Bad Behaviour at a Show

It would depend on the show, the abuser and the level of bad behaviour. In this particular case she pointed out the number of iWatches and Fitbits lit up along her row, so was just asked to get the kids not to wave the bands around. Normally people calm down once you get them to have a rational conversation about things. If the shouting/wagging of fingers/poking continues though, then they'll be asked to leave. Then told to leave.

Exactly the same next to me at No Man's Land.

Yes, you're probably right. She concluded application, and put her stuff back in the bag, in the final minute of the play.

Wicked last night.Sat to the right of circle in Row C. Lovely seats. Glad I wasnt one seat along as the gentleman in front of that leant forwards with his elbows on his knees and hands on his chin the entire show, only leaning back to speak to his companion.

However, behind myself and my two friends, we must have had the cast of Riverdance! the kicking of the chairs!!! It think it was a mum, dad, teen daughter and 8 year old daughter (shouldnt she have been in bed?!)

Partway through Act 1, a shoe comes flying over my shoulder and lands on my lap. a timid "sorry" in my ear did not make me turn around and had it back - she had to wait for the interval. I handed it back with a glare - it was the teen daughter who was clearly bored - the 8 year old had been asking her mum questions the entire show, and mum was ever so helpfully answering and near full volume!).

At the end of the interval, dad decided to cross his legs, thus kicking my shoulder and my seat. I turned around to glare as he apologised to be greeted with the sight of the teen daughter slouched in her chair, knees on the back our seats and legs wide open....yes...her crotch was at head height. Not pleasant.

Then...in the second act.....shoe flies over again. I think she expected me to hand it back when the lights went up at the end of the show. No, no, no dear child. It goes on the floor and then gets kicked along the row as I exit.

Good with the shoe. She did it on purpose.

For the first time tonight I felt that my experience at the theatre was genuinely brought down a level from where it should have been because of the behaviour of the audience around me. Lion King evening performance - I was expecting the non-stop rustling of wrappers and packets throughout the show, but on top of that there was the ridiculous number and frequency of people checking their phones during the show. They didn't even attempt to hide it, just let their faces be lit up for all to see! I probably could have ignored that if I had been in a good mood, but the icing on the cake was the talking. Almost non-stop, people were chatting throughout the show, and not quietly! I was sat in the stalls, so tickets weren't cheap - maybe people think that if they pay that much money they buy the right to behave how they want, but it made me so sad that they seemed to have no respect for other audience members or the performers.

it's a sign that we should gather shoes...

Yesterday at the theatre (in Madrid) woman next to me was using her phone, and something wonderful happened. An usher "attacked" her with a laser. I had never seen it before. I thought it was brilliant!

This is done in China as well: time.com/4258924/china-laser-pointer-theater/

Weren't the Jermyn Street Theatre proposing to arm themselves with lasers?

Wicked last night had the full bingo card of bad behaviour...

A couple talking loudly in French throughout
A drunk woman talking loudly
Someone checking their phone
Late arrivers
a woman who kept looking in her handbag for good knows what and having a noisy root round
Someone sneezing all the time
A woman who was coughing constantly and left after half an hour. She didn't come back.

And this gem of audience bad behaviour. "Cougher" was sat between two ladies, when she left one stood up and moved along but tipped her drink down the back of the jumper of the man in front as she did. If that was me I would have been mortified and constantly apologising. She said nothing. He was wiping his jumper with the help of his partner and looking quizzically up at the roof as if there had been a sudden unexplained downpour. The lady still sat and said nothing. About 40 minutes into the first act she giggled to her friend, they both got up disturbing the line again (we had already had the leaving cougher and late arrivals at this point. ..) they left and didn't come back.

Right before the start of Side Show tonight, two guys sat next to me who were clearly involved in the production/direction, armed with pencils and notepads, so I steeled myself for an evening of whispers and pencil scratching.

Turns out they were perfectly quiet and well-behaved, a nice surprise. However, what was very distracting was the thin, clingy grey sweatpants on the one closest to me. Made it hard to keep my eyes on the show!