Phantom/Majestic Theatre Question

[little_fall_of_rain]

Posted: 1/21/06 at 3:03am

I recently saw Phantom at the Majestic and was shocked at how many flash photographs were taken DURING the show...not to mention at intermission. I am just curious how long this has been happening...

[Fosse76]

Posted: 1/21/06 at 7:36am

I saw it the day after it broke the record...and I agree. cameras were going off so frequently it looked like a strobe light! The stage manager, right before the performance, gave a stern warning, but they were back out at intermission.

[Becky2]

Posted: 1/21/06 at 9:50am

That's terribly rude. It must be horribly distracting for those who are trying to watch and absorb the show.

[DreamFlyer22]

Posted: 1/21/06 at 9:51am

Unfortunately, now bearing the title of longest running show, Phantom has become even more of a tourist-ey 'thing' than it ever was before. Sounds like people are snapping pictures there like they might snap pictures of the Statue of Liberty or Times Square.

*sigh* Oh theater etiquette... rest in peace.

[bwaylover86]

Posted: 1/21/06 at 10:10am

Wow that is annoying!!! I have seen people take pictures during intermission but not during the show. If I were the actors I would refuse to go on if someone started taking pictures lol. My dad took me and my siblings (yes we are all too old for this, and Jewish, but his girlfriend wanted to go) to the Radio City Music hall Christmas Spectacular or whatever it is, and during the last scene of the birth of Jesus I guess it is, it was like a strobe light too, it was awful I was starting to feel sick from all the flashes. I hate when people do that it is so disrespectful and rude.

[broadwaybound882]

Posted: 1/21/06 at 10:20am

I agree with Bwaylover, no matter how famous POTO is nowadays, I personally would walk off of that stage if I saw a single flashbulb. It's downright rude.the actors definitely hate it. I'm seeing the show agsin on Thursday and I expect the only "flashes" I see are the pyrotechnics in the masuoleum scene and the chandelier. Actors have done that. i remember hearing a story of one of the "Dollys"(I forget who it was) stopping the show because she saw someone videotaping it.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 1/21/06 at 10:37am

Pearl Bailey (Hello Dolly )stopped it once as someone was taking a flash . She stopped it saying it was dangerous to the actors ( I believe they had some sort of a catwalk). Bravo

When we saw Dessa Rose, someone next to us had a picture phone & was constantly clicking away. I doubt they even knew what was going on onstage

The funny thing is these pictures will not come out. If you ever see these flashes in big arenas, you have to laugh. These people are sitting in Gods country ( seat wise ) & they actually think their flash will carry beyond 10 feet. I always think of this & smile knowing they went thru all of this for nothing. Of course, it will not stop these morons from doing it again & again

Updated On: 1/21/06 at 10:37 AM

[Christina314]

Posted: 1/21/06 at 11:29am

when i saw phantom people were taking pictures before the show and at intermission but i didnt see any flashes during the show

[Katurian2]

Posted: 1/21/06 at 3:55pm

That's pathetic. When I was at RENT, there were two teen girls in front of me. One texting someone and the other taking pictures with her phone camera. I hate going to older shows that draw tourists.

Updated On: 1/21/06 at 03:55 PM

[zzprincesskatt]

Posted: 1/21/06 at 3:58pm

That is incredibly rude, tourist or not. If you are going to a live show where the actors can see you, you don't take pictures of them and distract them, and you certainly shouldn't play with your cell phone. Even if you don't like the show, you should try to pay attention out of respect to the actors.

[NYC_or_Bust]

Posted: 1/21/06 at 4:03pm

a somewhat threadjack (my first one)

See guys, I think the problem is, foreign tourists who dont even speak english are the MAJORITY of the flash problem. Foreign tourists aren't going to see something like The Woman in White or The Odd Couple, the majority will go see something International (Phantom, etc.)

The first time I saw Beauty and the Beast, probably 85% of the audience was asian. I would only figure that most of them hardly spoken broken english, if english at all. They probably don't understand the announcments because they were taking pictures left and right.

[little_fall_of_rain]

Posted: 1/21/06 at 4:10pm

while I do think that may be part of the problem there are pictures posted around the theatre of camera with a line through them (like to no smoking signs)

I was sitting in the rear mezzanine (never again! but that was all TKTS had) and there were a lot of touristy looking people (granted I was a tourist too but strictly a theatre tourist Phantom was 8 out of 9 shows I saw that week)but they looked like the type we are in New York let's see a broadway show, how about phantom

Perhaps the Majestic could put an insert like the cellphone ones at the Vivian Beaumont but have it in a few different languages

[Katurian2]

Posted: 1/21/06 at 4:24pm

Signs and notices are not the problem. People are just being plain rude, and the ushers way too nice. There needs to be a much stricter policy on bringing cell phones and cameras into theatres.

[bwaylover86]

Posted: 1/21/06 at 4:28pm

Yeah if I ever saw someone playing with a cell phone or camera right in front of me I would say something and have them removed during intermission, its not right to ruin it for everyone else its not like people behind you wont see the light. Its like those people that come in after intermission is over and disrupt the first few minutes of the second act.. so rude.

[Katurian2]

Posted: 1/21/06 at 4:31pm

lol- they need to do something like "Neighborhood Watch" in Broadway theatres.

[zzprincesskatt]

Posted: 1/21/06 at 4:33pm

People who leave early are just as bad as the people who come in late. The cast most likely can see you...at least be on time and stay the whole show.

[little_fall_of_rain]

Posted: 1/21/06 at 4:33pm

seriously...no one was taking pictures directly by me or I would have said something...theatre is an illusion and things like camera flashes take away from the illusion

[zzprincesskatt]

Posted: 1/21/06 at 4:37pm

I hate it when people play with or talk on their cell phones during movies, and you pay about 6 dollars to go see a movie. You pay a lot more money to see a Broadway show and I would expect for people to have the courtesy to respect the fact that a theater isn't their living room and they can't just do whatever they want.

[SirLiir]

Posted: 1/21/06 at 4:41pm

It's a sad problem that unfortunately will not get better any time soon....

[zzprincesskatt]

Posted: 1/21/06 at 4:42pm

It's really sad today how so many people have no manners or respect anymore.

[guitargeek0624]

Posted: 1/21/06 at 5:00pm

I saw Phantom back in November, and a lot of people were taking pictures of the stage and the theater before the show. There was a group of foreign tourists sitting in front of us (probably French, since I was able to understand some of it ) and up until the announcer came on, they were taking photos non-stop of the set, the chandelier, etc. At least they didn't take pictures during the show.

And about people coming late...when the auction began during the prologue, almost directly in front of us and a few rows ahead, this family was trying to find their seats, and it took them FOREVER, even with the usher helping. They blocked the view for quite some time, and it really bothered me.

[Katurian2]

Posted: 1/21/06 at 5:03pm

Does anyone else have "Class" from Chicago running through their heads?

[tourboi]

Posted: 1/21/06 at 5:56pm

What I want to know is why aren't the ushers being more aggresive?

[zzprincesskatt]

Posted: 1/21/06 at 5:57pm

I think if it was just a few people then the ushers could deal with it, but when most of the audience is taking pictures, then there isn't really anything they can do.

[wickedfreak]

Posted: 1/21/06 at 5:58pm

Katruian, that is a good one but i had "Agony" from into the woods. haha