19,855 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Feb 10, 2016 0:06:15 GMT
Mary Poppins tonight. Where to begin?
I'll keep it brief.
The woman who seemed to have consumption, or pneumonia but managed to make it and cough the whole way through it.
The messy old man on the front row, surrounded by all sorts of stuff bags, papers, outerwear, who spent the entire night looking at the conductor instead of the stage and conducting along with her... arms everywhere, very distracting when continually in the corner of your field of vision
The woman who was out of her seat clapping with her hands in the air at every opportunity.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 10, 2016 9:30:11 GMT
Mary Poppins tonight. Where to begin? I'll keep it brief. The woman who seemed to have consumption, or pneumonia but managed to make it and cough the whole way through it. The messy old man on the front row, surrounded by all sorts of stuff bags, papers, outerwear, who spent the entire night looking at the conductor instead of the stage and conducting along with her... arms everywhere, very distracting when continually in the corner of your field of vision The woman who was out of her seat clapping with her hands in the air at every opportunity. I thought Sarah Snook was supposed to be in 'The Master Builder', not watching 'Mary Poppins'! |
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30 posts
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Post by bex1210 on Feb 11, 2016 7:24:36 GMT
First time I saw Bend It Like Beckham a couple turned up 15 minutes late and disrupted everyone but then they decided to open and eat a huge bag of cheesy Doritos! Why would anyone think that's ok in a theatre?!
Also we went to an early evening performance at our local Panto before Christmas and there was a steaming drunk woman who kept screaming out really inappropriate things. It was quite funny for the half an hour but then it just got ridiculous because she was heckling after every other line. Plus the audience was full of kids and she kept shouting out obscene things about Robin Hood and his tights.
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18 posts
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Post by patterdalepip on Feb 11, 2016 7:45:06 GMT
Kinky Boots- 3 men in the first half had to get up to use the loo, unfortunately they were located in the first second and third rows. The guy in the third row had to ask a large man on crutches to move out to the side aisle so he could get out. FOH then let them re-take their seats rather than waiting until the interval- very distracting! Obviously either can't handle their drink or have early onset incontinence!!!
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Post by Montmartre on Feb 11, 2016 12:29:32 GMT
Time for theatres/ticket agencies to issue "How to Behave" notices with each purchase. Also a leaflet in all programmes. ... and if ignored, bad behavioured people will be made to leave. Pin up large posters in theatre foyers too. It is just getting worse.
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682 posts
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Post by westendcub on Feb 11, 2016 13:55:16 GMT
First time I saw Bend It Like Beckham a couple turned up 15 minutes late and disrupted everyone but then they decided to open and eat a huge bag of cheesy Doritos! Why would anyone think that's ok in a theatre?! It's always latecomers that do this!! No doubt late because they've been stockpiling snacks down the local Tesco's and hiding it in their jackets! |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2016 15:04:19 GMT
First time I saw Bend It Like Beckham a couple turned up 15 minutes late and disrupted everyone but then they decided to open and eat a huge bag of cheesy Doritos! Why would anyone think that's ok in a theatre?! Also we went to an early evening performance at our local Panto before Christmas and there was a steaming drunk woman who kept screaming out really inappropriate things. It was quite funny for the half an hour but then it just got ridiculous because she was heckling after every other line. Plus the audience was full of kids and she kept shouting out obscene things about Robin Hood and his tights. 1. Cheesy Doritos *are* rather nice though. Especially with some houmous. 2. What were Robin Hood's legs like? |
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Post by Jan on Feb 14, 2016 10:25:49 GMT
A first for me at the Print Room this weekend, after the interval came the inevitable ringing phone getting louder and louder until the owner finally realised it was theirs, scrabbled around in their bag for it, and then instead of turning it off actually answered it and started a conversation.
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5,716 posts
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Post by lynette on Feb 14, 2016 10:47:00 GMT
Like 'can't talk now, I'm in the theatre. Yeah, quite good...'
I think I would have ended up in the police station.
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892 posts
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Post by longinthetooth on Feb 14, 2016 15:13:06 GMT
Reminds me of a few years ago, at the Trafalgar Studios watching Lenny Henry as Othello. The interval had ended and the actors were back on stage, when the woman a few seats along from me got out her phone to call her missing companions, loudly saying, "Where are you? It's started!"
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Post by Deleted on Feb 14, 2016 16:14:03 GMT
Phone ringing quietly, but audibly in second row of Five Finger Exercise last night. Guilty party somewhere to my left ignored it. Really annoying as not only did it buzz for a long time, the caller then immediately rang again so another round of buzzing. Couldn't even direct a glare to the culprit as the possible suspects stayed still so didn't give a clue to who the phone belonged to.
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Post by Jan on Feb 14, 2016 19:18:58 GMT
Phone ringing quietly, but audibly in second row of Five Finger Exercise last night. Guilty party somewhere to my left ignored it. Really annoying as not only did it buzz for a long time, the caller then immediately rang again so another round of buzzing. Couldn't even direct a glare to the culprit as the possible suspects stayed still so didn't give a clue to who the phone belonged to. Maybe the person concerned was one of those who had taken the blanket placed on each seat and wrapped it round their head and neck in the manner of Lawrence of Arabia and so couldn't hear the phone, there were quite a few attired like that when I was there. (To everyone else: A blanket. Yes. On every seat. Grey. Like on BA long-haul). |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2016 8:23:58 GMT
Boy (for he was only about 19-20)next to me at the Donmar decided it was entirely necessary to spread his legs as wide as possible. Much like, I might add many men do on public transport. Now things are cosy enough in the Donmar without someone doing that. Also woman in front spent all of act 2 rattling ice.
Meanwhile it was front of house at Mrs Henderson who irritated me. I know they have to prep things in the bar (at the rear of stalls) but there was much opening and shutting of the door (which lets light in every time) and loud chatter and phones going off from behind the door. Irritating.
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9 posts
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Post by Junie on Feb 15, 2016 8:58:33 GMT
At The Woman in Black matinée last Tuesday there were several school parties in who weren't too bad until the scary stuff started and then several of them kept screaming ridiculously loudly at every jumpy bit which completely ruined the tension/mood as it was so over the top. Several people around them started shushing them which caused more noise and disruption.
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.
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733 posts
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Post by theatremiss on Feb 15, 2016 12:24:48 GMT
At The Master Builder on Wed some people in 2nd row DC (too far along from me in front row DC to do anything about), decided firstly that talking was OK followed by a loud rustling of sweet bag & wrappers. A few stares followed by some shushes then finally someone said for them to stop it. All made for a rather irritating start to the play and me focusing on their noise rather than the actor's lines. What made matters worse was after the interval the same woman rattled ice in her cup all the way through the second act.
I also found a small group of people extremely rude when a member of FOH asked them during the first interval to remove their coats from the balcony. They refused saying the coats belonged to their friends. The FOH asked them again to move them onto the empty seats and again they refused. FOH offered to put the coats into the cloakroom for them again they refused and challenged her as to why they had to. I actually wanted to shout over to them to not be so bloody rude and would they like someone's coat to land on them if they were sat in the stalls. Some people really drive me insane
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3 posts
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Post by greshco on Feb 15, 2016 15:25:05 GMT
I have started a campaign about bad behaviour - @theatrecharter theatre-charter.co.uk
Spread the word as the more support I have the more I can be a bigger voice
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209 posts
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Post by Flim Flam on Feb 15, 2016 16:01:55 GMT
Good idea.
I always think that part of the problem is that many 'occasional' theatre-goers genuinely have no idea/have never given the slightest thought to theatre etiquette. And of course there are some, who simply don't give a toss as to how their behaviour inconveniences others.
At the moment, staff or audience members who try to remonstrate in the case of bad behaviour are often met with the attitude of 'who says I should have to turn my phone off/stop talking?' etc. As if this is some sort of strange personal foible of ours, to want to have the phone turned off, rather than these being accepted 'rules' of theatre attendance.
If it were possible to have a large sign dropped in front of the curtain, prior to the performance, listing a code of conduct for acceptable behaviour- don't talk,eat or make phone calls during the performance etc, then at least everyone would have a clear idea of what was expected of them, and our complaints would have more force.
If those rules were also in the 'terms and conditions' of purchasing a ticket, and agreement to abide by this 'code of conduct' clearly being stated as part of acceptance for purchasing the ticket, then that too would give staff more authority when dealing with these people.
Mind you, having sold the punters some noisy refreshments, I can't really see how much credibility anyone would have, when trying to quieten the munching and ice-rattling down! Oh well...
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1,064 posts
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Post by David J on Feb 15, 2016 16:10:41 GMT
Not quite bad behaviour but I just like to applaud the usher at Nell Gwynne last Saturday afternoon, who apparently spotted someone photographing the set
It seems the photographer was unreachable because he shouted "no photography please" in a clear and concise way that left the audience silent for a few seconds
There was certainly no photography after that as far as I could see
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1,064 posts
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Post by David J on Feb 15, 2016 16:12:17 GMT
Mind you at Hand to God in the evening there were so many people going in and out you'd think the Vaudeville was a walk through
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491 posts
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Post by djdan14 on Feb 15, 2016 20:16:29 GMT
Just held a door open for Robert Lyndsey at Hand to God press night and he didn't thank me. Not sure if this can be claimed as bad behaviour, but it's my new claim to fame  |
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1,936 posts
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Post by wickedgrin on Feb 16, 2016 17:03:35 GMT
It was not bad behaviour from Robert Lindsey not thanking you for holding the door but his belief that he has the divine right to have a door held open for him!
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2,348 posts
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Post by theglenbucklaird on Feb 16, 2016 22:42:49 GMT
Power to the people
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Post by d'James on Feb 16, 2016 23:49:35 GMT
For the first time ever I had to shush someone in the theatre at Miss Saigon tonight.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 17, 2016 22:26:52 GMT
This pales into insignificance compared to some of the dreadful recounts on this thread, but about a week or so ago when I was watching In The Heights, I was in the front row of Platform A and had a lovely view of the stage. However, I was sat in between a perfect pair of well-mannered men and on the other side was an atrociously loud family.
Unfortunately for me, being the lone teenager of our row, I had no one to roll my eyes to when the man next to me started headbanging furiously. Now the tunes are quite catchy, I'll give him that, but he didn't seem to stop and he even did it during the slow-paced songs...that's right. He did it during "Atencion", and even started softly humming along. I had to restrain myself from seizing my water bottle and causing grievous bodily harm.
Fortunately during "When You're Home", when Benny and Nina are talking to each other on the stairs and the ensemble have a quick breather and sit down before moving the stairs again, Graffiti Pete gave him the best subtly annoyed stare I've ever seen from a cast member.
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5,716 posts
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Post by lynette on Feb 18, 2016 0:59:32 GMT
Ice rattling is bad at Donmar. I like the idea of a code of conduct but tricky in places like Donmar with no proscenium to hang it from so to speak. Maybe a text with ticket confirmation. They send out stuff on your forthcoming visit to the Globe for example. Might catch on. I think some of the behaviour we experience might be from lack of experience, kids not taken to theatre much, on the one hand and a kind of arrogance on the other from people who fashion themselves above the herd. Just thoughts.
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