Annoying audience members in the theatre

[beverleybass]

Does anybody else ALWAYS seem to have seats right by the worst people in the theatre. I must just be unlucky.

This year saw Come From Away and was directly behind 3 women who kept chatting all the way through, including during really emotional and key moments and solos. Someone tapped them on the shoulder and told them to shush in the end which improved things slightly.

I also saw Cinderella and more chatters as well phones coming out constantly with their shining lights.

What is the point spending all that money on tickets to look at your phone or chat to people??

Anyway saw Mamma Mia as a birthday treat today and it was honestly the worst of the lot. People on my row playing musical chairs, people arriving up to fifteen mins late (and still being let in) the man to the left of me kept singing along with the songs, the people in front chatting and constantly zipping/unzipping bags and rustling noisy bags of snacks.

How hard is it to sit still and be quiet

Completely agree with you op.......... except for singing along to songs in a musical. Musicals are for singing!
This is why I dont go to the cinema - cant bear how annoying and inconsiderate other people are. I love going to the theatre but the risk of people being bothersome puts me off.

@Wafflesnsniffles

Completely agree with you op.......... except for singing along to songs in a musical. Musicals are for singing! This is why I dont go to the cinema - cant bear how annoying and inconsiderate other people are. I love going to the theatre but the risk of people being bothersome puts me off.

Erm no. Musicals are for listening to and appreciating the talented professionals. People do not pay £££ to listen to tone deaf randomers pretend that they're West end stars.

No. Musicals are not for audience participation. How has this ever become what people think? It is for the audience to listen to the professional singers. No one should sing with them and ruin the songs. It’s musical theatre. It’s a whole performance which should be enjoyed. It is NOT Karaoke.

I’ve read quite a few stories in the papers of actors stopping the show to confront people who are on their phones or talking loudly. It’s so bloody disrespectful to everyone but it must be soul-destroying for the actors.

Yep, as others have said, no one should be singing along to anything in the theatre unless the performance is specifically billed as a sing-along, or invited by the cast as part of audience participation.

@Wafflesnsniffles

Completely agree with you op.......... except for singing along to songs in a musical. Musicals are for singing! This is why I dont go to the cinema - cant bear how annoying and inconsiderate other people are. I love going to the theatre but the risk of people being bothersome puts me off.

They are most certainly not for singing along to. You can pay to go to a sing along musical, but you absolutely should not go to a musical and sing along.

[quote Wexone]@CognitiveDissolver would like to have heard the other peoples side. Why did your friend have to keep checking her watch ? Was it really only 2 secs? could she not have survived by switching it off for the hour or two the film was on for. Why didn't you eat quietly in the 1st place ? Did you need to eat all the way through the film ?

It really drives me wrong that people feel the need to eat and drink all the way through a film, Like really can you not survive without eating for an hour or two for the duration of a show or film. It fills me with dread when i see people come into the cinema laden down with junk food. While its great that we can go back to the cinema and theater, we have missed it and i really enjoy a good think from Covid is that new films are released via Disney Plus or Sky earlier now so we can watch our films in peace and quiet in our own homes[/quote]
Sorry but I completely disagree with no eating at the cinema. Snacking while watching a movie has always been a part of it. Popcorn was created for sitting watching a movie. I will not apologise for having a drink or eating popcorn or whatever at the cinema. Obviously it shouldn’t be done noisily but imo the cinema is not the same as going to a west end show in terms of food/ drink. Culturally it has always been acceptable to eat at the cinema, not so much at the theatre. I usually find the sound of the film more than covers any noise made by rustling packets. I don’t think it’s comparable to live performances tbh where these noises are heightened and can disrupt the actors.

@HikingforScenery

Mama Mia sounds like the kind of thing to sing along to tbh. I don’t mind people singing along at the theatre as long as they’re not particularly loud

Yeah I hate the chatting, etc too

In Mamma Mia you are encouraged to get up and sing to Waterloo at the very end of the show. Nothing else.

@CognitiveDissolver

Twice, but reverse, and in the cinema, not the theatre. Perhaps I should add that I do go to the opera before I am accused of being crass...

Anyway, once with a friend who looked at her (digital watch with a light) a few times. Its a habit of hers and I barely notice.. But she really just glanced at it for seconds, and not often. The woman two seats away from us boomed out giving her a telling off. I nearly jumped out of my seat. Very, very loud and went on for quite a while. Far more off putting than anyone glancing at a watch. At the end I actually said to her I found her shouting at my friend really off putting and unwarranted, and that it ruined the film for us as we were nervous of setting her off again.

Also in the cinema, I ate maltesers and the woman next to me got really annoyed and gave me a row. I told her to suggest to management that they banned the sale of maltesers and eating in the cinema if she was that bothered, but until it was, I would continue to eat quietly. (I think she thought I was a child though as I'm quite young looking for my age).

The Maltesers, I'm with you (I always eat quietly or wait for a loud bit in the film to crunch).

The watch light though: not acceptable. I would have hissed at you to turn it off. And no I am not in Morningside and I don't confuse the cinema with the royal box at the opera.
People are sitting in a dark room wanting and hoping to be immersed in the film. A bright light (even if only 'a few times'/'for seconds'/'a habit') is distracting and jarring.
It's very basic common sense. If you don't see that, then you (and/or your friend with the watch) are either quite dim, or you just don't give a shit about other people.

I remember years ago going to London to see Dirty Dancing. There was a 40th birthday party in the audience who were clearly drunk before the performance even started. They were acting like they were at the strippers whenever Jonny was on stage to the point he completely lost his place. I've never seen this happen on a professional stage but he just couldn't pull it back for a good few minutes. The women were told to sit down and shut up or leave, he managed to pull himself together and carry on. Huge round of applause for him but we were all already taken out of the moment and the experience was ruined. I felt so bad for him.

When we went to Frozen, a child kicked my dd’s seat the entire way through. Although it is obviously kid friendly, I think under 4s aren’t allowed and I am gobsmacked that this child’s parents allowed her to behave like this. I’m not talking tapping, I’m talking flailing legs right through.

@Wafflesnsniffles

Completely agree with you op.......... except for singing along to songs in a musical. Musicals are for singing! This is why I dont go to the cinema - cant bear how annoying and inconsiderate other people are. I love going to the theatre but the risk of people being bothersome puts me off.

And here’s another example of someone who’s part of the problem, and somehow doesn’t even realise.

How do people not realise they shouldn’t be doing this though? It seems some people need to be absolutely spoon fed the rules before the performances, and face swift consequences for those who don’t listen.

I went to see Tommy The Musical in Shaftesbury Theatre in the mid 90s and it was incredibly difficult to keep still. We were up in the balcony seats. At the last song, I had to get up and dance and after about 2 seconds all the rest sitting with us joined in. Very memorable night. I've been to many a musical where we were invited to join in - free tickets because I was a PA. I didn't know any of the words!

However, I fully agree with you OP, it's incredibly annoying when the distraction is throughout the whole experience. I went to see Susie Dent recently and thankfully everyone was on their best behaviour.

Why don’t theatres have a public announcement beforehand stating no singing (in musicals) ? And a strict warning about phones and Apple watches etc? It’s clearly needed.

Obviously it shouldn’t be done noisily but imo the cinema is not the same as going to a west end show in terms of food/ drink. Culturally it has always been acceptable to eat at the cinema, not so much at the theatre. I usually find the sound of the film more than covers any noise made by rustling packets.

Some people do eat noisily.

Culturally, it used to be frowned upon to eat in the street in parts of the UK so I've no idea when it was acceptable to eat during performances at the cinema in the UK but it's certainly not a thing in black and white newsreels. (I realise the US has a different tradition. And, back in the day, there was a fair amount of smoking.)

A fair number of posters have complained about the noise of rustling packets in the cinema as well as the theatre so it would seem that the soundtrack doesn't always the noise. Not all cinemagoers time their noise to avoid dialogue or intense moments.

All in all, going to a live performance or showing feels like a risk that it's not worth taking for some ticket prices, especially when it's a considerable overhead to travel there and cover the incidentals.

I don't tend to find people being rude.

I do almost always find myself behind a 6'5 man though and his 5'9 girlfriend or someone with Marge Simpson's hair.

Theaters around here were obviously built 100+ years ago and are listed but I wish they could find a cure to the problem because the gentle incline is not enough to stagger people to see over those in front.

At the usually well behaved Wigmore Hall, my dh witnessed a woman thumping a man next to her - not sure how he’d provoked her.
It was in the middle of a performance by a singer accompanied by Andras Schiff and as soon as the song was over he got up from the piano and marched to the edge of the stage and gave her a bollocking. At the interval the manager came over and gave her another bollocking.

@buffyajp
No. It’s not always been the case that people are in cinemas. I’m old enough to have been to the cinema when there wasn’t popcorn etc sold. We simply didn’t snack. I’m not entirely against popcorn but it’s people getting up and down, drinking and eating loudly that is so annoying.

It’s exactly the same at rock concerts now. I went with DH to see Snow Patrol a few years ago. The people all around us were in and out with booze and then presumably the loo. At over £100 a ticket! I used to go to concerts all the time and no one ever did that years ago. We have a booze culture and one with no respect for others.

@Wafflesnsniffles

Completely agree with you op.......... except for singing along to songs in a musical. Musicals are for singing! This is why I dont go to the cinema - cant bear how annoying and inconsiderate other people are. I love going to the theatre but the risk of people being bothersome puts me off.

Musical usually states clearly in their terms you are not to sing and dance and will be removed if causing a distraction to the cast or other audience members.

Sing-a-longs are specifically listed with that in big letters and are different from musicals.

I think what everyone is saying, is lower your expectations of audience behaviour, especially when going to see Jukebox Musicals or or stuff like Hi-Di- Hi , Benidorm etc..the more ' fun ' stuff.

However, I think back to the elderly couple on their phones during Hamlet at the crucible, and the woman that seemed put out that she wasn't allowed to hold an i-pad up to film the snooker in the same venue, and have to say there isn't any class boundaries with this behaviour.

DameHelena The watch light though: not acceptable. I would have hissed at you to turn it off. And no I am not in Morningside and I don't confuse the cinema with the royal box at the opera. People are sitting in a dark room wanting and hoping to be immersed in the film. A bright light (even if only 'a few times'/'for seconds'/'a habit') is distracting and jarring. It's very basic common sense. If you don't see that, then you (and/or your friend with the watch) are either quite dim, or you just don't give a shit about other people.

I am neither, and neither is my friend. How rude. Whats the rush to castigate strangers instead of using a polite request. Heres an example

"Would you mind not using the light on your watch please? Its a bit distracting".

There you are. Not dim, not rude, no hissing or shouting or ranting involved. No need for aggression or name calling at all.

I just looked at my booking emails and then the website of the theatre I'm going to. There is absolutely nothing about etiquette or expected behaviour. I bet a few simple 'rules' added to the emails would sort out a lot of this, like people who don't know you aren't supposed to sing along.

@CognitiveDissolver

DameHelena The watch light though: not acceptable. I would have hissed at you to turn it off. And no I am not in Morningside and I don't confuse the cinema with the royal box at the opera. People are sitting in a dark room wanting and hoping to be immersed in the film. A bright light (even if only 'a few times'/'for seconds'/'a habit') is distracting and jarring. It's very basic common sense. If you don't see that, then you (and/or your friend with the watch) are either quite dim, or you just don't give a shit about other people.

I am neither, and neither is my friend. How rude. Whats the rush to castigate strangers instead of using a polite request. Heres an example

"Would you mind not using the light on your watch please? Its a bit distracting".

There you are. Not dim, not rude, no hissing or shouting or ranting involved. No need for aggression or name calling at all.

They shouldn't have to ask, politely or otherwise. How is it so hard to understand that light from phones/watches is distracting and annoying? Doesn't matter whether it's in Morningside (the Dominion isn't snobby btw) or elsewhere.

@CognitiveDissolver
Why are you trying to create excuses for your/your friend’s poor behaviour? While not as bad as some of the behaviour mentioned on this thread, you clearly don’t know how to behave at a cinema. It’s obvious you don’t look at a light-up digital watch during a show. No one should have to ask you not to do so.

[quote Woollystockings]@CognitiveDissolver
Why are you trying to create excuses for your/your friend’s poor behaviour? While not as bad as some of the behaviour mentioned on this thread, you clearly don’t know how to behave at a cinema. It’s obvious you don’t look at a light-up digital watch during a show. No one should have to ask you not to do so.[/quote]
Because I find shouting in the cinema unacceptable.