Rude and noisy people at the theatre give me the rage.

[Invasionofthegutsnatchers]

Not just a quiet whisper but full blown loud conversation during a solo singing performance, endless noisy rustling of sweet wrappers, coughing, passing drinks around, zipping and unzipping bags, bloody crisp packets. Three separate groups of people either side and behind us. Surely if you want to take snacks in you bring something easy to eat? It's only 1.5 hours long, have your cellophane jangling party before or after? No bloody manners.

Screwing? Screaming.

Shush now people 🙄

@Invasionofthegutsnatchers

It's even worse because I'm an infant school teacher and 100% of my instincts are screwing at me to be bossy and tell them to be quiet 🤫😑🙃

Yes, I was shocked this week at how much chatter there was at the infant school I work in during a performance of an outside company. I haven't been there long (was in secondary before that) and the only experience I Have of infant school performances is from my own memory of being that age in the late 70s. Then you sat and watched in silence until you were invited to participate by the people on stage. It was fine to laugh at the comedy of course. But chatting through it? Was unheard of. You'd be shushed and if you didn't shut up you would be taken out. Bit hard to do that when the whole audience is displaying low-level chattering. Sign of the times, I think.

I hate this too. I've stopped going as people are so thoughtless. We went to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory years ago and the amount of rubbish on the floor at the end was truly shocking

It’s the mobile phones that drive me bananas. You don’t need to be scrolling through fucking Facebook at the theatre FFS. Or tapping the screen every 7 seconds to find out what the time is. The backlight interrupts everyone’s concentration.

Last time we went we were next to a mobile phone wanker and we didn’t confront them, just asked to be moved at the interval. After the performance (just as we were thanking the usher for moving us) the couple in question came up and started screaming at us. For moving. Because they were behaving in a way that disrupts everyone. I’ve given up going to the cinema and the theatre now.

@JinglePants

Absolutely agree! I spent £120 on tickets to Les Mis and the people behind us sang and talked and ate all the way through

That’s really annoying. Would you say you could Hear The People Sing?

I agree, the last time I went to the theatre I had someone behind me munching really loudly on popcorn for the whole entire play, it was so distracting. I've also had someone explaining the whole show to the person sitting next to them and I've also had someone singing along really loudly to the songs in a musical, I felt like saying I haven't paid good money to listen to you sing and out of tune at that! I've given up with the theatre now as I'm obviously too easily distracted.

Went to see Prince of Egypt last week and it was full on conversation taking place. Luckily one of the ushers came and swished people.

Much worse was taking DD to see frozen. Loads of noisy children standing up and being so loud, including the parents. Dd isn't little any more but all the kids standing up meant she couldn't see. Had to complain and the manager came out to tell the parents that the kids needed to sit down and couldn't lean over the balcony. I love going to the theatre but its so £££ to be ruined by loud people.

You should email a complaint.. I got a refund on 8 cinema tickets after a family of 5 complete with new baby ruined a costly trip out..

Surely it would have been cheaper for the cinema to refund the disruptive family and tell them to leave than to refund multiple other people? Disruptive family were probably delighted that they had less people around them.

@CurlyhairedAssassin

I think you do have to pick the type of performance to be honest if you want to ensure that the audience is quiet. There's quite a lot of "low-brow" shows nowadays, isn't there, for want of a better description, which isn't going to attract the same type of audience as Chekhov or a performance of Handel's Messiah.

I also think it's society in general. How many of us are guilty of scrolling on our phones while sitting at home watching the telly? How many kids and young adults have got used to very past-faced films with lots of action and special effects and get bored when the action slows down and there is an exploration of a relationship developing slowly between a number of different characters.

I was thinking how outdated Jaws appears these days to young people. I'm not talking about the plastic shark/crap SFX. I mean there aren't a lot of action scenes. It's about creating the switch in atmosphere from a calm, peaceful holiday town to tension and build up and an explor ation of the various characters motivations for the action they take. I think many young people would call it slow in parts. It's just what they're used to. If there's not much action happening to grab their attention they switch off a bit, I've noticed.

OT, but I watched Jaws with DS recently for the first time in decades, and what struck me was also how differently it would be scripted and shot now — and how ‘slow’ it (and many other pre-2000s films) feels. The bit in the middle where Quint talks about surviving the attack on the Indianapolis would never be shot like that now.

Last time I went to the cinema, a couple a few seats in front were wearing matching smart watches that blinked a red light every 30 seconds or so. For the whole fucking movie. I just can't handle selfish people anymore.

@Corbally I scroll on my phone whilst watching telly but am capable of sitting in silence to watch a theatre show without snacking
I can't see how the two are related unless you're talking about attention span. Manners override that anyway.

Sorry the above was for @CurlyhairedAssassin

God I know what you mean. Adults that can't sit for 2 hours with going to the toilet, drinking, eating or talking. Cinemas as well! And concerts!!

I had booked tickets for a play a few years ago well in advance as it was a popular one. Unfortunately got a cold just before the performance so I dosed up on day nurse, cough sweets, water, the lot. I coughed very briefly twice. The woman in front of me turned around to glare both times, but proceeded to chat to her partner pretty much throughout as well as checking her phone.