Bad Behaviour at a Show

Being late isn’t really bad behaviour but I think should be dealt with better. At the opera you used to be shown to seats at the back somewhere kept for latecomers. The other day, three people arrived about 15 minutes late for Juno. We were at the end ( my usual spot) and there wasn’t room to just ease up and left em squeeze past. We both had to get up and move into the side aisle, clutching our hitherto arranged coast and bags. Then of course we had to get back again. It was annoying. No friendly banter in the interval… but I’m wondering why they let them come in so late in a serious play. Why not seat them at the back in say half a dozen seats kept for the purpose? As it happened the first act was only 50 minutes so they wouldn’t have suffered waiting that long.

It's a bit unfair to say people being late are disrespectful because you can be late for various reasons like transport issues although I do draw the line at those who are naturally late for everything.

Complete agree with jake (for some reason TB not allowing me to quote post) the worst example and indeed one of my worst nights ever at the theatre in terms of behaviour was at the Hammersmith Lyric watching A Raisin in the Sun, when five different groups were allowed to arrive late from 1930 to 2010.

I mean put seats there for the purpose. Pull downs like the ushers have?

It is annoying, especially when they then spend ages stripping off coats and rummaging in handbags.

But the only time latecomers have really annoyed me was when the Back to the Future musical was doing its trial run at Manchester Opera House. Someone decided one of the “suitable breaks” to admit latecomers was right before the first big special effect where the car appears onstage for the first time. Probably quite impressive when the view’s not blocked by audience members having to get up on multiple rows.

I wasn't very impressed at Phantom last week that several lots of latecomers were let in right up until after the title song, which is quite a long way into Act I.

The handful of times I've been late for performances over the years have all apart from once been due to severe train delays. Usually venues have, perfectly reasonably, made me either sit or stand somewhere at the back or wait outside. Though on one occasion a few years ago the FOH staff seemed quite prepared to show me to my front row stalls seat immediately, but I refused as I did not want to distract both the rest of the audience & potentially the actors so I insisted on waiting at the back until the end of the first scene.

Which is why a very clear policy of 'your ticket doesn't entitle you to enter the auditorium while the performance is underway' (owtte) is the best thing in most circumstances. Let's face it, even if latecomers are guided to empty sections or row ends, the light as the doors open and whispering while people are directed, though obviously not as bad as clambering over seated patrons to a specified seat, is still quite a distraction.  I remember The Turn of the Screw at the Coliseum when the ENO decided latecomers had to stand behind the Dress Circle.  As usual in this exquisite piece where, unusually for opera, the words are very clear above the chamber orchestra, the seated patrons were alert to every sound and, given the plot, every trick of the light on stage.  So the annoyance when the doors behind were thrown open and a sound was heard behind us like a herd of cattle being ushered in to the accompaniment of loudly whispered directions was palpable.

As it happens, on the one occasion the rightful occupant of a seat I had been given turned up there was no trouble at all.  That was at the Teatro Real in Madrid and an usher had invited me to vacate my very restricted view seat at the back of the Circle and take up a much better seat near the front for Act 1 of Katya Kabanova.  I have no real command of Spanish but when, at the interval, a couple turned up, said a few words and flashed tickets it was quite clear what they meant.  I went back to my restricted view and they took their seats with no obvious ill-feeling.

Yep, me too. Late only once due to transport difficulties - I arrived 10mins late and decided to miss the show (RSC Coriolanus, Toby Stephens - luckily it had bad reviews). 

I was once late to a show, thanks to flooding on the railway line. My journey of 30 minutes took the best part of three hours. I had no lunch and nothing to drink, and was on the point of calling it quits, having given myself five more minutes to get to the theatre. The staff couldn't have been lovelier. I waited in a small area with a screen to watch what was happening on stage until a suitable gap, when they took me to my seat. I'd got ready beforehand, so there was no shuffling off of coat or anything like that.

I recall being at a concert once, at the Royal Albert Hall, when four latecomers climbed across us to their seats. No sooner there, two of them then climbed back over us to stock up on drinks for their party. Cue clamber no.3 when they returned with said alcoholic beverages. You can guess what's coming. Barely half an hour later, they were up again, needing the loo. Nightmare. That was the last straw for my OH, who now refuses to attend any more concerts or shows.

Chicago tour last night. All the usual expected low-level bad behaviour (smart watch checkers each side of me etc...) but picking up on recent chat here, latecomers 58 minutes into the show - sat in the first few rows (stalls and circle sold out so couldn't really put them anywhere else I guess!). I'd have given up and gone home rather than stroll in an hour late!