Singing along at a musical to cause such upset?

[cantbeatfreshsheets]

I went to a musical yesterday with my parents & sister to celebrate my mums birthday. We had a really nice day & this was the last thing we had planned. Arrived a few mins late and got to our seats with no problems.

After about 20 mins in. A catchy song came on. It was Tina Turner. My mum sang along for a couple of times during the chorus. It was hard not too. The whole show was about her being oppressed. Which is exactly how we felt after what happens next.

The lady in front turned around. Looked at my mum & said could you please, then used her hand against her mouth to gesture my mum to zip it 🤐 very passive aggressive.

Mum looked at us as if to say. What the F**
Anyway. She said I'll have to speak to her at the interval. Meanwhile I just thought what a spoilsport?!?! If you can't sing along at a musical what's wrong with the world. It's not like she was singing at the top of her voice???

It resulted with the lady in front going to make a complaint about my mum as mum tapped her on the shoulder and said during the interval How dare you tell me how to behave. My mum ended up going to see the manager herself where the other women was acting like we were trying to victimise her for not being happy against us telling her it was a free country. They said we were aggressive and being unreasonable?!?!

She said. It said on the way in you can't sing. We said. Well we didn't see that notice as we were late. We ended up leaving as my mum was so cross. There was a slight scene. The other woman was behaving like a child in my opinion. Has the world has gone mad.

My sister and I told her that she had spoilt our mums birthday and She was clearly enjoying playing the victim. I think she was probably shocked we confronted her over it.

We left. Were we being unreasonable? Or has the world gone crazy? I'd love to hear you're thoughts.

The other way round, my friend and I were shushed for singing and dancing, at a joining in show earlier this year.
We ignored the shusher and carried on, then other people got up and joined in too.

Tina Turner with no joining in shock Wonder if anyone was ever silent when the original performed live

Not sure if you've noticed, but there's a definite reason why there's a difference between a concert and a theatre performance.

For that matter, I suspect that people weren't necessarily silent during the original events depicted in plays like A Man for All Seasons, Wolf Hall, Julius Caesar etc etc That's no reason for people at the audiences for those plays to carry on chatting amongst themselves.

Ywbu. There is usually a reprise at the end as part of the bows where it is more acceptable to join in otherwise let the professionals do so. Nothing more annoying than having others sing along or give a running commentary.

Yes i think you were unreasonable. its not fair to sing along at a musical unless its a sing along show. The people attending have paid to watch the show,not listen to other people singing! Its annoying in the same way as people rustling sweep wrappers, talking or people looking at their phones is annoying during a performance.

Tina Turner with no joining in shock Wonder if anyone was ever silent when the original performed live.

I and several friends managed not to join in when we saw her at Fairfield Hall, Croydon in approx 1983. We had a good dance though (we had a box to ourselves, so weren't blocking anyone's view).

@howabout if what you say is true about theatres in Glasgow (although other posters have said it is not) then I am thankful I won't be visiting one any time soon.

I really hope you are joking. You turn up late because you could not be bothered to leave the pub! I hate people turning up late at the theatre and disrupting so many people.

I can assure you that 20 years ago when me and DH used to go to the theatre a lot the audience did not join in with the singing nor did they make loads of noise rustling sweet packets etc. Nor did that happen 30 years ago when we used to go to the theatre.

In fact 20 years ago theatre going was quite a bit different to how it is now. People used to dress up to go whereas they certainly don't now. You didn't get singing or talking through the show. Now you often get both plus, if you are really lucky, someone's phone ringing.

The lady was BU to shush the OP’s mum. Generally the sort of people who think it’s ok to sing at the theatre are also the sort of people who think it’s ok to be rude or even punch you if you shush them. The lady took a huge risk with her personal safety by confronting someone who obviously has no manners or etiquette. She should have just told the ushers and asked them to remove the OP’s party from the theatre.

Shocking behaviour.

Go to singalongasomething at the cinema if you want to sing.

Mind you, we've not had such a resounding YABU, no I'm not, you bunch of meanies thread for ages.

So thanks for that OP.

Plus you were late, so would have disturbed everyone when the musical had already started by having to make them stand up so you could shuffle to your seats.

This makes me .

People who can't be arsed to get to the theatre in time for curtain up should have to wait till the interval before taking their seats.

Tina Turner with no joining in shock Wonder if anyone was ever silent when the original performed live

Ok, so you don't mind if I throw veg and bring a live chicken next time I go to watch Shakespeare? Or shout at the top of my lungs when the match is shown in the pub? Or spend the second half of Jesus Christ Superstar either wailing or jeering depending on my religious affiliation? Or do a bit of rampant screaming if Titanic's on?

Or maybe it would just be better to match behaviour to suit the current show not how the original might have been.

You've actually made Mumsnet madness on Twitter
You were late, then started singing , then caused a row.
Had you all had a bit too much wine at lunchtime?
YABVU

People get so anal at shows. Dare take a child to a musical and have them make a single noise and you’ll get glared at to high heaven. Best leave such events to the stuck up stick in the muds

I went to see Les Mis once and the guy next to me let out the most enormous fart as Fantine died. Still preferable to someone's mum joining in with the singing.

Have you thought about visiting the Sistine Chapel with your mum instead?

@LetThemEatDrama Is it not OK to do rampant screaming when Titanic is on? Damnit!

Well you'll know better for next time, won't you OP? Either STFU or STFH*

*Stay the fuck home

Yes, because noisy people and DC at the theatre are just SUCH FUN!

ScreamedAtTheMichelangelo

The only uninvited audience participation I recall that improved a show was Jarvis Cocker mooning Michael Jackson, many moons ago.

@ScreamedAtTheMichelangelo

Ah the old Fartine for Fantine refrain. What a charmer

Had a mum translating a while show before into French... We couldn't hear the dialogue. She wondered why we were so annoyed. We paid a lot of money for our seats, if you are going to sing or talk so we can't hear the cast, you can fuck off.

Want your daughter to understand, take her to a French performance, or like for opera have a translation of what is happening in each scene or line so others can enjoy it.

You were very unreasonable. You aren't cultured if you don't get something so simple. I mean I suck at social stuff but even I know something that simple! You were not only rude arriving late, having someone singing but also rude and it sounds like aggressive after.

Learn some manners.

Oh god the farting is worse.

I never understand why people bother asking AIBU if, when people tell them they are, they just refuse to accept it!

@Queenoftheashes Nah, farting is definitely the lesser of two evils - unless it's deliberate (and even then, I'd rather a fart or two than persistent caterwauling...)