Snoring At The Theatre

[Corine2]

Posted: 10/1/14 at 7:10pm

Today I was at ONCE. I wanted to see the leading man as he lives in my building. He is excellent but I was totally distressed that an old lady behind me was not only sleeping but snoring very loudly.

I kept turning around hoping she would see my stares but she was fast asleep. She was very loud and I wanted to wake her up but that noise would be as bad or worse and I had a great orchestra seat.

Why do people pay top dollar for Broadway Orchestra seats and sleep and worse yet SNORE? I wanted to slap her. Can they announce if you are planning to sleep please don't snore as it ruins the show for people around you.

Discuss. I paid for my seat and was really upset. All I heard was her music not the cast! ARGH!

[Pootie2]

Posted: 10/1/14 at 7:13pm

No one else around her bothered trying to wake her up? Ushers? Sheesh....

[Wynbish]

Posted: 10/1/14 at 7:18pm

You thought turning around and looking would be effective with someone clearly already asleep?

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 10/1/14 at 7:39pm

If someone is completely ruining your experience, confront them or get an usher/security involved. Never just accept that kind of behavior. I hope Once is still great!

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 10/1/14 at 7:43pm

A spilled drink on the person and a "Oh I am so sorry" generally works wonders.

[Corine2]

Posted: 10/1/14 at 8:04pm

She was two rows behind me and not right behind me. I did speak to an usher at intermission but the usher was afraid to bother her.

[Pootie2]

Posted: 10/1/14 at 8:08pm

Oh fer crap's sake. If not an usher, house manager?

[Phantom of London]

Posted: 10/1/14 at 8:10pm

Official: Once the Lullaby of Broadway.

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 10/1/14 at 8:11pm

You should have tore a page from the playbill, rolled it up and tossed it at her. That would surely woken her.

On a aside note, I once read a story somewhere from a performer who saw someone in the orchestra with a pillow and blanket fast asleep.

[KathyNYC2]

Posted: 10/1/14 at 8:13pm

The usher didn't want to bother her? Is that the first responsibility here?

Really you don't have to be rude..you can just go over and see if the person is ok since she appears to have conked out. There are polite ways to get someone to stop snoring and if the usher can't cut it, perhaps a new job is in order.

I would imagine in most cases people don't CHOOSE to fall asleep = it's not like someone says I am going to buy a $100 seat so I can take a nap. It happens..people doze off. I don't think they would be mad to be awakened.

Updated On: 10/1/14 at 08:13 PM

[CapnHook]

Posted: 10/1/14 at 8:34pm

HOW DARE THEY NOT MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT NOT TO SNORE!!

[loliveve]

Posted: 10/1/14 at 8:41pm

I had a person next to me fall asleep at a show. I was horrified because we were in the 2nd row (rush seats). She didn't fall into a deep enough slumber to snore though, because as soon as I realized that she was asleep, I bumped the arm she had on the arm rest, which was also holding her head up. I did it a few more times during the first act and she got the point-- though she complained very loudly at intermission to the person who she was actually with saying something like: "I don't know why people are staring at me. I'm tired. I've been shopping all day and just want some sleep."

[theatregeek6]

Posted: 10/1/14 at 8:42pm

Honestly I would have spoken to the house manager if the usher said they didn't want to bother her. Is that what they actually said?

I will admit I fell asleep once in the theatre. Only once but that was Spider-Man so no one would really have cared if I did snore. It would just be a review

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 10/1/14 at 8:45pm

"I don't know why people are staring at me. I'm tired. I've been shopping all day and just want some sleep."

What a clueless bitch. Get a hotel room for that!

[mjohnson2]

Posted: 10/1/14 at 8:59pm

Well, that is very rude, but I'm surprised myself that I didn't fall asleep during ONCE.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 10/1/14 at 9:10pm

I fell asleep watching the naughty version.

If you really want sleep inducing, watch the movie version the show was based on. Big snore fest.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 10/1/14 at 9:21pm

I used to fall asleep at the opera quite regularly. Something about sitting in the cheap seats way up high (all i could afford) and staring at the brightly lit stage in the distance put me into something akin to a hypnotic trance. I rarely went alone, but if I had started to snore I would HOPE somebody would wake me!

If the snorer is two rows back, ask the person behind you to wake her. The person behind you may just need "permission" to intervene.

[Wynbish]

Posted: 10/1/14 at 9:58pm

Don't cheat her out of her superhero ability to wake someone up just by looking at them.

[Wilmingtom]

Posted: 10/1/14 at 11:24pm

If I were to doze off and start snoring, I pray someone would give me the elbow and let me know.

[Corine2]

Posted: 10/1/14 at 11:32pm

The woman next to her was wide awake I turned around and made a face to her like can you control this and nothing happened. If I spoke it would have been worse because not everyone heard her. Seems I was surrounded by an elderly crowd.

I will no longer go to matinees. I must tell you I almost started cracking up between thinking about the hilarious skit on ONCE from Forbidden Broadway and the snores. It was funny but something that would make an amazing sitcom script for a TV show if only SMASH was still on.

I have never slept in a show and I would never pay dollars for a ticket and sleep. If my guest did that I would elbow them hard!

Things happen. I have never ever slept in the theater but I did have a mistake once. Many years ago I got a new cell phone which was different then the one before. I turned it off but if it hit a button in my bag it would turn on. That happened. It was in the middle of Spring Awakening in the very end of act 1 when Michele was about to have sex. My cell phone hit something in my bag and turned on. Of course I got a call and to make matters even worse it was a Spring Awakening ring tone.

I have never been more horrified in my entire life. That does not happen with my current phone but I used to have to remove the battery every time I went to theater after that with the Blackberry. So embarrassing. Updated On: 10/1/14 at 11:32 PM

[Wynbish]

Posted: 10/1/14 at 11:40pm

So, it was funny and annoying simultaneously? Was it funnoying?

[Corine2]

Posted: 10/1/14 at 11:42pm

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/1/14 at 11:43pm

You should interview her about what it's like to be asleep at the theater.

[After Eight]

Posted: 10/1/14 at 11:53pm

"An old lady behind me was not only sleeping but snoring very loudly."

Blame the show. The woman seated beside me at the performance I had the misfortune to attend also drifted off to dreamland soon after the show began. I started counting sheep to try to follow her example. Alas, the non-stop wailing and whining kept me awake throughout the whole damn thing, as did the stomach-turning odor of beer being imbibed by the twenty somethings in the row ahead of me.

[veronicamae]

Posted: 10/1/14 at 11:56pm

I've been exhausted after touristing all day and started to doze at shows. It's dark and you can FINALLY sit after walking for the last 12 hours (and you probably just ate). Sometimes it just hits you.

I'm of the lot that if I were to snore, someone better wake me up! Or even if I'm sleeping whatsoever. How disrespectful to the people in the show. But, sometimes you just can't help it - especially for the older folks.

I'm appalled that an usher literally said they were afraid to bother her. That usher needs to find a new job.