your worst theatre expierece

[chinkie azn jai]

Posted: 9/28/03 at 8:25pm

i was wondering what was everyone's worst theatre expierence (ie the audience, the show, w/e) mine's was when i saw The Lion King in Chicago and the people in back of us were soooo rude!!!!! the 2 kids inback of me were singing the whole time and even belting and they were in their teens they should know better!!!!! their parents didnt even care!!! There was also this woman in back of me and she was on her cell fone for most of the show carring on a whole conversation!!!! sooo yea that was pretty bad!!!! soooooo what was ur worst expierece???

[BillyLawlor]

Posted: 9/28/03 at 8:27pm

Hmm...I saw a community theater production of Batboy, and there was a teenager on his cell phone. I coulnt believe it. I wanted to turn around and slap the damn thing out of his hands!

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 9/28/03 at 8:32pm

I saw the National Tour of FOOTLOOSE starring Joe Machota as Ren and Matthew Morrison as Chuck. There was a group of teenagers behind me. They were about my age. About half way through teh first act, one of them said "Why is Ren gay in this? He was straight in the movie wasn't he?" Then they proceeded to discuss ren's sexuality. During intermission they were SURE Ren was supposed to gay in the stage version and then during "Almost Paradise", two of them at the same time said "Wait a minute.. I thought he was gay".

Same thing happened when I saw Gavin Creel in the National Tour of FAME

Posted: 9/28/03 at 8:32pm

Seeing RENT immediately comes to mind.

HAIRSPRAY was the more recent memory. While I disliked the show in retrospect what I disliked most was the robotic vociferous response of the audience throughout the show (still in previews). That experieince left an indelible memory of the lowest common demoninator that runs through most Broadway audiences today, in my opinion. Lemmings immediately come to mind.

Yours for intelligence on Broadway!

[dotmarie]

Posted: 9/28/03 at 8:35pm

In 7th grade, our team went on a field trip to the theatre to see a show called Shakespearience -- a "Shakespeare Experience"? Yeah. It was awful. Never EVER take a group of immature teenagers to the theatre. They were rude to the actors, calling out, screaming and whooping the entire time...it was terrible. Even worse, I appeared to be the only one who cared. We got back and I expected the teachers to lecture us...they didn't. Awful.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 9/28/03 at 8:39pm

Dear Chinkie---"mine's"???? Please use the editing device and correct your error.

Perhaps cellphones are the current bane of most theatrical productions. Despite the announcements that are made prior to the curtain rising, there still seem to be some self-impressed dolts who leave their phones on AND take calls during the performance. Such was the case last weekend at TRUMBO, where the phone rang endlessly while the patron rummaged through her purse to find it. She then took the call while everyone in the small theater listened to her conversation. (It wasn't that interesting.) Sitting nest to me at that same performance was a man who was watching something on his cellphone. I think it was the Mets game.

Still, I think my worst experience in the audience was sitting next to a woman in the City Center who smelled of hard boiled eggs. She truly reeked of it. To make matters worse, it was a rather long production. I kept wishing I'd brought along some mayonnaise!

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 9/28/03 at 8:41pm

I loathed RENT, too, BB.

On the other hand, I loved HAIRSPRAY to Reeses' pieces!

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 9/28/03 at 8:43pm

Yum! Ya got the hard boiled eggs on another thread, and the peanut buttery goodness snacks on this one. Somebody call Dr. Phil!

Posted: 9/28/03 at 8:46pm

You're right on the mark Dolly with people who insist on bringing their dinner, or lunch, to the theatre. While I understand you don't patronize films, trust me it happens much more frequently there. One patron was annoyed because I asked her not to eat her chicken in spicey garlic sauce.

At HAIRSPARY one heavyweight member of the audience sitting next to me proceed to eat her way throw bag after bag of pretzels, chips, anything that came in celophane. (Do they still use celophane?)

Class is definitely a thing of the pass, unfortunately.

Bulldog

[Dollypop]

Posted: 9/28/03 at 8:58pm

About 20 years ago I was in a local production of SOUTH PACIFIC and an early-curtain benefit performance had been scheduled. I'd had a busy day and rushed to the theater without having supper. As we started the performance a rather large woman opened up a picnic basket and began munching on fried chicken. Within minutes the entire theater reeked of fried chicken. I had solo lines in "There Is Nothing Like A Dame" and when I came to them I realized I was salivating badly. When I got off stage I paid someone of the staff to run out and buy me some Kentucky Fried because that was all I could think of from that point on!

[CourtneyM]

Posted: 9/28/03 at 8:58pm

when i was at the producers there were these 2 couples behind me who kept talking. everyone was telling them to shut up but they just kept laughing and talking. they should have a theatre etiquette before the show starts.

[BroadwayGirl107]

Posted: 9/28/03 at 9:21pm

When I saw this show called RENT, their were a bunch of screaming teenage girls throughout the entire theatre, I guess they were known as RENTHEADS. They would laugh abnoxiously loud at all the jokes that weren't even funny, even though they already hread the joke 26 timew before. They also screamed, yes screamed, not clapped, at the end of every line that was sung. On top of that, they made a habit of stalking the entire cast of the show.

[TheaterBaby]

Posted: 9/28/03 at 10:47pm

I didn't like Rent for the production, never mind the annoying girls behind me.

I hate any show I go to when people start singing along with the music. You're not at home people! I pay $100 to see and hear the people on stage, not the ones in the seats!

[StinKer Roadmann]

Posted: 9/28/03 at 11:04pm

Mine was recently at Rent. First of all, I went with people who laughed at the idea of seeing anything unless somehow they thought it was their idea...so they came up with Rent. The production itself was good, a bit confusing in the beginning...not my favorite, but it was still good. The bad part came in with these people in front of us who had a bodily stench. That's not even the worst part. I, being able to conduct myself like an adult noticed and quickly dismissed the unpleasant stench. The girl next to me (also an adult...she was drinking alcohol so she was atleast 21) proceeded to SNIFF me up and down as if it was ME. Sorry, I showered. Then she spent the entire performance fanning her playbill around and covering her face and just moaning and groaning about it. The other half of the show she was in the bathroom, so i don't know why she spent 100 bucks going. Then there was an obsessed Rent fan behind us who screamed and sang the whole time which was just downright irritating. Some people are so obnoxious!!

[TheaterBaby]

Posted: 9/28/03 at 11:25pm

lol I almost forgot, this one time I saw Gypsy, there was this woman sitting in the aisle next to me (we were both in aisle seats across from each other), and she kept kept laughing non stop and falling out of her seat. I'm not sure if she was drunk or if she was mentally challenged, but it was very distracting. She had been doing it even bfore the show started. I was so afraid she was going to fall out of her seat as Bernadette was walking down the aisle and trip her or something.

[CJR]

Posted: 9/28/03 at 11:28pm

3 words:

I Got Merman

[Amy Archer]

Posted: 9/28/03 at 11:51pm

Without a doubt, Thoroughly Modern Millie. On top of my own feelings about what's on that stage, a man behind me was laughing derisively at every Asian slur and stereotype put forth by that show. It made me want to crawl under my seat. It's one thing to do what Ann Harada is doing in Avenue Q. The role of Mrs. Meers in Thoroughly Modern Millie is the equivalent of blackface.

[cabarethed]

Posted: 9/29/03 at 12:16am

I'd have to say Into the Woods. I had a full cast and I liked the plot so I thought it would be a good day. I had a student seat in the second row, way off to the left. Therefore I couldn't see all of stage right. When I got there, an old lady was in my seat and got very pissy when she had to move one over (the sightline was even worse where she was supposed to be). When the show started, she saw that there were 2 first row seats a little more centered, so she ran over to them, tripping and half falling in her frenzy. For the WHOLE first number (and that's a long number!), she kept turning around and whacking her husband on the leg with her purse, hissing for him to get over there. He looked like he just wanted to crawl in a corner and go to sleep, but finally obliged during the applause. During intermission, the couple next to me assumed I was clueless about theatre and talked very condescendingly towards me about current shows playing, to which I one-upped them on everything they said. Unfortunately, the second act had a better plot, but I accidentally fell asleep a few times...I was so mortified. But I can't help it! I'm not a fan of slow songs for the most part, and slow Sondheim knocks me out.
Needless to say, it wasn't a good day.

[TheaterBaby]

Posted: 9/29/03 at 12:28am

At least Ann Harada actually is Asian.

Heather, you'll have to elaborate on your three words. lol I'm dying to know what you mean.

[CJR]

Posted: 9/29/03 at 1:11am

I Got Merman was a musical review tour which I worked on a few years ago. It was, as you may have guessed by the title, a tribute to Ethel Merman. It started in Japan (I believe) and then came here to the states. Basically you have three very different women "obsessed" with Merman and they each want to do a cabaret show about her. So it's kinda like a cabaret within a cabaret. You have one woman who is the spitting image of Merman, one short and marginally overweight black woman, and one super tall super skinny blonde... and they all think they are perfect for the show. They fight, but in the end they all wind up doing the show together. It was SUCH a cheesy show....

Laurie Wells was one of the understudies -- I ran into her in April when she did a Tribute to Betty Grable with my friend DL. Laurie had the best description of I Got Merman....

"That show was SOOOOOO ghetto!"

Hahhahaa

[Maggie]

Posted: 9/29/03 at 11:04am

Ok the worst theater experience happened when I went to see GYPSY. Nothing wrong with the show but when the usher showed me to my row...I stood there waiting for the 4 people who were in their seats to stand up and let me in. So I'm standing there looking at them...granted, they were elderly and I didn't notice their canes...so I politely said, "excuse me" and the grouchy old man on the aisle seat looks at me and says in the rudest way possible..."GO AROUND THE OTHER SIDE"...my jaw hit the floor and all I could muster was, "ohhhkay"...and I did! I was so upset about that...yeah, I'm sensitive I guess. It just put a damper on my whole day.

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 9/29/03 at 11:06am

In a word...CATS!!! Hands down, end of story.

Posted: 9/29/03 at 11:07am

one word...

COPACABANA

it was the worst experience

I rooted for the bad ones. It was pathetic.

[JohnPopa]

Posted: 9/29/03 at 11:14am

Doing 'Sunday in the Park With George' and realizing as brutally dull and pretentious it is as an audience member, it's even less interesting to perform.

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 9/29/03 at 11:17am

LOL John. I can not stand to sit through THE MUSIC MAN as an audience member, but I loved performing in it.(Twice.)