When did "dressing up" to go to the theater stop?- Page 3

[quizking101]

Posted: 10/26/21 at 11:24am

Frankly, I seldom dress up for the theatre because I personally find it uncomfortable being a rather large (and sweaty year-round) guy. Most of my theatre excursions are usually coming in from NJ for the day and going home, and I usually do quite a few things to get the most out of my time in the city (Aside from 1 or 2 shows, I may also go see a movie, go shopping, visit friends, get dinner, or hit up the bars in the village). 
 

Unless I’m going directly from my train to the show and back, I’m mostly likely going to be a sweaty mess by the time I get to the theatre anyway (especially in summer).

[Demitri2]

Posted: 10/26/21 at 11:26am

If the theatre is a temple of art then why not take the time to dress as if you're not attending a football game. Seriously, WHEN do people bother to dress up anymore, if they even bother?

[JBroadway]

Posted: 10/26/21 at 11:36am

Demitri2 said: "If the theatre is a temple of art"

In Shakespeare's day they literally urinated on the floor of the theatre. 

"then why not"

This thread is packed with reasons why not, and there are many more. 

"take the time to dress as if you're not attending a football game."

What's so different about a theatre and a football game when it really comes down to it? They are communal forms of entertainment. 

"Seriously, WHEN do people bother to dress up anymore, if they even bother?"

None of your business, actually, but people dress up for things that they feel are special occasions. By your own logic, dressing up has become an even more meaningful act in today's society because it's not as common. Why dress for the theatre the same as you dress for a wedding, when the wedding is objectively more special?

 

One of the most difficult things about social norms is that they vary over time, and even from community to community. I sympathize with you that you grew up with these standards, and so you interpret it as disrespectful when other people break them. I genuinely do understand why you feel this way. But the norms have changed, and we are informing you that this change is not due to a lack of respect. You're using your subjective standards for "respect" to make assumptions about other people that are false. 

Updated On: 10/26/21 at 11:36 AM

[windowwaving]

Posted: 10/26/21 at 11:59am

denali.fire said: "Same thing is true for airline travel .
Same is true for children going to school.

Folks don't seem to have the desire to look respectable . It's all about being casual and casual is the upscale in many situations.

Applause is overpowered by screams and woop.

Folks seem to have lost a sense of dignity and respect, for themselves and otherd
."

As a society, we have learned that we do not need to "dress up" to earn others' respect. There are far more characteristics that could help define that aren't superficial. If you need someone to dress up to give them respect, that seems like a you problem. 

[JSquared2]

Posted: 10/26/21 at 12:25pm

EvanstonDad said: "Why on earth would anyone dress up to fly on an airplane?"

For the same reason people used to smoke on airplanes, and walk right onto the plane with no security or ID check whatsoever -- if was the NORM at the time.  Times change.

 

[EvanstonDad]

Posted: 10/26/21 at 12:35pm

JSquared: For the same reason people used to smoke on airplanes, and walk right onto the plane with no security or ID check whatsoever -- if was the NORM at the time.  Times change.

I mean obviously I understand that social norms change over time. I guess my question was more like "Why was it EVER a norm to dress up on an airplane?" I wear the most comfortable thing I can and usually the worst thing I've packed, just because why waste good clothes on such a gross environment?

 

[soulmistin]

Posted: 10/26/21 at 12:44pm

I work at a few shows and mostly don’t see any dressing up, but Wicked is always the exception. It’s not the majority by far, but there always some people who dress up at the evening shows. I personally love it! I really think we should bring it back. It’s a wonderful little way to show respect for the show.

[HogansHero]

Posted: 10/26/21 at 12:55pm

People used to "dress up" for air travel because people used to "dress up" whenever they went in public. If you look at old pics of baseball games, all of the men are wearing coats and ties. In the dead of summer. When I was young, I worked in an office where we were told that if we were walking in the hallways we needed to put our coats on. To go to the toilet. 

So yes we have evolved. What astonishes me is that there are still so many people on this board who think that the only right way is the way things were when they were in formation. I guess I shouldn't be surprised: many of the same people are also nostalgic for a time that they think was better. Because it is all they know. 

[joevitus]

Posted: 10/26/21 at 1:31pm

JSquared2 said: "EvanstonDad said: "Why on earth would anyone dress up to fly on an airplane?"

For the same reason people used to smoke on airplanes, and walk right onto the plane with no security or ID check whatsoever -- if was the NORM at the time. Times change.

"

I grew up riding airplanes throughout the 1970's, and contrary to what I read online all the times these days about how things were "back then," I never saw anybody dressing up for it. My parents weren't t-shirt-and-jeans people, but they dressed as they dressed every day, and so did we kids. 

I'm sorta surprised people don't still dress up for Broadway on the basis of expense alone, but I don't think people should have to, and the argument that the prices have partially influenced this (because people feel they've paid enough already, thank you) makes sense to me.

 

[saxpower]

Posted: 10/26/21 at 1:45pm

I think part of it is more people are coming to NYC for more than just a show, and walking around modern Times Square in "dressy" clothes isn't practical.   That said- I think it can go a bit far.  No, I don't wear a suit but do at least go with "business casual" 

Any time I hear someone speaking about how "things were better when..."  I remember something a (then elderly, now no longer with us) said during a Homily (sermon).  Basicaly, his point was yes, maybe some things were better when people were more respectful and manners meant more.  But at the same time, in "those days"  certian people couldn't go certian places or hold certian jobs.  Certian diseases that don't cause us to blink now were fatal.  Point is, remember the old days had good and bad. 

[rkade21]

Posted: 10/26/21 at 2:13pm

Probably in lockstep with the mass commercialization of Broadway? If you want and need to appeal to all, especially tourists, you’re going to get a diverse crowd… attire included.

Part of it for me was when I started going to A Lot of shows, it was less of a “special occasion” and just part of my routine, also my office moving to smart casual dress helped as I often go to shows straight from work.

The writer of Come From Away complimented the tshirt I was wearing on their re-opening night, so I’ll take that as a sign that the powers that be aren’t offended by a more casual appearance!

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 10/26/21 at 2:14pm

Having been to what were considered (at the time/could still be) the top three cities for theatre (New York, London, and Toronto) within a couple of months of each other, I always felt this way:

New York: had many tourists, but the audience members who seemed to have theatre in their blood, knew what a special event it was, and reflected in their appearance.

London: going to see theatre seemed like going to the movie theatre in North America. It seemed like something that people did frequently, their attire was whatever they wore during the day.

Toronto: this seemed to have people dressed up a bit more. Few full suits, but defiantly more neckties than I expected. With the theatre being a subscription/tour house, I wondered if the attire was because it was more of an event. That family from 2 hrs away saw one show a year, they saved money, etc. But that could be for any city. I don't know what it was about Toronto. 

[JBroadway]

Posted: 10/26/21 at 2:28pm

As Hogan, rkade, and some others in this thread have alluded to:

The people who dress the most casually are often (a) artists/theatre professionals, and (b) die-hard theatre fans. Meanwhile the people "dressing up," tend to be the people for whom a night at the theatre is a more rare occurrence. Nothing wrong with that, of course. But the grand irony of all this bellyaching about "respect" is that the people dressing casually are often the people who are the MOST devoted to theatre. 

I spend more money on theatre than I do on nice clothes. I see shows more often than I would if I had to go home and change after work/other commitments, and or if I couldn't get last-minute deals that sometimes involve standing out in the cold or sitting for hours on the street. And I enjoy the shows more when I'm wearing more comfortable clothes. Hard to make a claim that these are not signs of respect for the theatre. 

But that's how *I* show my respect for the theatre. Other people choose to show their respect by dressing up and treating it like a special occasion, which is also totally valid! Let people live their lives if they aren't hurting anyone. 

Updated On: 10/26/21 at 02:28 PM

[pmensky]

Posted: 10/26/21 at 3:47pm

People keep mentioning how passengers used to get dressed up to take a flight. Both Broadway and Airlines have similarly changed over the years in how their seats and the space around them have gotten smaller. I pay hundreds of dollars for a premium seat then have the person’s body on both sides of me on top of me and my knees are numb halfway through, because they are pressed right up against the seat in front of me. Perhaps if this didn’t happen on both flights and at Broadway shows, I might be inclined to wear a stylish, tight fitted suit and uncomfortable designer shoes. Here is a LINK to an article showing seating charts for Broadway houses “back in the day.” You’ll see how on average, most center orchestra sections had about 10 seats, whereas today, even smaller houses like the Booth have 14. 

[SweetLips22]

Posted: 10/26/21 at 4:04pm

I dress for what's best for my body shape[mature, slim, narrow shoulders] so a light weight linen jacket over open neck shirt, fitted slacks and very comfortable boat shoes.

I used to cast a far too critical eye but got over that year ago as it used up too much thought energy so now it's all about what pleases me and what I think suits the occasion.

[darquegk]

Posted: 10/26/21 at 7:41pm

You know the reason we consider cheering, whooping and shouting approval to be “uncivilized?” It’s because of Richard Wagner’s idea of total theatre, which included an audience compact that the only “respectable” reactions to be applause, or the withholding of applause.

This was intended to distinguish his conception of theatre from the more participatory “ethnic” traditions, whether the call and response active engagement of black American entertainment (yes even in the 1800s), or the exclamatory, passionate traditions of the Italian stage and opera. So when people complain about enthusiastic and vocal audience reactions, there’s a little bit of Proto-Nazi baggage buried under there. And remember: people made the same complaints about the Bobby Soxers cheering for Sinatra when he was a falsetto ballad singer.

[sinister teashop]

Posted: 10/26/21 at 9:11pm

What so strange is that, post-60's, as American society became more and more economically stratified its clothing became more and more democratic, sporty and informal. 

[JasonC3]

Posted: 10/26/21 at 9:27pm

I generally still choose to dress a bit nicer when flying if I've been upgraded and I always do when flying international.  Whether it is true or not, I feel gate agents are more likely to do a little extra for someone wearing a blazer and dress shoes with his jeans than someone in sweats and flip flops.

What I wear to the theatre definitely depends on what precedes and follows it.

[RunnyBabbit]

Posted: 10/27/21 at 5:19am

I definitely dress much more casually than I used to to go to the theatre. Mostly because of the travel surrounding it. I’m coming from Philly, usually taking the bus. With traffic, it can be over 3 hours to get to NYC. At a bare minimum it’s 2.25 hours (although I can’t remember the last time Megabus actually managed to hit that goal).

So my theatre trip entails: Walking half a mile to the bus, traveling 3 hours on the bus, walking a little over a mile to the theatre, seeing the show (maybe climbing a lot of stairs to the balcony), walking a little over a mile back to the bus, 2.5 hours back on the bus, walking half a mile home at 1:30am. I’m going to be comfortable for all of that.

[adotburr]

Posted: 10/27/21 at 7:07am

RunnyBabbit said: "I definitely dress much more casually than I used to to go to the theatre. Mostly because of the travel surrounding it. I’m coming from Philly, usually taking the bus. With traffic, it can be over 3 hours to get to NYC. At a bare minimum it’s 2.25 hours (although I can’t remember the last time Megabus actually managed to hit that goal).

So my theatre trip entails: Walking half a mile to the bus, traveling 3 hours on the bus, walking a little over a mile to the theatre, seeing the show (maybe climbing a lot of stairs to the balcony), walking a little over a mile back to the bus, 2.5 hours back on the bus, walking half a mile home at 1:30am. I’m going to be comfortable for all of that."

Hey! Also coming from Philly. I live 30 min outside the city though so my bus leaves from KOP and train from Paolo. Have you looked at trying Greyhound? I’m not sure where from Philly it would leave from but it does go right to Port Authority (I’m not sure where megabus drops you off so that might not be any help)

Updated On: 10/27/21 at 07:07 AM

[metropolis10111]

Posted: 10/27/21 at 8:46am

JBroadway said: "As Hogan, rkade, and some others in this thread have alluded to:

The people who dress the most casually are often (a) artists/theatre professionals, and (b) die-hard theatre fans. Meanwhile the people "dressing up," tend to be the people for whom a night at the theatre is a more rare occurrence. Nothing wrong with that, of course. But the grand irony of all this bellyaching about "respect" is that the people dressing casually are often the people who are the MOST devoted to theatre.

I spend more money on theatre than I do on nice clothes. I see shows more often than I would if I had to go home and change after work/other commitments, and or if I couldn't get last-minute deals that sometimes involve standing out in the cold or sitting for hours on the street. And I enjoy the shows more when I'm wearing more comfortable clothes. Hard to make a claim that these are not signs of respect for the theatre.

But that's how *I* show my respect for the theatre. Other people choose to show their respect by dressing up and treating it like a special occasion, which is also totally valid! Let people live their lives if they aren't hurting anyone."

This is very well put. Totally agree 

[RunnyBabbit]

Posted: 10/27/21 at 12:30pm

adotburr said: "Hey! Also coming from Philly. I live 30 min outside the city though so my bus leaves from KOP and train from Paolo. Have you looked at trying Greyhound? I’m not sure where from Philly it would leave from but it does go right to Port Authority (I’m not sure where megabus drops you off so that might not be any help)"

Hey! The Greyhound station is a little over a mile from my house, so it would probably save me about a mile walking overall, but the cost is usually more than Megabus, and they don’t have late busses back, so they would only work for matinees. I have done Septa/NJ Transit, but the cost is higher and still a lot of time.

I don’t mind the walking distance at all, it’s really just a lot of travel time (more than twice the time of the show!), and I want to be comfy for that!

Go Birds!

[pattilupony]

Posted: 10/27/21 at 1:00pm

Updated On: 12/22/21 at 01:00 PM