Very large lady next to me at theatre

[redbedheadd]

Went to theatre today and the lady next to me was so large I was left with no space at all. My legs were aching by the end as they were pushed together and I couldn't move at all. She kept repeatedly elbowing and jostling me without an apology.

AIBU to be irritated?

Outdoors.... do

Answer is- obese viewings, where they have to pay for 2 seats

Do they have twatwad only viewings? They should.

ODFOD

Given the way theatre seats are constructed with hard arm rests and flip up seats with gaps between the seats there is no way this lady 'took up half of your seat'.

I've wedged my large arse into enough theatre seats to know.

Leno "They aren't the most expensive, contrary to belief but are by far the most comfortable. "

I just thought they were hugely expensive! but then again, unless you buy the whole box you are going to be stuck with people possibly chatting....as you have said you do!

I’d be so annoyed and probably walk out.

Good money to be spent upagainst another body is not right

If a larger person can’t fit in a seat they should buy two seats.

Just like on a plane

Why doesn't the OP buy two and then she not have any one elbowing her, fat or otherwise.

Thighofrelief - guess that’s too personal right!?

I'm a size 18/20 and had one of the worst nights of my life ever shoehorned into a seat in the Swan Theatre in Stratford. I am now very conscious of theatre seats as a result and always phone the box office to ask which is the best seat to book.

The lady may not have been to that theatre before, or been bought the ticket and spent the entire performance horribly embarrassed.... but it was wrong of her not to acknowledge that she was making you uncomfortable too or try to rectify the situation. Her right to enjoy the performance didn't trump yours.

OP has said the lady repeatedly jostled and elbowed her. that on it's own is really annoying, regardless of the lady's size.

OP - don't get me started on the manspreading.

We should meet up and play Patriarchy Chicken one day

I made the mistake of going to the theatre pregnant

Not even close to full term but enough that it was a squeeze compared with normal

It’s not a surprise to most people that theatre seats are closer in size to dolls house furniture to normal human sized seats and anyone over a size 12, or taller than 5ft 3 finds them uncomfortable

Well done! Under your new rules, every single West End show has gone out of business in the first week, leaving London's Theatreland a desolate wasteland, and thousands of actors, stage managers, technicians & front of house staff unemployed.

Oh my god the humanity. All those poor unemployed theatrical people unable to feed their starving dc. I take it all back, tall people as you were.

@bebeboeuf I did the same! I went to see Simon Callow in a Christmas Carol at 8 months pregnant and it was hell! I was so squeezed into the seat and horrendous heartburn... I was counting down the minutes and it was only a 70min play. If it hadn't been I would have left at the interval as I couldn't comfortably fit in the seat.

Rosa nine times out of ten the other seats in the box aren't sold, or we are with friends and take them all. On the very odd occasion when we have shared the box with strangers ( and I think it's only happened once) of course we don't talk or wriggle about.

On the point of cost, most boxes have four, sometimes five seats, but at least one of those will have a restricted view, and if it's a five, two will be restricted, one very restricted! This means that those seats can be very cheap. So, for example, I've just bought my season tickets for the opera, three performances. two of those we're taking the whole box and one we have the front row. It's unlikely that the other two seats for that third performance will sell because they're restricted and in some ways restricted in a box is a worse experience than restricted in the main body of the house. Buying the whole box makes those four tickets cheaper overall than four decent seats elsewhere in the theatre and you can move them about so that you improve the view for the odd seat. Try it!

Tea I'm with you.

KILL THE TALLS
KILL THE TALLS

YANBU. I have been in similar situations before, once on a long-haul flight.
I think you should have mentioned how uncomfortable you were to staff during the interval, they may have had some (nicer) seats set aside incase of any problems.. possibly wishful thinking!
If you can be bothered, contact the theatre and let them know how uncomfortable you were during the performance due to the person next to you. It's not fair. And this is an issue we are seeing more frequently.

People will say they can't help being tall but i feel a little willpower and some surgery and we could all be the ideal size.

My dh is tall and I'm very small, we don't always sit together depending on the seating plan of the theatre. He is considerate and there's nothing you can do about being tall.
Nobody has to be fat, that was proved in the war. I used to be fat, not abnormal as could fit in seats.
If you aren't normal size don't go where seats are small, it's not rocket science.

Tall people should not go to viewing performances. They should only attend special tall viewings.

We all know what happens to the tall poppy, it gets cut down.

I took it to mean the OP wants to be able to comfortably enjoy the seat she has paid money for.

Someone fat encroaching into your seat is unreasonable and annoying. I wouldn't be happy if someone tried to squeeze two children onto one seat if it meant getting toddler legs kicking me. I wouldn't be happy if someone thought they could keep their bag on the chair over the floor and I had their bag pushed under the armrest into me.

I'm not sure there is an easy solution OP, but it's understandable that having your space invaded and being elbowed is annoying and worth a little rant.