Why I walked out of Gypsy today — Page 5

Aw man, I missed it.

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And in my many, many years of theatregoing, and after many thwacks, no one has ever retaliated. It's such a shocking gesture, they are dumbfounded. I often think I'll be hit in the face, but I never have been. And the guilty perpetrators always shut up.

Didn't Andrew Lippa write about this once?

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Ushers are just there for the check.


I'm of the thwacking and "shut up you f**king c**t" variety of theatregoer. New Yorkers aren't rude anymore is the problem.

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"I would have had NO problem telling them to sit down and shut the f*** up..."

well said Tom. I have NO problem publically embarrassing people with rude behavior as it makes them stop.

Like the French family that tried to film RENT,

or the 3 teen girls who were babbling during Spamalo, until I paid to see the show, NOT listen to them

and finally the teens at the ballet we saw in Copenhagen who kept standing in front of us until I loudly told them to SIT DOWN..and thwacked the head instigator with my program.....

if you are firm with people they will usually stop.

going to a theater manager...usually does nothing.

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...underneath your Playbill? mmmmmm!

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I feel for you jazzicat. I work at the New Am theater (not as an usher) but it all depends on the theater. The ushers at my theater are very diligent when it comes to complaints and re-seating people who are uncomfortable for some reason, especially in the balcony because the seats are rather close together. They're also good at stopping people from recording the show. But yea, its unfortunate that your experience was ruined and from what I've been told Gypsy is an excellent show. In the future there should be a lead usher on each floor that you might speak with. Generally the house managers can't do much but the guest relations manager can (if they have one). And when all else fails "thwack" them on the head with playbill, or a program if you bought one.

I would like to be a bit more vivid than thwacking. A well-placed smack is so much more effective at times.

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