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.

cantbeatfreshsheets

We saw this a few weeks ago. They specifically ask you at the start not to sing along until the very end.

The songs throughout are used to punctuate very emotional events in her life - being abused etc. It isn't a particularly sing a long type play until the very end.

We had 2 women sitting behind us singing all the way through. It ruined it. I paid to hear the actors perform, not 2 wanna be karaoke singers singing loudly and off key.

It’s a pity you didn’t put this reverse to a vote, @cantbeatfreshsheets. Might have scored a home run.

However, the fact that there’s a SIGN telling you to keep your cake hole shut is fairly definitive here. You arriving late and doubtless disturbing everyone is no excuse for inflicting your warbling on everyone else, getting shirty when the rulez are pointed out and then carrying on like fishwives.

Management must have thought you were w bunch of squabbling toddlers!

Musicals aren’t my thing but people like your Mother ruined my Mother’s birthday by singing along to Mamma Mia.

If you go in London, don't sing or even look like you might be enjoying it. Anywhere else it would be fine ime.

Although I do think the hint would be whether you were the only ones singing along and yabu for coming in after the show started.

Equally it's sad that it ruined her birthday but really...

Why is it sad? She ruined her own birthday. And other people’s enjoyment.

@ElusiveOrangeTwirl - got it in one!
There was a similar thread on here a couple of months ago, and the consensus was as it is here - people pay to hear the cast sing, not some audience member. If it's a sing a long show and is advertised as such, sing away, but otherwise - pipe down.
I'd like to add "people pay to hear the cast sing, not some audience member, irrespective of how good/bad or indifferent their particular singing voice is.

You were being very rude and very unreasonable.

I'm not sure its a reverse, simply because the OP hasn't been back.

OP, I'm sorry that your mum was upset on her birthday but YWBVVVVVU to arrive late and then sing along.

Massively U

The best musical we went to was Mama Mia in a London theatre, practically everyone was signing along at the end, the actors just laughed and everyone was happy!

I call reverse - but if it isn't - wow, you've got problems, OP. Go to the pub if you want karaoke.

Saw something like this at the theatre. A couple arrived about one minute before curtain up. The whole row stood up to let them in when the guy says he needs a wee first. Whole row sits down, he saunters off and returns once the show has started. Whole row stands up in the dark to let him in as he's ready to watch the show now. Amazing lack of understanding. Must be quite liberating to live like that.

YABVU

Unless the whole audience is singing along then no, your Mum should have agreed to 'zip it'. Like most people, I go to musicals to listen to professional singers not odd members of the audience singing along.

I worked front of house at Cats and Les Mis many many years ago and thankfully there was no need then to tell people not to sing along, people had far more sense. it is never acceptable to sing along, even at a jukebox musical.

We let latecomers in but only at one specific point near the beginning of act 1, after that you had to sit in the bar and watch the live stream on the TV.

Tapping strangers on the shoulder isn't great. That would annoy me. Clearly only done to intimidate the lady. If you had a polite reason to speak to a stranger you would say 'excuse me'.

YABU. Totally.
Unless it's a "sing along" show, which it clearly wasn't, then your mum shouldn't have joined in, and the lady in front was in the right of it to ask her to stop.
Your mum then made a scene of it - no wonder the management got involved!

Bad call.

I think you’ve over-egged this by mentioning you were also late

Completely agree with other posters, you and family were rude, people singing at a musical irritates me, I want to hear the professionals sing, not some random

The other woman Op and her mum were behaving like a child
Corrected it for the OP.

Beep. Beep. This vehicle is reversing. Beep. Beep...

Your mum was asked not to sing during a performance where patrons were asked not to sing & she decided that she had to speak to the woman during the interval?

What an idiot.

I'd have been so embarrassed to be with her.

Yabu

YABU I don't want to hear you when I've paid £££££s!

I would love to sing along but manage to restrain myself. I'm the one mouthing the words.

I was annoyed with the woman singing along watching Mamma Mia at the cinema.

Sing alongs are fair game of course.

YABU. I don't want to hear others caterwauling, I pay to watch and hear a professional. Sorry!

You were late, your mother sang along and was asked not to. She then tried to tell the woman off for asking her too be quiet, yiu then go to the manager and cause a scene after telling her it's a free country and you think you are oppressed? I think you are deluded and shouldn't be allowed anywhere near a theatre again.

People pay to hear the professionals do it, so YWBU. I’m surprised you don’t know that.

Also passive aggressive would have been casting dark looks, talking about your mum to other sufferance members, but not addressing it directly. She addressed your mum directly, so was not passive aggressive.