Police Called at Fiddler Last Night — Page 2

Mr Roxy said: "When nonsense like this happens, the actors have a right & a duty to all those who paid good money to make sure they see the show as it supposed to be presented. Just because you have the modern day version of trailer park trash attending & acting up is no reason for the rest of the audience to suffer."

That responsibility belongs only to Stage Management, actors can and are reported to Equity if they take matters into their own hands.

When I saw Fiddler, the woman next to me sang, talked, texted, and recorded the show during the first act. Stories like this are why I'm so hesitant to call people like that out and why I usually ask to be reseated at intermission if possible. It's terrible that your experience had to be compromised like that.

Updated On: 5/15/16 at 05:25 PM

helvizz said: "If you don't mind my asking, what happened at She Loves Me?"

There's a whole separate topic about that incident, but basically a phone was ringing several times in the front orchestra during a very quiet and tender moment of the show, taking Laura and a large part of the audience completely out of the moment (I wasn't there but people have said they could hear it in the mezz even), and Laura said something like "I'll wait... We'll all wait" very calmly and the continued once the phone had stopped. She has since said she would have handled it different in a different scene, but this was such a raw emotional moment, and also very quiet, so the ringing was very obvious and distracting...

Look for the topic if you're interested in more details.

Thank you! Truly, thanks for commenting: I intended to relate the story in a way that would entertain and delight rather than just complain about the incident. That's my favorite sentence of the tale, too. :)

Many thanks also to those expressing sympathy for the ruination of my Act I experience. My great-grandfather on my mother's side was a Jew from the Russian Pale. He had bred horses and was a learned man, and the Tsar sized his land, and had used his horses as Pogrom cavalry. He escaped to America and got a job in a shoe factory, sending for his wife and children when he could. My own grandmother was born here several years later. My great-grandfather on my father's side was also from the Russian Pale; his family escaped to Germany, which didn't work out as a long-term solution for obvious reasons. His son later escaped Germany and came to America, where he met my grandmother, and a gemeration later I was born. So this show isn't just a show to me: it's a way for me to connect to my family history and anchor my memory to it despite the fact that all my grandparents are now gone (and many would-be extended family members whose would-be children were never born were murdered by the Nazis). For me to go into THIS show and have it ruined by a prolonged asinine fight over a cell phone was truly wrenching. So sincerely to all of you, thank you for the sympathy and camaraderie as Theater people.

Thank you! (And of course, my best comment ever has an autocorrect misspelling. :-P)

OP What an incredible family history and important that you know as much as you do. Fiddler is an important show in that respect for those historical and human connections. It is powerful. How many have learned of these horrible situations because of this musical?

That being said, without a doubt, the weakest part of this show is the pogrom. While impossible to portray the horror on stage, many may be left with the idea that a Pogrom wasn't so bad - a few overturned tables. There's the advantage of the filmed version which of course came closer to the reality.

So much of the rest of the show is pretty close to perfect.

Comden Green said: "OP What an incredible family history and important that you know as much as you do. Fiddler is an important show in that respect for those historical and human connections. It is powerful. How many have learned of these horrible situations because of this musical?

That being said, without a doubt, the weakest part of this show is the pogrom. While impossible to portray the horror on stage, many may be left with the idea that a Pogrom wasn't so bad - a few overturned tables. There's the advantage of the filmed version which of course came closer to the reality.

So much of the rest of the show is pretty close to perfect.



"

Thank you so much for being respectful and kind about my family history. I wss hesitant to share it here: you've made me glad I did.

Have you seen this production? For me, the last 20 minutes or so are thrilling. I absolutely agree with you that the Pogrom is handled with kid gloves in other productions, but I think Sher and this cast really epitomize the heartbreak of the rending of families caused by the Pogroms, and the price Jews today are still paying for it.

Updated On: 5/16/16 at 09:11 AM

"No, nonononono. The actors should NOT stop the show even if they are being distracted. There should have been at least one usher within earshot of the argument. This was a shortcoming of the house staff, there's no excuse for that to be going on longer than 60 seconds."

"60 seconds"? Are you serious? It's not about the actors being distracted, it's about the audience. If, as the OP says, a significant part of the audience is being distracted for more than 10 minutes, an actor should have stopped the show. I would prefer that 100 times over having my focus pulled by a bunch of jerks in the audience. Also, lay off house staff. See PThespian's post upthread.

"That responsibility belongs only to Stage Management, actors can and are reported to Equity if they take matters into their own hands"

So, which is it? House staff or stage management, trpguyy? I don't doubt that Equity has such a rule, but can you cite even ONE example in which an actor has been reported? If you can, what was their punishment? I can't imagine in this case that an actor would be penalized for stopping the show. I have been at many performances when an actor has stopped the show, briefly broken character, or responded in character to a disruption. It has, in my anecdotal experience, been universally met with audience approval (vocally and with applause).

eta:

"Maybe they did not stop the show due to the union overtime rules. Do not know if this covered in their contract"

Love ya, Roxy, but you do tend to union bash. Here's the deal with unions and stopping shows. They don't care if a show is stopped. That said, if the show is supposed to end at 10:50 and ends instead at 11:01, it has "broken the hour" and a significant amount of people will get paid for the extra hour.

Updated On: 5/16/16 at 10:33 AM

That's wonderful, Rebeccmam31! Indeed, it's a timely moment in history to have THIS production of "Fiddler" on Broadway. I'm so glad you and the girls loved the show and that it spurred some important and salient conversation for you all.

A poster above said I was union bashing. Why does it always come down to victimization? I just made a statement barely mentioning a union at all. Years ago, at the big Nathan's in Times Square, the workers set up a picket line. A young woman crossed it with a kid screaming for a hot dog. Those on the line cursed both of them,name called and spit at them.If you have to this for your cause it is pretty sad.

Updated On: 5/16/16 at 11:44 AM

"A poster above said I was union bashing. Why does it always come down to victimization? I just made a statement not mentioning a union at all."

My name is ghostlight2, Mr Roxy. You didn't mention a specific union, but you mentioned unions, and you definitely have a history of bashing them. I have walked on many a picket line (lately, it's Verizon), and the bad behavior goes both ways. I have been shouted at and spat upon.

I hope I answered your question regarding theater unions' stance(s) on stopping shows.

House staff are really put in a no-win situation here.

I say things and do not worry who they might offend. If you say anything , however slight, someone takes offense as we have become incredibly thin skinned.



For the record, my father was a life long teamster and yet he sometimes questioned union tactics like violence and other strong armed tactics. Was my father , longtime union member, an anti union guy in disguise? Thinking in lockstep on anything can be very dangerous.