To be annoyed at these people at the theatre?

[melj1213]

I have just been at the theatre for a stand up show this afternoon with DD. It was a 30 min warm up, 20 min interval and then 90 minute show.

The start time was 3pm so I made sure we were at the theatre by 2.30pm so we had time to get a drink, go to the loo and be in our seats before the start time.

At 3pm when the warm up came out there were 6 seats in our row that were empty. The show started and about 5 mins into his act the 6 people showed up. We all had to stand for them to get to their seats which was annoying enough as they faffed about, taking ages to get to their seats, take off their coats, settle down etc but then 4 different members of the group got up at different points during the warm up and then again at the start of the interval. I felt like a bloody jack in the box! The lady next to me was obviously feeling the same as by the third time she gave a massive sigh and muttered something under her breath and we kind of locked eyes and gave an eye roll to each other as we were trying to take our seats again.

In the interval I couldn't hide my annoyance and when one member of the group got up a few minutes before the interval ended I told them that I was going to be speaking to an usher as I was sick of being disturbed and if she wasn't back before the headliner came on I would not be moving for her again. Another woman in the party piped up that they can't help that they were late due to traffic and that they needed the loo/snacks/drinks, but how is that my problem?

After the interval the woman who left wasn't back and when another member of their party went to leave they totally refused to make eye contact as they scooted by me and then also didn't come back. At the end of the show I saw there were a few empty seats on the end of a row a few rows back and the first woman had obviously sat in one of those when she came back rather than trying to get back to her seat and then when the other person had left they had gone to join her in those empty seats.

This isn't the first time this happened, I can't recall the last time I went to the theatre where people weren't coming and going throughout the show and disturbing everyone. It's bad enough on cheap local theatre shows but even in west end productions where tickets are £200 a piece you still can't guarantee there won't be someone causing a disturbance.

AIBU to think that if you book tickets for any kind of performance where arriving/leaving is going to cause a disturbance to others, you don't sit in the middle of a row if you know you can't arrive on time or sit still for 2.5hrs?! I expect to get up pre show and in the interval to allow people in/out of seats (especially towards the end of a row where everyone has to pass you) but otherwise you should sit in your seat and stay there.

I understand it in children's shows as they often need a loo break, can get overwhelmed and need a time out but if you're a grown adult you should be able to sit for 90 minutes without getting up repeatedly? And if you know you can't go through the whole performance without a wee then for the love of god book tickets at the end of a row not the middle!

You did get annoyed at them going out in the interval though...

It's definitely annoying though.

Mind you I've seen people walk in the moment the doors open, sit down on their end seats and then huff every time someone else wanted to sit down

Mind you I've seen people walk in the moment the doors open, sit down on their end seats and then huff every time someone else wanted to sit down
Yes, I had someone on the end of the row straight up refuse to stand and let me in – before the show! I couldn’t barge past as I was pregnant and rotund. Two ushers tried to persuade her but the lady still wasn’t for even turning; I ended up having to go in the other end of the row and disturb far more people, and she gave me dirty looks throughout the first half. People are just bad and mad, and you’re held captive at the theatre or a show so it’s exaggerated. But in general the general public sucks.

You did get annoyed at them going out in the interval though...

Only because they had already turned up late and then they had personally been out once in the warm up act, sat there for 15 minutes of the 20 minute interval and then got up again to go out less than 5 minutes before the interval was due to end (as well as the other members of their party also going in/out in a short space of time)

There is no way they would have got out of the theatre, to the loo, do their business and get back into their seat in less than 5 minutes so I knew they would be late back to the second half of the show and cause disruption again.

If they had turned up on time, sat through the first half, got up during the later half of the interval and then been a couple of minutes late back I'd have been a little annoyed at them but by the interval their party had already caused repeated disruptions and all my goodwill had been used up.

How far away are the toilets? You could definitely be there and back in 5 minutes and if you know its your last chance for an hour or some would have to go... and leaving it to the end, or rushing straight out as the curtain falls, is the best way to ensure short queues

Went to see Kevin Bridges with DH and honestly the to-ing and fro-ing by lots of folk drove me mad. People coming back with as many as 4 pints of lager each (these plastic cups with the handles that allow you to carry much more) then needing the toilet constantly. It’s so annoying.

Poor theatre etiquette is one thing I really cannot stand! YANBU.

I went to the West End last week. About 6 people were sat in the middle of our row and turned up with about 2 mins to spare. We stood up to let them in and then 2 decided to stay on the end chatting, leaving us standing like lemons, waiting for them. I asked if they were coming in, at which point they decided to go to the loo.

I think etiquette in general is in decline. Constant clinking of bootleg wine bottles behind and rustling of treat bags in quiet moments, as well as people singing along. I haven’t paid to hear you squeaking along, Barbara.

It pisses me off too. Grown adults generally do not need a fucking drink in the middle of an act so badly they cannot wait.

And if they do need one so badly they have to go out then they should stand at the sodding back until the interval.

If you are late you stand until the interval. None of this ushering people in while action is going on on stage.

And crips/ popcorn should NEVER be sold in a theatre as a snack.

(I'm great fun to go with, hones!).

The only audience that still behave reliably is the ROH and tbh even there I've seen someone attempt to eat crisps during an opera but the surrounding audience put paid to that fairly quickly.

YANBU.

I took my DC to see a new Marvel movie and a couple of minutes after the movie had started a group of 10 or so uni students arrived but they didn’t arrive to their seats in one go, they got food and drinks in turn. We were up and down like Jack in the boxes. I was so annoyed.

I told them all off for being inconsiderate not only to us but up the people behind too. They did have the grace to blush and mumble apologies.

I think the venues have to take a certain amount of blame. They make most of their profit from the alcohol/drinks sales. So, they encourage it. Lots of deals available like prebooking drink packages before arrival or at intervals. ATG will even bring drinks to your seats in some theatres! They do all this knowing full well its going to mean more people going to the loo - and often, in traditional theatres, the toilet capacities are very limited, so people take ages and cant get back in time etc. It's a vicious cycle.

It's the same on aeroplanes. I purposefully don't drink on flights because I know I'd be up and down to the loo every 20 minutes. Sadly, not everyone applies logic to their outings and selfish people will doubly not care about disruption.

I hate poor etiquette too but tbf, when challenged, they responded quite politely and two of them sat elsewhere rather than disturb you again. I've definitely seen worse and hopefully they'll be more considerate next time.

It does feel like there's a whole host of people going to things nowadays who have absolutely no idea how to behave in a theatre or similar venue. See all these stories about people thinking they can sing along to expensive musical productions!

@2PintsOfCidernaBagofCrisps - yeah no doubt the venue does encourage it/try to make as much money as possible. So annoying though - especially with something like a comedian as opposed to a band/singer as we lost the thread of the jokes/stories. Probably an age thing too - we also went to Micky Flanagan and had to put our phones in a locking device then wait in a queue to open it. I just can’t be arsed with it all anymore - probably just stay at home and watch it in the telly at a later date!

Does my head in, gigs are worse. Sit on your arse in the seat you’ve paid for ffs. Inconsiderate twats. Coming in before the show starts and going out at the interval is ok though obv

We were right at the front of the stalls, the toilets were at the back of the stalls up a short flight of stairs so unless the loos were totally empty with nobody waiting then they weren't getting there and back in less than 5 minutes.

Like I said, if them coming back a minute or two late from the loo at the interval was the only disturbance then I probably wouldn't have minded but it was the fact this was the third disruption this woman would have caused (arriving late, going out and back in the first half and then returning late in the second half) as well as the general disruption of her entire group arriving late in the first place that annoyed me.

If I had already caused disruption I would be doing everything I could to cause minimal disruption from then on, not acting in a way that was more than likely going to cause more.

Totally missing the point but take off their coats? It's hotter the Satans Arsehole!? Who is wearing a sodding coat????

People have no manners anymore when it comes to being out in public.

We went to see Florence and the Machine. We arrived after the support and couple in front of us arrived after. It was about 40 mins before Florence came on. Literally as soon as Florence came on this pair fucked off and came back 45 mins later carrying 2 drinks each in those stupid cups. I mean wtf

Go and see The Crucible at the Guilgud. So spellbinding you could hear a pin drop. Quite possibly the quietest and best behaved audience I've encountered in many, many years of theatre going.

Also agree with a PP's comment about the ROH. Anyone who is annoying or inconsiderate will know pretty quickly that this is not acceptable.

Yeah there was a lot of that too - people who missed most of the show getting drinks and going to the loo!! And some who were too drunk to remember it ( and I say that as a problem drinker who is in recovery). And the Kevin bridges tickets were quite expensive and hard to get - so a lot of money and effort to then miss half of it!

I have to admit I felt a little bad when they didn't come back as I feared they had just left so was glad to see that they hadn't left but had done the considerate thing of taking two empty seats on the end of a row rather than trying to get back to their original seats.

Having said that, I wonder whether they would have been so considerate if I hadn't spoken up? If I'd said nothing, how many more times might I, and the others in our row, have been disturbed during the headline act if the woman had gone back to her original seat after the interval? She'd already got up twice in half an hour, the second half was a 90minute set so who knows how many times she would have been in and out?

It shouldn't take someone telling you to sit down and stop disturbing them for you to be considerate enough to make minimal disruption to other people, not only were those of us who had to move inconvenienced but also the rows behind who kept having the show interrupted by us bobbing up and down every five minutes and distracting them from the stand up's set. If you know you're already late then go to the loo before you sit down - I'd prefer someone to be 15 minutes late and then stay in their seat than be initially 5 minutes late and then get up again a few minutes later.

We're up north - you always have a coat just in case ... We went into the theatre and it was hotter than a sauna, came out to a rainstorm just petering out

We saw ain’t too proud to beg and they literally stopped the show dancers left stage and they put the lights on while bouncers removed 6 middles ages couples to a massive round of applause from about 6 rows near them. I’m guessing they were drunk & loud.

Behaviour is becoming worse. It’s a symptom of an individualised society where we don’t care about other people anymore.

I hate this.

I went to see Mariah Carey live a few years ago and it was my first time seeing her live as she hadn't toured the UK since the 90s. Lifelong fan of hers so it was a massive deal for me.

Got in, paid extra to get the best seats, and as soon as I sat down, I noticed a woman behind me was drunk off her tits. She fell getting to her seat. Not a great start, but didn't think nothing of it. Well...this woman ruined it for me completely. All night, she was screaming, screeching and "singing" along to the songs and that was all I could hear in my ear. When I gave her a look, she acted like I was being a spoil sport. Nope, I just paid to hear the actual singer sing-not some drunken strangled cat.

After spending so much money on tickets, travel and hotel stay, it truly ruined it for me and I understand having a drink and a good time, but to be so drunk that you fall over getting to your seat at half 7 is utterly ridiculous. I think some people only care about their own enjoyment of something and don't give a fuck about anyone else.