Irritating Theatregoers

So, how many of you have encountered those people at shows that you just want to punch right in the kidneys? I have had pretty bad luck with young girls at shows (usually at the stage door) that are just catty and the kind you wish would be held underground until they are about 17 or so.

At Little Mermaid, there was this group of girls standing at the stage door, arguing about why people were waiting and why they had barricades up. There were about five of them that believed the actors/actresses would be coming out and one reluctant loudmouth who kept practically shouting saying it was so they could move the set out and put another show in. She suggested Young Frankenstein was going to be there the following week.

Another time was at the stage door of Mamma Mia. We were standing at the barricades across from the door (where they usually head first) and these girls to me left kept pushing my cousin and I up against the wall to our right. When I began pushing back they just said flat out, "Okay, you need to stop pushing us, we don't have any room." A group of probably five all needing to stand right AT the fence. Then they just told all of the guys how hot they were after they signed their memorabilia (they had about fifteen things to sign).

Any others?

Aw I see. Ha ha, I hate the search function of this board, so useless sometimes.

Sorry!

Thanks love.

What a bitch.

I too had trouble with the TLM crowd, but I won't get into it.

I don't really care what people are like at the stage door, because I just go ahead and assume people will be obnoxious. However, inside, I mind..a lot.

Exactly.

When I saw Avenue Q on Saturday night (which by the way had some open seats at least in the orchestra not a lot but enough to stand out.) Someone had their cell phone out and was texting during the show. I asked her if she could please put it away. She had said that she wasn't bothering anyone with it. I had replied that she was bothering me if she wasn't then I would say anything.

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There were two older women at Damn Yankees yesterday... They started out pre-show sitting anywhere they felt like "until the real ticket holders come" so they would have to move a lot ~ which required a lengthy and loud conversation about where to move. Just before the lights went down, when it was clear no one was going to be in the far side sextions of the front mezz, I moved down to the front row. They apparently saw me and some other girls who moved into that section but further up and decided this was a BRILLIANT idea because it was only a few seconds later they got up from their latest set of seats and came down the stairs. Ending up in row 2. No problem. I can deal.

Until one of them is sighing loudly and trying to decide which is better to look around ~ the railing or my head. She finally decided on the railing and moved over a seat during the overture. Ok, fine. All is well and good. Until the other one started tapping her foot in time to the music. On the back of my chair. Nothing stopped it for long ~ not dirty looks, not asking her to stop, not even me starting to shift around a lot more than usual on purpose. (I usually don't do that, but honestly...I've had small children behind me on airplanes that kick less than this woman.)

They moved to a more center section at intermission but were replaced by a couple who moved next to me ~ so I moved over because the railing wasn't that bad, especially with a seat between us and no one really behind us for a few rows. They were "shocked" that the people behind them "wouldn't let us lean forward to see". Standard politeness there ~ leaning forward blocks their view even more than the heads in front of you were blocking yours. However, as Act 2 went on, I think the complaining and comments may have had more to to with the fact that they couldn't keep their hands off each other. Thankfully it was just roaming hands, but it was still annoying.

I did have to laugh though because there were a couple of small girls with their families (they were the nieces of someone in the show because they came out of the stage door with him and their families) who were somewhat in front of the women who had been behind me. And the little darlings were bouncing up and down in their seats for about the last quarter of the show. Normally it would have annoyed me, but it just amused me because I knew they were right in the women's line of vision.

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Personally I think people talking to others near them or to someone on their cell phone would bother me more than someone eating near me. Not that I think that's okay either. Not until we learn to do it right here in the States the way the Brits apparently do. Somehow, it seems, they eat in the West End during shows, all the while managing to be polite about the whole thing. So I guess it can be done.

As for me, past mint, cough drops, lozenges and the like (pre-unwrapped to minimize noise when retrieving) to help prevent or halt coughs, and perhaps bottled or lidded water (quietly recapped between quiet sips), food and drink at live theatre is indeed rude. (Again, until people can learn to simultaneously chow down and be considerate all at the same time.)

Do the theatres listed as allowing food in the article linked here still allow it? I was really surprised to learn this.

Broadway: Eating at Your Seat - Theater - Report - New York Times (January 2007)

Updated On: 7/14/08 at 09:16 AM