There's this weird amount of entitlement lately. Like because you paid for a ticket that gives you the right to do whatever you want regardless of the people around you. Shockingly the people around you did not pay to hear you sing, they paid to hear the performer/s sing.
Very true. Every musical I’ve seen post covid, people have no decorum and act like they are at the movies or a rock concert. So sad that going to the theater is not what it used to be.
Fully agree with this, we are taught that a 600. ticket is something special, and we behave as if it really were. I live in an old neighborhood that has been infilled with "luxury" apartments, they use the cheapest "surfaces" on the market and tell people its "luxury" to have everything gray, and people line up to give them all of their money.
this is EXACTLY how it is with melanie martinez. she is a great performer. she sounds AMAZING, her voice has improved SO MUCH since 2015. but for some reason people YELL over her and you CAN NOT even hear her, at all. being in the front row you can barely hear her. everyone SCREAMS. why would you pay so much money to see her sing live just to scream over her????? seeing her is like the luckiest thing ever considering the tickets are EXTREMELY expensive and shes also pretty popular so they sell out quickly aswell. some people DREAM to see her live while there is people who pay over $200 just to scream louder than her. crazyy.
I worked on a production of "The Wizard of Oz" last year in a 440 seat venue. A woman was in attendance with her husband and two teen children. But, through act 1, she was clearly bored and had no interest in the show at all. She proceeded to text and check FB and shop online etc. Ushers asked her to stop. You can guess, I am sure, she did not. At intermission, the house manager spoke to her and asked her to either step outside with her phone during the performance or put it away. But she was not allowed to use it in the theatre in any fashion. She started being a "Karen" claiming staff were picking on her. Now, in this theatre, intermission is normally 15-20 minutes. We are now at 40 minutes because this woman would not leave. After being spoken to by the producers, director, choreographer, musical director, ushers, house managers, and security...and her kids begging her to just please leave. But by now, she is so embarrassed that she starts to talk about suing everyone. Police were called. Eventually her children were able to get her into the lobby. But then, she demanded her money back!! Normally, willing to do this just to shut up a person like this, but the box office had been closed for over 90 minutes now. So staff said they would contact her tomorrow to send her a refund. She chose where she was going to sleep that night when she pushed our makeup designer into the glass windows in the lobby, turning this altercation into assault. Cops arrested her and took her away. What is wrong with people in the 21st century?? Nobody ever admits they are wrong and apologizes. All she had to do was either go to the lobby with her phone and have fun there alone. Or put it away. But nope...being a Karen was more important to her. Well, you know you are wrong when the audience cheer "Get Her Out!" as you are escorted out of the theatre. Anyone else think a mild taser might solve all these problems? Just let someone sleep off the rest of the show in their seat after acting out! haha
The Wizard of Oz is absolutely timeless. Why be on your phone for any show, but especially a show like that when you've paid for a ticket? I always, always put mine away until post show.
@@jukesy1992 yes. Every time I see a show, (Broadway, community theater, or school productions), I always put my phone on do not disturb, brighten it down, and put it away. It's crazy to believe that grown ups who are way older than me don't even do that. They're way more immature than actual children
@@jukesy1992 It is one of those situations where the family wanted to see it, but clearly she had no interest. So, simply sit in the lobby and wait for your family to finish enjoying the show without your self-involved attitude ruining it for everyone.
One of the funniest examples was Lucas Steele talking about being in Great Comet and during this part of the song "The Abduction" he orders everyone to sit down, and tells the audience "It's a Russian custom..." (which is true btw). The guy Lucas sat next too leaned into his mic and said "Some customs are better than others" to which Lucas, without missing a beat, says "...so are some audience members".
A baby on the floooooor??? 😭 It takes one small misstep of the hundreds of people in the pit (who are NOT expecting a baby to be on the floor bc wtf) to hurt your baby! Omg people
I saw Beetlejuice back in March. There were two people who sang loudly during say my name and what I know now(it wasn’t the same person. Also, they weren’t like young kids. They were around my age, and I was nineteen at the time). There was another group having a loud conversation. I was so happy when that group left after Girl Scout. I had to move seats at intermission(we had an extra since my sister was supposed to come, but she didn’t feel well).
Omigosh I saw Little Shop with Jinkx & the person in front of me kept acting out the scenes. I then saw & Juliet that same week and the person in front of me kept singing along like he was at a concert. I couldn’t believe how the audiences were acting.
i’m so glad you brought this up because current theater etiquette has gone downhill. I used to love dressing up and only clapping when appropriate. Now you can eat and drink during the show and more? it’s not a movie theater.
Trust me this has always been a bad thing but I think 2020 just injected a lot of people with "entitlement juice". Back when I was in middle school we'd go to a theater and watch this giant performance done but other schools. It was never bad, but one year some kid's dumbass dad decided he wanted to heckle and got kicked out.
Which is why I really wish I could attend more movies at Alamo Drafthouse. They have a strict policy against cell phones, talking (except at movie parties) and being late. I hate that they're going bankrupt and I fully realize I and people like me are part of the problem.
I saw And Juliet and two drunken women next to me were scream singing the entire time. They should have been ejected, they got warnings during intermission but would not stop. We were close to the stage too, everyone was so distracted, I can’t imagine how the actors felt.
I went to see ART's production of Gatsby: An American Myth in Boston and I can't even express how lovely of a theatre going experience it was thanks to them putting all cell phones in Yondr bags so people could not use them during the show. I really wish every Broadway production did this.
The baby on the floor at the Eras Tour reminded me of a clip I saw of a fan handing her baby to a member of the K-Pop group NMIXX on stage at a concert!
Speaking on main character energy at concerts, I went to Niall Horan's concert in Melbourne earlier this year in May, and I was sat at the side, towards the back of the lower seated section (Rod Laver Arena, I was in section 6 or 7 I think). To the left was the last section before seated tickets ended (this section wasn't full as it must have been last minute 'restricted view' tickets). There were two girls in this section, maybe 14 or 15 years old, who spent the whole concert filming themselves with the flash on using their back camera. There wasn't anyone sitting/standing directly behind them, as the section was quite empty, and they had a few seats either side of them to move around, but I can't help but think whether other patrons found it irritating being near them. I remember a few times when the concert lights from the stage were dimmer, and the two girls had the flash on, and even I found it irritating, and I was at least 10 metres away - just having a random flashing light waving around. Call me picky, but sometimes there is a time and place. For the odd song, sure, go for it, but for a number of songs, nearing the whole concert? What could you be possible be filming yourself for a whole concert for?
I have been to over a hundred live events at this point, theatre and concert alike. Yeah, I've seen concert-goers get rowdy before, but I recently had a horrendous experience. I was at my second ever Lana Del Rey concert, and the girl behind me shrieked every. single. song. AT THE TOP OF HER LUNGS for the entirety of the concert. She was exactly one seat behind me. Let me emphasize that she shrieked. She didn't sing. She shrieked. Like a banshee, might I add. Imagine someone shrieking in a very high pitched, shrill voice, at the top of their lungs right into your ear for two and a half hours. Disheartened, I went home, popped four (yes, four) Motrins and went to bed with an ice pack on my head from the migraine she gave me.
That’s insane. I feel like you’re kind of supposed to sing along at a pop concert, but if you absolutely can’t sing without shrieking, get some lessons or be quiet lol
Hey Kat! Just last week my aunt and I went to see the National Ballet of Canada perform George Balanachine's Jewels. While I still enjoyed the performance, I will tell you, I must have heard people's phones make notification noises 3 times throughout the night. I have always made it a rule for myself to put my phone on silent as soon as I am at my seat to prevent this from happening. And people need to start doing the same thing as well as making sure there phones are put away within five minutes of the show starting as well as just before intermission ends as well. And who in their right mind brings a baby to a Taylor Swift concert, or any concert for that matter!? If you can afford concert tickets, you can afford to pay for a babysitter. Put your phones away and just enjoy the experience of being see a theater or a concert!
I do youth theater (just finished Anastasia youth edition as anya/Anastasia 😢) and we are taught stage etiquette. No phones, no being loud, and during small children performances no whispering bc they can get insecure.
the entitlement and yes, main character energy, has been off the charts since the pandemic started. i remember going to broadway just before it shut down and how different it was to when i went back in 2022 and again this past march. so much disrespectful behavior from talking to texting and recording. that plus what i've seen from concerts and even just going to my local movie theater makes me want to shake people and beg them to stop. i'm happy to be an extra in the movie of your life just please give me basic respect and human decency in return.
Oh YES this is a HUUUUGE problem. I work as FOH and Bar Staff for a West End Show and people are UNHINGED and SO entitled. Like straight up not safe for us or the Cast. Grabbing people? Yes Catcalling? Yes Be physically and verbally violent? Oh Yes Police being called. And it was already that way but since the Pandemic people seem POSSESSED, and behave like they have never gone to a live show before in any capacity or forgot how to have general decency and social awareness There are so many horror stories from this side of the pond just on my theatre alone, let alone in other bigger West End shows/theatres
When Broadway first opened back up within the first month I saw Alex Brightman have to break character and address an audience member at Beetlejuice and then one of the actresses in six do the same thing. I dont know the usher industry well, and want actors to be supported by theaters.
During Wicked a father sitting in front of me was teaching his son (maybe 7yo) some theatre etiquette and before the show, pounded a few times on the back ofvthe kids seat saying "imagine i did that for the whole show! that's what the person in front of you feels when you kick. not nice huh?" I swear for the whole show he was a perfect little angel. except during the big Nessa/ Boc scene near the end, the kid said at normal volume "Daddy, I don't wanna watch this show anymore." like it was a tv show he could just switch or turn off. lol those of us who heard him chuckled but i could tell the dad was mortified 😳 he was quiet the rest of the show but gosh it was so funny! 😅
Aww, little buddy lasted as long as he could! 😂 I recently took my goddaughter (10 yr old) to see Matilda, Jr. She was appalled to find out that intermission was not the end of the show. But I explained what intermission was, and she even asked a few questions like what are the people in the show doing at that time. By the end, I could tell she had had enough but she was polite and didn't make a fuss. I am sure that kids especially are just not used to sitting for anything anywhere for a long as a lot of shows are. Then they're in public too... it's definitely a different kind of experience that has to be taught through repeated exposure.
I do believe there's been a noticeable lack of Theatre Etiquette lately and I can only comment on my own experience but I went to see 2 shows on the West End last year (first time going to the West End, shows were Mamma Mia (June) and Phantom of the Opera (October)) and in both shows there was someone misbehaving in the audience In Mamma Mia some drunk woman sat a few seats ahead of where I was almost started singing to Dancing Queen before being told off by a steward. At Phantom, a couple of German ladies sat next to me wouldn't stop talking throughout the show. I still enjoyed the shows, but, I'm not being funny, I paid good money for the seats I picked, and going to the West End for me was a treat as I don't live in or near London I know I may sound rather entitled, but when I've paid upwards of £50,£60,£70+ for tickets to see a show, I want my money's worth without being interrupted by people who can't sit down quietly and behave for a couple of hours. I'm sure I'm not the only one 🙃
I completely agree with you, some people have serious main character syndrome and become completely inconsiderate of others and that needs to be taken more serious and have repercussions for their actions. I was at a Billy Joel concert a couple weeks ago and there was this one lady sitting behind me who kept shouting at people to sit down when everyone was standing saying they were so thoughtless and at one point asked me to move seats even though I wasn’t doing anything wrong and had a reserved seat and couldn’t just move, i honest to god thought she was gonna get kicked out cause security kept staring at her and people kept complaining about her to security
Movie theater etiquette has been TERRIBLE since the pandemic. Audience members will literally be recording certain movie scenes and posting them online like it’s nothing. What happened to going to the movies and just enjoying the film you’re watching???
The amount of foot traffic in the orchestra, during the show, the last time I saw Wicked on tour was ridiculous, like a full 5 minutes after both opening and intermission. Plus the people leaving both acts early.
Aw hope your finger is ok! I just noticed your bandaged finger! Such a great video tho, this goes along w/ movie experiences, it sucks having to now worry if my movie experience will be good or not due to bad audience behavior! 😢
I don’t see much professional theatre (excluding at Signature Theater where audiences are wonderful), so I don’t have many crazy personal stories. What I have noticed, though, is that these issues have become more prevalent at shows and at concerts since the pandemic. I don’t think it’s necessarily related, but maybe people are so excited about being able to go places again that they overdo it and get rowdy. Not an great excuse, but people have just forgotten how to act in social settings that aren’t online.
I was performing in a show back in 2012 and our stage had this little extension that kind of went out into the audience and it was only used for a single scene or 2 and during the opening number (not used), I noticed an audience had taken her seat and put it on the stage. Our house manager had to go up to her and tell her she couldn't do that and she was all '"I can't see!" to which our HM replied, "Ma'am, you're going to be IN the show!"
thanks for sharing this kat!! my first professional theatre debut in college was a christmas revue, and at one of our shows, a large group came in, pregaming with fireball shots. we were onstage singing christmas classics (think frank sinatra, rocking around the christmas tree, etc) and people were heckling us, excessively drunkenly cheering, and even offering us fireball shots during the numbers. as performers, obviously we enjoy support, and good vibes in the theatre make the experience better for everyone! but when it hinders the performance or experience for the people onstage and in the audience, it’s definitely frustrating.
Last Christmas, I attended a performance of Who's Holiday, a one-woman show based on Cindy Lou Who growing up. The play acknowledged audience interaction (she was serving pigs in blanket to the front row). There are areas for some improv in the show and some of the lines clearly prompt vocalizations from the audience. I was thinking to myself, how much interaction is she looking for? It's her show, I'm just the audience. This isn't some raunchy Ren Faire skit. In the end, I'm glad I didn't get caught up in the moment and blurt out more but it felt like it could be easy for the show to go off the rails quite easily. We went to a Sunday matinee so I only had 2 cocktails from the establishment's bar, but on a Friday or Saturday, I think it could be troublesome.
When it comes to theater, a lot of kids (particularly girls around the age of 10) a lot of them seem to think that they're a lot better than they actually are and getting upset when someone better than them gets the lead. And I think that is my biggest pet peeve.
I recently saw Stevie Nicks + Billy Joel in concert and the woman in front of me was standing up and dancing for the entirety of Stevie's performance, completely blocking my view when I was sitting down. I’ll admit I stood up and sang during the encores for both Stevie and Billy, but that’s because nearly EVERYONE was doing the same thing…
Hopefully people stop seeking their 15 minutes of fame - maybe having announcements and/or bulletins to explain expectations for conduct might help, assuming that some people may be genuinely unaware, and maybe venues could have single-drink maximum policies or that sort of thing to keep people from becoming too out of it. The story about the baby reminded me of another concert I heard about as a kpop fan - someone near the stage at a concert by the group NMIXX put their baby ON the actual stage... some members were ~15-17yo I think, so must have been additionally overwhelming for them to address, being so young... It's sad to hear about these things.
I find concerts a bit weird now as I've watched people (even this month) spend an entire concert holding up their phone and filming the entire thing. Not moving or dancing or singing. Just standing still looking at the phone image to keep it centered. It's like they don't know how to be present and in the moment. As for Broadway, I think alcohol does play a factor. There is so much revenue in expensive drinks they want to sell it, so then how do they enforce something they participate in? I act in immersive theater at parties, and when you add alcohol anything can and does happen. I don't know what the answer is. Ushers are not security guards, and actors are just trying to act. I saw an immersive production that made us lock our phones in a carry bag during the show. It certainly helped!
I don't go to concerts anymore because the last one I did, everyone around me was recording. People would glare at me if I danced (I was being respectful of people's view and personal space, like literally just swaying and head movements). I can't imagine how absurd it must look from the stage to see a sea of phones instead of people enjoying the show.
The number of people I saw defending the mother who put the baby on the floor was crazy. If there was an emergency or someone fell there was no way she would pick the baby up quick enough
I'm an LA (touring Broadway) usher and, my dude, the stories I could tell. Having done this for 3 yrs pre-covid and now nearly 3 yrs post-shutdown, I can tell you that the latter 3 yrs have been worse.
Just this year alone... -As an audience member for a play, I had to tell some guy that was about to play a game on his phone that he was in a theater. -As an usher for a different play, I had to tell a woman to turn off her phone when she was about to check her messages.
Went to see Trevor Noah, before the show started we were told NO RECORDING. Two middle-aged adult woman behind me recorded like 5 minutes of his act, and then proceeded to play it back at full fucking volume with her friend laughing at it. Keep in mind, the show was STILL GOING ON. Of course everyone around her, my family included, looked at her in disgust and she was actually removed.
Last summer I saw a local production of As You Like It with Beatles songs incorporated throughout. A very drunk woman behind me sang along and held full-on conversations during the show. When I asked her to please be quiet, she said, “I paid to be here.” So did I! Another woman nearby also tried to intervene. At intermission, the house staff kindly found us other seats for Act Two. I’m surprised that Swift (or any other concert venues) doesn’t have a minimum age requirement. Most of the theatres I go to have a 4+ minimum unless it’s a performance specifically for children and families. A baby in a Swiftie pit is a disaster waiting to happen!
I worked as a server at a dinner show just as covid restrictions dropped in Sweden 2021 and the amount of people wanted to be a part of the show was astounding. One woman who was clearly intoxicated asked me what was the best way to be seen and heard. Like sure, the ensemble was including us and the audience. But you’ve paid a lot amount of money to see professionals do their job, like settle down and enjoy the show.
Dude yes. Going to the movies...awful, concerts...worst, theater....uhhh, it depends. I saw Titanique a while back and given the nature of the show it was a little loud. The only terrible thing was someone in the back sining to every song. But I just saw Clue in Cali and everyone was fine there.
I'm in the middle of a long run for a musical at a dinner theatre. One day one of the audience members was a theatre friend who some of us knew as he had been in the previous show at the theatre. Well, first big song happens, which starts with a solo line from one of the people who this guy is friends with. Before the line is even finished, audience friendscreams FULL VOICE. I don't mean a nice "woo!" I mean grown man using his full lungs to yell "YEAHH." I swear that half of us on stage visibly jumped, it was so loud. Someone who wan't in the number said that it was so loud it was picked up by the mics and you could hear it full volume in the monitors backstage.
I agree with everything except for the “recording your reactions at the eras tour” part. I did it, and I think that as long as you’re not bothering anyone around you it is a great es t way to remember the moment and connect to what you were feeling then🥲
sadly by doing that you are bothering the people around you. the people sitting right behind you want to watch the artist's performance without having your phone's flash in their face while you unwittingly record *them* as well as yourself.
I feel like there are cases that theatre and concert etiquette have to be retaught. Last spring, my college performed "A Year with Frog and Toad" and invited schools to see student matinees. I wasn't onstage for any of them, but I frequently went to the costume shop where the audio was being broadcasted. The audiences in the matinees were really loud and disrespectful. There's a scene where toad was worried about frog because he was late for Christmas Eve tea. The kids kept shouting that Frog was hibernating, and our toad had to go off script and explain that they have to celebrate Christmas before they hibernate. I really hope people will remember what a respectful audience is soon. Thank you for letting me rant for a good paragraph. Have a good day!
Here in the UK, we've had a real post-pandemic issue of audience members behaving badly - mostly centred around singing along to musicals but there was one story that even made national news of an actual *fistfight* that occurred in the audience during the UK tour of 'Jersey Boys'. Bad audience behaviour has always existed (my mother has several horror stories from when she was working as an usher in the 70s/80s, including one where an audience member started eating an entire roast chicken dinner during a performance), but I do think the pandemic severely knocked people's etiquette out of whack (not just in regards to going to the theatre but in general). Having said that, I do think there are things theatres themselves can do to help the issue. The main thing is alcohol consumption. Now, maybe it's just because I don't drink alcohol anyway, but I've genuinely never understood why theatres push alcohol sales so much. And the 'Cabaret' revival is a prime example as to why *actively encouraging the audience to get drunk* is such a bad idea - when I went to see the revival in London, I genuinely felt awkward refusing a drink each time I was offered one in a way that I don't feel awkward refusing even when I'm out at a bar or pub; that in itself is just not right. I shouldn't feel more pressure to have a drink at a theatre than an actual drinking establishment. And even when people were noticeably getting tipsy, there didn't seem to be a limit on how much they could order. Maybe there was but it certainly didn't look that way, and the whole time I was worried about what some of the rowdier audience members might do. Which isn't something I should have to worry about, especially since that show is ridiculously expensive and it's a 4-hour train journey for me to get to London (plus accommodation costs and all that jazz). It's basically a month's wages for me to get to London to see only a couple of West End shows - I don't want to have to be concerned or have that money wasted by drunk audience members. The other is the management of any given theatre actually giving support to ushers and front-of-house staff in terms of added security for when they need to eject someone. As a result of the newsstory of the 'Jersey Boys' fistfight, a lot of FOH staff shared horror stories of the abuse heaped on them by audience members and one thing that became clear was that in a lot of theatres, the management didn't make the FOH staff feel safe enough to take the steps needed to eject someone who clearly needed removing from the audience (because of things like the risk of the audience member becoming violent) so they were left either to try and manage the situation on their own (which tended to result in verbal/physical assaults) or they had to just let it go and the disruption was allowed to continue. If FOH staff consistently felt more safe to eject audience members displaying bad behaviour, I'm willing to bet it would encourage better behaviour all round - it's like a teacher with a rowdy class of kids; if they demonstrate the threat of detention is a legitimate one, it's easier to calm the kids down than just constantly threatening but never delivering on it. The last thing I can think of is to stop framing the conversation as "shades of grey". By which I mean a common clapback in the news when discussing bad audience behaviour was "oh, but what about people who legitimately can't sit still in a dark and crowded auditorium for hours or who need to be able to be contacted immediately? You're being classist/elitist by trying to deny them the opportunity to go to the theatre as well". Not only is that argument incredibly patronising towards the kinds of people it concerns, it's also just not fair. Relaxed performances are increasingly becoming a thing for people who find it difficult (for whatever reason) to sit still in the relative dark for several hours and honestly, I wish there were more relaxed performances across the board because yes, absolutely everyone deserves the opportunity to go to the theatre. There are shows, especially jukebox musicals, that even have designated "sing-along" performances. But calling it classist or elitist to expect people to abide by rules of basic common decency in a specific environment is missing the wood for the trees. We don't call people elitist for going to a gallery and expecting people to not scribble all over the artwork. We don't call people classist for going to a restaurant expecting people to know they can't just climb on the table and cover themselves in ketchup. Living in a world full of other people means following some basic rules regarding what is and isn't appropriate behaviour in certain environments. And yes, some people naturally have a harder time abiding by those than others, but let's be honest, the vast majority of bad audience behaviour in theatres doesn't come from people who naturally find it difficult to sit in a dark and crowded auditorium for 3+ hours; it comes from people who believe that paying for a ticket is equal to entitlement to behave however they want. And using people who are already a marginalised portion of any given audience as a shield for bad behaviour by those 100% aware of what they're doing (or if not 100% aware, then the diminished capacity is down to alcohol consumption) is disgusting.
I hate to say this but they need to start using facial recognition software and start permanently banning folks who do very awful behaviours at the theatre (as in all 41 theatres on Broadway) Behaviour after the pandemic has gotten so much worse and it's time for folks to face consequences There needs to be a one drink limit if a theatre serves alcohol
Went to Hadestown a few months ago and was seated behind two very young kids who did NOT want to be there. They would not sit still, kept trying to get their mother and grandmothers attention during the show, touching the chair in front of them where an older kid was sitting who was obviously uncomfortable with kids hands where his head was supposed to be. Too young and disinterested to sit through the show. Hoped when they stepped away during intermission the mother realized her kids were disruptive and too young and were going to leave. Unfortunately came back and the kids weren't better. While I don't blame the kids I do blame the two adults. Didn't help the man next to me also kept checking his phone.
Not a musical theatre show, it was a concert, but a male fan threw half his clothes at the female singer on stage, who very politely (given the scenario) said “I’m gonna be polite I’m gonna give these back”
When i saw new york new york on broadway, a girl in front of me at one point opened her phone and started scrolling through tiktok videos WITH THE SOUND ON. i was HORRIFIED. it was admittedly a really boring show (lol) but nothing can ever excuse that. If you can't sit silently then leave during an applause break
I was there at Cabaret when the weird woman wanted to grab Eddie. She was sitting in one of the table seats and was clearly drunk. She went to grab his pants but he pulled away before she could do anything. One security guard quickly came and escorted her out of the theater. What a shame to spend so much money on a table ticket and only get to watch the first two scenes of the show.
So earlier this year I had this experience watching Hadestown in my hometown. The lady next to me started out pretty nice; however, as soon as the first act started she began singing/humming along with wolf howling at the stage every couple of minutes. I was annoyed by this and everyone else around us was annoyed. Two old guys were telling her to shut it cause they wanted to watch the show in peace and that “if she wanted to sing she should’ve been cast.” She responded by saying the playwright wanted the audience to do this, but I thought if it was prompted by the cast then it would be fine, otherwise be quiet and respectful during the show. They began arguing with each other until the theatre staff eventually moved her to a different location where she didn’t howl until the end. We knew it was her and began cracking up, even the old guys thought it was funny.
Sorry but Ive seen Cabaret on West End a few times now, we also get the immersive experience, the free shot, the bottle of prossecco etc. And Ive never seen anybody try to interact with the cast or chat or anything so defintley cant blame it on the booze haha
Last night in Melbourne I saw Patti LuPone perform and there was a group in front of me that kept talking and on numerous occasions tried to film with their phones and security almost confiscated them. It was also really ironic because they kept talking about the places they had visited and how "Patti would so approve" and I'm like seriously? Honestly I was secretly hoping she would scream at them although we were way up in the balcony so it was unlikely but damn I wish I had of seen that because there is something so selfish about that sort of behaviour.
I watched Phantom on Broadway and a non English speaking father behind me translated and explained the whole story to his son. Drove me crazy and turned around several times and gave him a good stare. Didn't impress him. It destroyed the whole experience for me. Needles to say I paid almost 300 dollars for my ticket 😮 Theatre etiquette truly declined after the pandemic.
As a blind person my sighted family explains stuff, and I try my best to let people behind know about me being blind. What we try to do is explain things when there's no dialogue, and they're quiet about it as well they don't shout the info at me. A lot of the time though there's so much audio that the music itself can tell the story and sometimes during the interval they'd then explain the more visual moments if they remember any. I can't get to a lot of the audio described stuff as i's weekdays and my family work. So we only get to go to London once or twice a year.
I'm currently following the Eras Tour in Europe and have attended almost every show and I wish I could say what happened in Paris N1 was the most shocking thing I've seen. 70k people all together just bring the worst sometimes
I have a genuine question, and I promise I don't mean this in a bad way. But, why attend every show? What do artists do to make shows different for repeat visitors?
@@jukesy1992hahaha why did you mean in a bad way? This is a great way for me to visit a lot of friends I haven't seen in a while (some, which I even met at concerts throughout the years!) and go to a concert with them! And also meet new people. 3 Months of traveling throughout Europe for less than it cost me to pay my mortgage? Sign me up!
@@lordsp OK that is really epic! That makes a lot more sense as well. What I meant was I didn't want to feel like I was ribbing you for seeing an artist multiple times, which is also something I've done myself too but not every show, usually years apart. I think that is really cool that you can then arrange to meet more friends, making it a roadtrip and catchup in the process.
Ive had 2 very different audience moments. 1 was during mind mangler yes its interactive but this one woman kept interrupting luckily henry was able to make a joke out of it. The other was six, we where up in the gods, last minute tickets and we ended up in the middle of a school group. Most of them werent interested, lots of talking and phone use. The only times they watched was during any tik tok tunes that they knew. Did spoil our evening a bit.
I saw Jesus Christ Superstar last year and the woman sat next to me insisted on singing over all of Mary Magdelene's songs. Poor actress had a great voice and I wanted to hear her!!
While it is true that the Cabaret revival gives everyone a free shot of Schnapps... what nobody mentions is that it is the most disgusting toilet-bowl flavored Schnapps on the planet. People immediately go straight to the bars just to get rid of that taste. I sure did.
I went to see beetlejuice on tour last summer and there was this kid next to me who would NOT shut up. all of act 1 he kept saying stuff about how lydia was goth? he said stuff like "thats not wednesday thats thursday" and he also said "what the heck" after EVERY joke beetlejuice made. keep in mind he was like 7, i dont think he should be there. thankfully he and his mom switched seats (or he left) during intermission.
You're forgetting about the chick who went to the eras tour on one of the European dates who was stood on someone's shoulders during you need to calm down. How on earth someone didn't push her off the dudes shoulders have no idea or whether security went in to tell her to get down
I`m from Brazil, and believe me, Wicked fans here are the worst!!! Some people sang all the songs with the performers. Besides, here you can arrive late to the show, and they sit everyone at the same time, so during the second song, you can't even see the stage, cause everyone is sitting!!!!!!!
I've gotten really annoyed lately cause when I go to musicals sometimes people in the audience are signing along. Like, girl, this is not the place to do karaoke. I do *not* want to hear your off-key rendition of All You Wanna Do from Six. Go sing in your car and let me enjoy the show in peace!
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There's this weird amount of entitlement lately. Like because you paid for a ticket that gives you the right to do whatever you want regardless of the people around you. Shockingly the people around you did not pay to hear you sing, they paid to hear the performer/s sing.
It skyrocketed! I swear we entered 2020 and its like no one can behave anymore.
Very true. Every musical I’ve seen post covid, people have no decorum and act like they are at the movies or a rock concert. So sad that going to the theater is not what it used to be.
Fully agree with this, we are taught that a 600. ticket is something special, and we behave as if it really were. I live in an old neighborhood that has been infilled with "luxury" apartments, they use the cheapest "surfaces" on the market and tell people its "luxury" to have everything gray, and people line up to give them all of their money.
this is EXACTLY how it is with melanie martinez. she is a great performer. she sounds AMAZING, her voice has improved SO MUCH since 2015. but for some reason people YELL over her and you CAN NOT even hear her, at all. being in the front row you can barely hear her. everyone SCREAMS. why would you pay so much money to see her sing live just to scream over her????? seeing her is like the luckiest thing ever considering the tickets are EXTREMELY expensive and shes also pretty popular so they sell out quickly aswell. some people DREAM to see her live while there is people who pay over $200 just to scream louder than her. crazyy.
I worked on a production of "The Wizard of Oz" last year in a 440 seat venue. A woman was in attendance with her husband and two teen children. But, through act 1, she was clearly bored and had no interest in the show at all. She proceeded to text and check FB and shop online etc. Ushers asked her to stop. You can guess, I am sure, she did not. At intermission, the house manager spoke to her and asked her to either step outside with her phone during the performance or put it away. But she was not allowed to use it in the theatre in any fashion. She started being a "Karen" claiming staff were picking on her.
Now, in this theatre, intermission is normally 15-20 minutes. We are now at 40 minutes because this woman would not leave. After being spoken to by the producers, director, choreographer, musical director, ushers, house managers, and security...and her kids begging her to just please leave. But by now, she is so embarrassed that she starts to talk about suing everyone. Police were called. Eventually her children were able to get her into the lobby. But then, she demanded her money back!! Normally, willing to do this just to shut up a person like this, but the box office had been closed for over 90 minutes now. So staff said they would contact her tomorrow to send her a refund. She chose where she was going to sleep that night when she pushed our makeup designer into the glass windows in the lobby, turning this altercation into assault. Cops arrested her and took her away.
What is wrong with people in the 21st century?? Nobody ever admits they are wrong and apologizes. All she had to do was either go to the lobby with her phone and have fun there alone. Or put it away. But nope...being a Karen was more important to her. Well, you know you are wrong when the audience cheer "Get Her Out!" as you are escorted out of the theatre.
Anyone else think a mild taser might solve all these problems? Just let someone sleep off the rest of the show in their seat after acting out! haha
I still don't understand why that woman would have a husband and two children. Such a terrible role model for those kids. Thank God she was arrested
Yeah! That woman was wrong for that. Thank goddess that woman was arrested!
The Wizard of Oz is absolutely timeless. Why be on your phone for any show, but especially a show like that when you've paid for a ticket? I always, always put mine away until post show.
@@jukesy1992 yes. Every time I see a show, (Broadway, community theater, or school productions), I always put my phone on do not disturb, brighten it down, and put it away. It's crazy to believe that grown ups who are way older than me don't even do that. They're way more immature than actual children
@@jukesy1992 It is one of those situations where the family wanted to see it, but clearly she had no interest. So, simply sit in the lobby and wait for your family to finish enjoying the show without your self-involved attitude ruining it for everyone.
One of the funniest examples was Lucas Steele talking about being in Great Comet and during this part of the song "The Abduction" he orders everyone to sit down, and tells the audience "It's a Russian custom..." (which is true btw). The guy Lucas sat next too leaned into his mic and said "Some customs are better than others" to which Lucas, without missing a beat, says "...so are some audience members".
I’ve been an usher on Broadway since 2016. This is such a necessary conversation to have!!
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As a former usher i understand all you go through on a daily basis
also work front of house, and have definitely seen things
Nee Yorker here and how do you get an usher Broadway job?
A baby on the floooooor??? 😭 It takes one small misstep of the hundreds of people in the pit (who are NOT expecting a baby to be on the floor bc wtf) to hurt your baby! Omg people
I saw Beetlejuice back in March. There were two people who sang loudly during say my name and what I know now(it wasn’t the same person. Also, they weren’t like young kids. They were around my age, and I was nineteen at the time). There was another group having a loud conversation. I was so happy when that group left after Girl Scout. I had to move seats at intermission(we had an extra since my sister was supposed to come, but she didn’t feel well).
Omigosh I saw Little Shop with Jinkx & the person in front of me kept acting out the scenes.
I then saw & Juliet that same week and the person in front of me kept singing along like he was at a concert.
I couldn’t believe how the audiences were acting.
i’m so glad you brought this up because current theater etiquette has gone downhill. I used to love dressing up and only clapping when appropriate. Now you can eat and drink during the show and more? it’s not a movie theater.
Honestly, ever since COVID, the general lack of theatre etiquette has made me kind of dread going to any theatre performance.
Trust me this has always been a bad thing but I think 2020 just injected a lot of people with "entitlement juice".
Back when I was in middle school we'd go to a theater and watch this giant performance done but other schools. It was never bad, but one year some kid's dumbass dad decided he wanted to heckle and got kicked out.
Also, even MOVIE THEATERS are having that problem (people making snarky comments, talking during the movies) WHAT IS GOING ONN?
Which is why I really wish I could attend more movies at Alamo Drafthouse. They have a strict policy against cell phones, talking (except at movie parties) and being late. I hate that they're going bankrupt and I fully realize I and people like me are part of the problem.
I saw And Juliet and two drunken women next to me were scream singing the entire time. They should have been ejected, they got warnings during intermission but would not stop. We were close to the stage too, everyone was so distracted, I can’t imagine how the actors felt.
I bet it happens with jukebox musicals a lot. I'm going to see Hell's Kitchen soon, so I hope not too many people try to do karaoke lol
@@tonialston1968 ugh I hope not!
I went to see ART's production of Gatsby: An American Myth in Boston and I can't even express how lovely of a theatre going experience it was thanks to them putting all cell phones in Yondr bags so people could not use them during the show. I really wish every Broadway production did this.
Some Broadway productions DO do that.
@@marlonmoncrieffe0728 yes, but in my experience, very few. I wish it was more common.
The baby on the floor at the Eras Tour reminded me of a clip I saw of a fan handing her baby to a member of the K-Pop group NMIXX on stage at a concert!
Speaking on main character energy at concerts, I went to Niall Horan's concert in Melbourne earlier this year in May, and I was sat at the side, towards the back of the lower seated section (Rod Laver Arena, I was in section 6 or 7 I think). To the left was the last section before seated tickets ended (this section wasn't full as it must have been last minute 'restricted view' tickets). There were two girls in this section, maybe 14 or 15 years old, who spent the whole concert filming themselves with the flash on using their back camera. There wasn't anyone sitting/standing directly behind them, as the section was quite empty, and they had a few seats either side of them to move around, but I can't help but think whether other patrons found it irritating being near them. I remember a few times when the concert lights from the stage were dimmer, and the two girls had the flash on, and even I found it irritating, and I was at least 10 metres away - just having a random flashing light waving around.
Call me picky, but sometimes there is a time and place. For the odd song, sure, go for it, but for a number of songs, nearing the whole concert? What could you be possible be filming yourself for a whole concert for?
I have been to over a hundred live events at this point, theatre and concert alike. Yeah, I've seen concert-goers get rowdy before, but I recently had a horrendous experience. I was at my second ever Lana Del Rey concert, and the girl behind me shrieked every. single. song. AT THE TOP OF HER LUNGS for the entirety of the concert. She was exactly one seat behind me. Let me emphasize that she shrieked. She didn't sing. She shrieked. Like a banshee, might I add. Imagine someone shrieking in a very high pitched, shrill voice, at the top of their lungs right into your ear for two and a half hours. Disheartened, I went home, popped four (yes, four) Motrins and went to bed with an ice pack on my head from the migraine she gave me.
Yeah I don't mind some quiet singing along, but the ones that scream all the lyrics, like no please stop that!
That’s insane. I feel like you’re kind of supposed to sing along at a pop concert, but if you absolutely can’t sing without shrieking, get some lessons or be quiet lol
Did you turn around and say something?
Hey Kat! Just last week my aunt and I went to see the National Ballet of Canada perform George Balanachine's Jewels. While I still enjoyed the performance, I will tell you, I must have heard people's phones make notification noises 3 times throughout the night. I have always made it a rule for myself to put my phone on silent as soon as I am at my seat to prevent this from happening. And people need to start doing the same thing as well as making sure there phones are put away within five minutes of the show starting as well as just before intermission ends as well. And who in their right mind brings a baby to a Taylor Swift concert, or any concert for that matter!? If you can afford concert tickets, you can afford to pay for a babysitter. Put your phones away and just enjoy the experience of being see a theater or a concert!
I do youth theater (just finished Anastasia youth edition as anya/Anastasia 😢) and we are taught stage etiquette. No phones, no being loud, and during small children performances no whispering bc they can get insecure.
the entitlement and yes, main character energy, has been off the charts since the pandemic started. i remember going to broadway just before it shut down and how different it was to when i went back in 2022 and again this past march. so much disrespectful behavior from talking to texting and recording. that plus what i've seen from concerts and even just going to my local movie theater makes me want to shake people and beg them to stop. i'm happy to be an extra in the movie of your life just please give me basic respect and human decency in return.
I was doing Urinetown and someone opened their iPad and started using it… full brightness…… in the third row. I shone my flashlight in her face. 😂
Oh YES this is a HUUUUGE problem.
I work as FOH and Bar Staff for a West End Show and people are UNHINGED and SO entitled.
Like straight up not safe for us or the Cast.
Grabbing people? Yes
Catcalling? Yes
Be physically and verbally violent? Oh Yes
Police being called.
And it was already that way but since the Pandemic people seem POSSESSED, and behave like they have never gone to a live show before in any capacity or forgot how to have general decency and social awareness
There are so many horror stories from this side of the pond just on my theatre alone, let alone in other bigger West End shows/theatres
When Broadway first opened back up within the first month I saw Alex Brightman have to break character and address an audience member at Beetlejuice and then one of the actresses in six do the same thing.
I dont know the usher industry well, and want actors to be supported by theaters.
During Wicked a father sitting in front of me was teaching his son (maybe 7yo) some theatre etiquette and before the show, pounded a few times on the back ofvthe kids seat saying "imagine i did that for the whole show! that's what the person in front of you feels when you kick. not nice huh?"
I swear for the whole show he was a perfect little angel. except during the big Nessa/ Boc scene near the end, the kid said at normal volume "Daddy, I don't wanna watch this show anymore." like it was a tv show he could just switch or turn off. lol those of us who heard him chuckled but i could tell the dad was mortified 😳 he was quiet the rest of the show but gosh it was so funny! 😅
Aww, little buddy lasted as long as he could! 😂 I recently took my goddaughter (10 yr old) to see Matilda, Jr. She was appalled to find out that intermission was not the end of the show. But I explained what intermission was, and she even asked a few questions like what are the people in the show doing at that time.
By the end, I could tell she had had enough but she was polite and didn't make a fuss.
I am sure that kids especially are just not used to sitting for anything anywhere for a long as a lot of shows are. Then they're in public too... it's definitely a different kind of experience that has to be taught through repeated exposure.
I do believe there's been a noticeable lack of Theatre Etiquette lately and I can only comment on my own experience but I went to see 2 shows on the West End last year (first time going to the West End, shows were Mamma Mia (June) and Phantom of the Opera (October)) and in both shows there was someone misbehaving in the audience
In Mamma Mia some drunk woman sat a few seats ahead of where I was almost started singing to Dancing Queen before being told off by a steward. At Phantom, a couple of German ladies sat next to me wouldn't stop talking throughout the show. I still enjoyed the shows, but, I'm not being funny, I paid good money for the seats I picked, and going to the West End for me was a treat as I don't live in or near London
I know I may sound rather entitled, but when I've paid upwards of £50,£60,£70+ for tickets to see a show, I want my money's worth without being interrupted by people who can't sit down quietly and behave for a couple of hours. I'm sure I'm not the only one 🙃
I completely agree with you, some people have serious main character syndrome and become completely inconsiderate of others and that needs to be taken more serious and have repercussions for their actions. I was at a Billy Joel concert a couple weeks ago and there was this one lady sitting behind me who kept shouting at people to sit down when everyone was standing saying they were so thoughtless and at one point asked me to move seats even though I wasn’t doing anything wrong and had a reserved seat and couldn’t just move, i honest to god thought she was gonna get kicked out cause security kept staring at her and people kept complaining about her to security
Movie theater etiquette has been TERRIBLE since the pandemic. Audience members will literally be recording certain movie scenes and posting them online like it’s nothing. What happened to going to the movies and just enjoying the film you’re watching???
The amount of foot traffic in the orchestra, during the show, the last time I saw Wicked on tour was ridiculous, like a full 5 minutes after both opening and intermission. Plus the people leaving both acts early.
Those people who leave and then, without whispering, ask their friend/family "What happened?" in their normal voice.
Aw hope your finger is ok! I just noticed your bandaged finger! Such a great video tho, this goes along w/ movie experiences, it sucks having to now worry if my movie experience will be good or not due to bad audience behavior! 😢
I don’t see much professional theatre (excluding at Signature Theater where audiences are wonderful), so I don’t have many crazy personal stories. What I have noticed, though, is that these issues have become more prevalent at shows and at concerts since the pandemic. I don’t think it’s necessarily related, but maybe people are so excited about being able to go places again that they overdo it and get rowdy. Not an great excuse, but people have just forgotten how to act in social settings that aren’t online.
A bit random, but I love the Signature Theater shoutout!! They do such great shows 💗
Signature Theater in D.C. or NYC?
I was performing in a show back in 2012 and our stage had this little extension that kind of went out into the audience and it was only used for a single scene or 2 and during the opening number (not used), I noticed an audience had taken her seat and put it on the stage. Our house manager had to go up to her and tell her she couldn't do that and she was all '"I can't see!" to which our HM replied, "Ma'am, you're going to be IN the show!"
there was literally a woman brought her baby to a kpop concert and gave it to one of the members. ppl are wild - and stupid.
I definitely want to hear you talk some more about Chappell!
thanks for sharing this kat!! my first professional theatre debut in college was a christmas revue, and at one of our shows, a large group came in, pregaming with fireball shots. we were onstage singing christmas classics (think frank sinatra, rocking around the christmas tree, etc) and people were heckling us, excessively drunkenly cheering, and even offering us fireball shots during the numbers. as performers, obviously we enjoy support, and good vibes in the theatre make the experience better for everyone! but when it hinders the performance or experience for the people onstage and in the audience, it’s definitely frustrating.
Last Christmas, I attended a performance of Who's Holiday, a one-woman show based on Cindy Lou Who growing up. The play acknowledged audience interaction (she was serving pigs in blanket to the front row). There are areas for some improv in the show and some of the lines clearly prompt vocalizations from the audience. I was thinking to myself, how much interaction is she looking for? It's her show, I'm just the audience. This isn't some raunchy Ren Faire skit. In the end, I'm glad I didn't get caught up in the moment and blurt out more but it felt like it could be easy for the show to go off the rails quite easily. We went to a Sunday matinee so I only had 2 cocktails from the establishment's bar, but on a Friday or Saturday, I think it could be troublesome.
Ah, I saw that show on Broadway, a few years ago!
The lead actress was so good in that!
This is why I go to ZERO shows. Im not going to spend my hard eearned money to have my show ruined by someone acting out like that.
When it comes to theater, a lot of kids (particularly girls around the age of 10) a lot of them seem to think that they're a lot better than they actually are and getting upset when someone better than them gets the lead. And I think that is my biggest pet peeve.
I recently saw Stevie Nicks + Billy Joel in concert and the woman in front of me was standing up and dancing for the entirety of Stevie's performance, completely blocking my view when I was sitting down. I’ll admit I stood up and sang during the encores for both Stevie and Billy, but that’s because nearly EVERYONE was doing the same thing…
Hopefully people stop seeking their 15 minutes of fame - maybe having announcements and/or bulletins to explain expectations for conduct might help, assuming that some people may be genuinely unaware, and maybe venues could have single-drink maximum policies or that sort of thing to keep people from becoming too out of it. The story about the baby reminded me of another concert I heard about as a kpop fan - someone near the stage at a concert by the group NMIXX put their baby ON the actual stage... some members were ~15-17yo I think, so must have been additionally overwhelming for them to address, being so young... It's sad to hear about these things.
I discovered Chappell Roan last week and now I'm obsessed. Yes please.
I want us to geek out over Chappell Roan! I hope others do too!
Jukebox musicals making everyone think they can sing along!
I find concerts a bit weird now as I've watched people (even this month) spend an entire concert holding up their phone and filming the entire thing. Not moving or dancing or singing. Just standing still looking at the phone image to keep it centered. It's like they don't know how to be present and in the moment.
As for Broadway, I think alcohol does play a factor. There is so much revenue in expensive drinks they want to sell it, so then how do they enforce something they participate in? I act in immersive theater at parties, and when you add alcohol anything can and does happen. I don't know what the answer is. Ushers are not security guards, and actors are just trying to act. I saw an immersive production that made us lock our phones in a carry bag during the show. It certainly helped!
I don't go to concerts anymore because the last one I did, everyone around me was recording. People would glare at me if I danced (I was being respectful of people's view and personal space, like literally just swaying and head movements). I can't imagine how absurd it must look from the stage to see a sea of phones instead of people enjoying the show.
The number of people I saw defending the mother who put the baby on the floor was crazy. If there was an emergency or someone fell there was no way she would pick the baby up quick enough
I'm an LA (touring Broadway) usher and, my dude, the stories I could tell. Having done this for 3 yrs pre-covid and now nearly 3 yrs post-shutdown, I can tell you that the latter 3 yrs have been worse.
Babe wake up- new Katherine video
❤🔥❤🔥❤🔥❤🔥
Just this year alone...
-As an audience member for a play, I had to tell some guy that was about to play a game on his phone that he was in a theater.
-As an usher for a different play, I had to tell a woman to turn off her phone when she was about to check her messages.
Went to see Trevor Noah, before the show started we were told NO RECORDING.
Two middle-aged adult woman behind me recorded like 5 minutes of his act, and then proceeded to play it back at full fucking volume with her friend laughing at it. Keep in mind, the show was STILL GOING ON.
Of course everyone around her, my family included, looked at her in disgust and she was actually removed.
Last summer I saw a local production of As You Like It with Beatles songs incorporated throughout. A very drunk woman behind me sang along and held full-on conversations during the show. When I asked her to please be quiet, she said, “I paid to be here.” So did I! Another woman nearby also tried to intervene. At intermission, the house staff kindly found us other seats for Act Two.
I’m surprised that Swift (or any other concert venues) doesn’t have a minimum age requirement. Most of the theatres I go to have a 4+ minimum unless it’s a performance specifically for children and families. A baby in a Swiftie pit is a disaster waiting to happen!
I'm SO intrigued by the title!! Like, considering the nature of this account?? I'm so seated!!
You cooked, queen. 🫶🫶🫶
I worked as a server at a dinner show just as covid restrictions dropped in Sweden 2021 and the amount of people wanted to be a part of the show was astounding. One woman who was clearly intoxicated asked me what was the best way to be seen and heard. Like sure, the ensemble was including us and the audience. But you’ve paid a lot amount of money to see professionals do their job, like settle down and enjoy the show.
The people who talk during the overtures need to stop. I know not the biggest deal but pet peeve.
omg SAMEEEEE
Dude yes. Going to the movies...awful, concerts...worst, theater....uhhh, it depends. I saw Titanique a while back and given the nature of the show it was a little loud. The only terrible thing was someone in the back sining to every song. But I just saw Clue in Cali and everyone was fine there.
I'm in the middle of a long run for a musical at a dinner theatre. One day one of the audience members was a theatre friend who some of us knew as he had been in the previous show at the theatre. Well, first big song happens, which starts with a solo line from one of the people who this guy is friends with. Before the line is even finished, audience friendscreams FULL VOICE. I don't mean a nice "woo!" I mean grown man using his full lungs to yell "YEAHH." I swear that half of us on stage visibly jumped, it was so loud. Someone who wan't in the number said that it was so loud it was picked up by the mics and you could hear it full volume in the monitors backstage.
I agree with everything except for the “recording your reactions at the eras tour” part. I did it, and I think that as long as you’re not bothering anyone around you it is a great es t way to remember the moment and connect to what you were feeling then🥲
sadly by doing that you are bothering the people around you. the people sitting right behind you want to watch the artist's performance without having your phone's flash in their face while you unwittingly record *them* as well as yourself.
The flash will shine directly in to the eyes of those behind you
emphasis on “as long as you’re not bothering anyone around you”!!
I feel like there are cases that theatre and concert etiquette have to be retaught. Last spring, my college performed "A Year with Frog and Toad" and invited schools to see student matinees. I wasn't onstage for any of them, but I frequently went to the costume shop where the audio was being broadcasted. The audiences in the matinees were really loud and disrespectful. There's a scene where toad was worried about frog because he was late for Christmas Eve tea. The kids kept shouting that Frog was hibernating, and our toad had to go off script and explain that they have to celebrate Christmas before they hibernate. I really hope people will remember what a respectful audience is soon.
Thank you for letting me rant for a good paragraph. Have a good day!
Here in the UK, we've had a real post-pandemic issue of audience members behaving badly - mostly centred around singing along to musicals but there was one story that even made national news of an actual *fistfight* that occurred in the audience during the UK tour of 'Jersey Boys'. Bad audience behaviour has always existed (my mother has several horror stories from when she was working as an usher in the 70s/80s, including one where an audience member started eating an entire roast chicken dinner during a performance), but I do think the pandemic severely knocked people's etiquette out of whack (not just in regards to going to the theatre but in general). Having said that, I do think there are things theatres themselves can do to help the issue.
The main thing is alcohol consumption. Now, maybe it's just because I don't drink alcohol anyway, but I've genuinely never understood why theatres push alcohol sales so much. And the 'Cabaret' revival is a prime example as to why *actively encouraging the audience to get drunk* is such a bad idea - when I went to see the revival in London, I genuinely felt awkward refusing a drink each time I was offered one in a way that I don't feel awkward refusing even when I'm out at a bar or pub; that in itself is just not right. I shouldn't feel more pressure to have a drink at a theatre than an actual drinking establishment. And even when people were noticeably getting tipsy, there didn't seem to be a limit on how much they could order. Maybe there was but it certainly didn't look that way, and the whole time I was worried about what some of the rowdier audience members might do. Which isn't something I should have to worry about, especially since that show is ridiculously expensive and it's a 4-hour train journey for me to get to London (plus accommodation costs and all that jazz). It's basically a month's wages for me to get to London to see only a couple of West End shows - I don't want to have to be concerned or have that money wasted by drunk audience members.
The other is the management of any given theatre actually giving support to ushers and front-of-house staff in terms of added security for when they need to eject someone. As a result of the newsstory of the 'Jersey Boys' fistfight, a lot of FOH staff shared horror stories of the abuse heaped on them by audience members and one thing that became clear was that in a lot of theatres, the management didn't make the FOH staff feel safe enough to take the steps needed to eject someone who clearly needed removing from the audience (because of things like the risk of the audience member becoming violent) so they were left either to try and manage the situation on their own (which tended to result in verbal/physical assaults) or they had to just let it go and the disruption was allowed to continue. If FOH staff consistently felt more safe to eject audience members displaying bad behaviour, I'm willing to bet it would encourage better behaviour all round - it's like a teacher with a rowdy class of kids; if they demonstrate the threat of detention is a legitimate one, it's easier to calm the kids down than just constantly threatening but never delivering on it.
The last thing I can think of is to stop framing the conversation as "shades of grey". By which I mean a common clapback in the news when discussing bad audience behaviour was "oh, but what about people who legitimately can't sit still in a dark and crowded auditorium for hours or who need to be able to be contacted immediately? You're being classist/elitist by trying to deny them the opportunity to go to the theatre as well". Not only is that argument incredibly patronising towards the kinds of people it concerns, it's also just not fair. Relaxed performances are increasingly becoming a thing for people who find it difficult (for whatever reason) to sit still in the relative dark for several hours and honestly, I wish there were more relaxed performances across the board because yes, absolutely everyone deserves the opportunity to go to the theatre. There are shows, especially jukebox musicals, that even have designated "sing-along" performances. But calling it classist or elitist to expect people to abide by rules of basic common decency in a specific environment is missing the wood for the trees. We don't call people elitist for going to a gallery and expecting people to not scribble all over the artwork. We don't call people classist for going to a restaurant expecting people to know they can't just climb on the table and cover themselves in ketchup. Living in a world full of other people means following some basic rules regarding what is and isn't appropriate behaviour in certain environments. And yes, some people naturally have a harder time abiding by those than others, but let's be honest, the vast majority of bad audience behaviour in theatres doesn't come from people who naturally find it difficult to sit in a dark and crowded auditorium for 3+ hours; it comes from people who believe that paying for a ticket is equal to entitlement to behave however they want. And using people who are already a marginalised portion of any given audience as a shield for bad behaviour by those 100% aware of what they're doing (or if not 100% aware, then the diminished capacity is down to alcohol consumption) is disgusting.
I hate to say this but they need to start using facial recognition software and start permanently banning folks who do very awful behaviours at the theatre (as in all 41 theatres on Broadway) Behaviour after the pandemic has gotten so much worse and it's time for folks to face consequences
There needs to be a one drink limit if a theatre serves alcohol
Went to Hadestown a few months ago and was seated behind two very young kids who did NOT want to be there. They would not sit still, kept trying to get their mother and grandmothers attention during the show, touching the chair in front of them where an older kid was sitting who was obviously uncomfortable with kids hands where his head was supposed to be. Too young and disinterested to sit through the show. Hoped when they stepped away during intermission the mother realized her kids were disruptive and too young and were going to leave. Unfortunately came back and the kids weren't better. While I don't blame the kids I do blame the two adults. Didn't help the man next to me also kept checking his phone.
Not a musical theatre show, it was a concert, but a male fan threw half his clothes at the female singer on stage, who very politely (given the scenario) said “I’m gonna be polite I’m gonna give these back”
yesss i need a chappell video
i do high school theatre and one time a girl started screaming "JUMP" when we were doing heathers when martha was.. yk
When i saw new york new york on broadway, a girl in front of me at one point opened her phone and started scrolling through tiktok videos WITH THE SOUND ON. i was HORRIFIED. it was admittedly a really boring show (lol) but nothing can ever excuse that. If you can't sit silently then leave during an applause break
I went to a production of Les Mis where the girl next to me hummed the songs the entire time. It drove me nuts! Totally took me out of the moment.
I was there at Cabaret when the weird woman wanted to grab Eddie. She was sitting in one of the table seats and was clearly drunk. She went to grab his pants but he pulled away before she could do anything. One security guard quickly came and escorted her out of the theater. What a shame to spend so much money on a table ticket and only get to watch the first two scenes of the show.
So earlier this year I had this experience watching Hadestown in my hometown. The lady next to me started out pretty nice; however, as soon as the first act started she began singing/humming along with wolf howling at the stage every couple of minutes. I was annoyed by this and everyone else around us was annoyed. Two old guys were telling her to shut it cause they wanted to watch the show in peace and that “if she wanted to sing she should’ve been cast.” She responded by saying the playwright wanted the audience to do this, but I thought if it was prompted by the cast then it would be fine, otherwise be quiet and respectful during the show. They began arguing with each other until the theatre staff eventually moved her to a different location where she didn’t howl until the end. We knew it was her and began cracking up, even the old guys thought it was funny.
I went to a Lady Gaga concert many years ago. The girl behind me screamed through all but the most quiet songs. I was furious.
Sorry but Ive seen Cabaret on West End a few times now, we also get the immersive experience, the free shot, the bottle of prossecco etc. And Ive never seen anybody try to interact with the cast or chat or anything so defintley cant blame it on the booze haha
Last night in Melbourne I saw Patti LuPone perform and there was a group in front of me that kept talking and on numerous occasions tried to film with their phones and security almost confiscated them. It was also really ironic because they kept talking about the places they had visited and how "Patti would so approve" and I'm like seriously? Honestly I was secretly hoping she would scream at them although we were way up in the balcony so it was unlikely but damn I wish I had of seen that because there is something so selfish about that sort of behaviour.
I watched Phantom on Broadway and a non English speaking father behind me translated and explained the whole story to his son. Drove me crazy and turned around several times and gave him a good stare. Didn't impress him. It destroyed the whole experience for me. Needles to say I paid almost 300 dollars for my ticket 😮 Theatre etiquette truly declined after the pandemic.
As a blind person my sighted family explains stuff, and I try my best to let people behind know about me being blind. What we try to do is explain things when there's no dialogue, and they're quiet about it as well they don't shout the info at me. A lot of the time though there's so much audio that the music itself can tell the story and sometimes during the interval they'd then explain the more visual moments if they remember any. I can't get to a lot of the audio described stuff as i's weekdays and my family work. So we only get to go to London once or twice a year.
Yass dune reference
I'm currently following the Eras Tour in Europe and have attended almost every show and I wish I could say what happened in Paris N1 was the most shocking thing I've seen. 70k people all together just bring the worst sometimes
I have a genuine question, and I promise I don't mean this in a bad way. But, why attend every show? What do artists do to make shows different for repeat visitors?
@@jukesy1992hahaha why did you mean in a bad way? This is a great way for me to visit a lot of friends I haven't seen in a while (some, which I even met at concerts throughout the years!) and go to a concert with them! And also meet new people. 3 Months of traveling throughout Europe for less than it cost me to pay my mortgage? Sign me up!
@@lordsp OK that is really epic! That makes a lot more sense as well. What I meant was I didn't want to feel like I was ribbing you for seeing an artist multiple times, which is also something I've done myself too but not every show, usually years apart. I think that is really cool that you can then arrange to meet more friends, making it a roadtrip and catchup in the process.
Ive had 2 very different audience moments. 1 was during mind mangler yes its interactive but this one woman kept interrupting luckily henry was able to make a joke out of it.
The other was six, we where up in the gods, last minute tickets and we ended up in the middle of a school group. Most of them werent interested, lots of talking and phone use. The only times they watched was during any tik tok tunes that they knew. Did spoil our evening a bit.
I saw Jesus Christ Superstar last year and the woman sat next to me insisted on singing over all of Mary Magdelene's songs. Poor actress had a great voice and I wanted to hear her!!
While it is true that the Cabaret revival gives everyone a free shot of Schnapps... what nobody mentions is that it is the most disgusting toilet-bowl flavored Schnapps on the planet. People immediately go straight to the bars just to get rid of that taste. I sure did.
Hi Kat!!! I might have missed something, but why haven’t we heard anything about you being in a new show? It’s been a long time now! Sending love!
Oh no…it’s hit theatre too
I went to see beetlejuice on tour last summer and there was this kid next to me who would NOT shut up. all of act 1 he kept saying stuff about how lydia was goth? he said stuff like "thats not wednesday thats thursday" and he also said "what the heck" after EVERY joke beetlejuice made. keep in mind he was like 7, i dont think he should be there. thankfully he and his mom switched seats (or he left) during intermission.
Yes please to the Chappell video!
why am I so early😭 hey Kat I missed youuuu🫶🏽
🥰🥰
Talking about Cabaret, the current Mexican production had issues with drunk audience members touching performers /:
PLEASE DO A CHAPPELL ROAN VIDEO!!!!!!
I actually liked your Dune reference.
You're forgetting about the chick who went to the eras tour on one of the European dates who was stood on someone's shoulders during you need to calm down. How on earth someone didn't push her off the dudes shoulders have no idea or whether security went in to tell her to get down
pleaseeee do a chappell vid!!
question can you do a short on good audition songs to sing if you are going for the role of pusgley in the addams family I am a big fan of this cult
CHAPPELL ROAANNNGHH
I`m from Brazil, and believe me, Wicked fans here are the worst!!! Some people sang all the songs with the performers. Besides, here you can arrive late to the show, and they sit everyone at the same time, so during the second song, you can't even see the stage, cause everyone is sitting!!!!!!!
I've gotten really annoyed lately cause when I go to musicals sometimes people in the audience are signing along. Like, girl, this is not the place to do karaoke. I do *not* want to hear your off-key rendition of All You Wanna Do from Six. Go sing in your car and let me enjoy the show in peace!
Someone yelled pride sucks at an Adele concert like what the heck
I hope you’re finger is okay
The answer is "No."
'oh wait that was Lauren Boebert'
This uploaded 25 minutes ago and im far to late
We are still in a pandemic. Long covid exists.
Yay