Super Conservative Theatre Patrons- Page 3

[poisonivy2]

Posted: 3/13/18 at 10:32am

I was at Fiddler on the Roof and sitting on the very inside of an aisle that was all ultra-Orthodox Jewish. I needed them to stand up so I could get to my seat. I was wearing jeans. One mom shielded her son's eyes as I walked past.

[rebeccmam31]

Posted: 3/13/18 at 10:34am

Call_me_jorge said: "I had an experience with someone at the Dear Evan Hansen stage door where they randomly said how their parents wouldn’t let them see Hamilton, because of what they said to Pence. That’s probably not what your looking for though"

My sister-in-law arranges a bus trip to NYC every year before Christmas. She desperately wants to go to Hamilton, but a large percentage of her regulars have that same viewpoint re:Pence.

[ellbellthomps]

Posted: 3/13/18 at 10:43am

The only show I have been *slightly* offended at was School of Rock about some jokes Dewey says to the kids, like calling them rude names but overall I think political jokes are funny, I am not sure why some get butthurt. 

[Mildred Plotka]

Posted: 3/13/18 at 11:19am

After Eight said: "Such "fun" stories.

Actually, I find nothing either "fun" or funny about peoplefeeling offended, unhappy, angry, or shortchanged when they go to the theatre. I think that's bad both forthem and for the theatre. Nor do I find it either "fun" or funny to mock their unhappiness.

But to add to the general mirth, I know someone who couldn't stand either the language or practically anything else in such critics' darlings as Hamilton, Fun Home, Book of Mormon, Spring Awakening, etc.

Isn't that a riot?"

Oh gurl, please! You are constantly questioning and criticizing people's enjoyment of things you hate. 

And anyone who goes to Book of Mormon or Fun Home or Spring Awakening, unaware of the content within, deserves to be offended.  If people are easily offended by such things, they have the option of not purchasing a ticket.  You constantly attend shows you know full well you aren't going to like.  You attend Sondheim revivals with full knowledge that you're not going to have a good time. 

You obsess over one moment in Fun Home, an honest and truthful moment that every young person goes through, and challenge anyone who tries to have a rational conversation about it. This show was extremely important to many people, and I'm sure made many LGBT people feel a little less alone.  But hey you hated it, so that's all that matters I guess.

 

 You want theatre to be pure escapism.  If that's your jam, fine.  But stop attending shows that you know aren't going to fit your strict rules of what you think theatre should and shouldn't be. I don't like David Mamet or Theresa Rebeck or Frank Wildhorn.  So what do I do? I don't go to their shows.  Easy as that.  You seem to take great enjoyment in hating something, and hating on those that don't agree with you, going so far as to question their taste values and moral code.  

If someone lets a couple damns or hells ruin their theatrical experience, that's really on them.  But these people aren't content with quietly leaving or not attending at all. They need to raise a big fuss and complain loudly to whoever they can.  They expect theaters to change just to fit their moral code.  We are responsible for what we consume.  

 

[ggersten]

Posted: 3/13/18 at 11:25am

ScottyDoesn'tKnow2 said: "There was a similar story back in 2004 when the Republican National Convention was in New York and I think the NY Daily News or even the Post did a story on Convention attendees seeing Avenue Q and being shocked at what they saw...though onewoman felt "Everybody's a Little Bit Racist" was a good song and had a lot of truth to it."

I recall the RNC attendees were shocked at what they saw when they went to see "Naked Boys Singing".  Reading comprehension, apparently, was lacking.  

[Dave28282]

Posted: 3/13/18 at 11:38am

After Eight said: "Nor do I find it either "fun" or funny to mock their unhappiness."

I think we shouldn't take them seriously either. 

Everything will always offend someone. If we would take that all seriously we could stop all shows, movies and life in general.

People should also ask themselves why they are so easily offended by things that they would rather see differently. I would assume that is one of the first things you learn as a kid, that any (debatable) controversial character, role, line or situation is meant to make you think out of your box. And that not everything will go your way. Things are not wrong because you happen to dislike them. They really need to see the bigger picture of life before stepping into any theatre.

They should also ask themselves what the solution is. Walking around with a magic wand to erase everything out of their way that offends them? Or to have a bit more of an open mind.

Another poster in this thread spoke about a mother covering the eyes of her son because the poster in question walked by in jeans. Good example, what's the solution here? Banning all jeans from the world or some people need to get over themselves? I think it's clear.

 

Updated On: 3/13/18 at 11:38 AM

[bwayrose7]

Posted: 3/13/18 at 12:01pm

Book of Mormon on tour. Couple storms out at the end of intermission, furiously berating staff about what a "horrible, disgusting" show it was. To this day, I still crack up that they chose the END of intermission to leave so they could make the biggest scene possible.

But that's not the worst part. They were there with a third person, a young woman who they abandoned at the theatre as "punishment" for enjoying the show. The kicker is that they drove off with full knowledge that her backpack and other belongings were still in their car - including her medication for a serious and unpredictable condition that can be triggered by intense stress and panic. The poor girl was still using the theater's phone to call her parents to come get her (who told her she deserved to be left there for wanting to see that show) when we were closing up for the night. 

[Dave28282]

Posted: 3/13/18 at 12:05pm

bwayrose7, I suspect that situation has something to do with religion. And why is seeing the show a punishment for the daughter who liked it? I would assume it was a relief for her, instead of going home to those lunatics. 

Updated On: 3/13/18 at 12:05 PM

[bwayrose7]

Posted: 3/13/18 at 12:32pm

Dave28282 said: "bwayrose7, I suspect that situation has something to do with religion. And why is seeing the show a punishment for the daughter who liked it? I would assume it was a relief for her, instead of going home tothose lunatics."

Oh yes, they left absolutely no doubt as to their religious motivations. If I remember correctly, the girl's father was an evangelical pastor of some sort. Seeing the show wasn't a punishment for her; the abandoning her at the show with zero concern for how she would get home or access her medication was. 

On a lighter note, I remembered another fun incident from when Pippin was touring a few years back. The marketing made it look like a Cirque-type event mixed with a musical, so some folks weren't expecting some of the mature content. A mother and her two teenage daughters exited halfway through "With You" and the mother demanded to know whether there was anymore "racy" content in the show. The teen girls looked incredibly embarrassed by their mother's outburst, but she was furious. 

[LxGstv]

Posted: 3/13/18 at 12:37pm

Someone walked out during the break in/rape scene in A Clockwork Orange when I saw it.

[Babe_Williams]

Posted: 3/13/18 at 1:51pm

PThespian said: "I remember one night at Mamma Mia! this guy flipped out at me because he felt the number with everyone in their scuba/swimming outfits was totally inappropriate for his twelve year old daughter. He demanded his money back, which he did not get.

We've had several people get offended at School of Rock because of the language and also because there are one or two (depending on the actor playing Dewey) political jokes in it.

When Cats was at the Winter Garden we used to have to deal with people who were offended by the Rum Tum Tugger's gyrations,"

This is making me laugh, along with the comment about someone being offended by the blood in American Psycho. lol. 

[Fosse76]

Posted: 3/13/18 at 1:53pm

After Eight said: ""Foul language is foul language no matter what year it is”.



Truer words were never spoken.

Good for her."

There's nothing true about it. What makes language "foul" is the societal agreement that it is inappropriate language. And I would argue that censorship boards like the MPAA and tv network sensors have had an unreasonable amount of influence on society as to determination of what is foul language (ir Moore broadly what is inappropriate). 

[Demitri2]

Posted: 3/13/18 at 2:05pm

When I saw SIDE SHOW after it was over an ancient couple steps away from the grim reaper were miffed over my enthusiastic applause. They asked me what the hell was wrong with me. I asked them why they didn't leave at intermission. They replied that they thought the second act might be better than the first. I have no idea why some people get so upset. I didn't care for MEAN GIRLS at all but still applauded the cast.

[TrChSpHa]

Posted: 3/13/18 at 2:29pm

At On the Town we had a mother drag her preteen daughters out midshow after Chip and Ozzy came out in their underwear during "I Can Cook Too," muttering that it was "so inappropriate." Another night, a large Catholic school group left after the same scene.

[Tom5]

Posted: 3/13/18 at 2:58pm

I could be friends with someone who walked out for bad language or nudity. But never with someone who walked out on A Christmas Carol. (Re. Dickens' condemnation of business)

[poisonivy2]

Posted: 3/13/18 at 3:29pm

I know a teacher who taught in a parochial school where the pages talking about mitosis (cell division) had to be ripped out because mitosis = cell division = reproduction.

[Mildred Plotka]

Posted: 3/13/18 at 4:18pm

I worked at a doctor’s office where we started getting many teenage girls making appointments for pregnancy tests. Turned out they all went to the same Catholic school where a nun told them that they’d get pregnant if they kissed a boy. Oy.

[broadwaysfguy]

Posted: 3/13/18 at 4:32pm

one of my favorite activities during book of mormon is to walk for people that get up and leave during hasa dega ebawai...
my mom would have been one of them

during dear evan hanson a few weeks ago there is a line when evans friend comments to the kid who commits suicide that his hair and outfit are “school shooter sheik” the audience groaned loudly as this was the day after the florida shooting survivor kids had the cnn forum. i saw it again the next night and producers changed the line to “loner student sheik”
so producers do bend to pressure sometimes....

[binau]

Posted: 3/13/18 at 4:47pm

bwayrose7 said: "Dave28282 said: "bwayrose7, I suspect that situation has something to do with religion. And why is seeing the show a punishment for the daughter who liked it? I would assume it was a relief for her, instead of going home tothose lunatics."

Oh yes, they left absolutely no doubt as to their religious motivations. If I remember correctly, the girl's father was an evangelical pastor of some sort. Seeing the show wasn't a punishment for her; the abandoning her at the show with zero concern for how she would get home or access her medication was.

On a lighter note, I remembered another fun incident from when Pippin was touring a few years back. The marketing made it look like a Cirque-type event mixed with a musical, so some folks weren't expecting some of the mature content. A mother and her two teenage daughters exited halfway through "With You" and the mother demanded to know whether there was anymore "racy" content in the show. The teen girls looked incredibly embarrassed by their mother's outburst, but she was furious."

Thank you for exposing yet another small way why religion is so dangerous, anti-liberal and down right mean.  That was a comical but horrific story. I feel sorry for the girl. 

[ScottyDoesn'tKnow2]

Posted: 3/13/18 at 5:35pm

bwayrose7 said: "Book of Mormon on tour. Couple storms out at the end of intermission, furiously berating staff about what a "horrible, disgusting" show it was. To this day, I still crack up that they chose the END of intermission to leave so they could make the biggest scene possible.

But that's not the worst part. They were there with a third person, a young woman who they abandoned at the theatre as "punishment" for enjoying the show. The kicker is that they drove off with full knowledge that her backpack and other belongings were still in their car - including her medication for a serious and unpredictable condition that can be triggered by intense stress and panic. The poor girl was still using the theater's phone to call her parents to come get her (who told her she deserved to be left there for wanting to see that show) when we were closing up for the night."

Reading this report seriously made me afraid about what may have happened to the girl once she got home.

[binau]

Posted: 3/13/18 at 5:46pm

Father, don't forsake her!
Father, take her!
Cleanse and purify her
With the fire!
And the power!
And the Glory!
Forever!
And ever!
And ever!
Amen!

[JudyDenmark]

Posted: 3/13/18 at 5:48pm

rebeccmam31 said: "Call_me_jorge said: "I had an experience with someone at the Dear Evan Hansen stage door where they randomly said how their parents wouldn’t let them see Hamilton, because of what they said to Pence. That’s probably not what your looking for though"

My sister-in-law arranges a bus trip to NYC every year before Christmas. She desperately wants to go to Hamilton, but a large percentage of her regulars have that same viewpoint re:Pence."

I was reading the Facebook thread when the Straz Center (Tampa) recently announced their 2018-2019 season, and a few people were huffily commenting that they would NOT be subscribing this year because of the Hamilton/Pence thing. I have to give the Straz social media person huge props for not snarkily responding about what a hard time they'll have selling tickets now. I don't think I would've shown the same restraint... 

[kennin]

Posted: 3/13/18 at 6:05pm

This is slightly off-topic, but I saw Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson at the Public theater. As the show ended, the audience stood. I noticed the guy at the other end of my row was clapping but also shaking violently. As a nurse, I went into “work mode” and tried to assess the situation. I soon discovered that there was a group of natives sitting behind him and a woman was very upset that the theater patron stood. She was furious and started shaking him. The group then gathered in the lobby afterward and were trying to tell people that the show was not an accurate representation of history.

[BroadwayMan5]

Posted: 3/13/18 at 6:08pm

TotallyEffed said: "Desperate to know what the swear word in The Little Mermaid is."

Ursula says "damn" in the song "Daddy's Little Angel"

[BroadwayRox3588]

Posted: 3/13/18 at 6:20pm

bwayrose7 said: "Book of Mormon on tour. Couple storms out at the end of intermission, furiously berating staff about what a "horrible, disgusting" show it was. To this day, I still crack up that they chose the END of intermission to leave so they could make the biggest scene possible.

But that's not the worst part. They were there with a third person, a young woman who they abandoned at the theatre as "punishment" for enjoying the show. The kicker is that they drove off with full knowledge that her backpack and other belongings were still in their car - including her medication for a serious and unpredictable condition that can be triggered by intense stress and panic. The poor girl was still using the theater's phone to call her parents to come get her (who told her she deserved to be left there for wanting to see that show) when we were closing up for the night."

That is absolutely disgusting, and I hope someone has since called CPS on these hellspawn.