Avenue Q ushers

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 8/24/05 at 6:28pm

Saw it this afternoon and noticed that the ushers and security people they have employed are some of the nastiest people I've ever encountered. One ticket taker in the mezz. area grabbed a ticket out of an older lady's hand, who reacted by screaming at her and calling the manager over. In the auditorium, an usher-ette who resembled Atilla the Hun almost tackled people when they even took out their cell phones.

Anyone have an experience like this there?
Updated On: 8/24/05 at 06:28 PM

[exedore]

Posted: 8/24/05 at 6:32pm

The guy who seated my mother and I last time I was at the show was incredibly polite and very nice to us. The one handling the centre section, though, was a bit more pushy, but I personally *liked* that everybody who had a phone out got shouted at - we didn't have a single one go off during the performance.

[LaVieBoheme2]

Posted: 8/24/05 at 6:34pm

I didn't find the Avenue Q users to be that terrible, only the person who was taking tickets got all upset because my dad, who I was standing with, was holding both of our tickets, and when I was waiting outside the theater for my dad to pick up our tickets one yelled at me about loitering and so I just kind of walked away from him, but I've experienced worst.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 8/24/05 at 6:35pm

All I knows is there was a fine blond usher in the mezz when I saw it my second time. He can grab my ticket anytime!

[Orpheum]

Posted: 8/24/05 at 6:37pm

One of the elderly woman ushers had a spasm when she saw someone with a camera phone. "Get that camera away!"
"It's not a camera!" "Get that camera away!" "It's a phone!" "Get that camera away now or I'll call the police!" "Jeez, fine lady."

[Plum]

Posted: 8/24/05 at 6:37pm

They were fine when I went.

[whatyouown223]

Posted: 8/24/05 at 6:38pm

I've found many of the Hairspray ushers to be rude.

[Orpheum]

Posted: 8/24/05 at 6:41pm

Oy. One of the Hairspray ushers kicked my legs in from the aisle. "The performers will be coming down this way - legs in!" Thanks a lot, beeyatch, you've spoiled the show for me AND I'm in pain.

[EponineThenardier]

Posted: 8/24/05 at 6:43pm

When I went to Q I noticed the same thing. Anyone who had a phone out when they walked inside were blasted by the ushers. Granted phones shouldn't be in the theater, but it was kinda weird.

[LittleBitRacist]

Posted: 8/24/05 at 6:53pm

when i went to see spamalot during intermission, a boy in the front row of the balcony brought his soda back to his seat. Thie old lady usher was all the way to the side and a few steps down if i remember right (its a BIG balcony) and she kept flashing her flashlight in our direction trying to get the guys attention. she had this REALLY serious mean face on, he didnt even see her but like 12 people sitting in all directions of him were pointing at ourselves being like "me?? are u talking to me??" and she was so far she couldnt even do anything. eventually we tapped the boy to look at the usher and she did this weird hand motion that meant "no drinks" we were all really confused, and she was like flashing her flashlight all around and pointing and making nasty faces. eventually i realized what she was trying to do and i told the boy he wasnt allowed to have his drink, and he was like "oh ok" and went to get rid of it. the usherette looked really pissed and like stormed off. would if kill her to walk a little bit and save like ten minutes and just go up to him and say "no drinks allowed in the theatre"?my god. it was ridiculous.

[Traci]

Posted: 8/24/05 at 7:38pm

I'm surprised to hear that some of you think the ushers are so nasty at Avenue Q. Last time I was there the woman that showed me to my seat was nothing but polite. During intermission, I stayed at my seat and the same woman came up to me and asked if it was my first time there and if I was enjoying the show and the like. I had a very nice conversation with her. When the show was over, she asked me if I had plans to see it again. I told her no, but then won the lotto two days later. I sat in the same section as before and she was the usher to show me to my seat. She remembered me from two days prior and even congratulated me on winning the lotto.

I did notice the thing about the phones though, which pissed me off at first, but they shouldn't be used in the theatre anyway so I soon got over it.

Sorry for the novel.

[tumadre2]

Posted: 8/24/05 at 7:48pm

I've not really had bad experiences. I actually had good ones with Avenue Q and Hairspray.

At Avenue Q, when the usher lead me down to the lotto seats, she congratulated me, and told me to enjoy the show, and politely reminded me not to touch the stage.

I was in SRO at Hairspray, and a minute into the second act, a young male usher came over and quietly lead my friend and I to two empty seats in the third row. We barely had time to thank him - that was awesome!

[Plum]

Posted: 8/24/05 at 7:51pm

Y'know, after Ringing Phone Incident #52,473, I don't blame ushers for getting strict.

[Traci]

Posted: 8/24/05 at 7:58pm

tumadre2, the usher asked you not to touch the stage? It's kind of funny you say that becasue when I was there, I was having a great time leaning on the stage looking into the wings watching Barrett getting ready with princeton to make his enerance for B.A. She never said anything to me about it.

[beenthere]

Posted: 8/24/05 at 8:00pm

I used to bartend at the Royale and the ushers could get a little short with people. But, honestly some theatre goers can be a bit aloof

[beenthere]

Posted: 8/24/05 at 8:02pm

I used to bartend at the Royale and the ushers could get a little short with people. But, honestly some theatre goers can be a bit aloof

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 8/24/05 at 8:04pm

Some ushers catch you being bad/know when you are doing something bad and some don't. That doesn't change the fact that patrons should follows rules and etiquette.

--No cameras EVER
--Don't touch or lean on the stage
--no cellphones
--no food or drink

etc etc etc etc etc

Posted: 8/24/05 at 8:15pm

i saw rent a couple weeks ago, and people were taking pictures of the set. while everyone was just talking away, waiting for the show to start one of the usher-ettes YELLED, "THERE AER NO PICTURES IN THIS THEATRE!!!!!" first everyone went silent, out of shock, then laughed and applauded. good times.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 8/24/05 at 8:18pm

lol--if you heard a booming usher voice at WONDERFUL TOWN, chances are--it was ME!

[LaVieBoheme2]

Posted: 8/24/05 at 8:31pm

Last time I was at Rent, the userette kept on having to yell at some people about cameras (like 5 times), and she was getting pretty upset, but I would be upset too if some idiots kept on using cameras after I already asked them not to. When I was at Light in the Piazza, one of the ladies was a little rude about showing me to my seat (not really mean, just kind of rude about it), but that doesn't mean there aren't nice ushers to, they just get overshadowed by the not-so-nice sometimes.

[YessicaB]

Posted: 8/24/05 at 8:46pm

I din't experience anything like that before (well I haven't seen Avenue Q either.......lol.) But I usher and you should give them a break. It's not fun to tell people 20+ time to turn off their damn phones. Be glad they do, because it would ruin the performance for you if they went off. Taking pictures is illegal so they have to be strict about that.
And seating people can be a pain, because think they are too smart for this, march straight past you and then find out ten minutes later that they can't find their aisles/seat/etc

[Luckydave14]

Posted: 8/24/05 at 9:13pm

When I saw Chicago last night, I was using my cell phone after I was coming back from the bathroom and couldn't find my cousin and the usher came up to me and in a very loud and mean voice told me that if I didn't put away my cell phone she was going to fine me $50. I never heard of this rule before. I think its fine to use a cell phone in a theatre, but just not when the show is on. By telling someone who is using there cell phone before the show that they cant use it in the theatre doesn't mean that a cell phone won't go off during the show. What happens if someone that didn't use it before the show had it on and it rang during the show?

[loudasthehelliwant]

Posted: 8/24/05 at 9:18pm

I understand how it must feel after an usher yells at you, and it isn't fair. (I agree there's nothing wrong w/having a cellphone out- you just might be turning it off- before the performance, or coming back from the bathroom, or whatever.)

HOWEVER, the theatres are probably facing a HUGE cell phone problem right now. I saw POTO, and the guy in front of me not only had his cell phone on, but TOOK the call, RIGHT THERE IN HIS SEAT. He sat there in front of the stage talking on the phone. So, b/c of the bad majority, the good minority gets punished to. It's sad, but it's life.

Just as we would like the ushers to show us respect, we have to respect the ushers, and understand that they have to put up with all sorts of bad behavior every night and they can't neccessarily take the time to make a distinction between your cell phone and the guy in the third row who's talking on his during the performance.

Personally, I like to listen to the ushers' conversations. When I saw Tracy, the ushers were discussing how at the matinee the guy who played Edna called the Tracy by her real name. Its amusing to pick up tidbits like that. :-P

Updated On: 8/24/05 at 09:18 PM

[LuvBroadwayHugs]

Posted: 8/24/05 at 9:23pm

Well. When I saw Movin Out', during intermission, my phone rang because my friend was calling because she was freaking out because her brother was in the hospital and the usherette was SCREAMING at me. I told my friend to hang on, she was hysterically crying and I looked at the woman and held my phone out and said, I'm sorry, I understand the rules but there's a bit of an emergency. And she gave me this death look and she's like "I don't care. It's against the rules. So I got pissed and went DO YOU WANT TO TAKE THE CALL?! SOMEONE NEEDS TO! and she backed off. One of my prouder moments... =0

At Rent last month, there were a bunch of...foreigners, to put it lightly, who were taking pictures. The ushers were shouting NO! NO! NO PICTURES! YOU CAN'T USE A RECORDING DEVICE OF ANY KIND!! and these people didn't speak english. It was pretty interesting

[loudasthehelliwant]

Posted: 8/24/05 at 9:27pm

Ok, Mr. Cool Avatar (though, I think we all need to admit that it is tango COLLINS ), THAT (the EMERGENCY on a cell-phone DURING INTERMISSION) is an example when the usher's behavior is really and truly obnoxious and (I would say) unexcusable.

Updated On: 8/24/05 at 09:27 PM