To ask what poor theatre etiquette you’ve witnessed?

My teenage daughter is also diabetic, and recently she went to see a Shakespeare play on her own with a friend. The man next to them leaned over and had a go at her for using her phone.

She uses her phone regularly to check her insulin levels. She didnt correct him as she didn't want an argument and she was quite rattled.

I'm sure he went home delighted he'd put to rights an antisocial teenager.

I was sat next to a women in a big fluffy jumper with very strong perfume for a production of Antony and Cleopatra. Itching and gagging through the whole production. Not her fault I have sensory issues but why do some people wear so much perfume or aftershave?

The worst was a couple eating fish and chips at the ballet. When people complained they says they hadn’t had time to eat beforehand so it was quite reasonable.

I don't know if I can call it "poor etiquette" but it was really annoying. I went to see 'Born with teeth' (Ncuti Gatwa was one of only two actors in it and was superb), a one act play that - like most dramas these days is serious with the occasional "wry" line. The woman next to me shrieked with laughter like a banshee at each of these, meaning that I missed the next lines as she did so.

Of course, in actual comedies, the actors are directed to pause for the laughs...

Why do you think people seem to be much worse at the theatre than at the cinema?

Is it because it’s more expensive so they feel entitled?
Is it because it’s often a “big occasion” so they’ve overindulged and are tired and emotional?
Do they genuinely not realise that the performers can hear them?

I’ve never understood the “singing along” thing. I was at an acoustic concert with a friend once and she insisted on singing along to every song, I couldn’t hear the famous performer.

That’s a medical emergency - obviously disruptive for those around you but that’s life! I hope it wasn’t too stressful for you all 💐

Went to see The Lovely Bones and a guy fell asleep part way through the first half and snored loudly until the interval. Fortunately he didn’t come back for the second half.

My friend’s theatre companion is very intolerant of ANY noise during the play - one time he was infuriated by the man
in front of him constantly opening a bottle of fizzy water and sipping from it. You’d have thought Hugh Bonneville would have known better 🤣

I was threatened at the cinema by a group of teenagers. We went to see Titanic 25th anniversary and a group of about 15 teenagers came in and talked, texted, joked around, threw popcorn at each other and just acted a bunch of right nobs the whole way through. I asked them to be quiet and two girls said they were going to follow me out. I got up to go to the loo and they appeared by the sinks when I came out, when they spotted my 7 month pregnant belly they went very quiet and sulked off.

My DH told me he would come to the loo with me but I told him i wouldn't be intimidated by a bunch of kids, I grew up in a rough town and did high level martial arts for 15 years. Its not my first rodeo standing up to twats

I went to see a comedy show in my local theatre, Georgie Carroll the very funny nurse who tells all of her crazy experiences in hospitals. The place was wall to wall with medical staff so lots of crowd interaction. However - a few rows away from me on a team night out who had got absolutely wankered before the show. Every story the comedian told they had their own version of, that they proceeded to shout to each other the whole way through. Ruined the show for me

I told them to be quiet a few times and was told to fuck off quite loudly

My DS had three seizures during a performance of Peter Pan Goes Wrong and the first one involved a lot of moaning and if you were there I deeply apologise. We explained to our immediate neighbours but I'm sure other people could hear.
We took him out when we could, then he seemed fine so we brought him back in and then it happened again. The theatre staff were amazing. Helped DH with him, found him somewhere to chill where he could watch on the big screen.
We had the four seats at the end of the row and I was in the end seat after this where the row being shorter behind I wasn't in front of anyone fortunately. I did text DH to find out if DS was ok as I thought it would be less disruptive than going to find him. Plus DD was only 7 and would have followed me disrupting everyone further.

I was going to ask just HOW but having been to the Royal Exchange I do understand now.

People behind us at Priscilla queen of the desert were pissed before it started (it was the matinee) and just whooped and talked all the way through the first half. At the interval a female usher came out and told them off, she was magnificent- said any more and we will stop the show and you’ll be ejected. I turned round and did a happy face that they’d been told , one of the women saw me and told her friend that they’d “get me” after the show and apparently to add to my crimes I wasn’t showing enough pleasure at being there ( that was true as I did not like the show ) I think she thought it was me who’d complained about them.

about five minutes later, still in the interval the usher came back and booted them out.

Being threatened at the theatre was a new one on me.

At Six a few weeks ago. The couple beside brought snacks - dry roasted peanuts. The pong as they opened the packets was disgusting. They were a supermarket version so really crinkly plastic. As Jane Seymour sings about the death of her child and the whole place is silent and moved by her beautiful voice, all I can hear is the deep rummaging of the peanut packet beside me and wafts of dry roasted peanut smell.

Same! A woman checking messages and Facebook about once every two minutes with the brightly lit up screen during a production of Macbeth.

Then I too saw the wanking post! 😂

Constantly having to stand up and squeeze into a nonexistent gap to let people out to the bar/toilet etc. Do it before the show or during the intervals. Bloody annoying.

Not the theatre but I once took DC to the cinema and a man sat in the back row with us. Took his shoes and socks off and perched his grippers on the headrest of the seat in front of him. Diabolical.

Recently at the Tina Turner musical- lady in front kept having her Apple Watch pinging all the time! Couple on the end of the row kept talking, man kept getting up and leaving all the time and coming back , towards the end of the second half, he disappeared for ages , she got her mobile out and rang him , ‘where are you? ‘ really loud!

We went to see a dancer from Strictly this woman was so drunk she fell down the stairs to her seat, in front of us she was up dancing and whooping stumbling , her friend took her out at the interval and they didn't return to the seats.

I get people want to have a good time,but what a waste of a night out.

I saw a show recently and a larger couple sat beside me. Unfortunately the woman sitting next to me spilled onto my seat slightly. I don’t blame her, people are getting bigger, seats and spaces should be larger. Then the man sitting behind me kept putting his feet on the back of my open seat and the toe of his shoe kept hitting my backside. I did look behind and it eventually stopped. People need better fucking manners. Keep your filthy feet off seats. The show was awful as well.

😏😃

Agree completely.

Sorry just couldn't help myself 😉🍆

Three notable lows -

1. two guys who were sitting many rows apart, decided to have a fight in the (steeply stair-cased) aisle during the saddest part of Jersey Boys in London. I swear the entire theatre was trying to see what was happening. One of them fell down the stairs and at least one was eventually evicted.

2. middle-aged woman started moaning and shrieking during Shirley Valentine with Sheridan Smith. Was sitting in the middle of the row of course and made a huge song and dance of leaving halfway through Act One, shouting loudly. Initially I was sympathetic as I thought she was ill - nope, she was just plastered because it was her birthday. I was so angry, she ruined my favourite part of the show. She was allowed back for Act 2 but had to sit on the end of the row. I don't know how Sheridan continued, again the entire theatre heard.

3. Man sitting IN THE FRONT ROW, right in the middle, texting and scrolling on his phone all the way through Act 1 of a children's show. I tapped him on the shoulder eventually to ask him to stop and him and his wife started shouting and swearing at me because apparently I was trying to stop him from doing his job, and they have to eat. Like the front row of a show is the right place to work. He made me cry and was quite frightening. I wish I'd asked the ushers to remove him. So rude. Again, all the performers must have noticed.

Maybe Australian audiences have better manners 😁 I saw Anastasia two weeks ago and The Lion King last week, two different theatres. At both everyone was told phones away once the show starts and at Lion King people were told not to sing along as people wanted to hear the actors not their neighbours. I have previously been at shows where people have tried to take photos and the ushers are on them straightaway. They enforce the lock outs at the start and after the interval pretty strictly too. Cinemas on the other hand…….

I was lucky that my experience of Phantom was fine, no dickheads. Well, the lad in front of me was still messing on his phone when the music started, so I reached forward and tapped him on the shoulder and he hastily put it away. That ticket cost me £200!!

Wicked was my very worst. I was absolutely surrounded by utter and complete dickheads. Guy in front of me doom scrolling throughout, Guy behind me worked his way solidly through packet after packet of family-size bag Walkers, ladies to the right of me whispering and pointing at the stage. People to the left of me took themselves walkabout during a technical hitch and came back in after the recommencement. There were others who came in late after the interval too. The lady sitting right next to me was morbidly obese and spilling over onto me, which was bad enough, but she was also wet (to the point I could feel it through my trousers). It could have been sweat but she smelled like drains. The family in front of me waited to the end and then filed out before the curtain call. The family to the left stayed but didn't deign to clap. Generally there was whispering and movement everywhere. I'd looked forward to seeing Wicked for more than 10 years, and it was totally trashed.

How long have you got? Man kicking the back of my seat, people chowing down on panini sandwiches, texting of course - all at Sadlers wells. People are savages

Why is that, I wonder?