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Post by Deleted on Feb 18, 2016 8:22:59 GMT
Oh I also forgot the obnoxious group behind me at Funny Girl...a very posh group of middle aged couples. The one man leaned forward, a good five minutes before curtain up I might add, and said to the woman in front of me 'Turn your phone off I can hear a phone' now bear in mind the woman didn't have her phone out at any point she had been sat down, and as she then 'proved' to the man it was in her bag, completely off. I'm all for a stern word or glare if a phone does go off but that was extreme. THEN to top it off, after being the phone police, the man in question proceeded to talk through the whole overture. Loudly.
Not so much bad behaviour but very amusing was the younger girl in front of me who audibly gasped when Darius made his first entrance!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 18, 2016 9:41:26 GMT
I *hate* the phone police. You might think it's sad that I can't bear to not be reading the internet ten minutes before curtain, but I *am* going to turn it off before the show, and what I do the rest of the time is *my* business.
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Post by Kim on Feb 18, 2016 10:59:20 GMT
I *hate* the phone police. You might think it's sad that I can't bear to not be reading the internet ten minutes before curtain, but I *am* going to turn it off before the show, and what I do the rest of the time is *my* business. Same. I've found at a couple of touring venues I've been told off by ushers for merely being on my phone before the show and interval! unless there's awful signal there I should have to go outside just to look at twitter |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 18, 2016 11:03:29 GMT
Ugh obnoxious! quite right that as long as it's off during the show it's nobody's business what you do beforehand.
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Post by kathryn on Feb 18, 2016 11:32:16 GMT
Yes, but they should be off during the overture and definitely not taken out during curtain call to blatantly record the bows and the reprise!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 18, 2016 11:34:24 GMT
Preaching to the choir, there.  |
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Post by 49thand8th on Feb 18, 2016 14:07:23 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Feb 18, 2016 14:34:04 GMT
Ugh obnoxious! quite right that as long as it's off during the show it's nobody's business what you do beforehand. Depends on what you're looking at on the interweb I suppose . .  |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 18, 2016 15:03:53 GMT
haha I thought that after I wrote it!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 18, 2016 16:03:39 GMT
I *hate* the phone police. You might think it's sad that I can't bear to not be reading the internet ten minutes before curtain, but I *am* going to turn it off before the show, and what I do the rest of the time is *my* business. Mmm, but people on their phones five minutes before the start of the show make me feel nervous! I don't know you will turn it off... Too many bad experiences, and reading the never-ending thread on here, make me wonder otherwise. |
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Post by 49thand8th on Feb 18, 2016 16:08:38 GMT
Agreed. I'm okay with ushers who nicely say things like, "Just remember to turn that off in about three minutes." I've found the ushers at the Imperial on Broadway to be good about that... in the orchestra section, anyway.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 18, 2016 16:13:32 GMT
Yep, I don't mind a friendly usher and I can forgive a nervous fellow audience member, but I do mind a patronising usher, a passive aggressive fellow audience member, or a downright rude fellow audience member.  |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 18, 2016 16:34:31 GMT
Last time at the RSC I was having an interval email check and an usher rushed over to tell me I couldn't take photos of the set; I pointed out that if I was trying to do that I probably wouldn't have the phone pointed at my knee.
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Post by Rebecca on Feb 18, 2016 21:04:12 GMT
Last night at the Sound of Music US national tour, I had the twin pleasures of the couple to my right, who checked their phones regularly throughout the show, and the couple to my left who, at both intermission and the end of the show refused to move until they had put on their jackets, organized all their belongings and generally stood around for a while, never mind all the people down the row yelling at them to maybe wait until they were not blocking an entire row to do all that. (Naturally they had the aisle seats, so no one else could go anywhere.)
And, not bad behavior as such, but on my way out of the theater I heard an older woman tell the small child with her that they had tickets to Cabaret next, so they "could see another Nazi play!" I'm not sure which was more horrifying - the glee with which she said Nazi play or that she thought Cabaret was an appropriate show for this little girl, who must have been about 7 or 8.
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Post by showgirl on Feb 18, 2016 22:45:21 GMT
When it comes to leaving, if I'm not in an aisle seat and people in the row in front or behind are moving out faster, I just climb over and hasten along. I can't be the only person with a longish journey and unreliable train "service", so to keep others waiting is arrogant and selfish.
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Post by mistressjojo on Feb 19, 2016 1:39:13 GMT
I've experienced similar twice. At the RST a few years back for Merchant of Venice, older man with his family sitting in about Row D centre ( so, Superseats $$$ ) on his phone sending emails the whole play. Didn't look up once. Then at the cinema for a 3D screening , girl in the next row earphones in watching a tv show on her phone the entire time. It didn't bother me so much as I couldn't see her phone, but why pay $20 + to not watch a film? |
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Post by bulletproof on Feb 19, 2016 13:36:04 GMT
Mmm, but people on their phones five minutes before the start of the show make me feel nervous! I don't know you will turn it off... Too many bad experiences, and reading the never-ending thread on here, make me wonder otherwise. I often go the theatre alone when on downtime from work in London, and will often be found using my phone before performances and in the interval, just to have something to do other than sit there awkwardly! The alternative - attempting to converse with people near me - is too terrible to contemplate... |
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Post by bulletproof on Feb 19, 2016 13:41:27 GMT
What is the general view of last minute seat swappers - those who wait till just before the show is due to start and move to a better seat that seems to be unoccupied? I've seen it quite often but haven't done it myself, as I'd likely be the one caught out by a latecomer!
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Post by n1david on Feb 19, 2016 13:45:49 GMT
What is the general view of last minute seat swappers - those who wait till just before the show is due to start and move to a better seat that seems to be unoccupied? I've seen it quite often but haven't done it myself, as I'd likely be the one caught out by a latecomer! I generally won't do it for the first Act because of the risk of someone being shown to the seat at a break, but I've done it at the interval when it's clear that the seat is going to remain unoccupied. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2016 14:04:47 GMT
What is the general view of last minute seat swappers - those who wait till just before the show is due to start and move to a better seat that seems to be unoccupied? I've seen it quite often but haven't done it myself, as I'd likely be the one caught out by a latecomer! I generally won't do it for the first Act because of the risk of someone being shown to the seat at a break, but I've done it at the interval when it's clear that the seat is going to remain unoccupied. Agreed unless it's a strict no latecomers policy then I wait until the interval. Then lurk and swoop. Unless of course there are particularly stringent policies. And/or obnoxious FOH staff. I distinctly remember freezing through part 1 and half of part 2 of Nicholas Nickelby on tour and attempting to move forward by about 6 rows in what was a half empty stalls and being halted by FOH and told I'd have to pay in order to do so. It wouldn't have been quite so obnoxious if a group of 4 people hadn't done the exact same thing in full view of them moments before... |
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Post by Jon on Feb 19, 2016 14:30:49 GMT
I've experienced similar twice. At the RST a few years back for Merchant of Venice, older man with his family sitting in about Row D centre ( so, Superseats $$$ ) on his phone sending emails the whole play. Didn't look up once. Then at the cinema for a 3D screening , girl in the next row earphones in watching a tv show on her phone the entire time. It didn't bother me so much as I couldn't see her phone, but why pay $20 + to not watch a film? I suspect these people had been dragged to see this by their family or friends and clearly didn't want to be there. It's very disrespectful and also a huge waste of money. |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Feb 19, 2016 14:54:59 GMT
Shrek Tour in Salford last night.
One row behind us, family of three arrived 15 minutes late, plonked themselves down, immediately started opening very noisy crisps and snacks and then the parents started talking to each other loudly. Two "over the shoulder stares" didn't work so had to do a "are you going to talk ALL the way through this?" which shut them up.
One row in front of us, family of three. Dad fidgeted extravagantly in his seat for the duration, I swear to god I think he was trying to recreate his fave position on the sofa back home. Did not laugh once, did not applaud once, even at the end.
In both cases the child was perfectly behaved.
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Post by jess173 on Feb 19, 2016 15:03:27 GMT
Then in the evening at Phantom of the Opera the woman in front of me started off watching the show whilst wearing a bobble hat which she luckily took off after about 5 minutes, unfortunately she then started leaning forward, at one point she was almost out of her seat! I put up with it for a little while but I'd had enough by the dressing room scene so tapped her on the shoulder and asked her to stop which to give her her due she did. However in the row behind were some foreign people who talked and rustled all the way through the first act. They started to do it again in the 2nd act and I was thinking about saying something when the lady next to me turned round and said "will you be quiet!". That seemed to do the trick :-) That show really does attract the worst audiences, my friend had a similar experience the previous week. Oh it definitely does... I saw the show just before New Year's Eve last year and it was horrible. There was a couple in front of me. The guy was very tall and kept leaning forward, almost blocking my entire view. I tried tapping him on the shoulder several times but he kept ignoring me. His girlfriend brought a bag of Maltesers and of course always decided to open and rustle it during the quietest scenes. She also brought a big bottle of water. She raised the bottle almost vertically to drink, blocking even more view and then closed the lid, only to open it again after 5 seconds to take another sip. She repeated that about 10 times... Plus she was taking pictures with her phone during the show. Sometimes they would lean together to snuggle and I really liked that as I was finally able to see... ^^° Next to me was a guy who was conducting along and singing the lyrics to all the songs of the Phantom. I glared at him every time he started singing and he stopped, but only until the next song. The woman next to him left at the interval (coincidence?) and he moved further away from me, which was a relieve. Then there were two girls behind me. They arrived late but brought a pack of Maltesers. Maltesers everywhere!!! -.- They rustled through the show and had to get up several times to leave the auditorium. They always let their seats bang upwards and let the door fall to the lock instead of holding it and shutting it quietly... And there were several people with colds in the audience which always started coughing at the same time or shortly after each other... This was the most horrible audience I have ever experienced. Thank god I had seen Phantom before. I was not able to enjoy the show even one bit that evening... |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2016 15:13:34 GMT
I know I've mentioned this before on the old forum but Maltesers are fantastic when dropped on a gently raked floor. They can provide entertainment for several minutes as they rattle their way down to the front. It's especially effective when someone goes to open a large bag and it splits right down the side and discharges its entire contents in one go.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2016 15:22:04 GMT
Then in the evening at Phantom of the Opera the woman in front of me started off watching the show whilst wearing a bobble hat which she luckily took off after about 5 minutes, unfortunately she then started leaning forward, at one point she was almost out of her seat! I put up with it for a little while but I'd had enough by the dressing room scene so tapped her on the shoulder and asked her to stop which to give her her due she did. However in the row behind were some foreign people who talked and rustled all the way through the first act. They started to do it again in the 2nd act and I was thinking about saying something when the lady next to me turned round and said "will you be quiet!". That seemed to do the trick :-) That show really does attract the worst audiences, my friend had a similar experience the previous week. Oh it definitely does... I saw the show just before New Year's Eve last year and it was horrible. There was a couple in front of me. The guy was very tall and kept leaning forward, almost blocking my entire view. I tried tapping him on the shoulder several times but he kept ignoring me. His girlfriend brought a bag of Maltesers and of course always decided to open and rustle it during the quietest scenes. She also brought a big bottle of water. She raised the bottle almost vertically to drink, blocking even more view and then closed the lid, only to open it again after 5 seconds to take another sip. She repeated that about 10 times... Plus she was taking pictures with her phone during the show. Sometimes they would lean together to snuggle and I really liked that as I was finally able to see... ^^° Next to me was a guy who was conducting along and singing the lyrics to all the songs of the Phantom. I glared at him every time he started singing and he stopped, but only until the next song. The woman next to him left at the interval (coincidence?) and he moved further away from me, which was a relieve. Then there were two girls behind me. They arrived late but brought a pack of Maltesers. Maltesers everywhere!!! -.- They rustled through the show and had to get up several times to leave the auditorium. They always let their seats bang upwards and let the door fall to the lock instead of holding it and shutting it quietly... And there were several people with colds in the audience which always started coughing at the same time or shortly after each other... This was the most horrible audience I have ever experienced. Thank god I had seen Phantom before. I was not able to enjoy the show even one bit that evening... Alas the long runners are to be avoided like the plague. They only seem to appeal now to school parties, coach parties and people who prefer parties to theatre-going but thought they'd give it a go anyway... Warhorse a year or so ago was one of the worst experiences I'd had in the theatre for a long time. Bored children (nine years olds with equally bored teachers) messing around and eating from tuppaware boxes all the way through. Pearls at swine... And Thriller a couple of years before that (I know I was asking for it but they were comps...!) just appealed to foreign school parties. I was at the front of the dress circle surrounded by Spanish teenagers. The noise level was so loud before it started, I asked the FOH Manager to move us and he stuck us at the front of the stalls. Still surrounded by foreign visitors but older so they just tapped their toes. |
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