Times article regarding eating in the theatre- Page 3

[Debbie1313]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 8:00pm

AAGGHH!!! The opening announcement will soon be "please turn all cell phones, pagers, beepers, walkie talkies off, open M&M Peanut wrappers now, suck on your cough lozenges to avoid coughing, no talking, breathing loudly, snoring", the list goes on and on. The opening announcement will soon need to have it's own credit in the Playbill. When will it end?

[SDav 10495]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 8:01pm

When "Two Gentlemen of Verona" was playing in the Park, they had this pre-taped message from Rosie Perez. I found it more annoying than informative.

Aw, I loved pre-show Rosie Perez.

I guess I have nothing new to add to this discussion. Food is unnecessary, behavior is disgusting, Patti LuPone is the winner.

[Ebonic_Singer]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 8:19pm

When is she ever not the winner, SDav. When is she ever not?

[VonTussleGirl]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 8:42pm

Wine at the Richard Rogers, where “Tarzan” is playing, costs $7 if you drink it in an open cup in the lobby, but is $12 for a spillproof commemorative cup that you are allowed to take back to your seat.

Well, I'd have to be drunk to get through Tarzan too.

[JustABroadwaybaby2]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 9:07pm

Haha, the column that says "Patti LuPone would not approve", the p isn't capitalized. I just noticed that.

[sunflower12063]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 9:10pm

Well, now I'm going to have to return my panini maker...

[SDav 10495]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 9:13pm

When is she ever not the winner, SDav. When is she ever not?

Last year's Tony Awards...?

[Becoz_i_knew_you21]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 9:17pm

"When is she ever not the winner, SDav. When is she ever not?"

Also the 1988 Tony Awards...

[Gingersnap2]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 10:03pm

Honestly, people are just becoming too spoiled and self-indulging. Some of them think the entire world...churches, movies, Broadway theatres...are just larger versions of the sofa in front of their TV.

Seriously, I'm such a hardcore coffee fiend, it's not even funny. But I can at least sit through two hours of show without a Starbucks cup clutched in my hand and a cookie in the other.

[Shakespearean]

Posted: 1/6/07 at 12:28am

I'm a little surprised that nobody has mentioned the 'Invocation and Instructions to the Audience' from The Frogs by Stephen Sondheim with a book by Nathan Lane which includes the following lyrics:

"No smokes, no chow --
Unwrap the candy wrappers now."

and of course later in the same song...

"So please, don't fart --
There's very little air and this is art.
And if you feel offended,
Don't lose heart."

Leave it to me to find the flatulance lyrics... Happy New Year!

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 1/6/07 at 12:50am

Tobias

I have a big hot dog...
Wanna bite?

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 1/6/07 at 6:25am

Ugh...don't get me started on my experience at BUTLEY on Thursday night.

Updated On: 1/6/07 at 06:25 AM

[LondonTheatreUK]

Posted: 1/6/07 at 7:01am

"It wasn't until I went to London and saw icecream, popcorn and pop inside(and had to HEAR it while trying to listen to the show)that I even realized they did this."

I've never seen popcorn and pop inside...

"I think Patti LuPone's a bit two-faced here. She has worked in London's West End and they allow ice cream to be sold and eaten in their theaters. So her appalled attitude doesn't quite cut it."

Yes, but the ice cream tubs are only sold during the interval and are very, very small - small enough to be eaten during the interval. Not many patrons continue eating into the second act...and if they are, they'll soon feel a disapproving atmosphere all around them.

Eating and drinking inside the auditorium during a performance doesn't sound as if its as much of a problem here as on Broadway from what I've read of your posts, but it's certainly a problem, particularly among younger theatregoers.
Updated On: 1/6/07 at 07:01 AM

[rentdanb]

Posted: 1/6/07 at 7:47am

It only seemed to arrive in London with 'Grease' then 'WWRY' at the Dominion. Popcorn, Hot Dogs, Bucket sized Cokes, then others followed suit. I blame Paul Nicholas and David Ian....I like to blame them for lots of stuff thats wrong.

[Rotel1026]

Posted: 1/6/07 at 10:55am

Well that does it, they should just turn the balcony or mezzanine into a sit down restaurant with tables. You could catch dinner and a show at the same time. It would be like the luxury suites at sporting events.

Posted: 1/6/07 at 12:15pm

I wonder how Ms. LuPone got Marie Callenders...

I have a dream, that one day, every theatre seat will have a fold-out table with a menu for Arbys, McDonalds, and Applebees. You can buy candy, soda, ice cream, fruit, fresh salads, sandwiches, and even filet mignon with mac and cheese.

On a swrious note, the Walt Disney Concert Hall has a mini-buffet inside the theatre's lobby catered by Patina. Mmmm

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 1/6/07 at 12:25pm

Eating in theatres drives me crazy. Maybe if we all start buying mutlitple chocolate bars and glasses of red wine and deliberately pour them on all the rugs and squash them into the seats, theatre owners will rethink allowing food in the theatre.

[queendork]

Posted: 1/6/07 at 5:59pm

Cripes. First I look around and see people wearing shorts and flip flops...now I have to see them eating too. Ugh.

[Jane2]

Posted: 1/6/07 at 6:42pm

"I surprised that when I went to see Spring Awakening, they told us to bring our drinks back to our seats."

Are you kidding? Where I work, you don't even have to leave your seat to buy snacks. We have hawkers who circulate in and out of each stage and sell you food and drink in your seat!

Alcoholic drinks bought at our bar are also allowed in the theaters.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 1/6/07 at 6:44pm

Marie Callender's obviously gave our Patti a fee for that mention.

[sondheimboy2]

Posted: 1/6/07 at 7:14pm

I'd like to see snipers perched atop the procenium to take care of this problem...

[billynj]

Posted: 1/6/07 at 7:22pm

so gross you know its distracting and worse who will clean the seats when the slob dumps the food

theater owners are trying to get every penny..scalping premium seats does not seem to be enough for them

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 1/6/07 at 7:35pm

Wait, the West End theatre allows food? I saw Blood Brothers there back in 2004 and I didn't see anyone eating; nor did I see anything being sold.

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 1/6/07 at 11:35pm

See to me...what gets me worse than the fact that people can't go a couple of hours without food in general is that they can't go without food for a couple of hours so much so that they'll pay an obscene amount of money for food. The rare times I find myself starving at intermission, I run to the nearest deli/drug store for a quick couple of bites and usually end up saving myself $5.

Before you know it, we'll have peanut vendors walk through the audience during the show: One More Dawn, One More Day, One Day...Peanuts, get your peanuts!

[Becoz_i_knew_you21]

Posted: 1/6/07 at 11:41pm

"Before you know it, we'll have peanut vendors walk through the audience during the show: One More Dawn, One More Day, One Day...Peanuts, get your peanuts!"

Seriosuly, LOL.