Wednesday night Spongebob Audience- Page 2

[KJisgroovy]

Posted: 12/9/17 at 12:40pm

I attend a lot of regional theater around the midwest. Without a doubt, the people that are the rudest audience members are the people that gab loudly about being in the "theatre" with their friends before the show. I'm not sure if they think they're better than the rest of us or, as suggested, need to be the center of attention and PERFORM being an audience member.

Obviously... tons and tons of awesome theater folk sit in total silence, rapt attention, and make the very best audience members. But. Then there's those other folk...

[Alessio2]

Posted: 12/9/17 at 4:20pm

Glad I wasn't there or sitting in front of them...I would have turned around and yelled at them. I don;t care who you are, you have no right to ruin anyone's experience at the theater.  Especially with the ridiculous prices charged nowadays.  This is so discouraging to hear.

[greenifyme2]

Posted: 12/9/17 at 7:17pm

I’m starting to think audience rudeness is par for the course. I made a decision during Spongebob today to never attend another weekend show. The last 3 shows I’ve seen were all weekend days and the audience was horrendous, no matter the age of the patrons, how expensive the seats were, or what show. Rude people are rude and come in all forms.
Today when Spongebob started there were 2 rows of 10 seats total completely empty in front of us. During the first song, trouncing in come 3 moms with 7 kids. All trying to get in their seats, taking off their coats, talking, standing on the seats. Finally they get settled and one of the moms gets up and starts passing candy around to all of them. The kids see the candy and start crawling all over each other to get to it.

I get it; this is a kid’s show, they are kids. But then the mom in front of me got out her IPAD, held it up, and starting taking pictures. I had to tell her to stop and luckily she did.

I’m done with weekend theater audiences. During the week is never a guarantee either but the chances of sitting next to somewhat respectable people have been much better.

[Danielle49]

Posted: 12/9/17 at 7:49pm

Weird, today's SpongeBob matinee was the worst behaved theater audience I've been in as well. Sat in the balcony and it everyone around me had no awareness of etiquette.

1) The kid next to me spent about 10 minutes crawling by my feet because she had dropped something.

2) Behind me were like 5 adults with one young girl (probably not even 3 years old) who yelled out or whined the entire time. All the adults with her were talking and commenting nonstop. A phone rang and it took a full conversation for them to turn it off. People in rows behind them kept shushing them until finally during the second act I turned around and asked them to stop talking. I wish I would've said something sooner.

3) The 6ish kids in front of me were leaning all the way forward in their seats making it practically impossible for anyone in my row to see the front half of the stage. They starting dancing and singing along during "Best Day Ever" and used their phones at some points. The one adult with them said nothing.

I don't understand the point of paying that much money to get in just to talk the entire time. Or bringing children too young to sit still or understand the show. Or not understanding how to act in a theater. It's unbelievably inconsiderate. I don't know if it's just SpongeBob or the holidays or weekend audiences or what. I saw SB in previews and Charlie last week (both on weekdays, both orchestra) and everyone was well-behaved. I don't know what happened today.

Updated On: 12/9/17 at 07:49 PM

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 12/9/17 at 8:13pm

If I got the reviews that OOTI got I'd be out screaming everywhere I went.  Congrats to them!

I hear SB is papering a lot so they need the rooting. Go Spongee!!

[BroadwayAndSports]

Posted: 12/9/17 at 9:58pm

It’s awful when audiences have no etiquette, but maybe they don’t know any better.

What APPALED me what that the Once On This Island cast knew better, they got looks from many (including me) and simply didn’t care. They were completely inconsiderate and worsened the experience for my family. Shame on Once On This Island, I definitely won’t be seeing their show now.

[billis2]

Posted: 12/9/17 at 10:51pm

I have noticed that some of the worst audience members can be actors in the business.  Some of the best audience members can also be actors in the business.  I think most actors are very respectful audience members.  

I don't know if the badly behaved ones are like that because they can't stop performing, they think it's supporting the people on stage, they think the rules don't apply to them, or what.  But they can be extremely annoying and I wish they would realize that.

[Cbdancin]

Posted: 12/10/17 at 11:11am

Last Night I saw Latin History and lots of audience members were shouting back at John. sometimes he asked for participation but mostly I thought it was rude. One group left from the balcony(not sure if forced or walked out) as they left a guy started shouting Trump lives and then there was shouting that you all are garbage. John ignored but then security was up by the stage at the end. Has this become a regular occurrence in shows?

[dramamama611]

Posted: 12/10/17 at 6:46pm

No, it isn't. In fact, other than a stray cell phone ringing, I haven't witnessed any terrible audience behaviors in a while.  And I'm at a b'way show nearly 2x a month.

 

[greenifyme2]

Posted: 12/10/17 at 6:52pm

I have been to 5 shows in the last month, 3 this weekend alone. I have had to ask someone to turn off their phone, stop talking, and/or stop taking pictures at all 5 shows.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 12/10/17 at 6:56pm

Which sucks, no doubt.  

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 12/10/17 at 10:24pm

Danielle49 said: "I don't understand the point of paying that much money to get in just to talk the entire time. Or bringing children too young to sit still or understand the show. Or not understanding how to act in a theater. It's unbelievably inconsiderate. I don't know if it's just SpongeBob or the holidays or weekend audiences or what. I saw SB in previews and Charlie last week (both on weekdays, both orchestra)and everyone was well-behaved. I don't know what happened today."

I kind of get how you could rationalize it. Theme parks charge ridiculous prices these days. If you only take your kids to one or two Broadway shows a year (instead of trying to keep up with most of the season) then it's kind of like taking them to a theme park for the day and at theme park shows things are a lot looser.

Not that I'm at all condoning this behavior. Speaking of Once on This Island, aside from the very young children who might be frightened (and the hinting at sexytimes) it's relatively appropriate for young-ish children. But I'm glad I saw it earlier in the run with the blue hairs. Though the woman next to me also couldn't stop herself from commenting the whole time. It was like Bright Star all over again.

[Broadway Joe]

Posted: 12/10/17 at 11:10pm

greenifyme2 said: "I have been to 5 shows in the last month, 3 this weekend alone. I have had to ask someone to turn off their phone, stop talking, and/or stop taking pictures at all 5 shows.
"

   I've been to 3 in the past week and a half, including SpongeBob and didn't have any of these issues. 

[greenifyme2]

Posted: 12/10/17 at 11:31pm

Lucky you.

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 12/10/17 at 11:33pm

Broadway Joe said: "greenifyme2 said: "I have been to 5 shows in the last month, 3 this weekend alone. I have had to ask someone to turn off their phone, stop talking, and/or stop taking pictures at all 5 shows.
"

I've been to 3 in the past week and a half, including SpongeBob and didn't have any of these issues."

Soo... that doesn’t negate what they experienced.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 12/10/17 at 11:36pm

I’d much rather attend a performance with an audience full of children than an audience full of Broadway actors. From the talking loudly enough before the show and at intermission so that everyone knows they’re “in the business” and that they have friends in the cast to the inappropriate yelling out of a performers real name (i.e. “Yassssssssss—insert actors name-!!”)- it’s all too much for me. And they feel they’re entitled to behave this way because they’re actors.

[ladypresent]

Posted: 12/10/17 at 11:46pm

so you are saying that adults that are in a children's show as their Adult job have friends that act like children with no manners?
Who would have thought. 

[BroadwayAndSports]

Posted: 12/11/17 at 12:08am

adamgreer said: "I’d much rather attend a performance with an audience full of children than an audience full of Broadway actors. From the talking loudly enough before the show and at intermission so that everyone knows they’re “in the business” and that they have friends in the cast to the inappropriate yelling out of a performers real name (i.e. “Yassssssssss—insert actors name-!!&rdquo- it’s all too much for me. And they feel they’re entitled to behave this way because they’re actors. "

Yeah they were so annoying, and they’re supposed to KNOW better. Completely unacceptable from the Once On This Island cast. They were so rude and inconsiderate.  

[Broadway Joe]

Posted: 12/11/17 at 7:47am

Call_me_jorge said: "Broadway Joe said: "greenifyme2 said: "I have been to 5 shows in the last month, 3 this weekend alone. I have had to ask someone to turn off their phone, stop talking, and/or stop taking pictures at all 5 shows.
"

I've been to 3 in the past week and a half, including SpongeBob and didn't have any of these issues."

Soo... that doesn’t negate what they experienced."

The point was it doesn't happen every single show either. 

[adamgreer]

Posted: 12/11/17 at 8:11am

Broadway Joe said: "Call_me_jorge said: "Broadway Joe said: "greenifyme2 said: "I have been to 5 shows in the last month, 3 this weekend alone. I have had to ask someone to turn off their phone, stop talking, and/or stop taking pictures at all 5 shows.
"

I've been to 3 in the past week and a half, including SpongeBob and didn't have any of these issues."

Soo... that doesn’t negate what they experienced."

The point was it doesn't happen every single show either."

I think everyone is aware of that, but that doesn’t change the original posters experience at the particular performance they attended. They should be able to enjoy the show (which they presumably paid some amount of money for, possibly a lot), without having to listen to the cast of Once On This Island yell “Yaassssss Queen!” all night. 

Updated On: 12/11/17 at 08:11 AM

[Broadway Joe]

Posted: 12/11/17 at 8:14am

adamgreer said: "Broadway Joe said: "Call_me_jorge said: "Broadway Joe said: "greenifyme2 said: "I have been to 5 shows in the last month, 3 this weekend alone. I have had to ask someone to turn off their phone, stop talking, and/or stop taking pictures at all 5 shows.
"

I've been to 3 in the past week and a half, including SpongeBob and didn't have any of these issues."

Soo... that doesn’t negate what they experienced."

The point was it doesn't happen every single show either."

I think everyone is aware of that, but that doesn’t change the original posters experience at the particular performance they attended. They should be able to enjoy the show (which they presumably paid some amount of money for, possibly a lot), without having to listen to the cast of Once On This Island tell “Yaassssss Queen!” all night."

 I'm not disagreeing with that but someone above asked if this was becoming a regular occurrence at shows and that's what I was responding too. 

[ellbellthomps]

Posted: 12/11/17 at 2:21pm

The audiences are terrible. Anastasia (my favorite show of all time) on friday night was a horrible audience. The little girl in front of me sang along to the music (cute, but not the place.), kept putting her coat on and off and lunging herself in front of me and her dad just sat there and laughed. I said something very respectfully, but it sucks.

Someone at OOTI literally fell asleep in the front row and was audibly snoring. No one said anything because they were across the stage. Someone woke them up soon after though.

 And the miss saigon audience is always horrific for me.

[Lot666]

Posted: 12/11/17 at 2:46pm

adamgreer said: "They should be able to enjoy the show (which they presumably paid some amount of money for, possibly a lot), without having to listen to the cast of Once On This Island yell “Yaassssss Queen!” all night."

Okay, that's hilarious.

But seriously, I would've gone out to find the house manager and demanded a refund.

[theatregoer3]

Posted: 12/11/17 at 3:16pm

UncleCharlie said: "Was the goat there? How was he behaved?"

 

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

 

[HunterK]

Posted: 1/23/18 at 11:28pm

Ok..I am reviving this thread!

I went to SpongeBob tonight (Tuesday 1/23) and I truly enjoyed what I saw on stage. It made me smile and laugh and gave such a great escape from the real world. The actors busted their butts for over 2 hours and that audience was down right embarrassing. Beyond embarrassing. I am just going to state the facts and not let this go into a therapy session, but something needs to be done about the audience. 

Let me say I am 36 years old and my friend is 42 with 4 kids of her own (all under 10). I have an 8 year old nephew and I am glad when I can send him home back to my brother! So I love that kids get to go to the theater. My parents took me at an early age and I want that to continue, but it's THE DAMN PARENTS!!!!!  

We were seated in the front row Center Mezz (AA 112-113). I would say it was 75% full. Kids screaming and running around, ok no problem, show hasn't begun. Once it started it took until the middle of the opening number to even begin for them to settle in. For the ENTIRE first act all you heard was loud voices asking questions (That had nothing to do with the show!). Leaving to go to the bathroom, get drinks, go for a walk, change seats..whatever. Anytime there was applause it would start off like regular applause then turn into screaming applause once the kids got involved. At points you could hear fathers, or older male voices hooting and hollering, like at a football game. In Act 2, when SpongeBob throws the device in the volcano and there is the dead silence, a few people in the orchestra screamed out "BOOM" and some other inaudible nonsense. From the look on the actor's faces you could clearly see the "this happens every damn night!'. During bows only 5 people in the mezzanine stood (besides us), that cast clearly deserved it. I looked down to the orchestra and no one in the first 5 rows were standing. It was just sad. We tried to make up for it, but it just wasn't right. Then at the "SpongeBob Title Song" once the Balls started going and the cannon started popping, kids started running everywhere to get stuff. I mean it was like the opening of Target on Black Friday. In the orchestra a young man tried to get on stage 3 times. Jon Rua had to actual move him back as a woman (whom I assume was his mother) was pushing to get a photo of him on stage with the cast. It was just beyond anything I have experienced in my time as a performer and a patron. There were 2 ushers "guarding" the front orchestra and they did nothing, it is a darn shame the actors had to get involved. Once they saw the kid keep trying they all got back on the stage. Just ruined the moment. THIS IS WHY WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS!!! 

Sorry to rant! It was and still is a shock to me. I am surprised a producer or anyone connected to this show, who must watch it and report back, hasn't said anything. I know this behavior goes on quite frequently. 

Thanks for putting up with me!