Rude people are the Theatre

[MadeleineMummy]

I hardly ever go out but a friend and I decided to go to the West End to see a sold out version of Macbeth. There was an affluent couple behind us who just talked loudly and heavy petted all through the first half while kicking our seats. It was a small theatre and it was really distracting. I kept on looking back at them but they did not seem to notice. I finally spoke to them and told them I could not hear the actors. The woman then haughtily said with a smile, “Well I won’t speak louder than the actors then”. Then proceeded to talk louder. It was not just them, it seemed as if there was a buzz of talking around the whole theatre.

During the interval, I spoke to an usher and she said she would have a word and she did speak to them twice but it did nothing to dissuade them for speaking. Is it just me or have people lost all sense of decorum and decency? The play was a hot ticket with famous names and I would assume that people who came out would have some appreciation for the theatre and be lovers of Shakespeare but it seems not to be the case. This is the second time this year that I have been to a show and people have talked all the way through.

I really hate going out because most venues seem to have ignorant rude people. I am inclined to stay in more because I know that I will have my night spoiled by horrible people.

Is there anything I can do to step people from behaving so horribly?

If that's their booked seat, what do you want the tall person to do? Shrink?

I would find that infuriating and would also have told them to be quiet. Macbeth is not the place for drunken chit chat.

I've also been known to ask teenagers to switch their phones off in the movies - only at kids films is chat ok.

Also, don't cough/clear your throat loudly - very occasionally this is unavoidable - but people seem to think quiet dramatic moments at the theatre are a perfectly fine time to do this loudly. Drives me bonkers!

We had to move seats at a concert last year due to a drunken family, the parents disappeared after two songs and never came back, DM was absolutely three sheets to the wind and they left two teenage DD who were also drunk screeching loudly and waving their arms so we wouldn't see the show, it was all very deliberate as they kept looking behind them tk see if they were being successful in upsetting everyone.

Also a show this year in a theatre to see a George Michael tribute, audience again had been overserved one woman running around pulling her top up to flash at the singer (classy) then despite ushers best efforts a load of drunks dancing at the stage blocking ours and others views. We gave up and left, the theatre admitted they had lost control of the audience

Im interested how you knew they were affluent OP? Were they waiving their bank statements in between all the tonguing and groping?

I've had people sit in my seats and be greatly put out at being told to move, one I threatened to fetch the usher if they did not, on another occasion the usher spotted them and interjected.

Talking is the most frequently annoying bad behaviour. Why they think it's ok I don't know.

Another I didn't mind so much, because it was a novelty, was people screaming at a male ballet dancer like he was a pop star (he had a huge following) whenever he did anything much. All very well but I felt sorry for the principal female dancer who only received polite subdued applause.

There was a drunken couple in the seats behind me once. They were giggling and moving around noisily. That was during a musical, which was bloody awful, so it didn't really matter about them ruining the experience.

If you’re tall and the cinema is half empty the onus is on YOU not to bloody well sit in front of somebody who is already there.

Took my 5 year old to a Disney musical recently and at one point she started singing along with a beautiful smile on her face. But I did explain that we don't sing along in the theatre and it's different to panto. Although lots of children were there, it was a very well behaved audience.

Im so jealous you got tickets. I was dying to see it after seeing DT last year on stage, but it sold out in 16 minutes 🙄

@ulyssia we had someone in our seats at an Elton John concert, we had paid a fortune for seats at the front, when we got there two women were in them, we asked for them to be moved and the ushers said "we put them there as someone's in their seats" we asked for them to be moved and the ushers were really rude about it as if we were being unreasonable! We stood our ground and they were moved

I work in theatre and it's a huge problem, everyone in theatre talks about it all the time. The big companies that own the theatres don't care, they only care about money, that's why they encourage audience members to drink to excess. Ushers are paid so poorly and often not allowed to call the police or even throw people out, or they risk being fired. Ushers get so much abuse and no support, because this kind of behaviour has just skyrocketed since lockdown. It was bad before but it's awful now.

I was in the penultimate row at the ballet once and half way through 3 people came behind and started critiquing the show - probably the director and two others involved in the production. They didn’t lower their voices at all, it was like we weren’t there.

So DH turned round, flicked the programme in his hand and told him to behave himself like he was a naughty boy 😆 …which he then did.

That's the only way to deal with it - tell them to shut up and they usually do.

The only time someone hasn't was at Hamilton (some arsehole singing) and he was ejected.

I went to see 1984 in the theatre and kept being hit by stray food on my head.
Why do we all need to eat all the time?? Can we just not go a few hours without anything in our mouths? Same with concert, I get having a drink (even though I wouldn't drink myself) but I went to see Hans Zimmer this summer and the couple next to me had a full picnic. It is very weird and a bit disrespectful to the artists and the other spectators.

Very expensive watches (Breitling on the Man/Rolex Woman). They both were well groomed, the woman had bleached blond hair done up really well, Louboutin Shoes . Tanned (mahogany) with expensive looking dress man had a smart shirt and a cashmere jumper (nothing ostentatious with large labels). She looked younger but perhaps just her gym routine and grooming.

it was not just them, there was a murmur fo talking all around the theatre. They were just directly behind me.

I no longer go to the theatre or cinema because of this sort of behaviour.

The theatre will only start getting tough on the trouble makers if people stop going, they don’t refund those whose evening has been ruined so while people pay for tickets the theatre isn’t actually loosing money so have no need to kick people out.

The last time I went to the cinema, it was quite a late showing of the little mermaid so I didn’t think many children would be there…I was wrong! They danced and sang (it was more like wailing/screeching but the parents were smiling indulging so I guess they liked the sound 😏) and were waving light up glowsticks and disks that span around, it was then I realised I was no longer the target audience for the cinema.

It’s a shame the theatre is going the same way.

I assume this must be the Donmar one with David Tennant, the weirdy headphones one?

I'm not defending their behaviour at all, but I wonder if the fact the audience are wearing headphones made people feel a bit less inhibited to talk than they normally would.

I'm slightly put off seeing it for that reason.

Out of interest were you sat in cheaper seats?

We've had this debate recently after we attended a Vivaldi , only to be sat behind a group of 6 women, 5 of whom chatted their way through the whole thing, loudly proclamating this isnt my thing. Then I realised why, we had booked last minute and were in the cheap seats. I think about £25 for each of us or somewhere near there, as apose to £120 for the seats we would normally go for.

My theory is cheaper seats attract people who are trying something out, or less engaged with whatever it is therefore end up chatting or t3xting their mates whatever they arr doing.

Where as £120 seats are filled with those who are committed, want to see the act and therefore are focused and quiet.

I may be wrong...

Blimey you are very observant.

bloody hell theres some snobbery on this thread

He was so good and so was Lady Macbeth. They were stupendous. My friend got the tickets and we were really looking forward to going. We tried not to let the theatre being filled with arseholes spoil the show.

we spoke to some other women in the interval and they said they were sitting next to an Australian couple. the guy kept on talking through the show complaining to his wife that it was boring and wanted to know when it stopped so he could get a drink. Then kept on saying he was going to have a word with the concierge at the Savoy for recommending such rubbish.

The West End is a problem as too many go as an experience rather than from interest. Go to the RSC in Stratford and it’s usually brilliantly well mannered. Plenty of regional shows are great too but the bigger the name the worse the audience in my experience

Wow, is there some appalling snobbery on this thread

I always buy cheap seats, as I'm not made of money, and I would rather see 6 shows a year in the cheap seats than one show in the posh seats.

However, I know how to behave in the theatre.
The OP herself said these people seem to be affluent.

Yup, I'm with you sister.

I kept on turning around to give them my disapproving matronly stare. They seemed oblivious.