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)

Man sitting near me at Motown The Musical was asked by staff to stop singing... he didn’t so was told to leave! It had been made clear before the show started that there was to be no audience singing/dancing until the finale.....

DD and I went to see Rock of Ages and sang our hearts out, however, we'd booked a box so it didn't disturb anyone.
Had we been down in the seats then no singing would have been done.

We've seen Cats a dozen times and on one occasion there were two women in front who were singing along loudly and that was really irritating. Mama Mia I can forgive a little sing along but warbling along to Memories was just bloody rude.

with my husband, who sat with his arms crossed throughout and refused to clap

Do we share-a-man?? My OH tutted all through We Will Rock You because our daughter, I and the majority of the audience were joining in and getting into the swing of it!

YANBU, this would have given me the rage! All very well if it’s the cinema singalong version, otherwise I want to hear the professionals I’ve paid to hear.

I would expect people to sing a long at Mama Mia, RHPS and the like. They are 'feel good' shows that people tend to join in.
Having a crowd in front of me standing up early on in the performance would annoy me.p though but I would know what to expect.

I think it's a balance and usually the cast indicate when it is appropriate to join in. Yes, you don't want to hear karaoke or private conversations or people fiddling with phones.

I saw Mamma Mia live and everyone got up and sang along - it made it so much better.

Same when we saw Rocky Horror.

My mum does this. She reckons that she has paid for her ticket, so she should be able to enjoy the show in the way she likes, which is singing along. My mum is a terrible singer too.

Lol I mean if you're going to waste your money seeing Mamma Mia what do you expect but a hen party audience? For a serious musical or opera yes fine it's not acceptable but Mamma Mia?! Did it ruin your artistic enjoyment

Yanbu I took my dc to see blood brothers last week and paid £££ a ticket for good seats as they'd never seen it before. One woman behind me tried to sing along all the way through so just did la la la la la Marilyn Monroe, it was really annoying in the end I told her to be quiet. As did others around her during the first half, At the interval she was moved.

This is what happens when people don’t take their children to the theatre. They grow up to become a nuisance to other theatre goers who actually know how it works.

YANBU

Lol I mean if you're going to waste your money seeing Mamma Mia what do you expect but a hen party audience? For a serious musical or opera yes fine it's not acceptable but Mamma Mia?! Did it ruin your artistic enjoyment

Well haven’t you made yourself look a prize ninny.

Lol I mean if you're going to waste your money seeing Mamma Mia what do you expect but a hen party audience? For a serious musical or opera yes fine it's not acceptable but Mamma Mia?! Did it ruin your artistic enjoyment 

Don't be such a raging snob. It only makes you look intellectually insecure (and an arsehole to boot).

People are entitled to enjoy any performance without having it ruined by others, even if in the view of Jason Pollack, The Great Arbiter of Good Taste, it isn't a 'serious musical or opera'.

Are you joking?? It’s Mamma Mia! Of COURSE people were going to sing! YABU

I am with you OP, I hate it when people (audibly) sing along during the show (encore is different). I paid to hear the professionals.

You do if its Rocky Horror

I recently took DS. to see Rocky Horror show. He had no idea what to expect and when I started singing he hissed "Its not a singalong oerfornance". He soon got the hang of it though!

But for a show where you've paid to hear the cast I would definitely have said something.

YANBU. That’s really annoying! You’ve paid to hear the talented cast sing, not some random, out of tune members of the public.

I saw Frozen the musical on Broadway earlier this year. They made an announcement before the show started that singing along was not allowed and you could be removed from the theatre for it. It was great!

How can it be better to sing along rather than have trained professionals sing?

If you want that, go to the cinema sing-alongs where no-one cares!

DD and I went to see Rock of Ages and sang our hearts out, however, we'd booked a box so it didn't disturb anyone.

I go to the weekday matinee and buy a cheap seat right up in the gods. I can get away with singing along as there's rarely anybody else around But if there was, I'd either move seats to an emptier section, or i'd mouth the words without volume.

YANBU.
DH and I went to see Miss Saigon in London a couple of years ago, and were unfortunate enough to get seats behind a theatre student and her boyfriend - within 5 minutes of being sat there I could have told you her hobbies, star sign and last time she’d took a dump verbal diarrhoea doesn’t even cut it. This lass yammered through practically the whole show, pointing out bits that she thought were wrong and could be done better, how things were different to the original and she didn’t think that was right (‘tis a work of art you know!!!), and sang along to all the songs - she literally knew the entire score cover to cover. I’m sure she’d have sang both parts of Sun & Moon if she could
I stuck it out until the interval, but then I made a point of saying to DH loud enough for her to hear “the show is amazing, but it’s a shame people insist on talking and singing over it.”
Her boyfriend looked mortified. She shut up. I enjoyed my Hagen Daas and the second half of the show

Went to see a male singer. I wear hearing aids and the woman behind me karaoked every single song. In spite of using setting for in front of me all I could hear was her. Those tickets were not cheap and probably was his last tour.

I’d have hated that. I would definitely have told them to be quiet.

It’s got nothing to do with not being taken to the theatre as a kid. When I was small there was no theatre nearby/no one came to where I lived and my mum couldn’t afford to take us to London etc equally concerts so we didn’t go, but didn’t know what we were missing really. As an adult I’ve been to many performances ballet/musicals/concerts and know how to behave - adults who don’t are just self centred and don’t care how their behaviours affect others.

I don’t take my boys to the theatre either, we’ve done panto but they aren’t interested yet. My sisters kids did the singalong of the greatest showman which was fab. I’ve seen mamma Mia years and years ago in edinburgh and only audience participation at the end, and no it’s not opera or serious theatre but it was very good and fun and sometimes that’s all you need.