Man on WhatsApp next to me in Theatre?

Last time I went to the theatre the staff were great- told people to put phones away as soon as any were used.
a notice was read out at the start too to say no phones.
I was glad.

I went to see a comedian last night. The couple next to me spent the whole time checking their phones. It was quiet but the light was very annoying. Usually I do say something but I was too under the weather to bother yesterday.
I have been threatened before when I asked someone to stop taking phone calls during a film...it's depressingly rude.

I'd hope you would say something. Let them know they could be accused of recording the performance.

I wish it was possible for such people to be banned from the theatre for a good period of time. Just as someone can be banned from their local pub. Probably sadly almost impossible given numbers in a theatre.

What exactly would this "something" be, that needs an urgent reply? Can't people handle being out of contact for a couple of hours? Mobile phones have only been common for what, a couple of decades, people survived before that.

He is harming those around him - using your phone during a show, even to text, is very distracting for other people in the audience.

If something urgent is happening, don’t go to the theatre! Don’t leave your phone on in case, check it in the interval if you must, like a civilised person.

He shouldn’t really have been checking his phone in the first place to know about an urgent whatever it was though.

I was at the theatre last week. It was downstairs. There was no data signal and the WiFi wasn’t working. No one had any signal unless they left the theatre and went upstairs. No one dies from not having contact with the outside world for a couple of hours.

What did people do in the days before mobiles when these “urgent things” came up while they were at the theatre? It just waited. Just like it could wait this time.

In all honesty, I think if someone needed to do one quick reply and then put their phone away the rest of the show I don’t think people would mind that much. They don’t though. They keep checking it. Lighting up the screen every 5 mins. Or they sit there having full on conversations. Scrolling through Facebook etc. And yes that is harming someone else’s enjoyment of the show. If you don’t want to be there, don’t be. Go outside when you want to scroll through Facebook. But don’t be surprised when you don’t get let back in straight away.

Then you leave the auditorium to reply. Nothing should be so urgent that waiting about an hour should affect it. People were not always connected...

It's very distracting and can pull people out of the atmosphere of the show. And it isn't just one person. It could be consistent if it's not immediately addressed with one person.

What if something had happened during his time at the theatre? Not life or death enough to leave, but needed an urgent reply? I think as much as it’s a nuisance to people, he’s not exactly harming anyone.

A few years ago we went to a performance of Cabaret, during which someone’s phone rang, and I think they actually answered it. At some point after that (I think at a scene change point) the EmCee came front of curtain and in character gave the offender a scathing dressing down - I wish I could remember the details because it was excellent!

What an unpleasant man all round. Some people just seem to be too emotionally immature to accept being politely challenged and to just say "sorry". I'm not sure there's more of it since the lockdowns but people I know who have the misfortune to work in customer-facing roles all say the general crap behaviour/abuse is worse these days. As a fairly regular theatre-goer I've definitely noticed an increase in phone use/talking/drunk singing & general nuisance-making in the last few years.
Only a few people, mind you. But I don't recall seeing it at all before.

I would want to complain but would hate to sit next to someone who was simmering with resentment. I wouldn't be able to relax and enjoy the show.

You should have said something. I always ask people to put phone away if we’re at the cinema or theatre.

We were watching a serious, quiet play and a man next to me was texting constantly. I finally told him to stop as it was disturbing everyone around him. He scoffed in my face and aggressively said he’d paid for his expensive ticket, so could do what he wanted! What is this utterly selfish mindset? He hadn’t paid for our equally expensive tickets! Not to mention, there are live human beings working hard to put on a show for you. It’s your prerogative not to like it, but show some respect for the effort, at least.

You can’t suspend disbelief and get involved in the narrative at the theatre if some berk has their phone flashing away in your line of vision. Just switch it off fgs or if you can’t, stay away.

Apple Watches have a ‘theatre mode’, which both silences notifications and also keeps it dark unless you tap it. Don’t other watches have something like this, or are people just not using it?

Then he should have foregone the theatre trip. People pay hundreds of pounds and wait months for some shows. It's not ok to have it spoiled by people who cannot manage a 90 minute slot without their phone. If you have a potential emergency like a v sick relative, dont go.

It wasn’t Hamilton was it? You might have been sat in front of me yesterday OP.

Re: S&R - I agree EmeraldRoulette.

The staff should have intervened. They do at theatres I’ve been to recently. The light is really distracting for everyone around.

This is rubbish. There’s no reason to keep checking it every few mins. I once went to see a film I’d be looking forward to for months. My mum was in hospital at the time and it wasn’t looking great (nothing imminent though) and after weeks of stress I really needed a couple of hours of escapism. I kept my phone in my hand on vibrate (obviously with the screen off and I kept it face down as well just in case) and sat by the door. So IF it rang while I was in there I could dash out to answer it. What I did not do was keep it on bright screen or keep checking it every few mins.

There’s also ways you CAN check a phone much more discreetly if needed once or twice. Brightness turned right down, check it under a coat or in a pocket.

Smart watches are awful for flashing up, I wish more people would turn them off!

I always put my phone on silent and on aeroplane mode (so I don’t get any calls that would make it vibrate) and I put my smart watch on theatre mode to so the screen is dark.

Saw a musical last week and a woman decided to film one of the scenes half way through the first act. WTF? Most shows let you film at the end, so just wait till then!

I think the toilet roll shelf is a great idea. I keep my phone in my back pocket so need to take it out before I use the toilet. So having somewhere to put it (not use it) is very handy.