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!

Aw I hope you enjoyed the show OP! Hamilton is amazing.

Theatre seating is shit and a lot of it was made when people were shorter. However I like to think most people can comprehend a tall person can't help being tall.

I did tut and mutter when I went to see Book of Mormon in the West End and a girl of average height but a MASSIVE top know obscured my view. The top knot itself was about half a foot tall

DH is 6ft 5in and has spent his whole life trying to be small, crouching down, not taking up too much space. To the extent that he sees a chiropractor regularly, and never really enjoys a gig as he is conscious of it. He was mortified at a lecture recently to be singled out and asked to move to the back - you wouldn't ask an obese person or a disabled person to move like that.

I am short. I inevitably sit behind you in the theatre. I always bring a thick coat and make a cushion of it to get a bit more height.

I have always hated any event where people are behind me as I am 6'1" and broad. If I can choose to be right at the back I will. Between the 5 of us now we are 5'11, 6'1", 6'3, 6'5" and 6'7". Fortunately for the world we cannot afford to go to shows etc and our local cinema has amazing seating which is well spaced with great leg space and we can normally get back row seats.

@ShowOfHands

I can't wait to see Hamilton. We're going in September.

I'm really short and ended up behind a giant when I went to see Les Mis. His height wasn't the problem but he could not sit still. He was squirming, rocking, fidgeting and every time I managed a view of the stage, he wiggled in front of me. DH had a word during the interval and he sat still for the entire second half.

I think one of the problems is that tall people are so uncomfortable squashed into an inadequate space. Just makes the situation worse.

My husband is tall and also disabled, if possible we get a box, obviously not possible in all theatres, but it makes it a much more relaxed experience for us.

Well she was being ridiculous. What were you supposed to do - sit on the floor, amputate your legs. It’s just one of this things. Disappointing but unless she books only front row seats, if she’s short, then it’s always going to be a gamble as to who is in front. I’m 5‘ and try to book with that in mind. If it doesn’t work out then it’s not great but I’d never go on at a tall person in front as it’s out of their hands really. Sorry your evening was spoiled OP

I think having a hissy fit is a Scottish saying?

Anyway yanbu, I bet the woman annoyed people more with her muttering than you did simply by being tall.

most tall people seem oblivious to their height

Oh trust me we are not. All those endless jokes about "the weather up there", "giraffe" comments, the endless "surprised sneer" look from shop assistants when trying to find shoes which actually fit long narrow feet (such a confidence boost for teens), the cramp from trying to squeeze into many venue seats, paying extra on planes because the leg room is less than upper leg length.

Its literally impossible to be oblivious to your height if you are tall, mainly because of short people endlessly commenting on it.

@emilyfrost

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

Wow

YA probably NBU
I am 5’3 and all my height is in my legs with a very short body so I always know to fold up my coat on my seat at the theatre to make an ad hoc booster seat. Short people are used to this and have our coping mechanisms 😂
The only way you would be being unreasonable is if you kept moving your heads to the side (eg to whisper to each other) because that would block off the gap the people behind you would be looking through.

@MangoSeason Thanks for clarifying, I love it! What a great expression.

My worst theatre experience was the woman next to me at a matinee who let her grandson (maybe around 6 or 7yo) sit on her knee. Even though my legs were angled towards the other side (and my own son) this wriggling child somehow ended up half on my knee

Rude AF.

I am a bit of a shortie at 5 ft 5, and if I get ANYone taller than me in front of me, they block me. So that's probably half the population of the country! It's annoying for anyone, but as has been said, it's the theatres at fault, for not having descending seats. NOT the fault of the taller person in front.

Some do of course, like the brand new fancy cinema in my closest city, has the seats arranged so EVERYone can see. But some of them - particularly the older (pre 21st century) theatres and cinemas don't.

YANBU @MangoSeason Sooooo rude of that woman. Probz jealous coz you're tall. I am!

YANBU

I’m 5’ 4” so I permanently seem to have someone taller than me in front of me. Theatres are the worst for it because of the design.

Making all the tall people sit at the back is also a ridiculous suggestion. My husband is 6’ 2”, so I’d never be able to enjoy a night at the theatre with my husband. Neither are us particularly comfortable in a theatre, DH is slouching down to not be too tall for the person behind and I’m leaning to one side to try and see round the person in front of me. We know we won’t be comfortable and I might not see the whole show but it doesn’t stop me soaking up the atmosphere of the show.

One day, we’re going to book box tickets and just watch a show comfortably. One day.

@emilyfrost

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

Maybe theatres could allocate seats according to one's height, to be stated when tickets are booked! Would that alleviate the problem? Can they also take into consideration for seating:- Late comers Toffee rustlers Those who've read the book or reviews or seen it last week. The couples who had a row on way way and continue it. Pop-corn eaters, nacho-slurpers/crunchers. New parents worrying about the baby-sitter's competence.

All of whom I've sat near at some time or other.

That's why I always sit in the circle where seats are more raked than the stalls and where a taller person may block my view.

Urgh! I understand where you're coming from. There are probably worse things you could do/be in a theatre. But when you've paid out a small fortune for tickets, being able to see the stage is kind of essential...Not sure that there's anything to be done, just one of those things you have to live with. I frequently pay for front row seats in the dress circle for these reasons so there is no issue with anyone being able to see! The consequence of that is we don't go to the theatre perhaps as often as we would like.

I am 6 ft 1in, I feel your pain. The only reason I got married is so I could stand in the front row of a photograph for once.
Next time, take an axe and decapitate yourself, you’ll find that that will upset people a lot more.

Oh man I miss going to the theatre! Sorry you had your evening spoilt but hope you still enjoyed the experience.

@Francienolan

Their noise sounds more annoying than anything.

This is a huge problem in theatres in Britain, the rake of the audience in the stalls isn't graduated enough, and usually the seats aren't staggered so you aren't right behind someone. I never had this issue in NY and in London and regional theatres it is a huge issue. So annoying. Theatre designers must not actually attend the theatre that much!

Some of the older London theatres are actually better, although they can be cramped, they’re steep so you can easily see over people.

There’s a new West End production type theatre opening in Wembley that’s supposed to be much better designed.

It's interesting, people feel comfortable being rude about height and being tall.

I'm sorry, but I think YABU. It's the pair of tall people sitting right next to each other that makes it so hard for the person behind. If you had married somebody short, the person behind could at least have tilted to the left (or right depending) to get a partial view.

I think this is something you should have considered about before marrying somebody tall. At least, next time, bring a child with you (doesn't have to be yours) and get him (or her, depending) to sit between you.

Why are the people right in the middle of the row always the last to come back after the interval?

@EmpressWitchDoesntBurn

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.

This.

It’s so frustrating when your short and sat behind tall people. I remember being super excited to get tickets to a ballet I’d wanted to see for years, I was seated in the 2nd row with 2 giants in front of me who didn’t bloody stop moving. You could clearly tell the guy didn’t want to be there. My friend swapped seats during the interval so I could at least sit behind the woman who wasn’t moving as much, only fir them to bloody switch seats. I missed pretty much the entire thing. It was a very expensive waste of time for me especially as didn’t have much money and the tickets where a massive treat for me.

I also had it when I took my dd 7 to her first show, big bloke sat right in front of her, again we swapped seats but his kids were up and down the whole time, they weren’t little either.

I think tall people should be seated at the end of the rows so as not to block views of others.

People are horrible about this - it happens sometimes now with DH (6'2) but I had a boyfriend in my 20s who was 6'7 and I was shocked at how horrible people were - he used to get things thrown at his head at gigs! And all the random idiots who felt the need to inform him, more or less politely, that he was tall (and did we know that we were a couple who were both tall! Astounding!)