Hats Off To The House Manager At The Lunt-Fontanne

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 1/28/09 at 9:47am

I know that House Managers and Ushers often get a bad reputation on this board, and for good reason. But I just wanted to share a positive experience I had with a House Manager last night, to show that some of them really do their jobs well and we shouldn't lump them all into the "negligent" category.

I was sitting front row center at THE LITTLE MERMAID last night. All throughout the first act, this woman and her child sitting directly behind me were talking. Literally every five seconds. I shot them plenty of dirty looks, and finally gave them a couple Shh!s, but to no avail.

So Act I ends, and I immediately turn around and say kindly to the woman, "Can you please stop talking throughout the show?"

She said, "Get over it."

I said, "Excuse me, I paid to see the show on stage, not to listen to you talking."

She said, "HOW can you talk that way to a child?"

I said, "I am talking to you."

She said, "If you don't like it, then move."

I told her I was not moving and that I was going to get an Usher.

I got up and luckily saw the House Manager first. I explained what had just happened to her. She was very understanding and said she would take care of it. I returned to my seat just before the show was about to begin and, to my surprise, the mother and child were DEAD SILENT throughout the entire second act.

Considering how much they were talking, repeatedly, throughout the first act, I was VERY impressed by how well the House Manager did at silencing this disagreeable woman and her child.

I didn't get to thank her on the way out. I wish I had, though. But I just wanted to share this story to show that not all House Managers out there are as incompetent as the stories we often hear on this board. Of all shows, at a kids show like THE LITTLE MERMAID, I'm sure the House Manager has one of the most difficult audiences to deal with on Broadway on a nightly basis. So my hats off to the House Manager for being so friendly and understanding last night, and for doing her job so efficiently.

Updated On: 1/28/09 at 09:47 AM

[broadwayfan7]

Posted: 1/28/09 at 9:52am

Glad everything worked out!

[Schmerg_The_Impaler]

Posted: 1/28/09 at 9:54am

Wanna Be A Foster, that woman sounds VILE. Good for the house manager, though!

When I saw The Little Mermaid this summer, I went with my friend and her mother-- and my friend's mother has bad arthiritis in her knees. We were sitting in the mezz, but the seats off to the side are closer to the seats in front of them than the ones in the middle row, and my friend's mother's knees were really, really bothering her.

She left the show shortly before "She's In Love" and sat in the lobby. Apparently, the house manager found her a new seat that was comfortable for her and much closer to the stage. At intermission, the house manager found my friend and me and asked us if we wanted better seats as well, and we told her thank you very much, but we preferred the mezz. She said, "All right, we just want to make sure that all families can appreciate the show" or something like that. We were really impressed by the 'Disney' attitude in the middle of New York.

Updated On: 1/28/09 at 09:54 AM

[Broadway Bob*]

Posted: 1/28/09 at 10:01am

I had a similar situation at Studio 54. During almost the entire first act of SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE a very high pitched whine could be heard. Someone had a hearing aid near me and it was interfering with the theater's hearing assistance system. As soon as intermission started I got the house manager, told him about the problem and he took care of it immediately. No piercing noise in Act 2.

I was an usher for a while when I lived in NYC and yes there are a lot of really nasty people who do the job. They're there to make a couple extra bucks and don't give a hoot about theater. But there are a lot of good ushers out there who will go out of their way to help you. I was one of them and used to be embarrassed by the truly nasty ones.

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 1/28/09 at 10:02am

It's good to know that the House Manager of what must be a very stressful theater (what with Disney and the inevitable little kids) can keep a good head on their shoulders and kindly deal with situations like those instead of having the air of "My job is more important than dealing with your little issues" about them like in some other theaters.

[snowskittle]

Posted: 1/28/09 at 10:09am

Yeah...let's hear it for the house staff...

[theaterkid1015]

Posted: 1/28/09 at 10:16am

I'll drink to them!!!

[mikem]

Posted: 1/28/09 at 11:57am

I had a similar experience at The Little Mermaid on Sunday (with an audience member, not with the House Manager, who fortunately didn't have to get involved). There was a woman sitting next to me. Her child on the other side of her talked in a normal tone of voice throughout the entire first 15 minutes (including throughout the songs), and the woman did absolutely nothing about it.

So during a dialogue scene, I leaned over to the woman and asked her to please ask her child to stop talking. She got really angry, elbowed me, and said, "Hey, buddy, look all around you, there are children all over the theater." I looked at her and said, "Yes, there are, but the only one who is talking is YOUR child." And sure enough, there was complete silence otherwise.

The next time her child spoke, she said something to the child, and her child was quiet the rest of the show.

[MamasDoin'Fine]

Posted: 1/28/09 at 12:06pm

It would have been nice if you had found time to thank her after the show. I have house managed a few West End theatres and thanks don't come often enough. I can tell you now, it would have made her night.
Glad you shut bitch up tho.
Just imagine what it must be like working in that theatre night after night with that kind of audience with that kind of attitude!!!

[dramadude]

Posted: 1/28/09 at 12:37pm

Some friends and I got student rush tickets for Tarzan the weekend of July 4th, but my friend didn't check the tickets which she was holding onto. I asked, she told me what she thought, but was wrong (a lesson I have learned to always hold onto and check my own ticket). Needless to say, we're no longer friends.

Because of July 4th, the matinee on that Sunday was an hour and a half earlier. When we arrived, I was mortified and wasn't about to walk into the show during the start of the second act, but the House Manager (I think Tim was his name), without hesitating, escorted us to the box office and exchanged our tickets for that evening's performance. Evidentially, we weren't the only ones to make that mistake, and it played out in our favor. The seats were actually better than where we would have been seated at the matinee. We had seen the show before with student rush, but this was later on in the run of the show when the student rush tickets were the awful, obstructed view seats at the back of the orchestra.

[focusingonmoviesmatt]

Posted: 1/28/09 at 1:15pm

i saw her yell at a person for bringing in a starbucks... im scared of that women. if she yelled at me id shut up too.

[WishingOnlyWounds2]

Posted: 1/28/09 at 1:35pm

When I saw The Little Mermaid a mother and her child were thrown out at intermission, for what I'm not sure but the ushers and house manager got the cops in there and everything, I think the mother might have been intoxicated, but the point is they really do get there jobs done there.

[Mistress_Spouzic]

Posted: 1/28/09 at 2:56pm

The Neil Simon and Richard Rodgers also have great house managers in my experience.

[Craig]

Posted: 1/28/09 at 3:12pm

Somewhere there is a thread on some parenting magazine website started by this woman stating that the house manager at the little mermaid is unfriendly and rude towards families. Come on - you know someone like that is making a stink SOMEWHERE!

Updated On: 1/28/09 at 03:12 PM

[BroadwayBoy2]

Posted: 1/28/09 at 3:30pm

I'm assuming the House Managers stay with the theatre, and not the show? How can you tell whose the HM?

[CapnHook]

Posted: 1/28/09 at 5:36pm

I have only ever had positive experiences with House Managers. If ANYONE is having an "audience" or "seating" issue then I urge you to not ask an usher to help the situation, but to ask for the House Manager. They have the experience and intelligence to fix your problems. Ushers are, a lot of times, volunteers or new to a show. (But you'll know an experienced usher when you see one).

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 1/28/09 at 6:18pm

Wanna Be - It sounds like exactly the same woman and daughter that sat behind me at the Little Mermaid show in Disney World. Unfortunately, they don't have "House Managers" at that theatre. I thought her husband was going to punch me as we were leaving the theatre. They were infuriated I asked them to try and control their daughter's yelling and keep her in her seat.

[Phantom of London]

Posted: 1/28/09 at 6:28pm

Theatre is really a night out for adults, it is good to have older children at shows, who will understand what is happening and be mesmerised by it.

Leave them had home, until they have an attention span to cope with a theatre, as I said theatre is a night out for adults, who work hard and pay a lot of money, not to have the show wrecked, by some mum, who cannot say no.

[ashley0139]

Posted: 1/28/09 at 6:48pm

Needless to say, we're no longer friends.

Seriously? You're no longer friends with someone because they didn't check the time on your tickets? And that's "needless to say"? Wow, you're a harsh friend.

[verynewyorkcurious]

Posted: 1/28/09 at 6:52pm

I'm surprised the mom was being defensive. She is truly stupid if she thinks it's acceptable to talk through a show.

The audience at The Little Mermaid was the worst I've experienced since I've started going to Broadway shows. A lot of talking and cellophane and plastic bag crinkling. I told the usher at intermission. She couldn't have been nicer to me, but the crinkling continued through the second act.

[dramadude]

Posted: 1/28/09 at 7:03pm

Whoa... Ashley0139. Nice way to read into something too much? Not that it's your business, but it was a conflict of interest between roommates, unrelated to this show and this board. My post didn't even have anything to do with rude audience members, but more so the House Manager. Here I thought I was being off-topic.

[Eris0303]

Posted: 1/28/09 at 7:14pm

"The audience at The Little Mermaid was the worst I've experienced since I've started going to Broadway shows. A lot of talking and cellophane and plastic bag crinkling. I told the usher at intermission. She couldn't have been nicer to me, but the crinkling continued through the second act."

My sister wants me to take her but I told her that I will not take her to a matinee. It's an evening show or nothing. I figure that's the better option of the two. When I saw it it was a Wednesday matinee and I was kicked in the face by a young girl who was too young to sit through the show.

I have a question to throw out here. Say you're a house manager and a group of people come to see your show often. Over 40 times in three months. And these people exhibit inappropriate behavior (talking, yelling, singing, standing). There have been numerous complaints about this group. Do you allow it to continue because they're spending a lot of money on the show and ignore the other paying patrons or step in to handle the situation?

[joeybiltmore1]

Posted: 1/28/09 at 7:17pm

I've heard that "Shrek" is quite the KiddieFest as well. I'm all for bringing young 'un's to the theater but they better behave. So glad the problem at LM was handled so quickly and so well.

[winston89]

Posted: 1/29/09 at 12:05am

My mom has this ability when she is pissed at someone to ask them to do something in the nicest of ways. However, her tone of voice and how she speaks has the ability to send shivers down your spine. I must say that I picked that one and I am good at using it when I need to tell someone to stop eating, or taking pictures etc etc. It grinds my gears that people think that they are entitled to do whatever they want just because they paid admission to the show. It doesn't matter how much you have paid for the ticket. There have been times where I have paid student rush and I was sitting next to someone who paid full price. It shouldn't matter how much you pay because I feel that everyone is entitled to enjoy the show in quiet.

My general thought is that if your going to let things like screaming fans at a Disney show or some tourist having a ham sandwich at Phantom bother you, then they are going to bother you. But, you should try to at least ignore them. I understand that it is hard. For example, I am able to ignore kids talking and making noise at a Disney show. Because when I decide to go to a Disney show I know what I am getting myself into. But, when I last saw Wicked via the lotto, there were these two people who were taking pictures (IN THE FRONT ROW!!!) who were bothering me and despite me trying to drown them out it just wouldn't work.

As for Eris0303's question. To me it would depend on if it is a show that relies mostly on the frequent customers or if it's a show that doesn't need them to make money. I think that the house manager might not have said anything because they like the frequent business, and they fear that if they do say something that will have the people not come back. I guess they are feeling that they have to take the good with the bad. The good is of course that they are getting repeat business but on the same token they are making noise etc.

[MamasDoin'Fine]

Posted: 1/29/09 at 6:54pm

I don't think there is that much repeat bizz at 'The Little Mermaid' with the very young set, teenagers yes but not the very young.