To ask what poor theatre etiquette you’ve witnessed?

[AllaMova]

Admittedly, I had never experienced poor theatre etiquette until I saw Phantom of the Opera in the West End last week.

A woman next to me kept lunging forward and then flinging herself back in her seat throughout the performance, which was very distracting and made my seat shake each time. Then, she kept whispering to her companion.

A man kept kicking another man’s seat. I didn’t notice until the man in front turned around and told him off doing so. (Not that I blame him in the slightest!)

Another woman a few rows in front of me got her to text several times. An usher intervened, but she kept doing it.

Some people also arrived late and missed the start of the show and distracted everyone else in the process of finding their seats.

I can’t believe all of this happened during one single show. Until that point, I had been so lucky.

I’m an end of row hogger! I’m disabled so I always get end of row seats when I can. I’d love to wait in the bar but there are never any seats and I can’t stand, so I have no choice but to go straight to my seat.

I don’t have a problem with letting people get past, but something I noticed recently was that when we stand to let people though, people (usually women) always thank my husband and not me. I pointed it out to him as he hadn’t noticed, but he always comments on it now.

Sometimes a Box is just as economically viable as 4 seats in the Circle or Stalls. You can munch and drink your way through without disturbing others.

Someone coughing right through Hamlet, not a little one-off cough but a dry choking non-stop cough, for gods sake if you can’t stop coughing you need to get up and leave. In the end an usher removed them.

My post
Jellybelly80 · Today 17:01

So things like wanting to record on phones or (quietly) video call family, I know is super annoying but I also know they do it because they are so excited to be there and they really do see it as a once in a lifetime thing. It's a big deal to them

So what about everyone else there? Did it occur to you that it may be a big deal to them even if they’re not disadvantaged? Frankly if you’re going to take these young people to the theatre then teach them to behave before you go.

Someone once had a coughing fit at a really climatic moment, then rustled the cough drop wrapper. And someone once had a heart attack, though thankfully they had the decency to wait for interval. Though I tend to only go to the Royal Opera House these days, largely because I can't cope at all with people eating, talking, playing with their phones etc. Let alone singing, dancing, vomiting or masturbating! It's a shame as I used to absolutely love the theatre and was there at least once a week once upon a time. I know a lot of people like me who just don't bother anymore as they can't cope with the behaviour.

But what I don't understand is why if people can behave in the ROH, why can't they behave anywhere else? I don't think it's because it's a 'certain kind of person', as it's the same people you'll find at the Coliseum or Sadler's Wells, and the seats cost about the same as any other west end show. Maybe as they have special 'relaxed' performances where presumably people do behave more like 'normal' audiences? Pretty sure they're still not allowed to eat though.

I think it depends on the show, we went to see BFG which attracted lots of people who probably don’t ordinarily go to the theatre, and the standard of behaviour was really poor compared to normal RSC audiences. It’s not the money per se, they’re just not used to being expected to sit quietly.

At a performance of The Full Monty, a large hen party arrived at the last minute before curtain up. All drunk and spent the first half of the performance either heckling the poor performers or going to and fro to the bar During the interval the staff kicked them out, as so many of the audience complained. I felt sorry for the cast, as it was at the Lyceum in Sheffield, and the home crowd was hyped up! The second half was brilliant.

Theatre disability apps for sound are phone based, just so you are aware

What I took to be 2 Gps, discussing a patients urine and blood results, although admittedly this was during the interval but still in loud voices😡

Any time i have been to the theatre latecomers are not admitted. However a couple of years ago we were at a Broadway show sitting in the second row and about 15 minutes in 2 women arrived and took their seats in front of us, in the front row. What made it worse was that they were faffing around taking off their coats and rootling in their handbags, barely 2 feet from the actors on the stage. It was a drama (Doubt) perhaps it wouldn't have been as bad if it was a noisy comedy or musical.

I think the Stranger Things theatre is particularly badly designed.
Only time my view has ever been totally obscured by a tall person.
He was really tall though!

That's odd, isn't it. Is it because you, perhaps, shuffle your legs out of the way and he stands up?

Also, it isn't so bad to seat yourself if you are pleasant about people getting past to their seat.

But it is very annoying when these people race in early then groan and huff that people need them to let them past. It is lovely to have the luxury of time to arrive early, but for some rushing from work, settling DC with babysitters etc, that extra half hour before curtains up just isn't feasible.

Went a fair few times last year and was shocked by the amount of actual chatting not even whispering and phones going off.

The worst for me (not bad etiquette but not a great experience and has put me off) was last time I went. The woman next to me was very big and encroached about 3 inches onto my already small seat. I really don’t like people in my personal space and it did ruin it for me. She didn’t smell great either

I once watched a group of about 10 people open paper wrapped fish and chips and eat them throughout the first act of a musical!
And was in front of someone singing so loudly along with the show that I couldn’t actually hear the songs on stage. I asked him to be quieter politely and got utter abuse. No one stopped him. And he continued to abuse me even after the performance. He was scary to be honest and I think no one around me wanted to challenge him.

I get cheap seats at the back of the stalls or front row because everyone else who goes to things is really annoying so at least if I’ve only paid £15 or they’re all behind me I don’t mind as much. Loads of really drunk people screaming along, families with full meals, phone users, latecomers. Lots of people who see comedians are absolutely feral and we end up remembering more of the stupid shit the audience say than the acts 😁 I don’t get it, because even at £15 a ticket at the back it is still far cheaper to chat to your husband or get off your face at home so I don’t understand why people go to the theatre if they have no intention of watching the show.

Virtually everything mentioned in these posts and more. Same poor behaviours also in Cinemas. Including talking loudly non stop from start to finish during a performance. And even heckling.

Often thought about someone inventing headphones where you can hear the performance . But not shall we say the ambient noise

Oh my word I’m so with you. Everything annoys me at shows nowadays! And in gigs, art galleries. I once was looking at a painting when a man wandered over and stood literally two inches in front of my head. Between me and the painting completely unaware I was there. I also wish we could just lock up phones before exhibitions and shows. Feel like it’s got waaaay worse in last 15 yrs. another one was listening to Bach’s st John Passion in SF symphony hall and two people on a first date who didnt know each other talking through it “so like, what do you do” “where do you like to eat?” I always find that if you say something quick but kind they usually stop. Haha just remembered seeing an orchestral piece and a woman in row in front of me slowly peeling the lid off her plastic cup of wine. Made this awful squeak but took her about 2 mins cause she was trying to be quiet, and was soooooo slow and loud!

Surely you stand up to allow people to pass, so there’s no arse to face or face to crotch scenario?

Sounds like a child version of All About Eve! 🤣 Seriously though, that's horrible behaviour: what did the mum hope to achieve?

WTAF???

People who arrive late to the start or come back late from intermissions.

My own poor etiquette is that I always fall asleep midway. I’m told I’m a quiet sleeper so not sure if it annoys people.

I think this might be the most bonkers thing I've ever read on the internet, which is really quite something!!

I’ve told people to shut up or leave. Fortunately they left!

I'm curious - how did you find out the backstory?