4,799 posts
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Post by The Matthew on Sept 13, 2016 16:04:18 GMT
I once got ripped to shreds on Facebook when I posted about a Mother allowing a child to go to the toilet in the middle of a busy shopping street-I mean in the middle of the street. Aparently I just 'don't understand' because I'm 'not a Mother'...um I understand that it's a bit disgusting... I think perhaps they misunderstood, and when someone said to them "Wow, what a Mother" they failed to appreciate that it was an abbreviation of a four-syllable word.
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806 posts
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Post by duncan on Sept 13, 2016 18:15:06 GMT
All that said, I once got ripped to shreds on Facebook when I posted about a Mother allowing a child to go to the toilet in the middle of a busy shopping street-I mean in the middle of the street. Aparently I just 'don't understand' because I'm 'not a Mother'...um I understand that it's a bit disgusting... That'll teach you to enter into conversation with Paula Radcliffe's mum.
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19 posts
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Post by ailsmal on Sept 13, 2016 19:10:33 GMT
I've only left two shows early. The first was 2001's Mill on the Floss (New Ambassadors I think) to catch the last train......I did feel a bit guilty, but in my defence it started half an hour late and by 11:20pm I was losing the will to live, I dread to think what time it eventually finished at. The second was 'The Hobbit' (2000), they must have covered half the book in the first ten minutes, it was really awful.
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258 posts
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Post by notmymuse on Sept 13, 2016 21:26:26 GMT
I've only left two shows early. The first was 2001's Mill on the Floss (New Ambassadors I think) to catch the last train......I did feel a bit guilty, but in my defence it started half an hour late and by 11:20pm I was losing the will to live, I dread to think what time it eventually finished at. The second was 'The Hobbit' (2000), they must have covered half the book in the first ten minutes, it was really awful. I never used to leave at the interval, ever, but couldn't face much more of a touring musical a few years back so left. I felt really rebellious after... Since then, I've left quite a few times at the interval. I ask myself if i'd rather be at home doing the washing up than go back in. If it's a yes, I'm off. If it's a papered ticket I'll stay, otherwise I've paid for the product so it's my choice to leave it half eaten or not.
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658 posts
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Post by theatremiss on Sept 22, 2016 23:38:38 GMT
I think I must be terribly rude then! If I've paid money for something, and I'm not enjoying it, why on earth would I stay 'til the end? Obviously I've only ever left in the interval (except once) but I was certainly very discreet. The other side of the respect coin is that as a customer I should be able to enjoy my purchase, and if the product or interpretation of said product is not of the expected standard, I should be entitled to bail out! (I would not ask for a refund though I'm with you on this one Danb. I've left a few times, wished I'd left on a few others. Most recently I left NT during 1st act of The ThreePenny Opera as I was feeling sick. Thankfully I was in the circle and on an end of a row. The FOH were lovely in offering me some water & a seat. I left also during the OV The Crucible, I hated it. I left at the interval but when I left I gave my ticket to someone who was standing, felt he might as well have sat down for the 2nd act. If people think you shouldn't be allowed to leave early, or only at the interval then those who arrive late should not be allowed into the auditorium until the interval either.
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Post by danb on Sept 23, 2016 15:05:07 GMT
Yep, arriving late does my nut in. Just leave home earlier...you're not that important!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 23, 2016 16:30:48 GMT
Never walked out of a show before, but I have been tempted to on a number of occasions. Wanted to walk out of 'Once' cause I was just bored and plus I was on a school trip so I was stuck for the duration. I was also tempted to leave 'The 39 Steps' during the interval not because of the show but purely because I was tired and didn't want to risk nodding off during the show, but I knew I wouldn't be able to see it again with a clearer head so forced myself to keep awake.
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1,016 posts
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Post by andrew on Sept 23, 2016 21:48:05 GMT
Yep, arriving late does my nut in. Just leave home earlier...you're not that important! It's annoying but I like to imagine those who are late genuinely tried, and their car wouldn't start or their train was delayed half an hour or something. I've not yet been late but have sprinted through tourists to get to the theatre on time before after transport mishaps.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 23, 2016 23:13:52 GMT
I've been late a few times over the years. You can set off as early as you like, but a person on the tracks or a serious snowstorm cannot be defeated by simply remembering that one is unimportant.
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Post by Mr Wallacio on Sept 24, 2016 7:25:16 GMT
I did my first walk out during a show at Ed Fringe this year. The only reason being that the show show started 40 minutes later than advertised and I'd given myself 30 minutes to get from one show to another which was 10 mins walk (if I knew the way). The play was awful anyway, supposedly a comedy but I didn't laugh once (others chuckled, but I think that was more to do with them being friends of the cast). I knew I would probably end up walking out so I made sure to sit near the back on a side aisle seat so as not to disturb anyone.
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375 posts
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Post by ctas on Sept 24, 2016 14:01:38 GMT
My decision process for whether I leave a show at the interval or not is "would I pay half the ticket price to not have to sit through the second act." I always stay if it's a freebie, no matter how dire.
Arriving late is sometimes completely unavoidable but I try my best to avoid it. There's nothing worse than being late beyond your control.
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Post by danb on Sept 24, 2016 19:38:05 GMT
Yep, arriving late does my nut in. Just leave home earlier...you're not that important! It's annoying but I like to imagine those who are late genuinely tried, and their car wouldn't start or their train was delayed half an hour or something. I've not yet been late but have sprinted through tourists to get to the theatre on time before after transport mishaps. I thought that myself, and then realised that I had never been late to the theatre because I leave myself a buffer. I'm not being smug, just saying that I respect the rest of the audience & the cast enough to get there on time. I''m not saying I haven't got there with seconds to spare, but the buffer was enough...
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375 posts
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Post by ctas on Sept 24, 2016 19:53:17 GMT
I've been late because of traffic... Two and a half hours were left for an hour long journey and we were half an hour late for the start. Sometimes it just happens.
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4,799 posts
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Post by The Matthew on Sept 24, 2016 20:37:05 GMT
I thought that myself, and then realised that I had never been late to the theatre because I leave myself a buffer. I'm not being smug, just saying that I respect the rest of the audience & the cast enough to get there on time. I''m not saying I haven't got there with seconds to spare, but the buffer was enough... There are limits to how much you can do. I usually work on the basis of working out what train will get me to my destination with half an hour to spare (or an hour for long journeys) and then catching the train before that one, so even if one train is cancelled I'll still have plenty of time in hand to allow for more delays on top of that. But it's not possible to account for everything, and you can't plan for events like your train driver having to be rushed to hospital or a suspected bomb on the train or trackside arson. To have never been late going to the West End I'd have had to allow a buffer of over four hours for a 90 minute journey.
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Post by d'James on Sept 24, 2016 20:44:57 GMT
My best train story was on my way to Manchester when we made an unscheduled stop at Rugby because a woman had gone into labour. The funny thing was the man had queued up behind several people in the shop (including me) to tell the shop-person about it and contact the train manager. How polite - I'm sure we wouldn't have minded (mound ) if he'd pushed in. However they didn't let it slow us down much. They shoved her off the train and into an ambulance and we were on our way promptly!
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852 posts
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Post by longinthetooth on Sept 24, 2016 21:50:25 GMT
I thought that myself, and then realised that I had never been late to the theatre because I leave myself a buffer. I'm not being smug, just saying that I respect the rest of the audience & the cast enough to get there on time. I''m not saying I haven't got there with seconds to spare, but the buffer was enough... There are limits to how much you can do. I usually work on the basis of working out what train will get me to my destination with half an hour to spare (or an hour for long journeys) and then catching the train before that one, so even if one train is cancelled I'll still have plenty of time in hand to allow for more delays on top of that. But it's not possible to account for everything, and you can't plan for events like your train driver having to be rushed to hospital or a suspected bomb on the train or trackside arson. To have never been late going to the West End I'd have had to allow a buffer of over four hours for a 90 minute journey. As mentioned elsewhere, I allowed myself three hours to undertake a 40 minute train journey (plus a bit extra for the tube), but on that particular day it took me nearly three and a half hours. I usually plan to allow for lunch and a bit of shopping before a show. The train track was flooded, which took out the electrics, then all their contingency plans failed. The first and hopefully only time I have been late for a show.
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2,041 posts
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Post by 49thand8th on Sept 24, 2016 22:14:37 GMT
The closest I ever came to being late to a show was Spider-Man, if you can believe that. I had rushed the show and lived in Hell's Kitchen at the time. I had dinner with friends in a restaurant about halfway between my apartment and the theatre, and I didn't want to bring my delicious Thai leftovers to the theatre and cause a (literal) stink, so I walked briskly to my apartment to put them in the fridge, then ran to the theatre from there. My roommate, who was my +1, was outside under the marquee not amused. But I sat down barely in time for the adrenaline to come down by the time the lights did the same.
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Xanderl
Member
Not always very high value in terms of ticket yield or donations
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Post by Xanderl on Sept 24, 2016 22:27:06 GMT
I used to get embarrassed leaving at the interval wondering what the FOH staff thought of me. I developed a foolproof technique for embarrassment-free leaving - tapping my jacket pockets in the internationally agreed mime for "looking for cigarettes as i'm going out for a fag break" (I have not smoked since 1988)
Only left pre-interval twice - first at the RSC as I was ill (and the RSC staff were very helpful), secondly in a show that was so dreadful I ran for it at the first scene change
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