that rude. These etiquettes are varied to so many degrees.

Like to me, unless they are holding a seance to resurrect Merman so I can hear what it was like without microphones, I would not "EVER!!!EVER!!!" dress like I'm going to prom when I am just seeing a show like I do all the time.

[Craww]

Posted: 1/23/07 at 3:46am

I definitely err on the side of dress up, but I don't see the real harm in showing up casual if the event was unplanned. I've only been to NY once. Of the five shows I saw I dressed (very) up for three of them. Dresses, hair, makeup, etc. Those were the three shows I had tickets for before arriving, and the outfits were already planned. The other two were spur of the moment, TKTS and Lottery, and I was wearing nice jeans and a nice top with an extremely nice tweed peacoat. I do think the show has some bearing. I would have felt absolutely absurd wearing the same dress I wore to Company to a matinee of the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 1/23/07 at 4:23am

I still can't get over the girl that wore torn-up sweatpants to Sweeney Todd. Forget disrespect in the theatre, I wouldn't even go out in public dressed like that.

At Broadway shows, jeans are fine, but I felt underdressed at the Kennedy Center giftshop wearing jeans. I wouldn't dream of wearing jeans to an actual SHOW there.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 1/23/07 at 8:06am

Who really has the right to dictate anyone else's attire at the theatre? As long as you're behaving, you're not wearing something that distracts the cast and you don't smell (which disturbs others), IMHO nobody has the right to judge one way or the other. The theatre's dark and you're going to be focused on the stage, so at the end of the day, someone else's clothing choices aren't really going to detract from *your* enjoyment of the show, are they?

Amen, sista.

[dgjbear]

Posted: 1/23/07 at 8:22am

From Rainbow_Carnage to Ashley on Page 1.

to Ashley: Ah, darling, but you do! You may see more than 5 shows a year, but a quick look at the list of faves on your profile clearly shows that you are exactly the sort of person I'm referring to: Les Mis, RENT, Tick Tick Boom, High Fidelity and Aida. The only thing that's missing is Wicked.

Any grown-up theatre?

Rainbow Carnage - what a complete snob you are. How dare you judge someones elses taste simply because it doesn't concur with your own idea of theatRE. Idiot.

[avab802]

Posted: 1/23/07 at 10:40am

"Besides, isn't dressing up part of the experience? it always was for me..."

I have to "dress up" every day for work. On my leisure time I like to be a little more comfortable, and actually wear all the non-work-appropriate clothing I own.

[MamawhoBoreme]

Posted: 1/23/07 at 1:12pm

I wear Jeans and a nice shirt with nice shoes usually. i have a really bad knee so to walk in heels is a big risk for me. but i dont care what people look like going to the show. im not too concerned about how other people look sitting down, i like to spend my time at the theatre watching the performance, not commenting on other peoples attire.

[craig238]

Posted: 1/23/07 at 4:24pm

Just curious on what people should wear when they go for the day into the city to do a little sightseeing/shopping/walking around, have a meal, and then see a show on a summer day when it is 90 degrees ??