529 posts
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Post by jampot on Aug 17, 2016 19:29:34 GMT
May of already come up...But i have often seen shows when the couple in front of me continuely talk throughout the show.. their heads coming together for each convo which completely cuts off your sight line each time. What gets me is i am so aware of the people behind me that i DONT do this etc and make a point not to. Guys in front...not a clue...Banging their heads together loving the show...Grrrr
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Post by Deleted on Aug 18, 2016 7:57:27 GMT
I was going to say welcome to the board and wow, must be lively out there in Cardiff. Ooh like you wouldn't believe! (seriously when you get a busload in from the Valleys all bets are off!) *before anyone attacks, many people from the South Wales Valleys are lovely couteous people. However the busloads of ladies of a certain age who come in for the 'Big' musicals have something of a mob mentaility about them...
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1,102 posts
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Post by zak97 on Aug 18, 2016 13:53:34 GMT
Another interesting one that has just come to mind was when seeing Nell Gywnn in February. But, in this case it was the ushers not the audience. When entering we were told no photography of the set, fair enough then that they told some people off for taking photos. But what was more rude was that an elderly lady was entering row A of the dress circle and lent her coat on the balcony edge (not even leaning over) so that she could sit down and it looked like she was just about to move it as she was sitting down. Yet, the ushers come along marching their orders of how nothing can be leaning over the rail (which it wasn't), and as the woman stated she was picking it up to move it, the ushers walked off and described the lady as a 'deaf, old woman'. I thought this was poor FOH behaviour, and I did complain, as apparently did many people from the audience, about the FOH but didn't hear anything, and it's a shame that if FOH can be so rude, and it may be this in some venues that explains why the audience has such bad manners.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 19, 2016 9:46:55 GMT
Apparently being at the Open Air theatre means that usual theatre rules of not talking or not taking photos don't apply.
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1,349 posts
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Post by CG on the loose on Aug 19, 2016 11:45:13 GMT
^still hot on stopping it when I was there earlier this week... man on rear row of front block 'made' to delete all his photos while they watched. Different rules re talking do however seem to apply!
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1,306 posts
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Post by londonmzfitz on Aug 19, 2016 12:06:08 GMT
My friends and I are acquaintances with a Broadway actor who's been pretty consistently working for many years and we've been lucky enough to see him in several shows. We went to a preview of a new show he was in and apparently were tittering a bit during one of his first scenes, which is a funny scene, but I guess we found it way funnier than everyone else. I think most people are fine with someone who genuinely finds it funny. What gets my goat is laughter of the general form "HO HO HO! LOOK AT ME GETTING THE JOKE! ME SMART! HO HO HO!" Last Killian and other cast on Saturday night at Kinky Boots, much of the front row seemed to know each other, with the late comer in the second row - who, through the first act kept bashing her front row "mate" on the arm during (to her, obvs) significant parts. With her mate studiously ignoring her. At the interval I heard second row apologising for arm bashing "but it's just so exciting" - to which her front row mate made no comment. I thought that second row fan might take the hint and stop .. but! In Soul of a Man second row fan started weeping and bawling - bashing her front row on the arm again to show a "look at me, I've gone, I'm a mess" face. And still being ignored.. I love the fans. So entertaining.
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2,245 posts
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Post by richey on Aug 19, 2016 14:51:24 GMT
I was going to say welcome to the board and wow, must be lively out there in Cardiff. Ooh like you wouldn't believe! (seriously when you get a busload in from the Valleys all bets are off!) *before anyone attacks, many people from the South Wales Valleys are lovely couteous people. However the busloads of ladies of a certain age who come in for the 'Big' musicals have something of a mob mentaility about them... I can totally back you up on that one. In my days as a Cardiff theatre-goer my ex-wife used to call them the "Andrew Lloyd-Webber brigade".
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677 posts
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Post by westendcub on Aug 19, 2016 15:24:58 GMT
May of already come up...But i have often seen shows when the couple in front of me continuely talk throughout the show.. their heads coming together for each convo which completely cuts off your sight line each time. What gets me is i am so aware of the people behind me that i DONT do this etc and make a point not to. Guys in front...not a clue...Banging their heads together loving the show...Grrrr I do hope you tap these people and tell them to stop...I do!!
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529 posts
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Post by jampot on Aug 19, 2016 15:31:27 GMT
May of already come up...But i have often seen shows when the couple in front of me continuely talk throughout the show.. their heads coming together for each convo which completely cuts off your sight line each time. What gets me is i am so aware of the people behind me that i DONT do this etc and make a point not to. Guys in front...not a clue...Banging their heads together loving the show...Grrrr I do hope you tap these people and tell them to stop...I do!! Im far too nice sadly...
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Post by Deleted on Aug 19, 2016 15:50:00 GMT
Ooh like you wouldn't believe! (seriously when you get a busload in from the Valleys all bets are off!) *before anyone attacks, many people from the South Wales Valleys are lovely couteous people. However the busloads of ladies of a certain age who come in for the 'Big' musicals have something of a mob mentaility about them... I can totally back you up on that one. In my days as a Cardiff theatre-goer my ex-wife used to call them the "Andrew Lloyd-Webber brigade". haha I'm going to steal that My personal favourite encounter reccently was the lot at the Tom Jones musical who stopped just short of re-enacting the 'throwing knickers at him' experience. Only just.
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Post by 49thand8th on Aug 19, 2016 15:54:59 GMT
I do hope you tap these people and tell them to stop...I do!! Im far too nice sadly... Just think about it as being nice to everyone else around you who's also suffering.
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1,083 posts
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Post by andrew on Aug 19, 2016 16:01:54 GMT
I do hope you tap these people and tell them to stop...I do!! Im far too nice sadly... You get an exhilarating rush of vigilanteism. Time slows down as they look at you, you're wondering if they'll back down or double up. You've never felt so alive. Then usually they shut up. Related, at American Idiot last night a surly young lady stood in the aisle towards he front of the stalls and loudly shouted that no photography was allowed for copyright reasons. I didn't see anyone taking any pictures, I just think she likes shouting. Would've been a lot more elegant if this had been done over the PA system.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 19, 2016 16:33:42 GMT
This is actually about the Olympic Rhythmic Gymnastics, but it's an audience behaviour comment and I've seen it in theatres too, so:—
Audiences: If you're going to clap along with the music then make sure you have enough rhythm to clap along with the music, and not with some other beat that doesn't exist anywhere in the world around you.
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2,041 posts
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Post by 49thand8th on Aug 19, 2016 16:33:54 GMT
Was she actually house staff? They do this on Broadway often; it's easy to ignore a PA announcement (look how quickly you do so at an airport, for instance), but having an actual person yelling in your vicinity is more memorable and noticeable.
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1,046 posts
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Post by jgblunners on Aug 19, 2016 17:27:51 GMT
Hey all - I'm new here but have an interesting one for this thread. The other day I was at Mamma Mia and during the finale/curtain call one of the ushers was up dancing and singing along in the aisle like most of the audience members. I get why she'd want to, but it seemed a little unprofessional. Do you guys agree or do you think it's ok at a show like that?
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Post by Deleted on Aug 19, 2016 18:33:24 GMT
I can totally back you up on that one. In my days as a Cardiff theatre-goer my ex-wife used to call them the "Andrew Lloyd-Webber brigade". haha I'm going to steal that My personal favourite encounter reccently was the lot at the Tom Jones musical who stopped just short of re-enacting the 'throwing knickers at him' experience. Only just. I live in the Welsh valleys and go to the theatre in Cardiff regularly (I also study there) and I can vouch for this! When I saw Lorna Luft in her Judy Garland tribute show at the New, a huge group of elderly women were mobbing the stage door and as soon as Lorna came out they pounced on her. One of them even cut in front of me when it was my turn to get my programme signed; all up in her personal space as if she were a spare rib.
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1,083 posts
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Post by andrew on Aug 20, 2016 0:49:36 GMT
Was she actually house staff? They do this on Broadway often; it's easy to ignore a PA announcement (look how quickly you do so at an airport, for instance), but having an actual person yelling in your vicinity is more memorable and noticeable. House staff thankfully. I don't know if I'd have been happy had a punter shouted at others for taking photos of an empty set. The dancing usher is the sort of thing I'd find a little bit cringey but if it's genuine excitement I wouldn't be too annoyed. That said, as TM reminds us, they're not being paid to dance but to patrol the house.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 20, 2016 13:28:26 GMT
haha I'm going to steal that My personal favourite encounter reccently was the lot at the Tom Jones musical who stopped just short of re-enacting the 'throwing knickers at him' experience. Only just. I live in the Welsh valleys and go to the theatre in Cardiff regularly (I also study there) and I can vouch for this! When I saw Lorna Luft in her Judy Garland tribute show at the New, a huge group of elderly women were mobbing the stage door and as soon as Lorna came out they pounced on her. One of them even cut in front of me when it was my turn to get my programme signed; all up in her personal space as if she were a spare rib. Yup don't get in the way of those handbags! they'll beat you off! My favourite however, has to be the slightly deaf lady with the broad South Wales accent shouting at her equally deaf companion "NOOO she's a prostitute!!" mid scene.
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2,054 posts
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Post by Marwood on Aug 20, 2016 20:24:55 GMT
The Globe this afternoon for Macbeth - apart from untold chatting/murmuring and all too audible 'whispering' throughout, a couple brought in a baby to the standing area that was hanging on the fathers back like a rucksack for the first 15 minutes or so before it began grizzling, the mother got out a bottle to keep the child quiet which worked for about 2 minutes before it started choking on the milk and making even more noise and started grizzling again even louder, on and off: the father kept wandering in and out of with the child only for it to start crying again each time - 'is this a dagger I see before me?' loses any dramatic impact when the sound of a child wailing means you can't hear Macbeth - thankfully they disappeared not long after this, OK so standing at the Globe is cheap but why would you think it would be a good idea to bring a child that age in with you?
Unfortunately, there was also some over-egged coughing when the dry ice was used (I was in the front row of seating and couldn't smell it, the coughing was well behind me so I'm thinking it was a drama queen trying to join in the on-stage 'fun'), a group of four sat in the row behind me who turned up 15 minutes into proceedings and after 40 minutes or so decided to plunder their stocks of smuggled in junk food, much rustling and opening of plastic bags ensued including someone eating something that sounded like a zombie sucking someones brains out, before the alpha male of the group then decided to sit there squishing a plastic squash bottle for the duration while one of the younger members of his troop decided to scrape their feet back and forth along the ground making as much noise as possible.
What with the man sat next to me looking at football scores on his phone at every opportunity, and a man by stage side trying to photo/film as much as he could (he must have loads of photos of the back of Tara Fitzgerald's head to enjoy tonight), I think it'll be a very long time before I bother going back there.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 20, 2016 20:35:51 GMT
Best way to shut someone up, just turn around, glare at them straight in the eye, say "I will cut you" slowly and clearly and then just turn back around. Either they will be freaked out and shut up or they will continue, in which case, well, you gotta cut them. *Note: I have never used this method, but have been tempted too many a time. I feel someone should take one for the team and try it out*
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5,691 posts
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Post by lynette on Aug 20, 2016 23:24:33 GMT
I think we have discussed this before but what do we think about someone coming down in the interval from the gods to the front stalls having spotted an empty seat? I wouldn't have noticed but she very loudly asked the poor American tourist next to her if he minded and oh dear she couldn't hear from where she was and she left her husband up there and didn't tell him she had come down but then he knew her and what films had he seen. A credit to him he was very polite. She rattled on all through the interval. And then did the thing American visitors must all suffer- she asked him and his companion if they had enjoyed it. Good job she wasn't next to me.
this was at RSC tonight
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Post by Deleted on Aug 21, 2016 10:17:49 GMT
What is with the number of babies at the theatre lately? and parents who don't seem to give a damn that it's disruptive and really not appropriate to most shows they're at? I know that some people treat the Globe as a bit of a 'theme park attraction' more than a theatre, but why would you want to stand and hold your baby for the duration of Macbeth is beyond me...
Re: seat 'upgrading' I don't mind it, if people are subtle and it's clear nobody is using it, personally I think if the seat is empty someone might as well sit in it. But obviously being loud and over the top about it isn't great behaviour!
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Post by showgirl on Aug 21, 2016 14:40:18 GMT
It's not just babies who are inappropriately young or who behave disruptively, though: yesterday at CFT there were several small parties, apparently of grandparent(s) plus grandchild(ren), but the adults were making no effort to restrain the children or advise them on behaviour.
In the seats adjacent to mine I had a grandmother with a fidgety grandchild on each side, so one was unfortunately next to me, and she was constantly leaping about and jiggling my seat each time. I shot her the occasional filthy look but she clearly didn't realise why and the grandmother didn't take the hint, either. As we were front row I didn't dare whisper a polite request for her to sit still.
Then, a few rows back, another grandparent had thought fit to provide the grandchild with a huge, rustly bag of sweets into which said child dipped vigorously at regular intervals, despite aggrieved backward glances from people in my row. Maybe it's time theatres put on special family performances? I do think however that the show wasn't suitable for children so young, though whether the grandparent misjudged it or was trying to combine child-minding with theatre-going, I don't know.
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Post by DuchessConstance on Aug 21, 2016 23:31:47 GMT
It's not just babies who are inappropriately young or who behave disruptively, though: yesterday at CFT there were several small parties, apparently of grandparent(s) plus grandchild(ren), but the adults were making no effort to restrain the children or advise them on behaviour. Oh god, what show were they seeing? Please say Half a Sixpence.
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3,563 posts
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Post by showgirl on Aug 22, 2016 3:27:28 GMT
It's not just babies who are inappropriately young or who behave disruptively, though: yesterday at CFT there were several small parties, apparently of grandparent(s) plus grandchild(ren), but the adults were making no effort to restrain the children or advise them on behaviour. Oh god, what show were they seeing? Please say Half a Sixpence. It was indeed Half A Sixpence - I'd have been very surprised had it been Strife, which actually tested my patience, too. (But I promise I didn't fidget!)
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