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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 The Matthew 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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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2016 15:25:10 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. Two words made me question why you thought you weren't going to get bad behaviour at a show... Shrek. Tour.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2016 15:31:11 GMT
In the Henry VI in Cardiff, which takes place promenade style in the roof space, with obviously audience very close to the actors, a woman took out her phone when stood not 2ft from the actors. I'd have "accidentally" knocked it out of her hand...
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Post by bulletproof on Feb 19, 2016 15:54:36 GMT
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. You expected lack of fidgeting, laughter and applause... at Shrek?
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Post by bulletproof on Feb 19, 2016 15:59:40 GMT
On the subject of applause - I'll always politely clap even stuff that I didn't like, but it is a bit of a struggle to keep it going sometimes!
Then again I'm not without fault - I've been tutted at before now for not joining in on a standing ovation. I've always considered them an acknowledgement of a particularly good show/ performance, so don't do them unless moved to do so. Maybe I'm out of touch and should just join in regardless? I've noticed in recent years that they seem to be happening more and more often...
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Post by d'James on Feb 19, 2016 16:03:45 GMT
On the subject of applause - I'll always politely clap even stuff that I didn't like, but it is a bit of a struggle to keep it going sometimes! Then again I'm not without fault - I've been tutted at before now for not joining in on a standing ovation. I've always considered them an acknowledgement of a particularly good show/ performance, so don't do them unless moved to do so. Maybe I'm out of touch and should just join in regardless? I've noticed in recent years that they seem to be happening more and more often... I know what you mean. There are certain shows where I've had no desire to stand but had to because people in front get up. This normally happens when a show does the bows then have a song after that.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Feb 19, 2016 16:23:57 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. Two words made me question why you thought you weren't going to get bad behaviour at a show... Shrek. Tour. Gerroff I LOVE Shrek! Thst tap routine with the rats.... Kills me every time! *GULP* yes I've seen it more than once
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2016 16:24:05 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.Oooh saucy. We've all been there. Perhaps not at the theatre but all the same . . .
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Feb 19, 2016 16:24:37 GMT
got the DVD too
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2016 16:25:38 GMT
On the subject of applause - I'll always politely clap even stuff that I didn't like, but it is a bit of a struggle to keep it going sometimes! Then again I'm not without fault - I've been tutted at before now for not joining in on a standing ovation. I've always considered them an acknowledgement of a particularly good show/ performance, so don't do them unless moved to do so. Maybe I'm out of touch and should just join in regardless? I've noticed in recent years that they seem to be happening more and more often... I never bother. If it doesn't deserve a standing ovation in my eyes, then the only time I get up is to put on my coat and get out. I think I was the only person sitting at 'Funny Girl' for example.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Feb 19, 2016 16:39:30 GMT
And the cast recording....
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Post by 49thand8th on Feb 19, 2016 16:44:07 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. My first memorable experience with Maltesers was at Jersey Boys in Australia when I had the pleasure of hearing the woman behind me rustle her bag for much too long, and then all the little Maltesers dropping down, bouncing slightly, and just rolling... rolling...
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Feb 19, 2016 16:46:27 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. My first memorable experience with Maltesers was at Jersey Boys in Australia when I had the pleasure of hearing the woman behind me rustle her bag for much too long, and then all the little Maltesers dropping down, bouncing slightly, and just rolling... rolling... Are they still called Maltesers in Australia? I only ask because Crunchie Bars are called "Violet Crumble"
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2016 16:46:58 GMT
My first memorable experience with Maltesers was at Jersey Boys in Australia when I had the pleasure of hearing the woman behind me rustle her bag for much too long, and then all the little Maltesers dropping down, bouncing slightly, and just rolling... rolling... Oh, what a night that must have been . . . Ahem.
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Post by TheatreDust on Feb 19, 2016 16:55:12 GMT
I only ask because Crunchie Bars are called "Violet Crumble" I thought she was a character in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!
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Post by lynette on Feb 19, 2016 16:59:37 GMT
But maltesers melt.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Feb 19, 2016 20:17:42 GMT
Not when you eat them as fast as I do.
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Post by mistressjojo on Feb 19, 2016 21:34:49 GMT
Are they still called Maltesers in Australia? I only ask because Crunchie Bars are called "Violet Crumble" [/quote] We have Maltesers. And Violet Crumbles are slightly different to Crunchys But we have both.
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Post by Sue on Feb 19, 2016 21:42:03 GMT
Not when you eat them as fast as I do. Nah, one inhales maltesers don't you know! x
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Feb 19, 2016 22:19:50 GMT
Sausage rolls at the ENO soon Sue!
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Post by Sue on Feb 20, 2016 8:21:22 GMT
I'm all packed and ready to go! Have you had those fabulous sausage rolls from M&S yet instead of your usual Greggs? From the Handcrafted range, they're called Davidstow Cheddar and Dry-Cure Smoked Bacon Sausage rolls. They're very moreish, Burly!
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