AIBU to think you don't sing along in the theatre??

[OtraCosaMariposa]

Went to see Mamma Mia last night with DD. Packed theatre, and it's the sort of show where everyone knows all of the songs.

Had the misfortune to sit directly in front of a group of about 5 women who seemed to think it was a karaoke or singalong performance. By the time we'd got to "Thank you for the Music" I was ready for strangling them lot of them. Few hard stares from me, DD and other people around us finally shut them up.

But AIBU to think that when you pay to see a professional cast, it's the cast you want to hear sing, not randomers?

(Apart from the show's finale though where everyone is up and belting out Waterloo)

Totally this. I pay to see trained performers not a hen party karaoke session. Front of house pretty good at the theatres I go to. They are there in an instant with their torches and will have persistent offenders removed. Only exception was a stage school child sat next to me once and insisted on giving her rendition of EVERY song. I was reseated in the interval. Before anyone flames me, her own mother was ignoring her!

Awwww, killjoy 😂 it was Mamma Mia, not Madame Butterfly.

DC1's much-anticipated trip to Hamilton was rather spoiled by similar folks behind her.

Definitely enjoy the pros.... unless it's Rocky Horror, in which case joining in & shouting out is compulsory!

Yanbu- there are singalong showings of musicals for that. Maybe they need it for theatre as well (do they already exist?)

Had the same issue when we went recently to see Joseph, and also fan girl screaming at Jason it did take some of the enjoyment away for us

Shows like that are made to be sung along too.

You do if its Rocky Horror

YANBU.

Unless it is clear or indeed “tradition” that it is a sing-a-long it is incredibly crass to do so.

When I go to the theatre I want to hear the professionals.

Completely depends on the show, but the purpose of going to mama mia is to sing along!

I went to see Mamma Mia and people were singing and dancing. It added something to me and I wasn't surprised.

Uh oh. I'm seeing Hamilton again this week with the sole purpose of singing along! I'm joking I'm not joking!

Oh God YANBU.

A musical I went to a few years ago was ruined by a man seated in front of me who kept jumping up and singing. Even when he wasn't singing along with the songs he was doing jazz hands.

No jury would have convicted me. None.

This is why it's a good idea for theatres to put on dedicated singalong or audience participation shows!

You are correct. Mind you, I once saw a dreadful show in London with my husband, who sat with his arms crossed throughout and refused to clap. The only highlight was when a performer, pausing dramatically before singing her last word during an emotional song, had her thunder stolen by an audience member, who belted out the last word instead at full volume. My husband clapped very enthusiastically then!

With Mamma Mia I'd expect singing along tbh. Everybody sings Abba like Abba I wouldn't be expecting any kind of unique interpretation of the songs.

But you would be perfectly entitled to check the there's policy and ask for them to be stopped if it's not allowed.

Oh god this happened to us at a musical. Some woman had had too much to drink (she had to be half carried out by her friends at the end) kept singing all of the songs. At the intermission, she got told shut up by people near us. At that point she got really offended and even after she got told off by people working there and told to stop ruining it, she kept loudly asking 'was anyone else offended by my singing'. I shouted across that I was and that I paid to hear professionals, not a drunk woman. She ignored that of course and going on and on about it. But she did shut up at least.

YANBU! I always seem to get sat near these types. It’s always a big group of lairy hens who know no one will challenge them because they look and act like Shameless characters.

Should only be allowed in the singalong shows.

Yanbu - this kind of thing gives me the absolute rage. I once went to a performance of My Fair Lady where the family behind me talked at normal volume through the entire opening song, and then spent the rest of the performance loudly asking their kids if they were enjoying it / if they liked the scenery / if they remembered that song from the film etc.

In your case, the women should have been chucked out by the theatre staff. Cinemas across the country do singalong versions of the film for this exact reason. They don't have the right to ruin everyone else's expensive night out because they don't understand how theatres work.

It's mama Mia so I would not be surprised people were singing along.

Uh oh. I'm seeing Hamilton again this week with the sole purpose of singing along!  I'm joking I'm not joking!

I'm going to log this with 101

I'd expect people to sing along for Mama Mia.

Shows like that are made to be sung along too.

Completely depends on the show, but the purpose of going to mama mia is to sing along!

With Mamma Mia I'd expect singing along tbh. Everybody sings Abba like Abba I wouldn't be expecting any kind of unique interpretation of the songs.

Tickets for the London production of Mama Mia cost between £27.50 to £115, with most of them (according to the colour coded seating plan) about £75.

If I'd spent £150 on going with one other person to see a professional production of Mama Mia I'd be mightily pissed off to also have to listen to random audience members having a go at the songs.

Singing along at mamma mia is absolutely fine. Screaming in a tuneless karaoke hen night way is not. There's a difference.

Yanbu hell is other people

“DC1's much-anticipated trip to Hamilton was rather spoiled by similar folks behind her.”

Bloody hell! I was about to book. I’m not paying those prices to be treated to an amateur singalong!