Irked!

[rpmdfw]

Scott and I along with several friends went last night to see the Broadway touring company of Legally Blonde the Musical.

We loved it! It's such a fun show.

The experience however wasn't so great. As is the case pretty much every time we see a big show or concert lately, people have NO CLUE how to behave.

The lady next to me kept making comments to her daughter throughout the show. The ladies behind me never stopped their conversation and somewhere to the right of me a group of teenaged girls were not-so-quietly singing along!

HELLO! Does no one teach theatre manners to anyone anymore? NONE of this is appropriate! At least this week I didn't have to stand up to let late comers into my row fifteen minutes into the first act; (that happened last week at Sweeney Todd!) or have the person in front of me texting throughout the show on his phone (which is what happened when we saw Avenue Q!)

After paying anywhere from $75 to $125 to see the show, I think I'm entiled to not have to listen to amateurs singing along and have other people hold their conversations in the lobby at intermission.

Okay, vent over . . . . for now.

 

[OrlandoMike]

Was this at the Bob Carr?

 

[rpmdfw]

Was this at the Bob Carr?

Last night was. And Sweeney Todd last week. But Avenue Q was at the Tampa Bay Peforming Arts Center. And it happened during the Eltong John set at the concert at the St. Pete Times Forum too (they shut up during Billy Joel's set, so I'm guessing they weren't huge Elton John fans)

 

[Tony-NJ]

The singing - not the worst! However the rest is totally unacceptable.

I admit if I went to see wicket again I would sing the whole play

I think people have an I don't care attitude today more than ever. I believe cell phones should be shut off completely when in a theater


Sorry you had to be irked!

 

[NikkiPants]

Grrr, I would be very angry at that!!
I saw The Little Mermaid on Broadway a couple weeks ago and I thought it was going to be one of those shows where people didn't shut up. Lucky enough, as soon as the overture was over and the first actor hit the stage, it was quiet.

I hate when people who don't know how to behave during a performance

 

[OrlandoMike]

Don't get me started on the Bob Carr and it's patrons!

Roasted nut cart in the lobby, which is actually smaller than my living room! The place reeks of almonds!

You know the place is bad when it's actually faster to walk across the street at intermission to use the men's room at the Marriott!

And flip flops at the theater? I know it's Florida, but really?

 

[rpmdfw]

Don't get me started on the Bob Carr and it's patrons!

Roasted nut cart in the lobby, which is actually smaller than my living room! The place reeks of almonds!

You know the place is bad when it's actually faster to walk across the street at intermission to use the men's room at the Marriott!

And flip flops at the theater? I know it's Florida, but really?

None of which would bother me if they'd just sit down on time and shut the hell up!

 

[OrlandoMike]

None of which would bother me if they'd just sit down on time and shut the hell up!

Well I for one will be glad when they implode the place!

I notice our new basketball arena is nearing completion.....have they even broke ground on the performing arts center yet?

UGH this town!

 

[rpmdfw]

Well I for one will be glad when they implode the place!

I notice our new basketball arena is nearing completion.....have they even broke ground on the performing arts center yet?

UGH this town!

They're still in negotiations to BUY the land from the church that currently owns it.

And yes, it will be nice to have a nice new Performing Arts Center, but that's not going to make the people have better manners.



Perhaps I should devise a way to punish people with bad theatre manners.

Let's see . . . it should be painful, but silent.



Do you think they'd let me bring a cattle prod into the theatre with me? <EG>

 

[BC Disney Lover]

I only get to the theater every 3-4 years and I know the proper etiquette. I did see Sally Struthers in Grease a few years ago and she stopped the show to call attention to some late guests.

I do agree with you that when I pay that much money I want to enjoy the show and not listen to someones conversations.

 

[kitsch4]

... and somewhere to the right of me a group of teenaged girls were not-so-quietly singing along!

Ooh, I hate that. When we went to see Les Mis once, the girl directly behind me began singing along with the Overture! I thought we were in for trouble, but fortunately she stopped when the actual show began. When we saw Phantom, the guy behind me kept kicking my chair. Sorry to hear about your experience!

 

[rpmdfw]

Ooh, I hate that. When we went to see Les Mis once, the girl directly behind me began singing along with the Overture! I thought we were in for trouble, but fortunately she stopped when the actual show began. When we saw Phantom, the guy behind me kept kicking my chair. Sorry to hear about your experience!

When I saw Beauty and The Beast on tour in Dallas several years ago, I actually made a little girl cry.

She sang along with all the songs from the movie. At intermission I turned around to her mother and said "I didn't pay $70 a ticket to listen to your child sing". I almost felt bad when the kid cried. The mother glared at me. BUT . . .the only singing I heard during the second act was from the performers on stage!

 

[kitsch4]

When I saw Beauty and The Beast on tour in Dallas several years ago, I actually made a little girl cry.

She sang along with all the songs from the movie. At intermission I turned around to her mother and said "I didn't pay $70 a ticket to listen to your child sing". I almost felt bad when the kid cried. The mother glared at me. BUT . . .the only singing I heard during the second act was from the performers on stage!

That was YOU?


Just kidding! You just wonder what is wrong with the parents that they don't stop the child themselves.

 

[DisneySweetheart]

I'm so sorry you had to experience that. I hate it when people ruin my nice evenings out as I don't get very many!

I've noticed a lack of theatre manners here....along with a lack of enthusiasm. When I went to see JC Superstar (with the one and only Ted Neeley), I was one of the only ones standing to clap at the end. Ummmmm....Hello? It's Ted Neeley. Get off your fat butts and clap.

Oh, and I've also noticed people in front of me texting. I wanted to take their phones from them and...well, I won't go any further.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Rob, last year I took DS to see "Cats" at the Music Hall. It was a matinee, so maybe 2:30 PM?

There were 2 kids in front of us, maybe 4 & 6 years old. Sitting ALONE. Their parents were WAAAAAYYYY off to the back and side somewhere. Prior to intermission the younger one (boy) was climbing all over the older one (girl). They were rolling around like puppies. It was very distracting. So as intermission was ending the mom (with her wine in her hand) comes to put them back in their seats. One of the kids wanted to go sit with her but she said NO! I gave her my most evil glare. I should have said something, but for whatever reason I didn't.

 

[NHdisneylover]

I couldn;t agree more with this post. I HATE people with bad theatre manners. I hate it when I see a show and when I perform (just community theatre, but I always feel in ANY show the cast and crew are working their tails off so show some respect will ya?). We used to get dirty looks for taking the kids to shows (just beacuse they were small and people assumed they would act up)--without fail there were adults who couldn't bhahve themselves but mine did okay (we would have left otherwise--but my theatre junkies can sit thorugh anything with a stage ).
Rob, you should NOT feel badly about the little girl crying. Her mother should have taught her how to behave in the first place. I would be annoyed as all heck by the singing as well. I can't stand adult who seem to think to think their kids should be allowed to talk, kick chairs, sing along, etc. because "their so little" or some such. If they are too young to behave properly they are too young to be there and no it is NOT cute.
Also, stupid Suessian style hats have no valid place at the theatre and certainly should not be worn during the show unless you are in the back row Then again, I ahev the DS who politely tapped the adult in front of him during intermission at Wicked a couple of years ago (I didn't know he was going to do this or I owuld haev stopped him) and told him "you may not know this but really you shouldn't wear a baseball cap inside the theater--it's rude ). If an 8 year old is teaching you manners you shouldn't be allowed out in public

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

Do NOT get me started. It won't be pretty!

I've not been to the Bob Carr, so don't know but don't they have ushers?

I've gone to ushers before and requested that they either ask the person to stop (carrying on a conversation, texting, using the mobile, singing...) or escort the person out.

I don't blame you one bit Rob for commenting on the child singing. And no, I would not have felt bad. I've turned in my seat and told teens that I wasn't there to hear them, rather the actors...

Theater tickets are far too costly to have to deal with ignorant audience members.

 

[MemoToMe]

The Big HUGE problem w/ the Bob Carr is the lack of a center aisle. They actually had to pull seats out for the touring production of Lion King (which they promptly replaced after the run ended). Because there in no center aisle, trying to get to an usher is next to impossible.

I personally think that every theatre should have a Patti LuPone clone. To see what I mean, go to YouTube and search, "LuPWNed! (The Patti LuPone Audience Freakout Remix)"

 

[sunnydoozer]

If you knew all that was going on you probably weren't enjoying the show. I went to see Slumdog Millionaire with my cousin last night, and as we got up to go she apologized for shushing the people behind us... three times. I didn't hear her or them but she could tell me their conversation word for word. I'm not going to pay $12.50 for movie tickets and then not pay attention.

As for the little girl singing, I have the reverse Pet Peeve: people who go to child friendly places and expect no children. I would have had sympathy for you if there was a kid singing along to Sweeney Todd, but at child favourite Beauty and the Beast?

I would be pretty ticked off if someone stopped a show like, some of the other posters mentioned. I paid to hear someone sing, not to hear people be scolded like school children. If the problem is that bad, take a quick break and get the theatre staff to address it

Heck, some of my best spent concert money is for Andre Rieu, if he's really on his game the aisles are filled with waltzing concert goers

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

Sorry, can't agree with what you are saying. If a child is old enough to attend a live performance, then the child is old enough to learn proper behavior for said performance.

Knowing what is going on around one is more a sign of the pervasiveness of the disruption than anything else. We aren't talking about film tickets here, where one can rent the DVD and watch in the comfort of one's home.

We are talking about live theatre where it is expected that any attendee is capable of following the standard etiquette for the performance which is, quite simply, no talking, no singing, no mobiles, during the performance. Arrive on time and stay through the END OF THE SHOW without getting up and trying to leave before the end of the performance.