Police called to theatre after audience sang over cast

[SnottyLottie]

According to this news article, 2 people were evicted by security and there was a “mini riot” after the show was stopped 10 minutes before the end (and ultimately cancelled) because a handful of the audience were singing over the cast. Police were called (riot vans included).

https://news.sky.com/story/police-called-to-disturbance-at-manchester-palace-theatre-during-the-bodyguard-musical-after-audience-tried-to-sing-over-cast-12852504

What do we think? Over reaction or perfectly reasonable response? I’d be furious to have the show stopped and cancelled 10 minutes before the end because of a handful of disrespectful idiots!

The decline in behaviour is not recent it used to just be cinemas that were moaned about and it has now moved onto theatres. I remember a thread on here a few years ago where someone was complaining about phone use in the cinema and the number of posters who came on to justify their use of their phones in a cinema was legion excuses such as - I have to check on the babysitter, I have anxiety, I can't cope being away from my children (well don't go out then), I need to check the time on the phone, need to check if I've had any messages.

Then you have all the posters who think adult only doesn't apply to them, their baby, toddler, child is exempt it's only other people's children it applies to.

It's selfish, entitled, inconsiderate behaviour.

Drink is at the bottom of most of this. So theatres need to deter super drunk people coming in and stop selling drink except at intervals.
Secondly if theatres want to tap the lairy sing a long market and want to make money they need to give these people what they want, which is pretty much good old fashioned musical hall. Get drunk, dance sing along. Based on one or more musicals. It would be cheaper, they would be packed and would leave the professional musicals for the well behaved.

It does sound like they need to spell out, especially for 'jukebox' musicals, that they are not singalongs, and people have paid to hear professionals.

Maybe they should also run 'singalong specials' once a month or week so that those people can get it out for their systems?

Do you really not understand the difference between being told not to sing (the audience were informed before the performance started) that singing along was not permitted) and being encouraged to sing by the performers?

Drink is at the bottom of most of this. So theatres need to deter super drunk people coming in and stop selling drink except at intervals.

Yep!

They were told more than once before the show not to sing during it, there would be an encore at the end for participation

These ignorant people should be removed from the auditorium. And then it’s the Stage Manager’s job - in conference with the performers - to decide whether the show can go on.

But you know l, I read so many threads on MN with posters asserting their rights to eat and drink in theatres and cinemas and not discipline noisy children and do on.

These attitudes lead to this sort of rude and ignorant behaviour.

I took my two to see some one off Pokémon thing (dc are autistic and can't cope with non rule following so sit quietly and focus). Child in front was super enthusiastic, shouting out the names of Pokémon , loudly narrating everythig and at the end was rewarded by cinema managers with all the display items because they loved his enthusiasm. So that was a waste of money and my kids' enjoyment.

I went to my first musical and also my first opera at university. I was really really nervous and self-conscious as those environments were so alien to me, but was relieved to see that my friends (who were from far posher backgrounds and had attended these things all their lives) were dressed in jeans.

I became a frequent theatre/opera goer over years at uni, in no small part thanks to the student discount! (I also became a museum buff, once more always clad in jeans and a nice sweater.) If the dress code was still a tux or gown or something (which many people, usually older, did wear), I would have found it quite forbidding.

Behaviour is one thing – always behave respectfully – but I think getting dressed to the nines has outlived its purpose as a class signifier from last century. In fact, the cast members themselves (I know a few performers now) themselves are likely of a very liberal persuasion and don't believe in hoity toity dressing up lol

Audiences CAB win if they behave as asked.

It's not difficult

loudly narrating everythig and at the end was rewarded by cinema managers with all the display items because they loved his enthusiasm
Christ almighty . At the cinema?

Just find it odd..if want to check. Go outside! If want to make a phone call..go outside!
I've seen a couple have a massive fall out in the cinema during a film..somehow. He walked out after a argument so she then decided the next move would be to stay in the screen and phone him...and then carry on!
Someone did some in to ask her to leave but why would you think its okay in the first place

I think covid isolation and being on phones/social media all the time has absolutely ruined what was left of manners.

People pay a lot of hard earned money to hear the performers, not some drunken, thinks-too-much-of-themselves audience members. Disgusting behaviour.

Hoity toity dressing up? Dressing up doesn't have to literally mean wearing a tux, you know?

My adult DD works front of house at a Central London theatre. I’m shocked at what she and her team have to deal with. Abusive, drunken behaviour, people sitting in the wrong seats and refusing to move, clearing up vomit, people peeing in cups and leaving them in the auditorium, people arriving late and becoming shouty and abusive when asked to wait for an appropriate moment to be admitted, heckling/shouting out/raucous singing during the show to the point where the actors have to stop, staff who are trying to remove hecklers etc being punched, people demanding refunds when they arrive too late to be admitted, kids chucking sweets from the circles, people trying to get onstage and interfering with props…. The list goes on.

Context is lovely, read the post I was replying to.

It's true people do go to the supermarket in their pyjamas. When I think of the opera hall and theatres in general though, the shabbiest I've seen anyone dress is in jeans, so I can only assume that's what OP means. A good portion of the audience also wear gowns and dress shirts/dress pants, so yes, dressing up in the traditional sense.

I went to a production of Evita, must be over 10 years ago, at the Palace Theatre in Manchester and a group of extremely drunk women had to be thrown out for talking/arguing with each other during the performance. One of them could barely walk as they were escorted out. More and more it seems some people see a theatre or cinema as an extension of their own living room. There's also an attitude of, "well I've paid X amount so I'm entitled to sing along, have a chat with my mates, etc." amongst some audience members.

I've had to ask people to please not sing along or talk during performances. You pay to see the talented cast on stage, not listen to Jane and John Doe behind you ruin it. If the performance isn't what you expected and you're not enjoying it then get up and leave, don't spoil it for everyone else. The same goes for, usually, blokes who seem to have been dragged along and just want to read their phones instead of paying attention to the action on screen/stage.

Yup. He'd been chatting away to his mum before he went in (mine had too) and then carried on at normal
volume as if in front of the TV. Was so annoying. Then the manager came up and had all the posters and little card figures for him.

I’m sad to say that this sort of moronic selfish behaviour is creeping into classical music concerts too. I was a Poulenc’s organ concerto last week at the Liverpool Phil and the couple next to me would not shut up. Thankfully the woman behind them leaned forward and told them to zip it just moments before I did.
And don’t get me started at people eating and drinking during these sorts of performances.
For the love of GOD no one wants to hear you masticating and slurping away while we’re trying to listen to a fucking bassoon solo.

There's loads of signage, it makes zero difference.

Though I went to see The Dead City opera last week at the ENO, no-one sang along. There were some tall hats though (I wore jeans - the horror!).

To be fair to the karaoke crowd, classical actors have long dreaded the audiences who give a Recite-a-Speech rendition along with ‘to be or not to be’, ‘tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow’ et Al. Ian McKellen and I think Derek Jacobi have talked about it in interviews.

I went to a drama performance in the West End and was shocked at the amount of people getting up to go to the toilet during the performance. There was also people falling out due to encroaching over arm rests!!!

I take big groups of our secondary age pupils to the theatre. We took 200 to a performance last year and only 2 had to go to the toilet during the show. And this was with not having a toilet opportunity before it started as the flaming coach was late.

On a big Facebook group parents are always justifying their children singing at shows like Frozen “as it’s a kids show”

Sorry for your daughter’s experiences. I am sickened by the poor standards of behaviour. I've just read another thread on here about behaviours at airports too.

This will become another job, lowly paid, too stressful, that no one will do. Why should staff put up with it?
No staff will end theatre visits for us all.

Interestingly, the two women who got removed from The Bodyguard the other week appeared to have made some effort with their appearance, and were less casually dressed than some of the people around them who were visibly pissed off.

https://twitter.com/dawnbramhall85/status/1644632754464620544

The younger one is in jeans, but that's a going out top. They look like the performance was part of a night out on the tiles, which I expect was the problem.