Walking Out at Intermission - The Thread- Page 3

[pethian]

Posted: 5/15/23 at 3:38pm

DAME said: "Pippin ( family eating Tuna fish sandwiches behind me. I couldn’t take the smell.)"

 

As much as I love a good tuna sandwich (it's my desert island food) I am nevertheless dumbfounded that people would be eating tuna sandwiches during a Broadway show. Is this where we are now?

As far as the topic at hand: I've walked out of many shows at intermission over the years, I'm sorry to admit.

 

[MNNiceorIce]

Posted: 5/15/23 at 3:53pm

inception said: "MNNiceorIce said: "My feeling is that if you've walked out of a

I walked out of this comment after only reading half of it, but I completely disagree! "

I laughed at this so I'll take the burn, as invalid as I find it to be

[jagman1062]

Posted: 5/15/23 at 3:59pm

Early in my theater-going career, I was bored with Act 1 of the original Broadway production of The Wiz. I would have walked out at intermission, but the person I was with wanted to stay. I wound up enjoying the second act, so I promised myself to always try to stick out an unengaging first act because I may have a similar experience as I did with The Wiz. That decision hasn't always worked to my advantage (e.g., Dance of the Vampires, The Addams Family, The Glass Menagerie with Sally Field).

I would have walked out of Dead Guilty in the West End, but I was with a group of people and they all wanted to stay. I was miserable throughout Act 2; I should have waited for them in a nearby pub. I did walk out at intermission of an Off-Broadway show that played down in the Village, but it was so bad, I can't remember what it was called or who was in it!

Updated On: 5/15/23 at 03:59 PM

[BentleyB]

Posted: 5/15/23 at 4:02pm

I have left two shows, “Burn This”,  I was so bored and Keri Russell’s performance was so unbelievable bad.  A friend fell asleep during the first act.  There were numerous people leaving when we did.  I also left “Tina” at intermission a combination of the uncomfortable seats and a lackluster jukebox musical did me in.  I should have left “Paradise Square” and had the dream ballet in “Oklahoma” revival been done prior to the end of act one I would run screaming from the theater. 

 

[Leaf Coneybear]

Posted: 5/15/23 at 4:11pm

Echoing others with NY, NY. I actually disliked the second act even more than the first, although at that point it's true I may have been overly critical as my friend and I couldn't stop laughing at the ridiculous book. We stayed for the whole thing and I'm glad I did, purely so we could spend the rest of the night talking about awful it was.

[Jarethan]

Posted: 5/15/23 at 4:16pm

I have probably walked out of 7 - 8 shows in my life (almost 60 years).  I am not sure I ever waited for intermission for most.  In the late 60s, I walked out of How to Be a Jewish Mother in its Boston during the first act.  It was agony and I was on the aisle in cheap seats, so no one was disturbed.  50+ years ago I walked out on Jimmy, one of the worst shows I ever saw, at intermission, preferring to walk around waiting for the three people I was with, rather than sit through it another minute.  They all agreed after the show that I made the right decision.  
 

Since that time, if I really really hated a show, e.g., Dr. Jazz, Onward Victoria, Ulysses in Nighttown (well reviewed, but I hated it), a Pinter play whose name I do not even remember, and a few others.  I have always made a point of getting an aisle seat whenever I could, and many of them were also in the  cheap seat zone, so no one on stage was going to be distracted.

nowadays, I generally think there are fewer real stinkers than there used to be, and my wife doesnt like to leave, so I have daydreamed through more than a few bad (to me) shows.  We’re I alone, if I was bored still, I would still leave.  I paid for the ticket and am investing my time; I feel that gives me the right to leave…to the best of my knowledge, the last time I left during the show was Rock of Ages, but I waited for intermission.

[lily carver]

Posted: 5/15/23 at 4:25pm

yyys said: "Any show you've walked out of at intermission?

Just curious after reading this tweet:

https://twitter.com/emilynussbaum/status/1657911067916267522"

 

Technically never but last year I walked out right after The Oldest Profession at Encores THE LIFE. I really wanted to see that number but otherwise I would have walked out intermission. I am sure I have seen a couple of thousand plays over many decades (  maybe a few hundred on Broadway)

 

[WldKingdomHM]

Posted: 5/15/23 at 5:40pm

Walked out of Chitty, and Women on the Verge (twice)

[Jmuep2]

Posted: 5/15/23 at 5:44pm

I walked out of DANCIN’ during act 2. Should’ve left at intermission. 

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 5/15/23 at 6:41pm

Around 2010..2011, I saw a touring production of "Spamalot" in Dallas.  I was curious about the show.  The person behind me knew the lyrics to most  of the songs.  The only character I liked was "The Lady of the Lake".  Other than that, I found the show too precious and tedious.  

[annang]

Posted: 5/15/23 at 9:54pm

I really try to value my time more than the sunk cost of money for tickets I've already paid for, so I end up walking out a lot. Off the top of my head, recently, I've walked out of The Play That Goes Wrong and Shout Sister Shout (the Sister Rosetta Tharpe jukebox musical).

[Peppa222]

Posted: 5/15/23 at 10:41pm

I left Frozen at intermission. I saw Let It Go, that was enough for me frankly. 

I am a little more ashamed to admit I left KPOP at intermission. It was a very sparsely attended show and the majority of the audience were extremely not into it, with a select few trying to make up for it by overperforming their enjoyment. It was extremely uncomfortable. I stepped outside at intermission and never found my way back in.

Updated On: 5/15/23 at 10:41 PM

[Dylan Smith4]

Posted: 5/15/23 at 10:45pm

I've never done this, yet. However, I ABSOLUTELY wish I left Spiderman Turn Off The Dark at Intermission! WORST SHOW I EVER SAW on Broadway! There were SO MANY stops during the show, I lost all interest not even halfway through the first act. Granted, I was 12, but I pulled through it, surprisingly! That being said, if I had left at intermission, I never would have witnessed Patrick Page breaking the fourth wall during a technical difficulty and bringing the house down in a tsunami of laughter. That was the only thing I really enjoyed from that entire matinee.

[Kad]

Posted: 5/15/23 at 11:08pm

ColorTheHours048 said: "The Gin Game

Sam Gold’s King Lear

Funny Girl w/ Beanie

This Ain’t No Disco

Wish I’d left: Dear Evan Hansen, Parade (coincidentally both Platt vehicles, but it wasn’t exclusively him that turned me off)"

Two of those were with me! We got Schmakery's instead of seeing the second half of Gin Game, if I recall.

My belief is that if you truly feel you will be happier than at the show you're suffering through, then by all means leave in a respectful fashion during intermission. I haven't left many Broadway shows at intermission, but I used to see a lot of off-off-Broadway and Fringe shows. I can easily say that nothing on Broadway is as bad as a truly bad Fringe show.

[SweetLips22]

Posted: 5/16/23 at 3:26am

I usually leave BEFORE interval. That's why I always sit on the far aisle.

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 5/16/23 at 7:41am

Kad said: "Two of those were with me! We got Schmakery's instead of seeing the second half of Gin Game, if I recall.

My belief is that if you truly feel you will be happier than at the show you're suffering through, then by all means leave in a respectful fashion during intermission."

Mmm, Schmackary’s. Haven’t been there in a minute. My time was better served eating cookies than falling asleep on two legendary actors.

I would never leave mid-show unless I was offended, which I never have been by theatre. Intermission is the perfect time to leave without being disruptive or disrespectful.

[Zeppie2022]

Posted: 5/16/23 at 10:56am

I have never left early and never will.  Luckily, I have never seen anything that horrible IMO to warrant wanting to leave before show is over. Note** People on this board see way more shows than I ever will. I am the same with sporting events. Even if the game has lopsided score, I will always stay until the end. 

[Wee Thomas2]

Posted: 5/18/23 at 4:38pm

I wish I had at Noises Off.  Oh look!  More mistaken identity!  And is that a slamming door?  How clever!

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 5/18/23 at 4:58pm

SHOGUN 

THE CIVIL WAR

THE REAL THING (McGregor, Gyllenhaal)

[jpbran]

Posted: 5/18/23 at 5:03pm

Left at intermission of The Life (Broadway maybe ‘96?; whole thing played like an extended SNL parody BUT with some great performances), Jekyll & Hyde tour in Chicago (horrid), An American In Paris (tour in Nashville… HVAC wasn’t working well; cast & audience melting and was also sorta bored), also a couple of off-off Loop shows in Chicago in the 90s.  

EDIT: Forgot about leaving Flying Over Sunset halfway, along with a few others… 

Updated On: 5/20/23 at 05:03 PM

[Wildcard]

Posted: 5/18/23 at 6:33pm

Having seen dozens (if not hundreds) of shows, I've only walked out of two…

the Fiasco production of Into the Woods and the Daniel Fish Oklahoma!

I almost walked out of the pre-Broadway try-out of Lestat but as a rule, I would only walk out of a show if I had already seen a previous version of the show

[Kad]

Posted: 5/18/23 at 6:50pm

Wee Thomas2 said: "I wish I had at Noises Off. Oh look! More mistaken identity! And is that a slamming door? How clever!"

This kind of sounds like you did leave Noises Off at intermission. 

[Tom5]

Posted: 5/18/23 at 7:26pm

I can't imagine walking out on The Gin Game (colorthehours 048) unless the actors were really the pits. It's a work of art 

[DJD4]

Posted: 5/18/23 at 8:16pm

Ive only ever left "Little Women" at intermission. The music was shockingly bad, with the exception of the act one finale, which almost made me want to stay. 

I saw "Mean Girls" with some friends and two of them left at intermission. I was tempted to go with them but I stuck it out, thankfully act two was a little better.

 

I wanted to leave:

"The 39 Steps". It wasn't funny, was kinda confusing, and the (nearly full) audience really wasn't into it so the theatre was oddly silent and devoid of energy. We just kept thinking "why is this a thing? why are we here?"

"After the War" at American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco. This was a student matinee I went to with my college theatre class. I have never experienced a more unruly, loud, and inappropriate audience in my life than I had at this show. There was also a lot of innuendo and sexual/racial commentary that didn't go over well with a theatre full of high school/college students who had probably never sat through a play in their lives. I felt so terrible for the actors. I wanted to leave so bad, but I was there on a field trip with my class so I couldn't. I probably would've been happier just waiting in the lobby for the play to be over. The second act got a little more interesting so the audience chilled out a little bit and paid more attention, still one of the most uncomfortable theatre experiences id ever had.

Updated On: 5/18/23 at 08:16 PM

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 5/18/23 at 10:55pm

Tom5 said: "I can't imagine walking out on The Gin Game (colorthehours 048) unless the actors were really the pits. It's a work of art"

I was bored to tears, so clearly I don’t agree. Kad walked out with me. One man’s “work of art” is another’s would-be nap.