feeling uncomfortable as an audience member- Page 3

[Allie]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 3:55am

2. When one of the Blue Men popped up to the mezzanine level and stared at me, I yelped loudly. Like it wasn't bad enough that the theatre looked like a serial killer's den, leaving me with a spooky feeling... but then one of the serial killing looking blue dudes just HAD to sneak up on me. LoL

Oh my goodness, I probably would have peed my pants! SCARY!

[Eastwickian]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 5:35am

My first time seeing Cats in the West End made me very uncomfortable - during 'The Naming of Cats', the actors came out into the audience and would find people to stare at in a direct cat-like way. Unfortunatly, I was on the end of a row with a stairway directly in front of me - great for leg room, not so great when a rather attractive lady cat in a tight leotard decides to sit in fron of me and stare whilst reciting poetry for a good five minutes. That's wrong on so many levels...

I agree completely about the Blue Man Group being slightly freaky as well Updated On: 11/30/05 at 05:35 AM

[Gingersnap]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 10:43am

If we want to talk uncomfortable in the literal sense, I was very uncomfortable when I saw DRS from the mezzanine...my legs are long and, oh, did my knees ache from the cramped seats.

But...if we're talking the other stuff...the first time I saw Phantom at the Majestic was also the first time I'd sat front row for any show at all. Getting eye contact from Anne when she came out with the fake head and from Jeff Keller took some getting used to.

And then, during the last Act, I got spit on enough times by Hugh Panaro to make me regret not having an umbrella.

I did front row a few other times and got used to everything, though.

[thejcm]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 11:18am

I have a story from the other side of the stage. I was in The Rocky Horror Show last month and during quite a few of the songs us Phantoms would be out in the audience dancing and singing our little tushies off. I definitely rememeber a few distinct stares of awkardness from audience members...it was so much fun!

[Macavity]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 11:30am

Last year i went to a show and i was 1st row. But before i spoke to one of the actors at the stagedoor. And she knew where i was sitting. So i was feeling really awkward and hoping she didn't see me. But after the show she told me she did. I didnt like that. I didn't like it that she had seen all my responses to the show.

[greenifyed]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 12:10pm

I'm sure quite a number of females on this board will agree with me at how awkward it is to have Matt Caplan stare down your shirt while sitting front row center at RENT. He makes an attempt to put the key right between your feet, while looking straight down your shirt if it's low cut. How endearing, right?

I didn't really feel it, but the girl sitting next to me was so weirded out during SWIWS when Idina literally stared her down in the first act. She turned to me at intermission and was like "Did you see her giving me the death stare, too?" It was really strange.

Um. Let's see. I don't really get uncomfortable when sitting so close, but I laugh a lot harder than I would if I wasn't -- does that make sense? Like in RENT, a lot of the actors know me, and so they like to pay extra special attention to me -- and sometimes I feel uncomfortable with the people around me, not the actors. For instance, almost every time I see the show from lotto seats I get pointed at during La Vie Boheme, and 9/10 times after it happens, the person next to me (if I don't know them) will ask me why the actors keep looking at me or pointing at me. And then you try to explain it and you end up with a bunch of word vomit..

I think I've rambled on enough now.

[Adam Chris]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 1:30pm

I think the most uncomfortable I have ever felt as an audience member was earlier this year during a performance of Take Me Out in San Diego where I made eye contact with one of the actors during the 1st act....and then during the 2nd act made eye contact with the same actor during the shower scene. I thought I was going to die right there in the seat. We made eye contact 1 more time during the bows. I'm sure my face was a very bright pink.

[StephanietheStar]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 2:52pm

I made eye contact for a long time with Cary Shields during "Seasons of Love" and my heart jumped...and then I was just happy....

I love it :)

ahhh....

[adamgreer]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 3:34pm

Eye contact doesn't bother me so much.

I get nervous when actors break the fourth wall and try to make me a part of the show. I have no desire to be up on the stage. I'm content in the audience. I know it's silly, but it freaks me out.

I always consciously avoided the front couple of tables at Cabaret, because I never wanted to dance. I'll never sit in a Spamalot aisle seat, and being picked for the spelling bee would terrify me.

[zelda]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 3:38pm

so stop sitting in the front row

[tagiunagi]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 3:41pm

Lots of lotto seats are in the front row, so you can't help it, zelda.

[wexy]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 4:41pm

A bunch of years ago I saw an off Broadway performance on "The Cocoanuts." on 46th Street. I was sitting on the aisle and the guy playing "Chico" ran down the aisle to the stage and nailed my foot with his heel. Now THAT was uncomfortable.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 4:51pm

When I saw Cabaret, I was sitting at the table closest to the stage. Prior to the show starting, the ladies came out to try to attract the male patrons, most of whom were with male companions, so they didn't really bite. The ladies came over to me, I was with a female companion. To be funny, I took out my wallet, and waved a dollar bill in one of their faces. All of a sudden, all of the ladies were in my direction, wanting $$.

Not uncomfortable, but very funny.

I felt bad for the Phantom I ignored at Rocky Horror at the Circle in the Square, who tried his damndest to get me to turn around.

[wickedfreak]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 5:21pm

Last march i was in a community theater showing of Beauty and the Beast. During "Be Out Guest" the ensemble that was not an enchanted abject went to the back of the theater and sang. well...we song on the sides and this one guy looked at me and gave the biggest WTF face i have ever seen!. Oh how i love that show! lol

[littleredridinghood]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 5:36pm

Once I saw a really bad school edition of Les Miz and it was incredibly awkward because the whole audience was like "ooh" and I kept cracking up at unintentionally hilariously staged scenes, like when Cosette and Marius meet, Javert's death, and Gavroche's death...

[theatrebabe]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 5:54pm

One of the theaters in our town is very small. No matter where you sit, you're right up close, but if you sit in the front row, they're right on top of you. There's no actual stage, just floor. The last show I went to there was 'You're a Good Man Charlie Brown'. Our seats were in the front row. The actor who was playing Charlie Brown really likes to make eye contact with people. It freaked me out. I was afraid to look up the entire show.

[Rebekah]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 7:55pm

OddExoticCreature you're too funny! What I meant was one time the guy on stage did something dopey looking and it broke me up and when the guy on stage realised it made me laugh then he got the big smile on his face.

Between me and the guy there was no feeling of awkwardness but then I realised that it separated us from the audience in whole. Then I started feeling uncomfortable. So much for trying to make sense!!!

[Cenoern]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 10:45pm

I love interacting with the actors on stage (because I'm an actor), so I've rarely felt uncomfortable.

For those who don't know (Avenue Q Spoilers), for the Money Song... tune in to 3 mins 40 seconds into the song, when they are collecting money for Princeton.

"Look's like we're going to have to ask more people.. HEY!"
*house lights go on, everyone leaves the stage and passes hats and baskets through the audience, ensemble members dance through the mezzanine with puppets*
"Give us your money... all that you got..."

It's really pretty funny but totally surprising if you don't know it's coming.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 10:52pm

You know, I've always wondered...what do they do with any money they happen to collect? Does it go to BC/EFA?

[anne3]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 11:35pm

I've got one. I saw Spelling Bee from lotto this summer. I was the first name called so I was front row on those bench things... And I was wearing a skirt. It was too too short, but it wasn't long. That was a little wierd.

I like making eye contact with people on stage.

[Liz_Bennet]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 12:23am

I sat in the front row at the National Theatre this summer (the Olivier). Dead center. Something about the combination of sitting in the laps of the cast, being in a (somewhat) foreign environment, and being extremely jet-lagged made it a uniquely intense experience. I felt like I had to pay attention all the time, because if I started to look distracted the whole cast would see and I would be really embarassed (that's why I always sit in the front row in class, especially classes I find dull). But it was such a fabulous production I forgot about this pretty quickly, and just enjoyed it.

Updated On: 12/1/05 at 12:23 AM

[kmbrlee8252]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 1:11am

My friend had front row tickets to see See What I Want To See tonight and he said the actors were so close to him that it was closer that when people sit across from him at his desk at work.

Personally I am glad I haven't had that experience, I would definately be distracted and more into the fact that this famous actor was near me than paying attention to the show.

He said at one point Idina was sitting sideways on teh chair in the scene and was directly facing him. He didn't know what to do! haha!

[Anakela]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 2:50am

adamgreer: yep, The Money Song money does go to BCEFA- I was totally curious after my first show, as to what they do with it, so I googled it. :) And plus in the BCEFA pleas this season Stephanie mentioned the hat money goes there.

[ajayspak2]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 4:40am

I sat in the first two rows of Rent at least 6 times in 97 and I loved feeling that interaction with the cast on stage, it made me feel apart of the drama, no ackwardness at all, just the opposite, Anthony recognized me after the show cos I was wearing a Breeders shirt he couldn't keep his eyes off of. And we laughed about it. To me it's awesome.

[Christina314]

Posted: 12/1/05 at 6:16pm

if i was in front row and hugh panaro spit on me i would not care..he can spit on me all he wants..
Updated On: 12/1/05 at 06:16 PM