My DH and I are tall and dared to go to the theatre.

[MangoSeason]

I’m 6 ft 1. My DH is 6 ft 4 and very broad. We went to see Hamilton at the Sydney Lyric Theatre yesterday and were subjected to a tirade of passive aggressive invective by the lady sitting behind us, for the whole show. The Lyric Theatre has very roomy seating, but a very low incline. This is beyond our control. We were not trying to thwart the woman! We were very close to the stage and everyone has to look up here anyway. I don’t think she missed as much as she wanted to make everyone around you believe. The lady behind me offered to swap with her but she loudly announced that “she is just as bad”. Sorry for my tall self exiting in your world.

I mean I do get it. It would be frustrating to be seated behind a couple like us. However, I’ve been at shows that I have looked forward to for years and have dealt with unexpected issues- the man with the very loud vocal tics two seats down, the lady who had to go to the toilet 6 times in a show. It is frustrating but I don’t carry on like a pork chop and I certainly don’t direct any invective towards the person for issues beyond their control. I may privately sigh or have a whinge afterwards but that’s it. DH and I can’t shrink!

We are both used to the under breath FFSs when we sit at shows. We really try to avoid sitting in front of people if we can. But at a sold out show with allocated seating, we are not doing it to upset you. We weren’t wearing hats, wearing scarves or big collars or high hair styles. We were simply existing, sitting quietly within our allocated seats. It was a matinee show with dozens of pre-teen kids around us. They would have had the same issue as the woman and none of them were carrying on at all. They were just enthralled, like everyone else.

Fully prepared to be massacred by the shorter people now!

This sounds totally shit for you, I’m sorry your evening was ruined.

Yanbu, and ‘I don’t carry on like a pork chop’ is a lovely phrase

I’m 5 foot and have this issue everywhere, but I’d never make comments like that! I only ever wish I was taller.

I don’t carry on like a pork chop

Yanbu on this comment alone
Yeah its annoying af as a short person being stuck behind someone tall but as you say its not your fault so she should have canned it. If i was being extra cheeky i would just ask to switch seats and silently grumble if rejected. Its just the fact of life theatres can't force tall people to sit at the back everyone is entitled to sit in their allocated seats.

Dh is 6ft 6. We've learnt to negotiate end of rows and he generally sits slumped down in his seat on the very rare occasion we do something like the cinema.
I find noisy people much more annoying

I’m short and find it difficult when seated behind tall people at the theatre. This is my problem and not anyone else’s.

If I were you I would meet their passive aggressive comments with a request for them to speak up and state their problem with me, and ask them what they expect me to do about it. And I would tell them to book more expensive seats if it’s too painful for them to sit with the masses.

I miss pork chop and two bob watch.........
Similar heights here, luckily no one has ever said similar within earshot (probably haven't dared! ). DH would have probably asked if she'd liked to sit on his knee.

At 4’11 I’d have been pissed off but coped, & less annoyed if you were both keeping still so that once I’d found a way to see the stage I didn’t have to keep shifting.

I was once sitting behind a tall person who kept fidgeting and that was really annoying.

I do think it’s only fair for tall people to sit / stand nearer the back when possible though.

Yanbu, but these older theatres however lovely and charming have the most uncomfortable seats and are not meant for normal height people never mind tall people, no idea what can be done but she was beyond rude. Once in an intervals the theatre, I stood up to stretch my legs for a few minutes and the older woman behind me said in an very offended manner, could you sit down I can’t see the stage! the stage curtain was down for the interval I was confused at that one!

In a theatre in London once, a very tall young woman sat in the stalls with her (much shorter) partner. I'm a short-arse and missed some of the show. The woman apologised but I said, what are you supposed to do? Whatever.

I'm short and expect my view to be blocked by even average height people.

I do have a problem with the tall parents nabbing the front row seats at school plays (fair enough they camped overnight got there first) and then getting iPads out to video it ensuring total block out!

I’ve been in the unfortunate position of being unable to see an entire theatre show because of the height of people in front.. and theatre tickets are very, very expensive. Never have that issue at the cinema though, so maybe theatres are to blame.

Sitting behind tall people is frustrating but it's a design fault of theatres, not the tall people's fault. Unless you were wearing ridiculous headwear.

I'm quite short and dh is tall. In theatres he might generally be able to see better but he's normally very uncomfortable with his knees around his ears because seats in theatres (or planes) just aren't designed for people over 6ft.

Nothing you could do and you shouldn't feel bad for going to the theatre. She was just disappointed, but that's no ones fault (maybe the theatre designer).

I'm very jealous of you going to see a show. Might put it on Disney + later..

Suggest they use a booster seat?
Only if they are being really annoying and rude though. If they are just muttering, ignore.

I’m short but the only time I get frustrated is at the cinema where tall adults and children have booked the row in front and put themselves in front of my kids instead of their kids in front of you see what I mean, other than that it can’t be helped. I’d be internally frustrated not to be able to see but I wouldn’t say anything, what it there to say 🤷‍♀️

I am tall too, I get you. This woman’s rudeness was unforgivable and if it were me I would have said something. What a juvenile self-entitled arsehole! Sorry your night was ruined but don’t let it stop you from doing things you enjoy.

Was she very very short? As a tall person I’m quite wary of very tiny people, in the way some people are intimidated by small yappy dogs 😂 I think tallness can make some shorter folk angry like you’ve done it on purpose to annoy them.

I do think given that tall people know they cause others a lot of problems, they should be considerate and sit at the back.

YANBU, I am only 5 ft 3 and it is annoying being sat behind someone tall in a cinema or theatre but I would never moan like that, so rude! As you say it’s not your fault and it’s just a risk you take in my opinion when you book - equally could be next to someone large who is over the arm rest on your seat or something. The only way to avoid it is to buy a box or get a front row seat but as I guess that’s expensive people won’t do it! We went to a show on Broadway when I was a teenager and the woman sat in front of us translated the entire show into Russian for her husband, would much rather have sat behind someone tall than have that going on!!! Luckily they did actually move us to different seats after the interval

I know you can't help being tall but as someone who paid for good tickets at a London show and then found the man in front of me was so tall and broad I couldn't physically see the stage without either standing up and upsetting the people behind me ( who by the way were also complaining he was blocking their view!!) or craning my body to a really awkward and uncomfortable angle I was really upset. It was a show I'd been wanting to see for years. DD behind me could see about half the stage.

It was though a relatively cramped theatre which probably made it worse.

At the interval I asked the steward to move us and as she couldn't they gave us free tickets for the next night and dd and I left

You can't help being tall and we can't help being shorter than you. I think you would have been upset if the situation was reversed.

This is a fault of the seating design and of course the people behind you should not direct their frustrations at you. It is annoying though, when you have spent £80 + on a ticket and you can't see the performance or you're weaving the entire time / getting a crick in your neck to try to see.

I reckon everyone should give their heights when booking tickets and then seats can be allocated accordingly, with all us shorties at the front!

I'm short and have sat behind tall people at many shows. I don't understand her problem, it's fairly easy to angle myself so I can look through the large enough gap between the tall people in front. Sorry you're evening was ruined, she sounds like she has issues.

YANBU, we’re reasonably tall (shorter than you but that’s not the point) and I book the seats I want to - particularly front row dress circle if I can get it. I know that it bothers me people moving around and if I can’t get a good seat I don’t book tickets - they are too expensive to waste money on. As for tall people should stand at the back - seriously? Because you are tall you should have the crap seats? Maybe book tickets early enough to get front row seats if you can’t see sat behind someone. Hope you enjoyed the show OP.

What’s a pork chop?