Theater etiquette gone forever??- Page 2

[darquegk]

Posted: 12/31/09 at 1:14pm

And for that matter, what happened to tuxedoes and evening gowns at the theater?

[KirbyCat]

Posted: 12/31/09 at 1:37pm

Not gonna lie, I ALWAYS dress up nice to go see a show. It's always a button down shirt with a jacket.
(I KNOW I'm old fashioned.)

[Eris0303]

Posted: 12/31/09 at 1:40pm

Not gonna lie, I ALWAYS dress up nice to go see a show. It's always a button down shirt with a jacket.

I don't go the gown route but I dress for theatre the way I dress for work. Slacks and a blouse. If it's winter I'll take a dressier wool coat over a more causal winter jacket. I have worn dresses/skirts on occasion but it's usually slacks and a blouse in the cooler months and capris and a blouse in the warmer.

[KirbyCat]

Posted: 12/31/09 at 1:50pm

Well that certainly beats an "I Heart NY" shirt!

[karennnnn]

Posted: 12/31/09 at 1:51pm

I think it's a very individual decision when it comes to taking kids to see a Broadway show.
When my daughter was 2.5, we took her to see Hairspray. She had been listening to the music for about 6 months prior and thought she was Tracy Turnblad incarnate. She did beautifully and was enthralled with the whole show.
"Adult" shows.. that's another judgment call.
We've been talking about seeing Hair in February and will definitely take her. She's 4.5 now.
I don't know if any of you have seen "Baby Claude", but he's a little younger than my daughter and has seen Hair twice. Did the dance party, meditated with Gavin afterward, the whole nine.
Grooming them so to speak before the show (for months prior) is a good idea and will help you to figure out if they can handle it.
Yes I know what the subject matter is in Hair. I know they get naked and do all sorts of fun hippie things. But to her it will be about the music more than anything, and seeing the people she's been watching on t.v. and online for almost a year.
That being said, if you don't have a good idea about how your child will react at a production, or if you know they will talk throughout it, you need to not go regardless of how big of a fan your kid is.
My son is 9, and he'll go too. We talk about theater etiquette quite a bit and they both know what the rules are. If they can't follow them then we won't make the effort to go. No talking during a performance, go to the bathroom BEFORE the show, general respect. They get it.
Anyhoo, we have tickets for Hairspray here in the motherland (Baltimore) and I can't wait for the kids to see it again two years later! It'll be different not seeing it on Broadway but we're all psyched nonetheless!

[nealb1]

Posted: 12/31/09 at 1:53pm

It all comes down to common sense. So many people don't have any common sense. They are so self-involved, and have no regards that there are other people in the theatre besides them.

[Pgenre]

Posted: 12/31/09 at 1:54pm

Wait, I'm supposed to wear a shirt to the theater? Why didn't anybody tell me this until now?

Next you're gonna tell me I'm supposed to wear shoes too!

P

[Eris0303]

Posted: 12/31/09 at 1:57pm

And flipflops don't count as shoes

[Pgenre]

Posted: 12/31/09 at 2:00pm

What about a wifebeater and sandals?

P

[Eris0303]

Posted: 12/31/09 at 2:01pm

Well, as long as your feet are clean it's okay. I hate it when someone has on open shoes and you can smell their feet. Yuck.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 12/31/09 at 2:04pm

rmusic, I'm not sure what the age policy is at The Kennedy Center, but clearly an infant didn't belong at Ragtime. I was afraid the baby was going to start screaming when the gunfire went off.

Regarding tuxedos and gowns, to me it would be nice that such attire were worn at least for openings, which to me, dictate a sense of decorum. When I was standing outside the Neil Simon Theatre for the opening night of Ragtime (hoping against hope for a ticket), my mouth just dropped when I saw someone in sweats and a baseball cap with a ticket enter the theatre!

[Pgenre]

Posted: 12/31/09 at 2:04pm

I'll try to remember to wear deodorant, but I can't promise I'll wear a shirt.

And I only have 1 pair of "shoes" (sandals) so I guess I'll just wear socks with them. As long as I don't have to wash them first.

P

P.S.

[Jane2]

Posted: 12/31/09 at 2:24pm

If you're upset at a four yr. old at the theater, you should see the parents who come with infants who look like newborns. They had the baby, and came straight from the hospital to the theater!

[perfectlymarvelous]

Posted: 12/31/09 at 2:46pm

I have seen some very well-behaved kids at shows, and I've seen some terribly behaved kids at shows...my parents started taking me to see Broadway shows when I was 4 but they talked to me about theater etiquette beforehand and told me I had to sit still and not talk and such. It really does depend of the kid and the show and what they can handle sitting through.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 12/31/09 at 2:47pm

Does anyone still wear a hat?

I was asked at White Cristmas last night to take mine off. The show had not started & it was about 15 minutes before the curtain. The person in back of me asked an usher to ask me to remove my hat. I was going to do so before it started but I guess the person in back of me was impatient.

By the way, loved the show. It was a delight in every respect. There were some empty seats. We got 3 & 4 off the right aisle row V courtesy of TDF. After the intermission, we moved to the center aisle seats of that row as they were empty. Great seats for the price & I got the last magnet. I doubt they will be ordering more in view of only 5 more performances.

[Pgenre]

Posted: 12/31/09 at 2:50pm

NINE: the movie musical (though it really isn't either) and WHITE CHRISTMAS: LIVE ON STAGE in lieu of Christmas at Notre Dame and New Year's in Paris? I feel sorry for your bad luck streak, Roxy. I really do.

P

[nmartin]

Posted: 12/31/09 at 2:55pm

These are the very reasons why I don't go to the theatre anymore or movies for that matter.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 12/31/09 at 2:59pm

Really enjoyed White Christmas

The cancellation may have been a blessing in disguise as the weather in Paris was putrid for the time we were there, there was a museum strike & many things we had planned we might not have been able to do

A word of advice re trip insurance. If you get a package thru a travel agent,it is not as good as advertised. AA is saying the cancellation was an "act of god" & we are fighting with them now. Next time, we may not even get insurance . We will probably get most back but AA is giving us a circle jerk.

We are already thinking about rebooking for May. Other than Christmas in Paris & @ Notre Dame, we can do everything else & more.

Updated On: 12/31/09 at 02:59 PM

[dramamama611]

Posted: 12/31/09 at 3:08pm

Gee, Mr. Roxy...I thought it was good manners for a gentleman to remove his hat upon ENTERING a building...not just before the show started. Shame on you. And how nice of the patron to ask the usher to relay the message politely.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 12/31/09 at 3:10pm

It is also good manners to come in before the show starts & not 15 minutes into it.

[SNAFU]

Posted: 12/31/09 at 3:11pm

Sandals and flip flops are great for the theatre because before the lights go down or at intermission, you can easily clip your toe nails.

[Urban]

Posted: 12/31/09 at 8:28pm

Etiquette was lost forever went ladies stopped wearing long white gloves to the theatre. How dare they show us their elbows!

Seriously I have suprisingly good luck with kids (and knock on wood it remains) - including a couple of young kids sitting next to me at a Gilbert & Sullivan show (okay it was Pirates which is pretty accessable (I first saw it at 10) and not exactly one of the lesser ones like 'Patience' - but still the last thing you expect is a well behaved 5 and 8 year old at a three hour G&S show.

[beltingbaritone]

Posted: 12/31/09 at 9:10pm

I wear I hat for medical reasons, and always make sure to wear a winter cap or something that fits over my entire head so it won't block the person behind me. However, it's always incredibly awkward when an usher asks you take off your hate and you say no and start whispering into their ear. =X

[Gingersnap2]

Posted: 12/31/09 at 9:28pm

I've had very good luck in general with kids, even when they were too young to completely understand or enjoy the material. I sat next to an adorable eight or nine year old girl at "Lestat" and she was perfectly behaved except for a knee-jerk "Ewww" when she saw the mother/son kiss.

It's parents that I've had problems with...like the woman who sat directly behind me (in the second row) and talked through about 4/5 of "The Phantom of the Opera." She just HAD to explain the show to her two kids line-by-line.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 12/31/09 at 9:50pm

Where's Rational Reasoning when you need him?