Late Seating? Should it be allowed?

No. I’ve been late a total of about 3 times over hundreds of performances I attended, and each of those times, I would have felt the theater was justified if they put me in standing room or left me in the lobby until intermission. I like that some theaters have a monitor in the lobby so you can watch from there if you need to step out or are late and then can’t be seated. I think more theaters should do that.

I was a few minutes late to a performance of Bring in Da Noise/Funk years ago due to a serious traffic accident (not mine). All late-comers had to wait about 15 minutes for what the theatre staff considered an acceptable moment to be seated and we were asked to be as quiet and non-disruptive as possible. I thought that was reasonable. Unless seating after curtain would destroy the show for other people, I think identifying an acceptable moment to do it is fair. Sometimes, things happen that are out of ones control.

Except I haven't been to a b'way show that started on time in YEARS. (And I go a lot.) 5-10 minutes late is the norm.

The Public idea is great, but not when dealing with a 1500 seat house.

I'm not sure how to deal with the problem, but that's mainly why I avoid the 7pm curtains on a Tuesday. There's always a throng of people who think the show starts at 8. I mean, it's fine. I don't know their circumstances, and I've def. been that person who showed up late, but the only time that has happened, on a Tuesday no less, I waiting in the lobby with a headset and saw Act 2.

There is no simple or easy solution to this problem, IMO. The theatregoers around the latecomer have paid for a unique experience and were on time, therefore should they be taken from this experience (which depending on their circumstances- may have cost them a lot of money and planning time) or should the theatregoers also be compassionate to the fact that the latecomer may have had some unforeseen circumstances and paid like everyone else to enjoy the experience. Now, I will say that I have some friends who are just late to everything. That is just how they roll. On time to them is at least 10 minutes late, which can be very frustrating. This is completely rude and unfair to others who make it a point to be on time or even early.

The truth is, I believe that if you are going to an experience like Broadway you should always plan to be early. Not only is it live, it is an investment. You are going to an event which costs way more than a 15 dollar movie ticket, with live actors that work extremely hard to put on a great performance. This alone should be your reason for being on time.

While I feel compassion for theatregoers who are late because of severe circumstances out of their control, I personally know MANY people who could very easily be on time or early but just choose not to. They always think they have enough time to leave a little later or oh it's fine we got time - meanwhile it's not like they're doing anything of importance or relevance that would keep them from getting ready right now.

I think if standing room or rear seating is available during Act 1, then maybe they could be seated and moved during intermission. However, if you paid for a premium seat to then be seated in an obstructed view during Act 1 it may seem unfair - but I guess that would be the consequence of being late.

To tie in the food and the late seating issues at theatres. I believe a large part of it is the cheaper tickets to Broadway. As Broadway has become more affordable through certain avenues, it has opened itself up to an audience that would otherwise very seldom be able to afford Broadway. Therefore, the expectations or etiquette of live theatre is unbeknownst to them so many may assume it is just like attending a movie. I come from a place where Broadway was very expensive, so I'm not trying to shame anyone but I do feel that some people just don't know and therefore they have behaviors that are usually frowned upon in such venues. Also, if theatres don't enforce their policies then others assume that it is ok.

Why should the production lose money because someone is late? Ridiculous.

I would usually say no. When I was younger, I would have said a hard "no". However, now that I'm older and even though I've never been late to a show AND make sure everybody I bring is there EARLY, I understand some times it cannot be helped, and so I think people should not be unduly punished if they are late early on in a show. I'm now more on the side to accommodate people. I think there's a compromise between "hard no" and allowing people to be disruptive and to come in and get to their seats whenever and take forever to get situated. I never really had a problem of people coming in late and disrupting me, however. Usually, if someone is disruptive, it's not because they're late.

While there are always some inconsiderate people, most are conscientious and give their best effort to not be late. But once in a great while the unexpected happens and it can't be avoided. They're usually held until an appropriate break in the plot or the end of a song and they sit and it's over. Not really that big of a deal. You guys can complain about it until the cows come home but it's not going to change anything. They're not going to tell someone who paid $400 for a pair of tickets that they can't see the show cause they got there 5 minutes late.