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.

Haven’t we had an identical thread to this one very recently?

Of course you were being unreasonable! And rude and obnoxious.

I’d have told your mum to be quiet too. People have paid for this! Not to hear your selfish mother.

You go out - you need to know how to behave.

I think it depends if your mum was singing loudly, I would imagine singing quietly wouldn't be so bad. I have sang at the cinema quietly at Mamma Mia

Sorry - but just because you do it, doesn't make it ok.

Well thank you @wintersleep for putting me straight... I will continue to only frequent those that let us join in. As I did say, if you had read my post properly, there was notice not to then I wouldn't. And I certainly wouldn't sing through shows if asked not to which is why I don't go to WE musicals preferring to support my local theatres and talent... Also I do respect other people's feelings and hearing which is why I only hum or sing very quietly... Unless I'm tipsy then I could clear a pub in seconds 😂 😂 😂..

Me too @08Schadenfreude

Is it possible OP & her Mother are not English, & therefore don't know how to behave in a theatre? (cough,cough)

Perhaps how to behave in a theatre could be part of a citizenship test?

A group of my friends went to see Mama Mia in London, that’s a big trip from here!! They were quite near the back and were singing, they were removed by staff for singing. They were told if it is not advertised as a sing a long performance you cannot sing along

@Sprockermum I did read your post properly, you said to OP her mum could sing her heart out even though you know there was a notice not to sing.

I, too, wouldn't give a monkey's bottom if someone wanted to sing along in our local theatre because I've not paid $300 for a ticket ( have to save up for years for those ones, so naturally!) and the atmosphere is a lot more of a joining in one as opposed to a professional cast

Jack80 “I would imagine singing quietly wouldn't be so bad. I have sang at the cinema quietly at Mamma Mia”

Yes, the person sitting next to singing quietly IS bad. Please don’t.

Your mother was being unreasonable. Its not a karaoke. Because you were late you missed the polite notice, not to sing along. I love to hear professionals sing, not members of the audience with mediocre voices! Why didn't your mum just say sorry and be done with it?! To cause a row and talk to the manager was just silly.

@chomalungma I love what you did there. I usually have to struggle not to join in singing, but I know it is not the done thing. BTW @silencebeforethebleeps That would not have worked in the case of going to the Hamilton premier as I already knew all of the words before it came to The WestEnd . Rest assured I sang along in my head only, each time I went to see it!

Goodness! One doesn't need a sign surely to know that, unless a sing-a-long was what the show was about or at a moment when the stage asks the audience to join in one should basically shut up! Talk about no self awareness.
How ghastly to have paid to enjoy the performance and to hear a voice singing out. The lady asked politely. The response should have been Sorry!' followed by acute embarrassment as one realises how selfish one has been

Its not bloody karaoke ! Would be rightly pissed off!

Oh, and you arrived late! Disturbing those who had arrived on time. Gee whizz

@wintersleep "But Yes if a notice says don't sing... I wouldn't go again..." meaning yes if a notice says don't sing I wouldn't... Soz... Obviously thought you would be a mind reader... Me bad

Sitting here sniggering. This is a hilarious thread! OP I suggest you let your mother read this tale of woe 🤣.

Maybe she should stick to karaoke evenings in future.

Seriously though. She was extremely rude. Theatre tickets are expensive.

Also I do respect other people's feelings and hearing which is why I only hum or sing very quietly

Sweet Jesus, you’re a nightmare

I've been told I'm not allowed to call OP a c**t, & it's not normally in my vocabulary anyway.
But how about the most stupid fucking inconsiderate arsehole ?
Is that allowed - it's accurate.

Yup 😂 😂 😂

It's alright OP I set up a theatre were you can sing along to every performance and I agree with you about health and safety such a boring pointless thing I'll have none of that.
I've blocked the fire exits, and there's no emergency lights, we allow smoking haven't checked the electrics in a while. I'm sure you'll have great fun and won't be in any danger

On a serious note you think your considered when you trash a profession that ensures people keep their lives and limbs.

I never knew you couldn't sing at a musical.

Brilliant.

Yes, you can sing if you have successfully trained as a singer and auditioned for the part.

Argh typo you're not your!

” Next time I go to the theatre I'm taking my 8 year olds trombone and joining the orchestra, that's no different to singing along surely?“

Bit lightweight, @Tessabelle74 - I’m taking my own cannon along to the next performance of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 overture!

As you said, the world has gone mad with folk who think it is okay to sing at a show. If the cast wanted audience participation then they would have indicated that, just like at a pantomime. You were all being unreasonable.

I’m taking my own cannon along to the next performance of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 overture!

😂😂

I agree it is unreasonable to sing along and I too would have had to say something HOWEVER, turning around and miming a “zip it” action to someone is a VERY aggressive gesture and would piss me off mightily. Behaviour like that is going to provoke a strong reaction IMO - if the woman had politely asked op’s mum to be quiet she would probably have got a different reaction.