Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Noisy theatre picnickers

26 replies

DustBunnyFarmer · 15/03/2015 16:17

DH and I took the kids to the theatre yesterday as a special treat. It was a 2 hour show with a 20 minute interval half way through. The large family in the row behind us and adjacent spent the whole 2 hours extreme snacking - new bags of Quavers and popcorn appeared solidly from a large noisy carrier bag throughout the 2 hour performance and - my God - the RUSTLING! It was deafening. I struggled to hear the music from the stage at times. It ruined some of the quieter romantic scenes. It wasn't just them, though. It was all around us.

Why the fuck can't people eat before they go into the theatre or hold fire until the interval? I mind it less at the cinema because the surround sound is deafening and covers it, but it's really starting to put me off going to the theatre.

Am I alone?

OP posts:
Earlybird · 15/03/2015 16:23

I completely agree with you.

I think my most shocking theatre experience was the senior citizen sat behind us who thought it was a fine idea to clip her fingernails during the interval......or it could have been the couple who opened up take out containers of chinese food at the cinema so ate their meal during the film.......and just yesterday, dd and I sat a row in front of a mum and young daughter who spoke in regular volume voices throughout the entire film.

People can be astonishingly rude, and devoid of manners/consideration for others in public places.

Musicaltheatremum · 15/03/2015 17:01

I agree too. I hate any noise like this. I went to see Phantom of the Opera last year and people talked all the way through the overture to act 2 . Really inconsiderate for the orchestra.
I also think if you have a cold you shouldn't go. I developed a cold 2 weeks ago, really sniffly on the day I was to go to the cinema. I gave my ticket to someone else as I would have been irritating to all around me.

pastizzi · 15/03/2015 17:07

This has really put me off the theatre too. It's sooo expensive, and I can't understand for the life of me while people would choose to trough noisy snacks throughout rather than concentrating on the show!

If they really can't go 2-3hrs without food there's the interval.

Has put me off the cinema too tbh. It's £40 per family near us and if people are going to sit there rustling their shop bought popcorn or whatever throughout it's just not worth the hassle. It'll only be £3.99 to rent the dvd and we can savour it in peace!

Sparklingbrook · 15/03/2015 17:11

I agree, Why do people have to eat in the theatre at all?

I was though pleasantly surprised last time I went. Some elderly ladies had a box of chocolates (Milk Tray-esque no wrappers) and that was it from the people around me.

I went the two plus hours without food and was fine. Shock

Perfectlypurple · 15/03/2015 17:12

It wouldn't even occur to me to eat food at the theatre. Will usually have pop corn or something at the cinema but theatre is just a no.

Sparklingbrook · 15/03/2015 17:16

We always have a big dinner after the theatre.

LadySybilLikesSloeGin · 15/03/2015 17:16

No, not right at all. A snack in the interval though.

The last time I took ds to a classical music concert the old bloke in the row in front turned and yelled at us at the end of the concert because of rustling sweet papers. Problem was, we'd not eaten anything, it was the old bloke who was sitting next to me who had been sucking on an ice cream and dropped the wrapper on the floor Confused He'd scarpered at this point. I was well pissed off.

Watchatalltimes · 15/03/2015 17:16

I agree too. This is why I can't go to the theatre or cinema anymore because the noise goes right through me.

KidLorneRoll · 15/03/2015 17:16

Food and anything other than non-fizzy drinks should be banned from the theatre.

Original poster
DustBunnyFarmer · 15/03/2015 19:48

They ate constantly. It was a ballet with poignant bits but all I could hear was chomp, chomp, rustle, rustle, even during a funeral scene. It was maddening.

OP posts:
Original poster
DustBunnyFarmer · 15/03/2015 20:05

I've just had an e-mail with a request to complete a feedback survey about our theatre visit. It included a free text box. I made use of it.

OP posts:
MythicalKings · 15/03/2015 20:09

Drives me crazy. YANBU.

QueenBean · 15/03/2015 20:11

Drives me mad, it is so damn unnecessary

Although, I would actually say something to particularly bad russlers. Chances are that others are thinking the same thing.

Roseformeplease · 15/03/2015 20:13

This happened to us. But it was an all female, all adult party who were drinking, texting, face booking etc as well.

I complained to the theatre and was given free tickets. This time, the people behind were singing along. Fuckers.

FairVerona · 15/03/2015 20:14

Totally agree. I saw a matinee performance of West side story last year and the atmosphere was ruined by people talking and eating. Its so disrespectful to the actors and musicians

Clemfandangogogo · 15/03/2015 20:18

YANBU!!! I remember watching a play years ago and a woman across from me clattered boiled sweets round her gob throughout!!! It was the only time it's happened for me though. Very rude and selfish considering the cost of tickets etc

Ivytheterrible · 15/03/2015 20:22

I saw theatre matinée and the people next to me cracked open subway sandwiches part way through. Not only noisy paper wrappers but the smell was terrible!

Lovelise · 15/03/2015 20:38

YANBU. I would be enraged.

Methe · 15/03/2015 20:41

Yanbu..

Cinema fine.. Eat what you want
Theatre.. Shut the fuck up!

peutetre · 15/03/2015 20:56

YANBU I have deliberately avoided some of the most popular musicals as they appeal to groups of women who are either unaware or disinterested in theatre etiquette.

bruffin · 15/03/2015 20:58

The pheonix theatre was actually selling crisps as part of a snack pack last time we saw bloodbrothersShock

WorraLiberty · 15/03/2015 21:03

Cinema fine..Eat what you want
Theatre..Shut the fuck up!

I disagree

I don't want to hear 'chomp chomp, rustle rustle, slurp, crunch' in either the theatre or the cinema.

For goodness sake, what happened to discreetly sucking a boiled sweet if the mood takes their fancy?

It's normally 2hrs maximum to go without face stuffing.

evmil · 15/03/2015 21:04

YANBU, Irritates the hell out of me. I take DSS2 to the theatre a lot with me as we both enjoy it and i refuse to let him eat anything while the show is on. I do occasionally buy him a little tub of ice cream as a treat but he has to eat it during the interval.

Tbh it irritates me at the cinema as well. Popcorn in a cinema tub i don't mind as much but rustling of packets, slurping of drinks ect really annoy me. Can people not last a few hours without food?

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 15/03/2015 21:20

I do have popcorn at the cinema - it is part of the treat for me - but I try to eat it quietly. I wouldn't eat or drink during a live performance - I am a singer, and used to sing solo a lot - I still sing with a chamber choir - and I have performed in school plays so know how much work goes into rehearsing for even the most amateur of performances, and wouldn't dream of showing so much disrespect for the work and dedication of the performers.

KiteKit · 15/03/2015 21:46

It's so incredibly annoying and not just at theatre and cinema. II was recently at a large work related conference / symposium, the speakers were world class and the tickets were not cheap. I travelled half a day to get to it was was really looking forward to the presentations. I was quite literally horrified at the eating that went on throughout the presentations. There were many times when I was so distracted I missed out on entire chunks of info, especially in cases where the speaker had heavily accented english so we had to listen very carefully and then next to me or worse right behind me: rummage rummage rummage, ziiiiiip, clank, rustle, slurp, chew. One lady spent one entire 1 hour talk peeling oranges, dropping peel on the floor then using the torch on her phone to find the peel, unwrapping sweets, zipping and unzipping her large handbag to find stuff, texting and sighing. I don't know why she was there at all. It is SO rude.

Two other blokes talked their way through out another presentation, then left early so I breathed a sigh of relief only to have them come back with 2 pints of beer and continue their chat. Event was held in a large theater space with capacity for 2,500 and it was packed to the rafters.

I had high blood pressure by the end of it!