Know what you're going to see.

[Frikkinperiod]

I saw the Rocky Horror show last night. Some of the fun of the show is the audience shouting out rude (known to the cast) ad libs. The couple in front of me were merrily shouting these out, along with others across the theatre. The cast were responding as normal.

The couple in front of them appeared to be getting crosser and crosser about this - the turning round and glaring turned into full on "shut your mouth", then swearing at the shouting couple. The couple shouting weren't being intimidated, or saying anything back, just got louder with their shouting - I'd have done the same.

At the start of the interval, the grumpy couple tried to have a go at the shouters, but the shouters told them it's part of the show, and walked off. This incensed the grumpy couple.

Just before act 2 started, a manager came and had a go at the section for "being aggressive and rowdy". Clearly the moaners complained.

The moaning couple hadn't returned (and didn't). The shouting couple laughed. The manager looked stupid to those of us who knew what had gone on and were getting annoyed with the moaning.

I hope the moaning couple were seated near people on the other side of the theatre who were shouting the ad libs even louder. I hope they had a terrible evening.

I had a great night!

Well, I suppose it explains why some people seem to think that West End musicals require their vocal participation throughout, as frequently referenced on here.

I've never seen it and, tbh, if that's what it's like I probably never will. You cannot expect every audience member to know these things - everyone has a first time of watching something. Frankly I've paid to see the performers on stage, not listen to the heckler behind me/person singing along at a musical/person giving a running commentary to the numpty next to them who can't follow the plot. I know there is a participation element at The Rocky Horror Picture Show, but I wouldn't enjoy sitting in front of someone shouting out rude comments. Do you mean derogatory comments or swearing or both?

Calling them the grumpy couple seems very unfair. If they weren't aware this type of behaviour is " normal" for the show then I can understand them being upset.

And I don't think the manager would have called the audience section out for being aggressive and rowdy without justification - he will know how audiences usually behave so this must have been bad behaviour by comparison to the norm.

Sounds an absolutely horrible night out to me but then I've never been into the Rocky Horror Show anyway.

ive seen it a couple of times and audience participation is actively encouraged. Most of the audience have been before and it doesn’t take long to realise that this is the “norm” for this particular theater show 🤷🏻‍♀️

But there's a difference between people singing along, etc and shouting out "rude ad libs". If they're known to the cast they're actually not ad libs, but that's by the by.

After 50 years running, you can't NOT know RH audiences are a little different to the norm.

The grumpy couple could see the narrator engaging with shouters on the other side of the theatre as well as the ones behind them. If they weren't aware on booking that the audience script was an integral part of the show, surely that was a huge clue.

Agreed they're not ad libs, but it's the easiest way to describe them.

The narrator last night was a well known comedian, so his responses to the audience script had been well thought out. Belly laughingly funny.

I actually didn’t know about the audience participation when I first saw it, but it was one of the highlights of the show for me!

Of course ad libs happen. The audience participation evolves. I saw the RHS several times in my 20s, then a gap of 10y before I saw it again. The audience shout outs had changed. Most were as I rmembered, some were gone and some were completely new to me.

I Can well imagine that someone might go to the RHS without knowing what it was like, but, surely, when they saw what was going on in general, they should have realised and gone with the flow? Or just left? Weirder than Riff-Raff.

How would this couple know to expect shouting from the audience? Unless it says at the point of booking.

Is it encouraged or tolerated?

Turns out couple sat next to my friends left at the interval as they felt they'd been lied to as "That clearly is not Jason Donovan as Frank n Furter" 🤣🤣🤣🤣

One of DS’s friends was in a panto this Christmas, one of the kids dancing etc.

Her parents are originally from Poland and Grandma was going over for Christmas and also to see her granddaughter in a proper theatre production, very excited about it being a big old Victorian theatre etc. asked about it afterwards Grandma was glad that people weren’t so rude to shout out when her dgd was dancing, but how terrible it was the people near her wouldn’t stop shouting when the ghost appeared.

Seems panto’s “it’s behind you!” isn’t a universal thing.

It's encouraged. The time I saw It, It was in the programme and announced at the start of the show that audience participation is welcomed. Most of the crowd were dressed up as characters from the show.

Sounds awful.

That's very much a British panto tradition though which is part of the cultural heritage. I would let anyone attending for the first time know what to expect. Plus most panto is family entertainment.

@thedandylion Fair enough!
love your username btw

They were idiots if they went to see Rocky Horror and didn't know what was involved. It's nothing like singing or shouting at a regular theatre or musical performance.

I went to see Rocky Horror last night. It was my third time, but the people I was with had been many many times.
I absolutely love it. The reason it's so fun is because you participate. People wave lights (at the right moment) call things out, and stand up to dance the time warp, the whole audience generally stands up as one. It's been that way for decades. There are literally built in pauses now for the audience to do the call backs and the narrator (he's got no fucking neck!) clearly has rehearsed responses. About 2 3rds of the audience were dressed up and there were some amazing costumes.
However, there is always one.
We had a right old moaner behind us saying "I wish people would stop calling out, not all of us have seen it before". I overheard her friend telling her in the toilets in the interval that it's literally part of the experience and she just huffed "well, I don't think it's appropriate".
I really hope the callbacks don't start to die out because of moaners like this.

I’m curious how someone can get to be an adult and not know at least the premise of the show. It’s not as if the film is very standard and it’s been referenced in other programmes over the years. However even if you’re fresh on earth from another planet you take in the fact that it’s not isolated and the staff and cast are not concerned. Makes me wonder what they actually thought the show was about

Some years ago we went to see a classical ballet adaptation of The Little Mermaid, and there was a woman with a small child sitting quite close to us. This little girl shouted "MUMMY, WHY AREN'T THEY TALKING?" every couple of minutes throughout the entirety of the first half. I think she was expecting the Disney version. Thankfully, they didn't return after the interval.😂

That moaner sounds a nightmare!

How was Jason?

The cast expect it. Their timing will allow for the heckling. Except when we went 20 years ago when my DH caused Jason Donovan to corpse after shouting "Actors!" when the line was said about Eddie getting in with the wrong crowd.

Audience participation is peak cringe.

I would usually agree but it’s totally part of the show in this case

No, the Rocky Horror show has always been like this.

I can't imagine the "moaning" couple would have enjoyed the show anyway.