Theater etiquette gone forever?? — Page 3

Regarding being late, sometimes it's beyond our control. I was once about 15 minutes late to Wicked on tour because the person I went with got completely lost on the way to the theatre. I felt awful and it pretty much ruined the show for me. If I can help it, I always like to get there a half hour before curtain.

When I saw the national tour of Phantom, a woman brought her baby to the show. The baby cried throughout the entire show. Whenever the baby started crying she would take him out of theatre (climbing over everyone in her row during the process). This happened seven times throughout the show. I was extremely frustrated to say the least.

Regarding being late, sometimes it's beyond our control. I was once about 15 minutes late to Wicked on tour because the person I went with got completely lost on the way to the theatre. I felt awful and it pretty much ruined the show for me. If I can help it, I always like to get there a half hour before curtain.

It's not always in our control. I like to get to the city about an hour before curtain. That gives me plenty of time to walk to the theatre and get there just as the doors open. But there have been times when the control has been taken out of my hands due to mass transit issues that couldn't be foreseen.

I usually 'dress up' for the theatre, however on occasion I take off my shoes when I go to the cinema.

Skeevy

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Updated On: 1/3/10 at 09:58 AM

I thought Wicked had an age limit of 8, but can't remember where I heard that.

Anyone know if that's accurate or not?

In September I went to see the show "Rain" (The Beatles tribute show) I was sitting on the aisle in the orchestra and noticed a woman about 5 rows down on the other side filming the show with her phone during most of Act 1. (She was about 4 rows from the stage) When the curtain rose on Act 2 and they finished the 1st song, one of the actors started bantering with the audience and turned to the women and asked her if she got everything on film from the first act. He made it a "part" of the show but embarrased her from the stage. He pointed her out so the ushers knew where she was sitting. They approached her at the end of the show. Our staff is really good at nabbing people for that. They even held the second act of "Spamalot" to wait for someone filming the show to return to their seat after an audience member reported them.

I always dress for the theater. Even if I wear a nice pair of jeans, which I have only done twice, I wear a dress shirt and shoes.

I think the worst experience was a phone going off at "August: Osage County" on Broadway. Phones were going off so much that when the cell phone rang onstage everyone got annoyed thinking it was another phone going off in the audience. The poor ushers were going crazy trying to locate the people. They were apologizing like crazy during the intermissions. They finally caught one person who's ringtone was the song "redneck Woman". It was a woman in the front right orchestra in a huge fur. She let it "ring" and then actually answered it and took the call. They escorted her out of the theater.

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Yes, it's gone. This is the Age of Entitlement.

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What I meant was, people behave in the theater as they behave in their family rooms, and maybe part of the problem is that the entertainment on stage is a facsimile of the entertainment in their DVD players.

Unfortunately, it doesn't Italianpride. And even worse are the people who, for whatever reasons, feel the need to check their phones or Blackberries several times during a performance. I find it to be an addiction. A number of times I have sat next to people who just can't shut their device off when told. I have on more than one occasion asked someone to turn it off as the overture was playing. At "The Homecoming" back in 2007 I even approched a man across the aisle who was checking messages (I guess) and asked if he planned to do this throughout the show. It's annoying and most of all, distracting.

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I've made it a point to put my phone on silence during shows. (not vibrate). I use to put it on vibrate, but it's too distracting for me now.

I think the worst experience I've ever had with kids in a theater was when I sat in the balcony at Mary Poppins back in June...it was an enormous camp group I think and they took up the back of the balcony on both sides. When I got there about 20 minutes before the show started, they were running around the balcony, screaming and yelling, and the adult chaperones did nothing to stop them. The poor ushers up there looked like they were about to cry. The kids were also incredibly rude throughout the show...they weren't that young either. It really isn't just kids though...often, my friends and I (who are all in our late teens-early 20s) are the most polite audience members, and this has been true for years.

I do think for the most part that etiquette at the theater is gone for good. People don't care and for whatever reason they think they are entitled to do whatever they please.

I took my niece to the city to see The Lion King right before Thanksgiving and the teenagers behind us were the worse. They were obnoxious and kept on swearing and kicking my chair. I turned around and basically yelled at them before I gave them one warning. After that I went and got the usher, which was enough to shut them up. First of all, maybe I'm out of touch with today's teens (I am almost 30) but what parent in their right mind let's their teenage child roam New York City (the kids couldn't have been more than 16 at most. There was no adult with them). Also,if you are going to sit and make fun of something and comment on everything why waste your money? Rent the DVD and pick apart the movie, you'll save a bundle.

As for cell phones being annoying, I remember way back when Miss Saigon was still on Broadway and cell phones were just becoming the big thing. The cell phone of the woman in front of me went off right as the lights went down and the overture started. She was recapping the show to who ever she was on the phone with. I tapped her on her shoulder and asked her to be quiet. After the third time and well into the first song, I went and got an usher. It was quite annoying. I can almost understand why actors like High Jackman and Patti LuPone act the way they do...shesh!

Really? A 16 year old shouldn't be able to be on their own? Granted, not ALL 16 year olds should be, but many can be. Assuming they know their way around and are trustworthy and age-appropriately responsible.

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