Booze in theatres

Yes I had it also at a show in Edinburgh, performance was stopped and the people removed.

This was a matinee.

They do it to make money. Its actively offered and advertised for that reason.

I'd have to get rat arsed to get through an audience with Gary Barlow 🤣

Why do theatres let people drink in their seats? That’s really disturbing to the rest of the audience and the performers. I mean, surely theatres could just stop allowing that??

I’m at a London show most weeks and don’t experience this. Plenty of latecomers, mid-show toilet visitors, talkers and phone-screen-switcher-on-ers though.

I'm pretty tall with long legs and a stiff knee. I'd also love to be able to sit still, but since my legs are more or less wrapped round my neck to fit in most seats it's impossible. I do try to book early to find a seat with more leg room/on an aisle so I can stick my legs out though.

You cannot get drunk on theatre drinks, they're so expensive!
But it's people doing pre drinks at home or the local pub then going on to a show. I've never experienced what you have though but I'd be annoyed too, it's so expensive to go to the theatre these days so it's a real treat when we do, I'd hate to have it ruined by twats!

I worked for several years for a couple of security companies that provide staff to theatres both in the west end and regional theatres. We have had to turn away customers at top west end shows who turn with boxes of pizza, assuming they can eat them during the show and get very annoyed when we won't let them in.

We have ejected people from all types of shows for misbehaviour including being drunk/rowdy, chatting, singing along, using their phones and generally being a nuisance.

Every theatre will have their own level of what they will tolerate and we generally have to follow their lead before we get involved. We have definitely broken up fights over seating, people being a nuisance and even between couples/friends.

It is not unknown for people to be given free tickets to a future show, if their experience has been disrupted by other people, but again this depends on the venue.

I think its down to a general decline in societal standards of etiquette and what people see as acceptable behaviour in public.

We went to see a well known comedian on holiday and he abandoned the gig because of the loud mouthed heckling drunk in front of us. I think drink should be limited, and drunk people chucked out.

Exactly what I've been trying to say, only said much better! 👏👏👏

O, the behaviour at decent musicals isn't different. I go a little, but not to juke box ones. They aren't any good.

Or decent musicals. You're talking about juke box nonsense.

My local theatre has been having issues as have many others around the country, particularly the ATG chain which hosts a number of pricey touring productions like Hamilton, Phantom etc. I’ve heard the problem is much worse at the jukebox/movie adaptation types (I don’t think they are fun so I don’t go), but if you Google it, these incidents happen increasingly frequently.

I was attending a performance of Les Miserables at a rival large local theatre where they are trying to avoid this behaviour. They announced before the show I was at (Cabaret) that “at next week’s performance of The Bodyguard, no alcohol will be served”… I was so baffled. Now I know!

I work in theatres and I can assure you that we all brace ourselves for comedy productions. The crowds are rough. Some shows also attract a harder-drinking crowd. The audience has paid a lot of money to “have fun” and feel the need to drink to oblivion to justify the ticket price. One (unfortunately very long-running show) has almost given our staff ptsd. Aggressive, entitled patrons, more vomit bags handed out than I have ever seen in my past life as a flight attendant, fighting, blow jobs, shagging in toilets, passing out in the foyer, head injuries and fractures from falling down the stairs - you name it. Well…. Nobody died, I guess.

Don't tar all musicals with this. Lloyd Webber shore or the likes of Mamma Mia and other juke box musicals maybe. Not the real thing. I go a lot.

I've never been to. Theatre where that would be allowed. I visit lots of London and regional theatres.

I go to the theatre a lot too. I've never seen that. I saw a few people a bit drunk at Mamma Mia, but that's the nature of which a shit piece of theatre. They were a bit loud but nothing like you've said.
I like a glass of wine before the show and another at the interval. It's part of the experience (and of course I could 'manage' without, but why should I?). Theatres should police it better maybe, but I wouldn't say it's widespread from my own experience.

I’ve never seen this either, and been to several theatre events recently.

More of a problem is people taking photographs or recording g in their phone. Save it to the end!

I do think theatres and venues need to crack down on this more though.

Yes I've seen this. Saw sunset boulevard earlier in the year and 3 friends behind me were making their way through two bottles of wine and being really loud. The man next to me told them to shut up. It was really uncomfortable.

I've gone to the theatre since I was a little girl and don't remember this 20 years ago.

People nearly always get louder the more they drink so it's inevitable but it does ruin it for others.

Though I imagine theatre in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries was a very roucous affair with shouting and booze!

The PP was complaining It's one of the issues with reduced ticket prices, works night out, were the employer has paid etc so basically it's one of the issues of making the theatre accessible to people like us - working class, can't afford £100+ a ticket or travel to the fancier theatres.
I'm perfectly capable of turning up sober to the theatre and behaving, irrespective of my income of background. You're perfectly capable of turning up sober and behaving . So should everyone else.

And don't even me started on the mess left even at more "high brow" shows. My four year olds know better than that.

We go to the theatre loads and I have never seen this-have never had a show ruined by drunk obnoxious people and have certainly never seen a fight at a theatre! Where do you live?!

I’ve had performances affected by really tall people sitting in front of me which is really annoying (though not their fault for being tall-I wish they’d sit still though!).

People in the cinema annoy me more, to be honest, with too much talking, phone use and noisily eating nachos or crisps throughout films -now that should be banned!

The royal opera house do have roving ushers who will come down on those with phones, but most theatres aren't as hot unfortunately. Fear of the response they would get maybe.

They say phones must be turned off. Have a warning that annoying behaviour will result in eviction. And mean it.

We go to the theatre 1-2 a week (London) and the culture has definitely changed, though I've never seen it to the level OP originally described. I've seen a couple of people asked to leave but never a fight! But the availability of alcohol is definitely higher, some theatres will now deliver it to your seat.

Most theatres now allow drinking at your seat, though as someone previously mentioned the Royal Opera House is an exception; (as is the Barbican sometimes) and there are a few others. The National and many others only allow plastic glasses, but I was also surprised at the Savoy allowing glass - we had champagne and I was expecting to have to decant it but didn't.

I’m with @MrsSkylerWhite - it’s not disparaging you as lowbrow, it’s acknowledging that some forms of theatre get lairy while others don’t.

Jukebox musicals, comedy, aging pop stars on anecdote tours etc tend to have more seats sold to large groups of mates on a Big Night Out who rock up half cut.

In the same vein, midweek matinees of classic plays are packed out with high school students. You know that’s the likelihood when choosing your ticket.

That doesn’t mean it’s acceptable. Behaviour in public is dreadful, see the many threads started by people working in cafés, shops, restaurants.

Theatres sell overpriced alcohol as part of their bid to keep open. They are financially hamstrung.

I don’t know what the solution is. I sometimes wish we had a giant parental figure telling us to grow the hell up, behave more respectfully and stay at home if we can’t be civilised.
(Maybe that was the appeal of religion after all)