Tweet it! "GODSPELL" Hosts Broadway's First-Ever "Tweet Seat" Performance

OMG i thnk they r killin jesus

---

*facepalm*

Yeah, this production was an excruciatingly painful bore. I guess this can't make it much worse.

8:05 pm
@Gdspl ppl r giving me nsty looks

8:32 pm
omg hunters sweat all ovr me

8:41 pm
telly mist hi note in all good gfts

9:01 pm
crotch itches-wndr if i hav crabs

9:13 pm
ppl r getting p.o.'d at me

---

9:21 pm
this so cool wish i wuz a producer

9:35 pm
just went to br, yep its crabs

9:45pm
best nite ever! gdspl rox! hope all shows do this

---

Ken Davenport is a moron.

Don't worry it will only be every other seat that is a tweet seat!

---

Even if it is possible to allow tweeting without disturbing other patrons, the establishment of a "tweet section" destroys the basic covenant of live theater: that we in the audience freely agree to devote two-plus hours of our time to whatever is happening on stage.

Everyone should read Arthur Miller's essay, "The Tragedy of the Common Man." In it he argues that in real life we would treat Willie Loman no better than Howard (his new boss) does. (And one could extend the argument to say we would be as desperate as Stanley to get Blanche Dubois out of our bathroom.)

(Added later: I totally confused the Miller essay with one by Williams himself. The William's essay on time and attention in the theater is "The Timeless World of the Play." Those who don't know these short essays should read both and then discuss them with someone less embarrassingly addled than I. Sheesh!)

The difference in how we see those characters on stage arises from the commitment we make to pay closer attention to them than their co-workers and even family members do.

An audience member who is busy tweeting and thinking of his or her next clever tweet has completely betrayed his half of the theatrical contract. (One might say the same of same-night reviewers who are busy writing while the show is still going on. But that's another rant.)

Sorry to sound like an old fart, but for once, I think the sky really is falling. Unless we want to end up with nothing but overly amped theme-park musicales.

Updated On: 2/11/12 at 07:49 PM

If you read Ken Davenport's blog you'd understand. He thinks that tricks like these are the answer to all Broadway issues. He usually reads like a 16 year old doing a school project.

---

I just don't understand why anyone thinks this is a good idea. I get that they want to bring in younger audiences and social media helps that, but I don't think this actually adds to the experience at all.

I live tweet during TV shows from the comfort of my sofa, and yes, it's fun to see the other comments on the hash tag, but I don't see how they think 15 people in a 750 seat theatre can compare with millions of people watching the Madonna halftime show or the latest Glee episode. The fun of it is the communal experience (insert Last Supper joke here). Someone sitting at home watching others tweet about a show they're not seeing sounds depressing.

This besides the fact that the experience of watching TV with commercial breaks, bathroom breaks, pausing the DVR to run to the kitchen, channel surfing, etc. etc. is completely different than live theatre. Live tweeting is a schizophrenic experience. Live theatre requires undivided attention to get the full impact of the work. I can't imagine why anyone would want to whip out their phone to tweet commentary. Can you imagine something like that during final moments of Sweeney Todd?

*spoiler*

"Razor razor cut cut cut"

clickety-clacking typing

@Sondheimluver: OMG @JoeSmith in @SweeneyBway just killed #SweeneyTodd! Gasped IRL!

BwayGirl89: RT "@Sondheimluver: OMG @JoeSmith in @SweeneyBway just killed #SweeneyTodd! Gasped IRL!" She totes did, I heard her! #LMAO #SweeneyTodd


If coming up with commentary and hashtags and searching for cast member's Twitter handles is of greater importance to you than experiencing the performance right in front of you, you're doing theatre wrong.

---

Updated On: 2/9/12 at 09:39 PM

Strangely, I never get service on my phone when I'm down in that theater. If I need to check my messages during intermission I need to go upstairs to do it.

This is about nothing but the almighty dollar but let's face it: any revival that "updates" the libretto with references to cellphones and current pop culture phenomena isn't exactly looking for artistic legitimacy. It's a "whatever-will-fill-the-seats" mentality of the most obvious kind.

The sad part is that by pandering to "younger people" who are non-theater goers they are lowering basic standards of audience behavior under the guise of staying relevant. So instead of learning about what a theatrical experience is all about (yeah, I know...it's "Godspell", after all) we'll get newcomers tweeting non-stop just like they do at work, in school, at the mall or while driving 68 miles an hour in their parents' SUV. So much for theatrical standards.