Rude Usher at Belasco Theatre- Page 2

[Jane2]

Posted: 8/2/14 at 12:01pm

." Several people left the line because of his abusive behavior and spoke to the manager."

Oh, I reread the OP, and this one above is a really good one! I'm so sure that SEVERAL people left the line because he supposedly gave dirty looks and said the show's over. And I'm so sure they all went to the house manager. Did the OP follow them all to learn that?

oy vey.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 8/2/14 at 12:04pm

And afterwards they decided to start a support group (online, of course) so they can deal with all of the emotional abuse they suffered last night. These are scars that will take years to heal, Jane. Years to heal...

[justincharacter]

Posted: 8/2/14 at 12:16pm

"The correct response would have been: "Bitch, I'm buying a sweatshirt."



Updated On: 8/2/14 at 12:16 PM

[Fosse76]

Posted: 8/2/14 at 1:33pm

Hedwig has changed the routine of the ushers at the Belasco, and they are given much more latitude to clear the theater. Generally, ushers only need to remain until the seating area is clear. For some reason the ushers for this production are told to remain until everyone has exited the floor (I think they are concerned about people hiding out).

The ushers working the balcony and mezzanine must remain until the bathrooms are clear and are the. Permitted to tell people to leave. They are also permitted to instruct patrons who are lining up to buy merchandise in the mezz. to go to the merchandise stand downstairs. If the usher tells you the floor is closed, you need to leave. They work for the theater and have that authority. Merchandise sellers are a third party vendor working for the show, and have no authority over house operations.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 8/2/14 at 1:47pm

Where is the OP? I hope he can find the emotional strength after his ordeal to come back and let us know how he's dealing with the situation.

[veronicamae]

Posted: 8/2/14 at 2:13pm

I think the abuse they've suffered in this thread is nearly equivalent to what they suffered at the theater. The one-two punch was likely too much to stomach.

[Jane2]

Posted: 8/2/14 at 2:51pm

really? I hope they use this thread as a source of education re theater management, and/or a lesson in either exaggerating or making up situations.

[BobbyBubbi]

Posted: 8/2/14 at 3:04pm

The original poster is clearly being evasive. "stared at threateningly" LOL Something tells me this person has never been to New York before.

Get to the theatre early (something my generation also seems to have a problem with) and buy your merch before the show.
Updated On: 8/2/14 at 03:04 PM

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 8/2/14 at 3:11pm

People buying stuff after a show isn't a problem at all but there's just that one little bitty thing that that Alisa B. (a simple google search of the username will find her in a few seconds) left out telling us....the truth.

Updated On: 8/2/14 at 03:11 PM

[Jane2]

Posted: 8/2/14 at 3:25pm

I would never buy Merch before a show because I would only buy something if I loved it.

Updated On: 8/2/14 at 03:25 PM

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 8/2/14 at 3:30pm

Plus people are nice to you before the show unlike the demons they turn into when it's over.

[SweetLips]

Posted: 8/2/14 at 4:20pm

I don't get this---if people were waiting in line to buy something, then there was a person doing the selling-it wasn't a 'help yourself' stall, so until the seller left or said 'time gentlemen', then the merch.stall was open for business.
Also if as stated some complained to the Manager, where were they?
Edited after reading Fosse post.
Like your reference to 'bike' Jordan-perfect analogy.


















Updated On: 8/2/14 at 04:20 PM

[Smaxie]

Posted: 8/2/14 at 4:28pm

Belasco house manager and staff are first rate, so I agree that something is not adding up in the OP's account of events.

[BobbyBubbi]

Posted: 8/2/14 at 5:29pm

Even if the show stinks I always make an effort to buy a souvenir program (when available) if just for my own theatre nerd historical purposes.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 8/2/14 at 5:33pm

I saw a Saturday early show and there was DEFINITELY pressure from the staff to get your merch and get the hell out. But, you know, you gotta just assert yourself and get your merch. I just assumed they needed to get the house set for the second show.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 8/2/14 at 6:03pm

To the OP: Yes, that usher scolded me for talking a few minutes after the show to the person sitting next to me. But, I understood they wanted to go home, and that I needed to leave. You could have simply talked to management about it instead of bitching on social media. How ridiculous. Also, why is it worth mentioning his jacket was "ill fitting"? Why would you care? And, if you could send me a photo of someone "staring threateningly", I would really appreciate it.

[GlindatheGood22]

Posted: 8/2/14 at 6:40pm

When I saw Gypsy I knew Patti was going to run down my aisle so I kept turning around in my seat to see if I could catch a glimpse of her before she went onstage. I heard the lobby door open and shut so I turned around and g*ddammit there she was. That is the only time I have ever been stared at threateningly, in the theatre or otherwise.

[Michael Kras]

Posted: 8/2/14 at 7:25pm

I work as an usher, and people lingering around the theatre after a show is one of the most aggravating parts of the job. Because, of course, I'm not allowed to leave until the patrons are cleared out of my section. There are times where patrons are perfectly content to sit after the rest of the house is clear and just sit around to watch the crew strike the set. In my head, I scream "Go home! Don't you have somewhere better to be?"

Before I outright ask patrons to leave the house, I try to clue it to them. We do a thorough seat check before and after each show to look for any damages to the seats or any lost articles... So I walk through each row with a flashlight and examine all of the seats. That's usually what I hope will be a big clue for them that they aren't supposed to be there anymore, but often I just get a snarky comment that they think is hilarious, and they don't budge at all: "Hunting for extra change?" or other equally insulting variations.

Ushers have a deceptively difficult and wildly unpredictable job. I've done it for three years and, while I've worked shifts as easy as breathing, I've also worked days brought on by Satan himself. You also never know how many hours you're going to work each night... Sometimes it's two hours, other times it's seven. Nothing can prepare you on any given night, so you just have to hope for the best.

If this usher was as rude as he's described, it could have been a bad day. Like I said, an usher is never prepared for how the day will turn out. But in any case: he's a human, for god's sake, and he's doing his job.

[Jane2]

Posted: 8/2/14 at 8:12pm

I also did my share of ushering. When the show was over, and I would be checking around the seats, if there were people still lingering in them, I simply would smile at them and say in a cheerful way "we're closing' up, folks!" There was never a problem.

[StickIt]

Posted: 8/2/14 at 8:42pm

I just wanted to add also that if you're buying merch after a show, is it that hard to know what you want and be ready to pay? Half the reason these lines take so long is people wait in line, get to the booth, and spend 5 minutes debating between different shirts or souvenirs which they could have easily done while they were waiting. They do have to close the theatre and there's definite pressure on the merch staff to get people out as quickly as possible. After a show, everyone wants to go home (or have time for food on a two show day) so if you have anything to do after curtain besides walk out the door, I don't think it's asking much to be prepared and quick about it.

[OperaBwayLover]

Posted: 8/2/14 at 9:16pm

What Michael Kras said. I experience that at every performance I work as a house manager at two theatres in New Orleans. It's difficult for patrons to clear out for some reason, even when it's just a symphony concert and the instruments are being taken offstage. People just do not want to leave and heaven forbid you be polite or forceful when asking them to clear the auditorium. It's a no-win situation.

Also: I can't speak for the NY theatres, but at my theatre, when we have merchandise sales going on after the show, our staff is placed nearby as more of a way of keeping people from going BACK into the auditorium or to the upstairs bathrooms. True story: one of my coworkers was chewed out by a patron she politely spoke to about not being able to peek inside the orchestra section of the theatre when we were trying to close for the night. Patron got very huffy and was all, "I PAID good MONEY for my seat! I have a RIGHT to see this theatre as long as I like!" True, but we are humans too. And we want to go home at a reasonable hour like you. If you wanted to see the theatre that badly, come early, know where your seat is ahead of time, and be nice and look around when we open the seating area. We won't mind then and we might even point out some areas that you haven't noticed or a shortcut to the closest bathroom or where the closest theatre bar is. But maybe I'm asking too much...

[Jingjo2]

Posted: 8/2/14 at 9:18pm

If the next show is staring in an hour it's kind of understandable that they'd have to be rude to clear the theatre. Even people who wants to buy the tickets to the show (when there's a performance at the moment or coming up) are pressured to make up their mind and get out as the belasco (and its lobby) is so small.

I also am not surprise by the amount of line waiting for the merch because the show has no intermission and they didn't let people in early enoughh to buy merch before the show either.

Updated On: 8/2/14 at 09:18 PM

[Jane2]

Posted: 8/2/14 at 9:28pm

, "I PAID good MONEY for my seat! I have a RIGHT to see this theatre as long as I like!" True...."

really? Where does it say that?

[perfectlymarvelous]

Posted: 8/3/14 at 1:47am

I don't know about anyone else but I got into the theater at 9:45 tonight for a 10 pm show and I had more than enough time to use the restroom, buy a shirt, and get to my seat and get comfortable before the show started.

In any case, it makes me crazy when patrons won't leave after a show and spend a ton of time browsing the merch, using the bathroom, etc. The staff gets to leave when you leave. There's no problem with needing to use the restroom after the show or wanting to buy something, but when people start lingering for more than a few minutes and are just chatting or milling around it becomes very frustrating. The ushers in the mezzanine at the Belasco tonight were quite nice and respectful, and I've worked in many theaters and been a patron in many more and have only once seen an usher be outright rude to a patron (and she was known to be a little...salty, let's say).

[bwayrose7]

Posted: 8/3/14 at 10:54am

I too have had my fair share of time on house staff: I'm currently in my third season as a floor manager at a touring venue. I echo what Michael Kras said- there are some days where people are positively lovely and all goes well, and other days where I curse the day I accepted the job. What's most frustrating is people who treat us with disrespect, whether by refusing to leave or yelling at us. At my theater, there's also another problem: the paid staff with actual authority, such as myself, is made up primarily of college students and twentysomethings, while the volunteer ushers are generally retirees. I can't count the number of times a patron has asked me a question, then given me a doubtful look and turned to an older usher.

Anyways, I guess the gist of this thread is try to be polite to staff. I promise, we don't hate you, and even if we do we couldn't act on it.
Although one time a group of people wouldn't leave, and we slowly formed a human barricade to keep them from moving backwards, then, led by our house manager, began slowly moving forwards and somehow ended up singing Les Mis. They got the message, and it was fun :)