Why Doesn't Broadway Sell Ice Cream at Intermission — Page 3

The redesigned lobby of the Marquis.

yyyaaaaaaaaa. Annddd theyyy areee alll sooo cutteeee lol lol lol lol lol

They sell both ice cream bars and popcorn here in Toronto. Although i don't like eating anything while watching theatre at all (don't like the distraction), I would much prefer that those who do choose ice cream over popcorn, for several reasons. First of all, as others have said, it is much quieter. I have been seated next to people who buy popcorn and rustle it around repeatedly to grab some in their hand, and then crunch on it loudly while chewing it, and then repeat that process for an hour. It is exasperating. Ice cream, on the other hand, is quiet while being consumed, and the fact that it is at risk of melting encourages people to finish consuming it while intermission is still going on or within the first few minutes of act 2, rather than saving some of it for later during the second act (as with popcorn).

I've never encountered spilled ice cream in over 8 years of frequent Toronto theatre-going, as generally the age of people old enough to enjoy live theatre tends to be high enough to be able to enjoy an ice cream bar without depositing some of it on the seats or floor. People will take young children to the cinema at an earlier age than to the theatre, since the latter is much more expensive, so generally most people wait until the child is really old enough to handle a long performance, and in that case, they are old enough to manage ice cream cleanly as well. And the intermissions are long enough for most people to finish anyway, and then they can wash their hands afterwards if needed.

One thing that i do sometimes buy at the theatre, either beforehand or at intermission, is coffee, and that is something that i really miss when i am seeing Broadway shows (except at the Lincoln Center). If i haven't had much sleep during the week that i see a show, it is nice to have coffee there to help avoid falling asleep during a show that i want to see. Beforehand, there are plenty of coffeeshop options(!), but at intermission, it would be nice to be able to get a cup of coffee in NYC the way that i am accustomed to doing in Toronto, but hey, can't have everything. And while we're on that subject, being let into the theatre more than 5 minutes before curtain when you arrived there to get in line more than 20 minutes before showtime would be an enormous improvement over how many of the Broadway theatres are run. Only the Gershwin and Lincoln Center seem to get this right of the Broadway theatres that i have been to (which is actually now all of them). But i digress.

They don't sell ice cream at the intermission in London. They sell it at the interval.

I know you mean well, but isn't there a huge problem already in the entire theater district with cars, limos, taxis, and people in the streets without ice cream trucks parked there too? The way I see it is the huge crowds who don't disperse from outside the theater after the show are the stage dooring people. And it seems they'll wait for hours there.

As adam.peterson mentioned, it is standard in Toronto theatres to sell ice cream bars, typically the chocolate coated Haagen Dasz ones on a stick. I have never seen an ice cream mess in the theatre. As others have mentioned, adults should be able to handle eating an ice cream bar without spilling it. I think they are much more likely to absent-mindedly spill a drink that they are slowly nursing. During intermission, people selling the ice cream bars wander up and down the aisles carrying a cooler full. You can also buy them at the concession stand before the show.

The other options are typically cookies, maybe a few kinds of candy/chocolate, and beverages. I only remember seeing popcorn at We Will Rock You, but maybe it's at other shows as well. You only see chips at the teeny tiny shows (probably equivalent to off, off broadway), where that's the only thing that they offer because they likely buy whatever is cheapest and stores most easily. I don't buy the snacks that often, other than the occasional cookie, so I might not be 100% accurate, but that's how I remember it.

Get coffee and ice cream at the theatre! I heard the west end has ginger ice cream or vanilla and that its so good. I wonder how many scoops you get and how much it is

Hmmm...call me crazy but I wish they would keep all food out of the theaters. Let people take a water bottle to their seats but allow NOTHING ELSE in the room where people spend hundreds of dollars to see a stage show. Check bags when they enter and do not allow outside food or drink. Maybe sell small quick snacks at intermission bit DO NOT allow them to take them back to their seats, with threat of being thrown out if they interrupt anyone's experience with food consumption.

I HATE the cell phones....texting, text reading and calling.

I HATE the photographs.

I HATE the eating.

To me, all of the above diminishes my theater experience and it makes me feel like I am in a cheap movie theater or on a plane.

Respect the performers and give them your undivided attention.

NO FOOD!

(except INTERMISSION milk chocolate bars.....)

Updated On: 8/10/15 at 06:42 PM

To Philly

They should be concerned about any distraction be it cell phones or ice cream or anything else. Allow water & that is it including all the b.s. the theater itself sells.

I really don't understand the American reaction of disgust to ice cream being sold in theatres. I've worked in theatres in both New York and London and can assure you that the cleaning process is much easier in London!

The ice creams sold here are small, served in tubs and eaten with a small plastic spoon, not a big dripping cone. It's very rare that you come across an ice cream spillage. Added to that the fact that ice cream can be eaten from a tub almost silently is what makes it a perfect snack for the theatre. And they're usually eaten DURING intermission, the fact that they melt encourages people to eat them faster, which means that most people are finished eating by the time Act 2 starts.

Also, London theatres generally ban any hot foods from being brought into the building, so people who are complaining about how "serving burgers and hot dogs" will be the next step can relax, we've managed to eat ice creams in theatres here for generations without opening a McDonalds in the lobby.

Want to know the biggest offender when it comes to mess? Popcorn. Something you're far more likely to see for sale in an American theatre than a London one. And no, it isn't "easily swept up", it gets everywhere and usually needs a vacuum cleaner as most theatres are carpeted. And if someone drips a bit of ice cream (which again, is rare), we do have cleaners who come in each morning. Tis not the end of the world.

".. or your father."

...or your parents.

... or your babysitter. (can we keep this going?)

Candydog, in my personal experience, audiences in London are better audience members then in America. Obviously, each audience is different, but in London theaters I haven't had as many experiences with phones, eating at inappropriate times, making a mess and leaving it, or excessive talking.

As people have said, this is non-issue British theaters, but I just haven't encountered the food in the theater problems there that are such an annoyance here.