Theatre etiquette....

[CurlewKate]

I'm an old curmudgeon I accept that. But I went to a west end theatre for the first time since before the pandemic today, and the was amazed by the number of people coming in late, and going in and out during the performance. There were 3 phone calls before the interval! Was I just unlucky or has theatre etiquette changed?

We went to the Lion King in Cardiff. The women behind us seemed to think they were in the audience for X factor. Screaming at the end of each song, crying, shrieking ' oh my god, oh my god". In the end my husband turned round and asked them to shut-up. At the interval they were discussing previous theatre trips. Only one of them had ever been to anything and the show she had seen was Magic Mike. The people on the row in front came in from the interval and started having a picnic with crisps and cans of pop. " Dad, dad do you want coke or Fanta. COKE OR FANTA DAD". Phone torches on to check the cans obviously . The tickets were £95.00 each. I won't bother going to anything again.Its just too stressful.

I am five hours from London by train and occasionally have a moan about not being closer and able to get to the theatre. I have contemplated a night away to see The Motive and the Cue, but given the price of the ticket, a hotel room and the train fare it's too expensive an undertaking. If I'd paid several hundred quid and then people were behaving as you describe it would also be too big a risk of me absolutely losing the plot.

Thank God for cinema link performances, that's all I can say.

@CurlewKate - you were right about the Motive and the Cue being brilliant! And yes I cried!

We had a latecomer - about 20 minutes in . She was heralded by the usher shining a light down our row and then the latecomer pushing past us and about 6 other people, with her shopping bags, to get to her seat. . I don't know why latecomers can't be made to stand at the back until the interval.

The only other persistent noises were from people opening ring pull cans. They even sell water in ring pull cans at this theatre. Why?!! I was at another theatre last year where they loosened the tops on water bottles as they sold them to you so you couldn't make a noise opening them during the performance.

A woman behind me did start eating a packet of crisps as the second half was beginning but thankfully stopped when she saw my horrified face!

But all fairly minor compared to the behaviour of some audiences. There were points in the play where the acting was so spell-binding the audience.was totally silent.

My 12yo daughter saw the guy behind us take off his shirt during Matilda - he then laid it over his front so it wasn't obvious.

I didn't know until after the show as it was while me and my other daughter were coming back from the toilet.

I would have had words with the ushers if I had known.

Agree about the play but surprised latecomers were admitted at all.

We went a couple of weeks ago and found it very weird - a lot of people standing to clap at the end meaning you can't see the cast at all. People letting kids talk through large chunks and letting them get up and go out two or three times on their own (making whole rows move for them to get past each time). It was enough to make me think they should have a "code of conduct" stated somewhere on the ticket.

It’s part of their income, of course they aren’t going to stop people buying really expensive wine and snacks 😂

Standing up to clap at the end of the performance if it is excellent is totally normal. It’s a standing ovation.
People going in and out is annoying though.

I think it depends a lot on what you go to see. If it’s something that’s had a load of hype (or has massive celebrity casting) then people who aren’t used to the theatre will go and don’t always know how to behave.
It’s difficult because I want people to go t9 t( theatre and welcome people trying it out - theatre staff need to act more quickly and decisively to ensure behaviour isn’t disruptive, though.

On the standing ovation thing, the threshold for the audience choosing standing ovation over normal, enthusiastic seated clapping is so, so much lower. It used to be really quite unusual for a standing ovation, like once a year kind of thing. Now pretty much any production which isn't actively bad (and some that I have thought personally are pretty poor) gets one and it does annoy me, as a non standing ovation-er (or just someone that struggles to stand) you have a choice of either remaining seated looking at people's legs and seeming quite currently for being the only one in the theatre not in raptures, or lowering your own personal standards and giving an ovation for a mediocre performance, then having no way to show your additional appreciation for a truly excellent show. I usually choose the latter but not without grumbling.

The ovation usually creeps in an agonising way around too, the whole audience rarely as one thinks the show was so great it deserves at ovation, usually a couple of very enthusiastic people in the stalls leap up whooping and glaring round at others and then a few others follow, then it's a bit awkward to have just a few people ovationing so more join, then it's plain weird to have half the audience doing it and half not so everyone but me goes then I have to join to not seem a killjoy. This is a minor gripe in the scheme of things though, nowhere near as bad a crime as late coming or noisy eating or talking during the performance...

@maxelly I haven’t seen more than usual - maybe it’s the inexperienced audience thing again. If I don’t think it’s worth it, I don’t stand. There’s nothing to ‘see’ as such by that point anyway so I’m not missing anything. I think it was always incredibly rare for the whole audience to leap to its feet unanimously as soon as the curtain fell - it’s always been something that creeps. Some stand, others think, ‘yeah, you know, that was fab’ and also stand.

Why (I don't know Matilda so don't know if I'm missing something??).

My parents saw the Tina Turner musical recently and reported that prior to the performance a member of staff lset out some very strict rules about etiquette.

I think it's sad that it even needs to be said.

The latest we saw was an immediate; whole family leapt to their feet effectively stopping about 7 people's view of the entire stage below the minute the curtain rose for the cast. Personally, I'd do it at the end maybe when the whole cast are on stage, or for a particularly good actor/tress. Agree it's possibly a personal thing but the general lack of understanding for the rows behind grates.

@AgnesX - he was a bit warm apparently!!

@Jessforless when I was younger, if you bought a bottle of wine at the theatre, it was kept behind the bar for you to bring up your glasses in the interval for a top up. Customers weren't handed the entire bottle. Eating wasn't allowed in the auditorium, so you could buy a normal sized packet of crisps or peanuts, but not take them in with you. Often theatres would serve a round of sandwiches, to be eaten in the bar. Of course, they sold small tubs of ice cream too. You often weren't allowed to take drinks into the auditorium either, this is relatively new.

Nowadays some theatres sell massive tubs of Pringles, popcorn, Maltesers; huge sharing bags of sweets and candy floss. They are far too big to eat in a short interval, and audience members are encouraged to take them in to the auditorium.

I'm not saying that they shouldn't sell drinks and snacks, I'm just saying that what they serve should be appropriate. there's no need to sell a massive tub of popcorn - they can change their product.

@thinkfast - totally agree.

This eating all the time thing is annoying - wonder whether it’s crept in from the USA? DD15 doesn’t seem to be able to function without some sort of snack whilst she’s out & is always asking us for food money.
I find the cinema more annoying than the theatre as people seem to act like they’re in their own front room half the time.

I really wish the staff would crack down on people using mobile phones in theatres and cinemas. Not just people talking on phones,but people who sit looking at their phones while a performance or film is on,as the light from their phone is so distracting in a dark environment.

It's not too bad.

Not had anyone's phone ring.

I have seen quite a few late comers recently that have been let in at an appropriate ish moment. Not seen anyone get up during the show. The odd inconsiderate eater. Man who brought your two boys to We Will Rock You and handed out multiple bags of rusty stinky mini cheddars throughout the show was annoying! Occasionally rustling packets, which are noticeable when the row behind you is at ear level!
Oh and the woman that bought a front row dress circle seat for Book of Mormon but leaned over the barrier for a lot of time, obstructing the view for the2 people behind her.

Couple on a date to see Frozen in the front row of the dress circle who kept fidgeting and leaning into to each other. Especially the man who kept leaning into the woman's neck every 10 mins. Though the woman was equally annoying as she had to keep flicking her hair over from one side of her head to the other.

So changed my mind now. I agree.

It's completely changed OP and puts me off going tbh. I had a terrible opera experience recently and actually complained to the theatre- I got nowhere!

People have forgotten how to behave in public, you only have to sit on a train/ tube and listen to people's blaring music to see how people don't give a shit anymore about dellow passengers- what the hell happened to ear buds?! It really is quite depressing.

I'm a very frequent theatre goer.

It's horrendous and absolutely has changed since 2020 if you go to see popular shows, particularly musical theatre. Constant loud talking, getting up to dance, singing over the artists (or rapping if it's Hamilton), arriving drunk and gradually getting more drunk, being on phones, bringing in random food (a whole box of pizza, a lunch box, nandos style take out), constant getting up and down to toilet... it's ruined theatre going for me.

More "niche" stuff (Frantic Assembly, RSC, Tim Etchells etc) and shows mainly attended by schools and colleges, I've found to be much better and theatre etiquette still very much exists. Most school kids are impeccably behaved.

I know a few young theatre ushers who absolutely hate their jobs these days due to the public's behaviour and the abuse they get. A lot of them are teenage students or retired people wanting some extra income. I feel very sorry for them.

Saw an audience with David Suchet recently. He was fantastic and it was a thoroughly entertaining show. However the lady and gentleman sat behind me were less delightful. She was joining in with the Shakespearen sections David was acting. I've paid to watch him - not listen to her rendition. Her partner coughed over me twice and didn't cover his mouth. Where were their manners and sense?

Just coming back to this as I've just got home from the NT Live screening of The Motive and the Cue at my local cinema.

Absolutely spellbinding but as I said before, if I'd paid for a train fare, a hotel room and the ticket to see it live and there has been behaviour as described above I don't think I could be held responsible for my actions.

It's brilliant isn't it? I've never been at a performance where there has been, at times, total silence in the auditorium. At some points you could have heard a pin drop.