to think that this shouldn't have ruined my night?

[Smoony]

Last night, as a treat, DH and I went to see a musical in London. We booked for the evening and then arranged to stay in a hotel, so that we could make a real night of it. My son, who is eight, went to stay with his grandparents.

We got to the theatre and got our seats and just as the performance was about to start, two women with about five children came to sit down in front of us. The children looked to be between the ages of 3 and 8.

When the first song started, the children knew all the words, and all the way through all the songs during the evening, shouted out the lyrics really, really loudly. During the talking, they got up, talked and played with each other. They were 'bobbing' up and down in the seats so that husband and I kept having to move around in our seats so that we could see. The women with them didn't seem to do anything, and kept smiling at them when they were 'singing' the lyrics.

To cut a long story short, it really spoilt my, and my husband's, evening. It's a real shame - we don't get time to ourselves often, and had paid £80 each for the tickets.

AIBU to think that children shouldn't be taken to the theatre until they can sit still and enjoy the performance?

YANBU

I was in London at the beginning of the week with DH and we saw 3 shows, buying 'on the day' tickets. The final one we saw (which we had seen a few years ago) seemed to be on the school trip night, and we were surrounded by British and foreign teenagers. They yapped, wrigled, bounced seats, sat with their legs all over the place, and basically acted like they were in their own front room. I did my best 'teacher voice' and said 'will you all just be quiet and sit still'. We left at the interval (because DH was ill) but had we not i would have spoken to the teachers available.

I am no theatre 'snob', thinking kids shouldn't be allowed in - I have been going since i was about 4! But i do think it should be made clear that you sit still, watch and don't disturb others. My old Drama teacher used to go mad if she heard as much as much as a sweet wrapper rustle! She would have been apoplectic

It does kind of sound like maybe the two women just wanted to meet up and took the kids just because they could, IYSWIM. If you were going for the kids, you'd choose a matinee wouldn't you?

YANBU

Its not like you have the option to change seats in a theatre.

YANBU. i would have smiled and informed the mother that i couldnt see or hear anything, not asking her to shut them up, reaaaal nice. and if they didnt stop,
i would have smiled at the mother, and leaned down and in THE MOST PATONIZING VOICE EVER said "hey guys, i cant see or hear anything, so can you stop doing that please, that usher over there looks cross."

and then if that didnt stop them i would have leant down and told her that i wwear hearing aids and that i couldnt hear the performance as it was only picking up her chilkren. harsh, but effective, but my friend has had to do this before, and she does wear hearing aids, but back when she didnt need them as much and generally had them off for performances, she still did it to shut people up!
and she has told me to do it in future, but ive never dares so far!

Mugglewump, are you going to the matinee on 24 April? That's when I'm going. I'm really looking forward to it.

Its a family show, not specifically adult - and the time of the performance is neither here nor there, kids are entitled out in the evenings too.
You wanted to enjoy it in your way and the children enjoyed it in their way.
Noone is wrong, just one of those things.

I really disagree Jeremy. Everyone should be respectful of others going to see a show, not sitting there talking or running around - its bad manners, rude and highly irritating, I'm amazed that you feel that their behaviour was OK.

I agree with you, Needanewname, and disagree strongly with JeremyVile.

No-one should enjoy themselves at the expense of others - the children should have been corrected.

AgentProvocateur, no the 22nd.
It was all I could get, we can't do an evening show as we are around two hours away from Edinburgh.

Bopping in seats and singing along with the songs.

At a musical.

Shocking

But Jeremy it's a musical not a pantomime. It's not an interacitive performance is it? And has already been pointed out the OP didn't pay £80 to hear the show performed by a couple of kids.

I don't suppose anyone would have been happy to sit near to adults singing all the way through so by all means take children to the theatre but FGS teach them how to behave.

Children are entitled to go to the theatre, mine have been going to the west end since they were 3 but they are not allowed to ruin anyone elses enjoyment, by talking and jumping around. Even in musicals there is a time and a place where you stand up and join in at the end, not all the way through.
My DD and I had HSM ruined because people treated it like a pantomime and bought those light sabers and were waving them in front of our faces for the last 3 songs.

Its not that I'm ignoring as such...I just tend to assume a fair amount of embellishment in aibu.

I suppose IF it all happened as OP says and you are the type to be offended by stuff then you might get annoyed.

I took DCs to a childrens concert at the barbican once, where they were encouraged to bring instruments and participate, so you expect a bit of noise and excitement, but even then the girl behinds us (about 10yrs old) was allowed to play "Ode to Joy" on her recorder all the way through, even when the presenter was talking.
We asked her to stop but she wouldn't and Dh left in the end it was so annoying.

It's amazing what some parents let their children get away with.

Agree 'tis a pain in the backside when people take their PFB (or second for that matter ) to theatre, of course they always believe their kids behave perfectly. I wish venues would be more robust about turfing them out seriously, I've had an evening performance of the Royal Ballet ruined and had to sit in front of really little kids talking all the way through an adagio at the Royal Albert Hall. We complained to the usher who basically said yes it's a shame but we don't do anything about it. Well if a few more parents had to sit the next act out in the foyer it might make them think a bit.

I did go to shows as a kid but was kept under control there are matinee performances for kids if their parents really think they are up to it!!

(crikey I'm cranky )

bruffin, DD and I went to HSM last year, and had the same experience. Now of course I expected singing and loudness from kids at that (and I wasn't paying, but incidentally it was the most expensive show I've been to and no way the best) but it was ridiculous.
You'd have hardly known it was a show with allocated seats and something going on on the stage.
Screaming, running around, eating, waving things.
Total nightmare. Next time my Uncle offers to buy us tickets for similar, I'll refuse.

Incidentally, DD enjoyed Joseph which we had seen in the same place (Armadillo in Glasgow) two months earlier as even at 7 she knows how to behave and was annoyed at others meaning she couldn't see/hear HSM.

Jesus, anyone going to see 'Wicked' at sll needs their head seeing to.

Moondog - is Wicked that bad? Was thinking of going next week.

I'd love to see Wicked, I don't think that's ever come up here.
I live in the arse end of nowhere Scotland

What;s bad about it Moondog?

All musicals post 1970 are utterly naff.
I would rather have anal intercourse with the president of Iran than see 'Wicked' or similar.

Hmm, well the anal sex sounds like fun, but not an activity I can share with my 8yr old, so Les Mis in three weeks it is

Enjoy!