Times article regarding eating in the theatre

Am I the only one who was horrified to read the Times article today regarding the newly acceptable practice of selling food and allowing it to be taken back to your seats?

Some idiot VP named Jim Boese of the Nederlander Organization is quoted as saying 'It's a reflection of changing audience habits. This is part of a broader attempt to enhance the audience experience'.

The 'audience experience'??? WTF is that all about? Whatever happened to decorum, propriety, and just plain good manners? If you can't sit still for 90 minutes without shoving something in your mouth, then do us all a favor and park your fat ass in your La-Z-Boy in front of the television and stay home.

Thank God for Gerald Schoenfeld, who IMHO just earned his theatre-name by refusing to allow food in his theaters, saying 'It annoys many of our patrons. It causes a refuse problem. It damages our carpets. It can be disconcerting to the performers.'

Perhaps the only hope for the demise of this disconcerting development is for Actors' Equity to step in and demand that food and drinks not be allowed in the theaters. Certainly, the theatre owners have no intension of doing so.

Noises Off: Playgoers Sip, Munch, and Crunch

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It has done nothing to enhance my theatrical experience - only to make it more unpleasant and less enticing.

"Baz Bamigboye, an arts writer for The Daily Mail, said in an e-mail message that in his experience London theatergoers “try and be considerate,” while New York audience members often take a contrasting stance. “I think the view is, ‘If we’re paying $100 or so for a ticket, we can do what we like,’ ” he said of Broadway’s audiences."

How ridiculous is that. With that logic, we can talk on the phone and put our feet on the seats and make out with our dates as well.

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Updated On: 1/5/07 at 02:46 PM

IMO - Water should be the only thing allowed (the coughers need it to stop coughing).....

We once had a family with a bag of food next to us in the first row of Mamma Mia! They ate during the performance and it was VERY annoying.

The Patti comment is indeed priceless. I went to see CHICAGO over the holiday in the back with the tourists...Oh, Christ, what a pack of arseholes! Taking pictures during the show, getting up and walking around after the numbers were over. It was so infuriating.

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"At a recent performance of the child-friendly musical “Hairspray,” most of the 50 people interviewed said they were unaware of the rule change; they thought bringing food to a seat had always been allowed."

That makes me want to hurt someone.

Our dinky little performance centers in Wisconsin don't allow that crap, so why should something that's supposed to be better quality, more expensive, and on a higher scale?

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Updated On: 1/5/07 at 02:57 PM

finally i can have nachos with my beer at the shubert!

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I found it funny the first words on this article are Patti LuPone.

“Broadway is about a theatrical experience,” she said. “It’s not about pulling out Marie Callender’s chicken pot pie and a Sterno. Would you go to church and pull out a ham sandwich? I don’t think so. Then why would you do it at the theater?”

That's going into my signature.

Updated On: 1/5/07 at 03:19 PM

I don't even bring snacks into a movie theater because shoving food into my face distracts me from watching the movie.

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When I see shows they say in their announcements that if you must eat snacks with a wrapper then do so with the wrapper on. It gets a laugh out of the audience.

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I read once that ice cream was chosen for sale in London theatres because no matter what you do to it or with it, it does not smell, burn, or make a single sound. Now if the same could just be said about the tourists who always sit next to me...

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If I owned a theatre, I would hire someone to teach the audience etiquette for 5 minutes before the show starts.

"Hello, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the SO AND SO's production of SHOW NAME HERE.

For the enjoyment of everyone who has paid $26-$350 for a ticket, we'd like to remind you quickly of our house rules.

Number one, please turn off all cell phones, beepers, watch alarms and all other noise-making devices. Please remember to turn them off again if you use them during intermission.

Number two, the taking of photographs, or any other digital recording equipment, including camera phones, is strictly prohibited by law and may be harmful to our performers.

Number three, we hope you enjoy your complimentary bottled water. For the amount of money we charge, it's the least we can do. But PLEASE, if you have brought in any other food, drink, or candies with those annoying plastic wrappers, keep them stowed away as we do not permit eating during the show. During intermission, if you would like a cocktail or beverage, please consume it at our lounge/lobby and discard the glass before re-entering the theatre.

Lastly, in the event of an emergency, please take note of the emergency exits located to your left, right, and rear of the theatre where you came in.

Thank you, and enjoy the show!"

It doesn't take much. A brief speech and then immediately begin the show.

The main problem with eating/cell phones/etc. is that the general audience thinks its OK and doesn't know better. But I believe this is BECAUSE theatres aren't doing enough to make their policies known. Posted signs and a brief voiceover speech aren't enough. People talk over the voiceover, anyway.

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I do find it disconcerting that people (in general) have shorter and shorter attention spans. Is it really such a chore to not eat or drink something for 90 minutes (the average length of Act I) and even shorter for Act II? Grab a quick drink at intermission and/or eat a candy bar to tide you over.

I loved having the option of having ice cream in London, and I did it more for the novelty of it than because I "had to eat" something.

I've seen people bring/eat pizza, fried chicken and many other things into a theater. Rather annoying and distracting.

I wonder if in a year or so ticket prices will again rise because of cleaning expenses involved. Or what about seats needing to be refurnished with those holes in the armrest to hold the drink just like at the movies.... (note sarcasm)

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CapnHook - I love it! And during the message, the ushers can seat all the latecomers.