Bad Theater Behavior

[Mister Matt]

They were shows for the masses, and the masses includes aholes.

Not just the masses, it seems.

y point is just that there seems to be a direct correlation between the IQ of a show and the IQ of its patrons

Uh, that would include yourself given that you provided examples of attending those shows. Your point that you are somehow superior to the unwashed masses seems to be a big fail. Especially since probably everyone here and everyone you respect and admire have all probably attended (and may have enjoyed) all those shows upon which you smugly frown. But I'm sure someone somewhere is impressed you attended a laundry list of productions for the behaviorally privileged.

Meanwhile, when I attended a kid-filled Saturday matinee of Matilda, you could have heard a pin drop. Impeccable behavior from the adult vermin and maggots alike. Don't always see that happen at the Better People plays, of which I have attended hundreds of thousands.

[LizzieCurry]

When I saw Book of Mormon in Philadelphia, I was in the mezz and could see someone in one of the boxes using their phone during Act 1. It wasn't super-bright, but every time they took their phone out, it caught my eye from hundreds of feet away.

At intermission, I told an usher (I was in the slow-moving bathroom line at the time), who was super-attentive and very nice. She went to check on it and found out it was actually a MEMBER OF THE CREW who was working in that box. I was still in line, so she'd come back to update me. We were both incredulous ("They should know better, right?!" - quoth this awesome usher), but I didn't see the phone again in Act 2.

[Broadwaydreaming]

Doesn't matter the show, disrespectful people are everywhere. At lesser known shows though, you will probably find a crowd that frequents the theater and appreciates the art. Bigger and more publicized shows attract the tourist crowd. It's more about the overall respect someone has for theater in general. I know quite a few "smart" people that discount anything artistic because it's illogical. Some people just don't get hit with the magic, so to them, the point of manners becomes irrelevant. The phone thing though is just so annoying. Chances are nothing that special is happening that you need to be on your phone, especially ad. filled FB.

The kids at Matilda were very well behaved...the stage door was another story. It was obvious the parents wanted to be there more than the kids!

[mrsingerdude981]

I saw "Pippin" a few weeks ago on a Wednesday night, and the audience was awful! I was left mezzanine front row, and one of the Ushers came down and said no pictures before the show started, and two seconds later, a woman takes out her large canon camera and takes a picture! Then, I had a couple next to me keep groaning and speaking in a foreign language, and they obviously didn't enjoy the show, they talked in the most quiet moments, especially with Catherine! Finally, during the opening of the second act, the actor who plays Theo came to our side of the mezzanine, and a mother takes out her phone and sticks it right in front of his face AS he is juggling, and causes him to drop all of his balls, which is horrible. It was an awful experience in broadway theatre, but the show was fantastic and I was still some-what able to enjoy it!

[Hairspray0901]

Last night when I was at Mamma Mia there were 4 people sitting in the row behind me who were singing over the leads on stage. I was so annoyed. Luckily they weren't sitting directly behind me so it didn't annoy me as much as it did the people sitting directly in front of them but it was still rather noticeable. I kept turning around and glaring and they saw me but clearly didn't care. The woman next to me (sitting directly in front of the 2 of them while her daughter was sitting directly in front of the other 2) asked them nicely to stop singing at intermission. They then said something nasty back so she said she didn't pay to hear them sing, she would prefer to hear the actors. They then sang even louder throughout the second act, clearly on purpose. I really hate people like that. They were definitely tourists and immature tourists at that. I wanted to complain to the house manager to move my seats but I had really great ones and by the looks of it, it was full anyway. What do you usually do in a situation like that? I usually shush them but if they don't listen, then what?

[Sutton Ross]

I'm sorry a group of horrible dickheads ruined your evening. What I do in those situations is confront them (it doesn't have to be negative, angry or crazy) and let them know what they are doing is negatively impacting your enjoyment of the show. Most people don't realize sometimes, so that gives them a change to correct that behavior. If they continue, get an usher and they usually get security. The good ushers don't allow that to happen, and are usually on it. Just simply glaring at someone doesn't do anything, you need to speak up.

[brdway411]

I get the house manager. Same thing happened to me at Jersey boys. They were told to keep quiet or leave.

[ads08]

I was just at Jersey Boys and was seated in front of a woman and her two teenage children who felt the need to sing along loudly to every. single. song. She also repeated every piece of dialogue that she thought was funny. Meanwhile, in front of us a couple was eating snacks from a bag that crunched the entire time. About 3/4 through Act I, I had it and asked the woman if she could be quiet. At the same time, another audience member shushed her (her falsetto was off key after all). The loud woman decided to use this as an opportunity to talk about the "nerve of some people" and continued to sing loudly.

I would have spoken to a house manager, but my partner and I left at intermission. What happened to Jersey Boys? The actors seemed uninterested and sang with no enthusiasm. The whole first act just felt tired. This was not the same experience I had a few years ago!

[JoseLee_]

i saw wicked last week and i sat next to a family. mom, two young girls, and teen girl (sat right next to me).. the teen girl had her feet on the seat in front.. i was in shock.. the theatre isn't a movie theatre.. what kind of behavior is that? she was also talking to her sisters THE WHOLE TIME... oh yeah, they SANG! that was the first and hopefully last time an audience member(s) ruin my experience. i paid to see professionals sing for me not hear some dumb annoying little brats talk/sing.. thanks mom for not controlling you kids.

[dramamama611]

Wait, it's ok to put your feet up on the chairs in the movie theater?

[SweetLips]

It infuriates me to see the Oh so casual atttude in coffee shops when people put their feet up on another chair---the best[worst] I saw was a girl[in her 20s] actually SQUATTING in her chair throughout her entire meal--and she was with a group sitting normally.
Not in a theater I know...but..

Edit..added in age.approx

[Sutton Ross]

I have never experienced people SINGING the songs. I can't even imagine that. Audiences have been well behaved recently, although I skipped seeing ANY shows in December due to tourist season.

[NJ_BroadwayGirl]

I was at a Sunday matinee of Wicked in early December, center Orchestra on the aisle about 8 rows back. Midway through the first act, this guy from the middle of the row decides to get up - in the middle of a song. This meant half the row had to stand up in our seats to let him by, disrupting our row and obstructing the view for people behind us. And we were so close to the stage it was even more awkward.

I tried to be sympathetic in case he was having a bathroom issue or something. Well then he returned to his seat a few minutes later, again in the middle of a song, with about 4 drinks in hand!! He disrupted everything to get back to his seat. I was totally shocked that ushers allowed him back in during a song. This seems to be a theme on this thread - I guess ushers aren't policing this?

And of course he came back late after intermission, with the show already underway. And had more drinks and snacks! That time he actually said "it's the last time ... or it probably will be" and laughed. So I said totally straightfaced "well I hope so because it's really frowned upon to leave in the middle of the show."

[RW3]

I'm taking my mom to see Motown on Sunday and if people are singing with it, I am going to be really pissed.

[BroadwayNerd24601]

I was sitting in front of a very big family at a performance of the national tour of Annie. One of the family members had a bag that he kept crinkling. I was very close to shushing him but I didn't want to come across as rude. Then when the company started singing tomorrow at the end of the show the entire group started singing along very, very loudly. It was extremely annoying and made it very hard to pay attention to the show.

[Sutton Ross]

Always speak up. Never allow inconsiderate a$sholes to ruin your evening at the theater.

[JoseLee_]

i was so close to saying something to them but I went to the show alone and didnt want a lady bitching at me for complaining about her daughters. but really SINGING???? as if it was a sing-along.

not to be rude, but that's what happens when you buy cheap tickets.. or a cheap section, i mean. because thats where people sit who dont usually or ever go to the theatre... they dont know how to behave.. (in my experiences)

[Sutton Ross]

Absolutely. When I go to the theater, I always buy good seats to avoid idiots like that. I always sit in the first few rows or the first row of the mezzanine. I always spring for the expensive seats so I can have a great evening at the theater. I have given up other things for those seats (boozing out often with friends), and I rarely regret it.

[hi127]

When I saw Wicked last summer, through out Act 1 someone in one of the first few rows of the orchestra repeatedly booed Elphaba (Lindsay Mendez) whenever she spoke. I wanted to strangle that person!

[Sutton Ross]

OMFG, you aren't serious. That's the rudest thing I have ever heard!

[MX888]

I was at Hedwig on the 22nd (row AA, ctr orch) and 2 young ladies who were in seats 101/102 were singing pretty loudly for most of the songs. To top it off, one of the stage hands, handed them each "a souvenir" (I think it was a handful of confetti) for knowing the words to the songs… seriously, WTF?!

At Side Show, someone was crinkling a bag of M&Ms nonstop. Someone else had a box of candy and the echoing of the candy rolling back and forth was so freaking annoying!

[NJ_BroadwayGirl]

So this may have been discussed at some point, but I was watching Jessie Mueller's Broadway.com vlog from last year and in this clip she goes off on people who eat, talk, crunch, etc. during the show! It's GREAT. I thought of this topic as soon as I saw it.

She's clearly midshow and is speaking specifically about people in the first few rows and says how the people on stage can see and hear them and that it is distracting and rude. It's from about the 40 second mark to the 1:40 mark on the video. If the link doesn't work and you are curious it's Episode 6 of her Natural Woman vlog.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpVCg3C8mjk

[Christoph]

I have been actually fairly lucky with theater audiences and manners. I run in to far more problems at the movie theater or, more commonly, at concerts.

My worst experience was in the Mezzanine at The Lion King. I paid more at the time for that ticket than any prior Broadway show. I went with family, including kids. At the end of Act I, we were all so bored including the kids that we were debating whether we should leave at intermission. Decided to stay for Act II to see if it got better, which was a mistake. We kept our kids quiet and in their seats, but the couple next to us had three young children, who were equally bored and starting to show it. I was tolerant at first, but then their kids left their seats, started whining and making noise, and the Mom started having playful discussions with them in a voice like she was in her living room. And she kept acting like she could not hear the shushes from the other patrons. One of the kids got down on the floor and Mom started saying in a loud playful voice "Who's Mommy's little treasure? Does Mommy's little treasure want to play a game?" Mommy's Little Treasure (who looked about 8 and old enough not to be on the floor) starts crawling down the aisle under everyone's chairs, making everyone have to move their feet so as not to step on him. Instead of the mother making him get up off the floor and take his seat, she starts saying "OH, he does. He does want to play a game!" I finally could not take it any more and fixed her with my most malevolent glare and asked "Are you serious? For the price of these tickets, do you really think this behavior is appropriate or safe for your child?" She literally stared at me in stunned silence for a full minute before she finally called the child back to his seat - which meant half the row again had to lift their feet so he could crawl back. To this day, Mom and Her Little Treasure probably think I was being unreasonable. Any time I am slated to see a kid-friendly show, that experience comes to mind, but nothing even close to it has ever happened again. From the other Disney shows to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang to Matilda, the kids have been amazingly well behaved.

On a side note, the texting thing needs to be nipped in the bud though. I am really weary of these people coming to the theater and never looking up from the palm of their hand because they have such "important" things to say. I went to a matinee of A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder. A middle-aged woman across the aisle from me was deep into texting - then the lights went down and she took no notice. The chorus comes out and begins the first number, she ignores them completely and keeps right on texting. An usher finally arrived at her seat and demanded she turn it off, which she most reluctantly does. Intermission hits and immediately the texting starts again and the same scene plays out after the lights go out and Act II starts. Same usher shows up a minute later and says "I told you about that before" and again she reluctantly puts it away. Very glad there was a diligent usher on hand, but what the heck was so important that she would spend the kind of money that theater tickets cost and ignore the show right from the start so she could text?

[LizzieCurry]

I really wish the militance of the ushers at the Belasco and the Majestic would spread to all the other theatres.

[Sutton Ross]

^ YES

"what the heck was so important that she would spend the kind of money that theater tickets cost and ignore the show right from the start so she could text?"

Nothing. Absolutely nothing was important, she just needed something to do because some people cannot stand to just sit, wait, and read a program. Some people have no appreciation for the arts, they just want to be pretentious and SAY they see theater to impress their friends. It's pathetic and sad. In my age group (late 20's) it's terrible, but I see children to the elderly do it. They lack class and need to be yelled at each and every time they do sh*t like that. They need to start kicking people out with no refund. Perhaps then they'll learn.

[NJ_BroadwayGirl]

AMEN!

I am as hooked into social media/my phone as anyone, but beyond doing it because it's appropriate behavior, I genuinely look forward to the experience of turning my phone FULLY off and escaping into a show for a couple hours.