feeling uncomfortable as an audience member

[OddExoticCreature]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 6:09pm

Have you ever felt uncomfortable in the audience?

I always get a little weirded out sitting in the front row. Especially when I saw Lennon, I loved the show and it was really cool to be right up front like that but I felt SO AWKWARD the entire time. I didn't like knowing the actors were watching me, it was almost interactive at times. Wait no it was interactive when they specifically hand flowers and things to people. The 2nd time I saw it Mandy threw her purple flower at me (which I didn't get because I was freaked out and let the person behind me take it LOL) and Marcy specifically leaned down and handed me a flyer she saved for me. Which was SO adorable but it's just a strange experience for me since I'm used to the 4th wall concept. Then when the boys were sitting with their legs hanging off the stage...you get spit on...and that's not really my idea of a good time.

The first time I saw Wicked I was in the 1st row, last seat partial view and in the opening scene a monkey is cranking the thing to lift the curtain (right? I forget.) and he was right in front of me, that made me uncomfortable because being that close to an actor it makes me wonder who that actor is and what they're like as a person and what they're thinking at that moment etc. instead of just going, "oh look. a monkey." and then if any of the actors make eye contact with you, ugh. There goes any hope of being completely involved in the story. Again, it's not a bad thing it's just strange and a different experience.

As an actor I do not like to acknowledge the audience, it's easy for me not to...so I guess as an audience member it freaks me out when the actor DOES.

Anyone else agree?

[dmb_rent]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 6:10pm

Yeah it is weird. I feel the same way when I go to concerts. Like, it's GREAT to see the show from up close like that, but when they look at you..it's always like "ok what do i do now?"

[Broadwaygirl22]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 6:27pm

I felt awkward when I saw "The Lion King". It was great having orchestra seats and everything, but when the actors dressed up as the animals came walking down the asile, I had no idea what they were gonna do and I had an asile seat so they were walking right next to me. It was weird, but exciting though!

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 6:28pm

Ditto on the Lennon thing. Two out of the 3 times I saw it, I sat in the front row. They were wonderful seats, but it was still a little awkward at times. For example, when Julia came up to me and handed me a flower, I definitely felt a little weird then. The same for when Marcy (and then Nicole on a different day) handed me a flyer. I thought it was cute, but it just felt weird. When the guys sat on the end of the stage, I wasn't so weirded out, until Chad made a face at me and had me cracking up at absolutely the wrong moment.

when they look at you..it's always like "ok what do i do now?"

I agree with you there. Again with Lennon, I'd be looking up at the stage like normal, and then the cast members would look at me. I jsut smiled, but it still felt awkward. (Then after the show, a few cast members would acknowledge my look of stupid-happiness)

I think the most awkward was the 2nd time I saw RENT. I had won the lotto, so I was in front row, all the way to the left. During SOL, I clapped along with the cast (as did much of the audience), and MAtt Caplan (who was right in front of me) just looked down and gave this huge smile.

[kates422]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 6:33pm

I sat front row for Rent over the summer...and it was awesome, but I guess I do remember feeling weird. Haha--I didnt really know what to do. And then I kept watching people in the background, so that must've looked a little strange.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 6:34pm

With certain actors, eye contact freaks me out. It depends who it is, though -- and some people are more intense about it than others. A lot of times I'll catch someone's eye for a second, and for some reason be afraid, wonder why he's doing it, and look away.

I saw Lennon with my mom, from the front row. We had a blast, though. Will shook my mom's hand and went "hi, I'm John!" and talked to her about surviving the 70's before "Watching the Wheels." She was a little uncomfortable, but didn't really mind, on account of how attractive Will is.

It's a weird thing knowing they can see you, but it's a great experience to have at least once -- to be SO close.

Updated On: 11/29/05 at 06:34 PM

[BluCat500]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 6:34pm

During The Money Song in Avenue Q, Not a big fan of rifling through my purse in the middle of a show, its a fun number, as long as they're not soliciting to me of course!

Updated On: 11/29/05 at 06:34 PM

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 6:39pm

I was sitting in the front row on the aisle at Thom Pain, and at the point when Thom comes into the audience, he was standing right next to me, practically delivering the section of the monologue to me. I felt very uncomfortable.

[GYPSY1527]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 6:41pm

I love having front row seats and making eye contact with actors on stage! Its unbelievely fun!!
What really gets me is when people "bob" during songs. For instance, I saw DRS last April and during "Great Big Stuff", some woman and her mother were "bobbing" up and down during the song. I was like "this is NOT a freaken concert".

[ashley0139]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 6:41pm

I sat in the front row of Spelling Bee (it was my first time in the front) and I have to say I really enjoyed it. I liked sort of interacting with the characters. That show might be a little different though because it's more of that kind of show- little kids, interaction, etc. But I liked it a lot.

[zepka102]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 6:42pm

does looking at blucat's av count? i mean, we could be considered an audience to things like that...

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 6:45pm

We had a blast, though. Will shook my mom's hand and went "hi, I'm John!" and talked to her about surviving the 70's before "Watching the Wheels."
LOL, Will did that to my grandmother, too. I could tell she was a little freaked out, but found it very amusing.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 6:46pm

My mother look at his hand, then up at him and was like "uh... hiiiiii...."

I sat there and giggled my brains out. After, she was like "I wanted to tell him he was probably not even BORN in the 70's! And he was asking me how I survived them?! psh!"

[dmb_rent]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 6:47pm

A lot of times I'll catch someone's eye for a second, and for some reason be afraid, wonder why he's doing it, and look away.

Haha...yeah I do the same thing...it's like you don't know whether to smile at them or what...but it is a really cool experience to be so up close like that. Really fun.

[ihearttheatre]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 6:54pm

When I saw Sweeney Todd, I was in the second row, and there were are many points where the cast simply gazed into the audiance as they played their instruments. I was stared at a lot, but I just stared back. Experiances like that do make me think more about the actor than the character he/she is portraying, but I still was able to get lost in the story.

I think I didn't get uncomfortable because I didn't take it personally. I know they couldn't really see me. In fact, after the show they told me they can't see the audiance. Usually stages are lit in such a way that the audiance appears as only a bunch of shadowy faces, if that.

Anyway ,I understand why someone may feel uncomfortable sitting very close, but I haven't had that experiance.

[BluCat500]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 6:57pm

"does looking at blucat's av count? i mean, we could be considered an audience to things like that..."

:He SEES you when you're sleeping...He KNOWS when you're awake...

*considers going back to Puss...in Boots*

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 6:59pm

Wow, I didn't realize Lennon was that interactive.

Well, when I was in the front row for Wicked, near the end of the show the monkey was staring at me, which...didn't weird me out as much as it freaked me out...like I stay in the world of the show so I was like okay this monkey(not actor) is staring at me...

But I've been fortunate to have a couple experiences where actors know who I am and depending on the situation might do a slight wave at their side or wink at me or make a face at me, and I loove when that happens, I love the interactive feelng...

And Gypsy whew, I didn't see DRS in April, couldn't have been me...

[OddExoticCreature]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 6:59pm

"A lot of times I'll catch someone's eye for a second, and for some reason be afraid, wonder why he's doing it, and look away."

Exactly! Hahaha. It's really awkward when that happens during the bows...someone was STARING AT ME once and I was like "WHYY??" and it's just weird. I was going to ask her why at the stagedoor lol, because it was that obvious, but I missed her.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 7:01pm

The last time it happened, I was only sitting about ten feet away from him. I didn't know what to do, so I just picked up my camera and pretended I wasn't looking him straight in the eyes. I wanted to be like "why are you doing that? It's creeping me out."

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 7:01pm

I only feel uncomfortable when the show is bad and there's nobody in the audience.

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 7:05pm

A wink or a wave isn't so bad. For me, I thought the fact that Chad was making a face at me was just great. I guess I should've said that I was embarrassed, because he made me laugh at absolutely the wrong moment in the show.

[OddExoticCreature]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 7:05pm

emcee that happened to me at Bryant Park once, but I was farther away. Some of the cast recognized me and were staring and talking...I was so thankful for sunglasses!

haha yankee...that is uncomfortable.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 7:07pm

It happened to me at Bryant Park once, too. Well, then again, it happened to my video camera.

[singingwendy]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 7:09pm

This is sooooo interesting. When I did "The Music Man" this summer, the theater is very small and the stage is centered in the corner, so you make many entrances and exits through the house. So, the director purposely had the entire theater and lobby decorated as if the audience were guests to River City's Fourth of July Exercises. The cast also ushered and did a preshow on the set and with the audience every night.

It was always interesting to see people's reactions. Some of them played right along, but most of them just seemed annoyed. We got great reactions to our "Pick a Little" hats from teh Red Hat Society ladies who came to see the show, but most people just wanted to sit in their seats and ignore us!

My favorite was when one boy asked this group where they were from, and they said "Pennsylvania". And then he asked them how long they were staying, and they said "Oh, about 2 hours, until the show's over". And then he went off on them..."You travelled all the way from Pennsylvania and you're only staying for two hours? Now that's ridiculous!" It was so funny!

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 7:10pm

emcee that happened to me at Bryant Park once, but I was farther away. Some of the cast recognized me and were staring and talking...I was so thankful for sunglasses!

Ooh, I hear that. I saw the cast of Spelling bee at Bryant Park, and met Jesse Tyler Fergusona nd Celia Keenan-Bolger afterwards. A few day slater I went to the performance/CD signing at B&N. I was sitting way in the back of the room (I was a little late), but they saw me anyway. Celia saw me, laughed, tapped Jesse, and then nodded in my direction. He looked over and then they looked at each other and laughed, then both looked at me and laughed (not meanly). THAT was weird.