770 replies to this topic

[Trev]

Something has to crack soon. Scum like her and her gormless cretin partner must be eradicated from theatres.

I am sure that an Old Bailey jury would accept your defence that you had not been warned prior to the performance that you were not allowed to severe the heads of annoying fellow patrons, no-one mentioned that you were not allowed to take your machete in etc etc.

[Backdrifter]

Sign at one of Simon Munnery's 'League Against Tedium' shows: This show contains epileptics. Please refrain from strobing.

[Matthew Winn]

I am sure that an Old Bailey jury would accept your defence that you had not been warned prior to the performance that you were not allowed to severe the heads of annoying fellow patrons, no-one mentioned that you were not allowed to take your machete in etc etc.

If I were on the jury I'd certainly vote to acquit. Severing heads is possibly somewhat extreme - there's always someone who trips over them on the way out and the stains are a bugger to remove from the upholstery - but if you're sitting immediately behind such a person and choose to put your feet up on the back of her seat: well, there's no sign to say you shouldn't, is there?

[Misplaced]

Today's matinee of Wicked - which thankfully I have seen before - at the end of As Long As You're Mine, Kerry Ellis says "It's just for the first time I feel... <pause>"

And the Cretin sitting next to me says (loudly) "horny"

I could have happily strangled him.  

Of course his competition was the chattering family sitting just back of me.  I don't know what it is about that show, but everyone must check what (little) manners they have at the door.  How does the cast perform through it?

[MrsDoyle]

I went to see Shadowlands this afternoon (Fabulous!) and yes we got a mobile phone going off just in a poignant moment when she is reading her husband's letter! Arghh!!

Also had a bad cougher behind me who did at least go out (after debating whether to with her husband!)

[Buttons8488]

Today's matinee of Wicked - which thankfully I have seen before - at the end of As Long As You're Mine, Kerry Ellis says "It's just for the first time I feel... <pause>"

And the Cretin sitting next to me says (loudly) "horny"

I could have happily strangled him.  

Of course his competition was the chattering family sitting just back of me.  I don't know what it is about that show, but everyone must check what (little) manners they have at the door.  How does the cast perform through it?

I've been to see Wicked 3 times and only once has it been at all spoiled by badly behaved audience members - people chattering and walking in late. Again, I have always found it to be older people that cause the problems. The school trip behind me in Les Mis were very well behaved. Maybe it is because students etc - the young people who go to the theatre - have very little money and so value every theatre trip a lot more than older people. I know that's true for me.

[Lynette]

Not badly behaved exactly but went to see Speed the Plow on Sat evening: a lot of the audience had obviously come to see the 'stars', had maybe heard it was funny and were laughing from the off when frankly it needs a few minutes to be funny..the usual very loud laugher behind me, an American, so sorry but I cannot lie and he seemed to think he had to communicate that he was on a different appreciation level to the rest of us. Four mobiles went off...yes 4 with message rings or trills, not near me but quite audible. A restless audience. I wonder how much is the fault of Spacey and Goldblume [ spelling?] not taking control of the audience, maybe the writing in the first few mins not allowing them to do so. One stare from Spacey would have done it but he was focused in and to the side and not looking out until about a quarter of the way thru the first scene. The ending brilliant, could have heard a pin drop.

[Jessie]

To add to the debate about whether the older people or the kids/teenagers behave worse in theatres; I myself am 15 years old, and my parents have been taking me to the theatre for as long as I can remember.
I generally agree that it is actually the older people that behave rather shockingly during shows. during my second visit to Joseph, myself and a friend weren't sitting next to eachother, and swapped seats in the interval. I was sitting next to a very sweet girl in a wheelchair, her sister, had a child two seats to my left, and a very sweet girl in front of me. Of all of these, the woman on my right (the mother of one of the girls) was the worst. She was extremely rude to my friend when she was sitting in the seat.
The other seat we had was row U, and we'd got both our tickets on the day, and had got returns. the people around us in row U, we had obviously got the ticket that one of their group should have been in, but couldn't make it, and the people were giving her dirty looks the whole time, and muttering. When we switched places at the interval, as I sat down, I gave them a smile, as a thank you for giving me their seat, basically. They promptly muttering "Oh look, they've switched places, I bet this girl's awful as well, she shouldn't even be here" and generally being rude. If you don't want someone to sit in the seat that much, don't return the ticket, and sit next to an empty one!
They sat through the whole second half determined not to have fun, which is ridiculous, you go to the theatre to enjoy yourself, immerse yourself in the theatre, and generally relax into the story.
I hope that made sense...

[JR1]

Not badly behaved exactly but went to see Speed the Plow on Sat evening: a lot of the audience had obviously come to see the 'stars', had maybe heard it was funny and were laughing from the off when frankly it needs a few minutes to be funny..the usual very loud laugher behind me, an American, so sorry but I cannot lie and he seemed to think he had to communicate that he was on a different appreciation level to the rest of us. Four mobiles went off...yes 4 with message rings or trills, not near me but quite audible. A restless audience. I wonder how much is the fault of Spacey and Goldblume [ spelling?] not taking control of the audience, maybe the writing in the first few mins not allowing them to do so. One stare from Spacey would have done it but he was focused in and to the side and not looking out until about a quarter of the way thru the first scene. The ending brilliant, could have heard a pin drop.

A woman in front of me laughed loudly (but falsely) the whole way through Speed the Plow, even when the line was only worth a wry smile.  How my friend slept through the laughter I'll never know.

[Backdrifter]

To add to the debate about whether the older people or the kids/teenagers behave worse in theatres; I myself am 15 years old, and my parents have been taking me to the theatre for as long as I can remember.
I generally agree that it is actually the older people that behave rather shockingly during shows. during my second visit to Joseph, myself and a friend weren't sitting next to eachother, and swapped seats in the interval. I was sitting next to a very sweet girl in a wheelchair, her sister, had a child two seats to my left, and a very sweet girl in front of me. Of all of these, the woman on my right (the mother of one of the girls) was the worst. She was extremely rude to my friend when she was sitting in the seat.
The other seat we had was row U, and we'd got both our tickets on the day, and had got returns. the people around us in row U, we had obviously got the ticket that one of their group should have been in, but couldn't make it, and the people were giving her dirty looks the whole time, and muttering. When we switched places at the interval, as I sat down, I gave them a smile, as a thank you for giving me their seat, basically. They promptly muttering "Oh look, they've switched places, I bet this girl's awful as well, she shouldn't even be here" and generally being rude. If you don't want someone to sit in the seat that much, don't return the ticket, and sit next to an empty one!
They sat through the whole second half determined not to have fun, which is ridiculous, you go to the theatre to enjoy yourself, immerse yourself in the theatre, and generally relax into the story.
I hope that made sense...

Yes, I understood. That's horrible - totally unnecessary. You sound like a very reasonable, well-balanced person so take comfort from the fact that compared to you, she is clearly an obnoxious, nasty piece of work determined to whinge and not get any proper enjoyment from life.

By the way, it's heartwarming to read that you feel so at home in theatres, your parents having regularly taken you.