to genuinely not understand why this woman went to the papers with her story?

[A580Hojas]

She seems to think she's been wronged in some way. I feel a bit cringe for her actually.

link to Metro article

The Edinburgh Playhouse account tells the other side which is a lot more believable as multiple people witnessed the event entirely differently: theatrescotland.co.uk/edinburgh-playhouse-staff-praised-by-customers-for-dealing-with-abusive-audience-members/

Someone said " How loud could she have been to be heard over a MeatLoaf sound alike? " Not all the songs in "Bat" are loud, there are some quiet and moving songs too. And no, you are definitely NOT "supposed to join in". That' s made clear at the start of the show, as people on here have already said.

I saw that show at that venue - there was an announcement at the start that it wasn’t a singalong! I could hear some people behind me singing during the quieter bits but most of it is so loud that she must have been really disruptive to have been kicked out

She’s 52??

I had a less extreme version at Hamilton. A couple arrived 10 mins into the performance and proceeded to get out foil-wrapped smelly baguettes, drinks and crisps to stave off starvation over the next couple of hours. Then the bloke, who was right next to me, started muttering along sotto voce but not sotto enough and slightly ahead of the singers. It was performative wankery of the "I'm the biggest Hamilton fan and get me, I know all the words" variety rather than him being carried away on a wave of emotion.

Luckily he was pissing off everyone around us and after a lot of turning heads and scowls he subsided. It was so distracting when you are trying to listen to a live performance you have looked forward to and paid a lot of money for.

I think other people are deluded as to their singing ability and will be amazing others in the vicinity. It's the X Factor delusion; their family and friends have all told them they are great and better than a lot of professional singers.

Of course some will just be pissed, clueless and selfish. Hats off to the staff for intervening. It's not fair on everybody else.

Given that she has said she was singing, tapping her thigh, waving her hands and tapping her foot I can only imagine how loud she was actually being given people always play down their own behaviour.

She sounds like an absolute pain in the arse with no consideration for anyone else.

BloodyForeland - how did I guess they’d be tap dancing?

I sent a link to my sister whose sick in bed with the covid and she says it’s the best laugh she’s had in Ava’s.

The usual heavy response from those who think they have a little power over a woman

WTF? Sounds more like an entirely reasonable response from reasonable people employed, amongst other things, to ensure that individual audience members - male or female - don't spoil the enjoyment of other people who have paid rather a lot to be there. They warned her first, she ignored the warning. What else were they supposed to do to get her to stop? Particularly given that she seems to have been pissed.

I had a woman and daughter perform like this when I saw Fascinating Aida

Most of the show was new but they did sing a few favourites. Thus couple got excited waved their arms and started singing loudly. They even chatted loudly discussing the show. They were shushed by quite a few

The best was when the Mum went into full on rocker head banging with hair all over the shop

@C152

ImNotDancing - yes, I have, but not for years as they're not actually my cup of tea. And yes, at those I went to, the audience sang and were not asked to stop. If it's the case that there was an announcement at the beginning asking the audience not to sing along, then the lady was clearly in the wrong, but she claims in the article OP linked to that this was not the case. That's why I suggested it may be that neither the woman thrown out or the ushers were completely in the right.

Why would she need an announcement to know that she shouldn't do this? Couldn't she have worked it out from the fact that (1) no-one else was singing, (2) on any interpretation waving your arms around in a theatre is going to obstruct other people's view, and (3) the usher had already asked her to stop?

It seems to me that the ushers' only error lay in not chucking her out sooner.

I knew exactly what kind of people they would be before evening opening the article.

Next she'll be watching Hamlet and shouting "he's behind you when the Ghost appears!

🙄🙄

We went to an IMAX showing of - Fantasia(? - it was a long time ago, it must’ve been a remastered version - mostly adults in the cinema) and there was a family ‘performing’ in front of us right on front (lots of loud prompting and one sided conversations with the children, who were getting bored and fidgety).

Anyway there’s one part where there is a sprite/spirit flying around and underneath there is a huge black mound - but when you looked closely you could see a red eye appear (so you can guess what’s coming next). Parents obviously too busy to prep the kids. Monster leaps up (eats the spirit?) adults yelp, kids scream, much howling and they all leave, complaining bitterly (and loudly).

Similar when we went (my siblings and parents) to see the woman in black and there was a school group a few rows down (teenagers, nor kids) who were loud and annoying through the production. Now my family used to sit around and tell ghost stories for fun (our old house was supposedly haunted) so we weren’t exactly grilling our seats in fear. At the ‘scary’ bit I’m certain several of the school party wet themselves - there was definitely much screaming.

Oh oh and we want to see a Matthew Bourne ballet and there was a party of over excited men on the same row who had snuck in bottles of vodka and cat called and hooted through the whole bloody performance.

And the time we took little DS to see a kids flick and this mum whispered loudly at her child to go and get her a beer then yelled the place down when he came back empty handed. The kid was about 9. She spent all her time on her phone and when they left it was like a family of wildebeest had been grazing…

I’m beginning to think that home entertainment is the way to go…

@KittenKong, did you complain to the staff about any of those incidents? I don't understand why they would have allowed the behaviour to continue throughout each of the shows in question.

I had to skim the article after reading the headline to check it wasn't my mum as this is exactly the sort of thing she would do, despite being 77.

[quote EthelTheAardvark]@KittenKong, did you complain to the staff about any of those incidents? I don't understand why they would have allowed the behaviour to continue throughout each of the shows in question.[/quote]
It’s hard to complain about little kids, and the school party had teachers who didn’t bother - the drunken men, well they were more entertaining than the show (sorry - I find Bourne a cliched bore - was dragged along), and the ushers seems to enjoy them too, and the beer lady seemed to scare the (very young) ushers (the came in, looked at the group and scurried away).

I often think the same about people who complain to a newspaper about their child being bullied/told off for then pose for sad face pics in the paper. I always wonder if the child will be teased more for the pic in the paper or the fact their parent made a big deal of it, than the original issue!

@C152

Was she wrong though? The audience are encouraged to sing during Mama Mia and similar performances - isn't this much the same thing? (Obviously you wouldn't be singing along during a play, but this was a muscial - I thought that was considered part of the fun of going to a musical?) Either her behaviour must have been sigificantly more distracting than she thought, or the ushers overreacted; possibly a bit of both from the limited information available.

Only if they're specified to be Singalongs. Or they invite you to for the last number (which is what happened when I went to see Mamma Mia years ago(

I'm not paying a fortune for tickets to listen to you, thanks

@GrandTheftWalrus

The security company that have taken over the playhouse are very heavy handed.

However I saw this on fb and people who were there that night said they were being loud and fighting etc so clearly the woman isn't saying that part.

I went to a show at the playhouse and it was full of school kids who weren't behaving, jumping about and being on phones. Why do schools think taking primary children to a show is a good idea?

If I've paid ££ for tickets I want to enjoy it not listen to other people.

We did a number of times when I worked at a primary school (a treat every year). Cats, Scrooge, Oliver etc

We were complimented on their behaviour. We would never allow them to disturb others

I have an aquaintance who is obsessed with the Jersey Boys. She has seen is loads since the theatres reopened. Except no one will go with her anymore due to singing a long very loudly. She is very proud of how the cast recognise her and I was thinking that I bet they do! The probably think "Oh FFS.....she's in again".

There was obviously a lot more to it than she's saying. She sounds like a trouble causer/ attention seeker. I'd hate to have her as a next door neighbour.

@Nanny0gg when the teachers noticed they were quick to tell them off but there was about 30 (full class?) And only about 4/5 teachers/helpers and they were at the end of the rows so the pupils in the middle weren't spotted misbehaving quickly enough. It was mainly boys who were misbehaving and the girls watched the show. Maybe because it was the lion King?

Silly woman, why go to the Mail when what she really should've done was start an AIBU?

@Sweetandsaltycaroline

I often think the same about people who complain to a newspaper about their child being bullied/told off for then pose for sad face pics in the paper. I always wonder if the child will be teased more for the pic in the paper or the fact their parent made a big deal of it, than the original issue!

These are actually the ones I tend to feel sorry for. What usually happens is they put a bit of a moan on Facebook, some local journalist picks it up and does a report. Then a reporter from the Mail or similar turns up, acts all sympathetic, puts a piece of paper or similar in their hand which represents the letter or whatever it is they are complaining about, and carefully poses them with their children grouped around them looking sad for a photo. They ask all sorts of leading questions designed to make them look greedy and stupid, e.g. "Do you think the headteacher should be sacked for this? Do you think she should be prevented from ever working in education again? Do you think the school should pay you compensation?" And the poor sucker, dazzled by the prospect of fame and entirely taken in by the reporter's sympathy just goes along with it all even though the thought of disciplinary action against the head and compensation has never occurred to them previously. And it all gets written up in a way that, on the surface looks as if the paper is sympathetic but which in fact is designed to make the parents look greedy, stupid and incompetent, and the kids like feral beasts. All in the cause of getting clicks and shares, because all of that makes money for the paper. Then, as you say, it's the child who suffers for it most.

There are websites dedicated to sadface newspaper stories and they are actually quite funny, but I must say it almost needs to be a standard part of PHSE education never to take your complaints to local newspapers, let alone the likes of the Mail.