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Post by Tibidabo on Dec 11, 2017 11:01:43 GMT
Someone please bail me out with a mobile phone story Not a mobile phone, but I heard the guy behind me the other day tell his mate that he'd tried to have sex with an anteater. "Aardvark?" asked the mate. "Virtually impossible actually."
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Post by mallardo on Dec 11, 2017 13:19:38 GMT
That actually made me laugh, Ms T - mostly as a tribute to your sneaky setup.
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Post by Peach on Dec 11, 2017 13:32:22 GMT
I have been known to whip out my staff id, like some bad undercover cop, when asking people to put away phones and cameras when I'm in the audience . I've also been asked many, many times if a dog is allowed in because 'they are ever so small and well behaved and quiet and will just sit on my lap in my handbag'.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 11, 2017 13:37:31 GMT
I'm willing to bet that most of those dogs would end up being better behaved than many of the great unwashed who turn up to watch the show.
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Post by musicalfloozie on Dec 12, 2017 11:48:47 GMT
A few naughty audience members at the wizard of oz yesterday. A sets of ladies on the front row who chatted most the way through, 2 other ladies who were jokingly making signals and pretending to push the actors off the steps if they came near her and one man with a very loud laugh who thought it was hysterical every time the good witch or Toto came on. It wouldn't have been so bad if they weren't all part of one big party that came together and they were right in front of us! Bad behaviour really does spoil a show for me. Looking forward to when I win the lotto and can hire the whole theatre just for the well behaved!!
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Post by Tibidabo on Dec 12, 2017 11:50:44 GMT
I'm willing to bet that most of those dogs would end up being better behaved than many of the great unwashed who turn up to watch the show. At least they keep their dogs in their handbags......unlike you who appears to be wearing yours.....
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Post by stagebyte on Dec 12, 2017 12:25:57 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Dec 12, 2017 12:35:31 GMT
Well thank goodness Nica is thinking about the theatregoers and not herself and making more money by selling more snacks. Bravo Nica.
Has she fixed that ceiling yet?
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Post by floorshow on Dec 12, 2017 17:28:51 GMT
Should do it like 70s cinema - eating or non-eating? Eaters can sit up in the circle out of the way...
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3,282 posts
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Post by Dr Tom on Dec 12, 2017 19:05:42 GMT
A few naughty audience members at the wizard of oz yesterday. A sets of ladies on the front row who chatted most the way through, 2 other ladies who were jokingly making signals and pretending to push the actors off the steps if they came near her and one man with a very loud laugh who thought it was hysterical every time the good witch or Toto came on. It wouldn't have been so bad if they weren't all part of one big party that came together and they were right in front of us! Bad behaviour really does spoil a show for me. Looking forward to when I win the lotto and can hire the whole theatre just for the well behaved!! I was there also, didn't notice the pushing, so you were probably at a different side of the auditorium to me. Still people chatting all around where I was sat, particularly behind. Some loud and long "ahhing" whenever the real Toto was on the stage (even though the dog looked like it wanted to be anywhere but there). One where the children were much better behaved than the adults!
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Post by n1david on Dec 12, 2017 20:33:30 GMT
Well thank goodness Nica is thinking about the theatregoers and not herself and making more money by selling more snacks. Bravo Nica. To be fair, she does at least acknowledge the disruption it can potentially cause and is taking steps to deal with it:
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Post by paulbrownsey on Dec 12, 2017 21:39:47 GMT
One thing I find disturbing about that report is that the theatre's approach seems to be one of mediation, and they talk about dealing with the issue sensitively as if using a mobile phone during a performance is a perfectly reasonable thing to do. Of course people are going to use their phones during a performance if the official response is "how dare the nasty man tell you that you can't do whatever you want". I'd rather it was "get out, never come back". Yes. The statement from the manager appears to be regarding both parties as having legitimate claims--one to use a phone during the performance and to punch someone who objects, the other to watch the show he's paid to see without the interruption of a phone; and she seems to regard her task as finding a way for them both to get what they want. I imagine her trying the same approach if a man gropes a woman next to him. "Well, he wants to grope you and you don't want to be groped. Let's see if we can find a way in which you both go home happy at the end, having had a lovely theatrical experience. How about he feels you but does't penetrate? Okay? Lovely! That's what our sensitive conflict-resolution staff are trained to do."
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Post by richey on Dec 14, 2017 10:35:54 GMT
Ok so not really bad behaviour but lots of annoying and occasionally bizarre behaviour at Beautiful in Manchester last night. Once again an awful lot of latecomers, show start was again held for ten minutes- people of Manchester don't you possess watches?!? Major disruption about half hour into show when what seemed to be a coachload of older people turned up and proceeded to fill two whole rows in front of us. The first old dear took the aisle seat thus making everyone following pass her to fill the rest of the row. They then each started to look for their seat allocations before realising it was futile and just filled the next available seat. These had just settled when another guy turned up and sat in one of the last two vacant seats in front. Five minutes later he was followed by a female who threw herself into the seat next to him and gave him the most evil looks. They'd obviously had an argument outside. Cue the exchange of frostiest looks I've ever seen. She managed to keep this up right til the end of the show (they didn't even talk in the interval) and only just about caved in when the guy put on a silly hat (pointed wooly with ears on) near the end of Act 2 and and wore it for the remainder of the show. As well as this I had to contend with another elderly lady two seats to my left who sang along with every song and tried to dance to the Loco-motion. And an annoying girl with extremely frizzy hair directly in front who kept leaning over to talk to her mother directly on my sightline. Thankfully the show was so good I managed to block out most of the behaviour.
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Post by Paul on Dec 14, 2017 18:06:00 GMT
I've posted this in the Grease thread already but feel like it needs to be posted here. When I saw the tour of Grease in Bristol the audience felt the need to sing over the top of the performers. Below is a clip of the audience basically having a sing off with Danielle Hope during hopelessly devoted to you. I think this is very disrespectful to the performer and the rest of the audience, but at this particular performance, I was in the minority.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 14, 2017 19:03:05 GMT
To contradict the thread title, a standing ovation from myself to the entire audience of Hamilton last night. No rustling or crunching or phone ring-a-dinging. No facebooking or flashing. Not even a cough. Pure undivided attention on the stage for the duration. (With the exception of the overtly proud mother who made it her duty to inform the entire circle that her son - sat next to her - had done a stint in School of Rock and earned lots of money in the process)
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Post by paulbrownsey on Dec 15, 2017 20:51:24 GMT
I've posted this in the Grease thread already but feel like it needs to be posted here. When I saw the tour of Grease in Bristol the audience felt the need to sing over the top of the performers. Below is a clip of the audience basically having a sing off with Danielle Hope during hopelessly devoted to you. I think this is very disrespectful to the performer and the rest of the audience, but at this particular performance, I was in the minority. I think part of the problem is that since some performances are now announced as sing-a-long performances or 'relaxed' performances, some people assume that all performances are like that.
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Post by alison on Dec 16, 2017 21:01:00 GMT
I'm at the first night of the Jersey Boys tour. It's the interval and so far we've had singing along, rustling, copious drunken hand waving, persistent talking (particularly from a trio of women across the aisle), a phone going off ... seriously, people.
It's not like it's impossible for people to behave. Last night's Hamilton audience were also brilliant - very loud and appreciative, but only in their applause and cheering at the appropriate points, otherwise you could practically hear a pin drop.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Dec 17, 2017 13:08:30 GMT
The Lion The With and The Wardrobe in Leeds. I expected a high proportion of children and was right, about half the audience were kids and they were fabulously well-behaved. Except for one baby who wasn’t old enough to walk or talk and made the usual baby noises all the way through. I don’t blame the baby, but what the mother thought she was doing taking her along to this defeats me. At one point, presumably in an attempt to stop the child mewling, she was holding her by her hands and walking her up and down the aisle.
Too tight to hire a Baby Sitter? No family member to take her for a couple of hours? Or just plain stupid and inconsiderate?
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Post by zahidf on Dec 19, 2017 10:19:10 GMT
Some incredibly annoying, loud talking guys at Dreamgirls yesterday. Thankfully they shut the hell up for the second act when people told them to
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Post by niahmyy on Dec 20, 2017 17:27:40 GMT
I work Front of House and my theatre is currently in panto. We have a section in the show where 4 children from the audience are invited up on stage. FoH staff select these children before hand and then walk them down to the stage at the appropriate point to avoid any accidents. It’s been going smoothly until last night. As I was helping the kids up on stage, I head a woman behind me say “Go on honey”. Baffled, I turn round to see a child no older than 5 sprinting towards to stairs. Fearing for my job - as the company manager was standing right behind me - I lunge and try to grab the child but he was too fast. By this point, he was half way up the stairs and in full view of the audience. I could do no more and just had to watch in utter embarrassment as this child wandered about the stage - despite the actors desperately trying to get him to stand still. I saw the parents after the show and they were letting their child run all over the stalls, while the audience were leaving. Utterly appalled that someone would be so irresponsible.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 20, 2017 18:22:44 GMT
The children on stage at a panto, is always a tricky one. I agree that pre-selecting them is certainly the best thing as a rush of children to be called up on stage will cause issues and disappointments. Some pantos I've been to this year, I noticed that a couple of children invited up have been relatives of cast members ( a niece) and a younger brother of one of the juvenile chorus. Both had been sitting fairly close to be and one was featured in the Dame's shout outs earlier and I heard the others taking about having someone in the juvenile chorus. I've no issue with this or if they choose anyone who may have written in and possibly requested it or a really deserving child who has gone to the panto etc.
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Post by Tibidabo on Dec 20, 2017 18:32:20 GMT
Welcome to the board niahmyy. It amuses me how many people sign up (myself included) to first post on this thread! Probably better that you didn't actually catch the child mid flight - you may have been sued for something!
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Post by longinthetooth on Dec 20, 2017 21:43:51 GMT
I suppose pre-selecting a child may seem unfair, especially if he or she has a relative or friend in the cast, but I can see the advantages. Said child would probably be happy to be on stage, whereas little Johnnie or Jenny selected at random (or pushed forward by a doting parent) may freeze or cry (or worse!!!) once on stage.
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Post by firefingers on Dec 20, 2017 23:25:03 GMT
My panto also has a four children song sheet, and most of the non-schools shows have had at least one kid who had some relationship to a cast member. Still leaves three wild cards... Some get very excited and nearly end up in the orchestra pit! I'm sure some of them (rather their parents) asked themto be picked. If you come in costume you are more likely to get on stage as well. So more self-nomination than random chance.
Seeing as this is the bad behaviour thread, though most patrons have been well behaved so far, last night I had a large family in front of my sound desk where all the adults were drunk. Not just jolly, some pretty far gone. Very rough types shouting stuff out inappropriately, filming after ushers had told them to stop, making a mess etc. I half expected to find my sound desk up on bricks for act 2! Front of house intervened as much as they felt they could as their kids were well behaved enough and didn't want them to lose out due to their parents bad behaviour.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Dec 21, 2017 13:48:59 GMT
What do they get the little buggers darlings up on stage for anyway? It’s decades since I saw one because, you may be surprised to discover, I’m not a panto fan. I have a vague memory of them playing games or something? Is that still what goes on? Do they do this at The Palladium?
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