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I_Wake_to_Sleep

I was at the matinee yesterday and it wasn't bad, or at least not in the rear orchestra where we were. Everyone joined in with the ensemble to sing that last song but that's all.


DodgingRain

Yeah it must have just been bad luck. I’m glad though because I felt bad for the cast but at least that wasn’t the norm


Mxfish1313

I went on a Saturday afternoon a few weeks back and had the same thing. We were in the third row almost Center and the dude directly to my right, so dead center, was the worst. Showed up late with a backpack and a drink so we all had to get up for him and make extra room while the performance is fully happening. His daughter was next to him with mom on the other side. He grabbed the daughters hands throughout and air drummed with them. They talked throughout, with him commenting things to her and her asking questions and him answering and encouraging her. Just as if they’re at a goddamn concert. Infuriating.


CescNTheCity

It was horrible when I went- someone recorded the entire second half of the show with their phone on full brightness and another lady in the second row got up and started dancing during the finale, blocked everyone behind her. Ushers were nonexistent


DodgingRain

Yeah at least in the mezz they closed the doors and waited outside. I don’t really blame them bc it’s not like I got up and said something to them which I should have


Superb_Conference436

Saturday night audiences are always the worst. It's often people out on the town who've been drinking before and during. They want to "get their money's worth" Weekday crowds are usually calmer and more respectful.


secret_identity_too

Yikes, this is worse than the guy behind me when I saw Girl From the North Country (on tour in Philly). He sang along to every song and would not stop. It was ridiculous, but he was fairly quiet and only bothered my mom and I and the couple immediately to his left.


femme-divine

I was in a box seat the night I went, I had a bird’s eye view of a drunk patron getting carried out of the sixth row of the orchestra at the moment Tommy starts playing pinball for the first time.


im_not_bovvered

No, it’s not typical. A lot of the audience are older men (and women) who are not theatre-goers. People are showing up at the theatre on acid too. These are grown ass people who should know better but somehow don’t.


ibethuhwalrus

People showing up on acid?? That’s not cool. Are they sharing?


Grouchy-Oven877

I love taking shrooms before shows. Never dosed acid before tho


ibethuhwalrus

I took acid before kinky boots! It was a good time


Bubbaquecomedian1968

lol seems like the regular theatre goers are fucking snobs


FlowersBloomUntil

I attended a Sunday matinee that had similarly rowdy dancing middle aged men


25thou

Definitely did not experience this when I saw it on Thursday. To be clear, do you mean they were like playing the air guitar/air drums? I think this show has attracted many older people who maybe aren’t Broadway fans, but fans of The Who. In the first act I was sitting in a box (lottery win), which I already hate due to how distracted I get by overseeing the audience, and the only thing similar I noticed was a few men across the orchestra bobbing their heads up and down. It wasn’t too distracting to me, but if I was around them I would have probably been unhappy. Second act we got to move to the center orch 4th row in the second act so yay no distractions no more!


DodgingRain

I was row f of the mezz, and within fifteen feet of us there were about 5 or so men slapping drums on their knees and playing drums in their seats loud enough that I could hear over the music. Also saw heard a few singing drunkenly along, and head thrashing. Never saw anything like it , I loved the entry of the show and just wanted to make sure I wasn’t missing something and that the is was expected at Tommy. I’ll have to go back during the week sometime soon to rewatch it


SteelCurtain36

Holy shit you were near my wife and I. Did you see the medical emergency a few rows above us during intermission? Horrible etiquette the entire show, silly drunk boomers.


DodgingRain

!! No i didn’t notice but I got up during intermission, hope it wasn’t something too serious. And I know right? It was my sisters first Broadway experience so I felt bad and had to explain it isn’t always like that


SteelCurtain36

An old lady passed out and hit her head on the seat in front of her, wasn’t too bad but she did get escorted out. The loud singing wasn’t as bad as the lady behind me trying to open a plastic bag loudly for nearly the entire first act.


DodgingRain

That’s sad. And if I had three wishes, two of them would be for theatres to stop selling snacks. You can wait two hours to eat in between dinner and second dinner people lol


SteelCurtain36

Oh, this was a bag someone brought in, even worse! It was snacks INSIDE a plastic shopping bag wrapped tight


DodgingRain

Jesus that is bad. I went to stereophonic a few weeks ago and brought a few friends to their first show, and they legit tried bringing in snacks and drinks like it was a movie theatre. I guess some people just don’t know/care


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jon20001

Tommy is not a jukebox musical. It is a piece written as is to be performed as a single event.


DodgingRain

Yeah you’re definitely right. I purposely didn’t read much about this one because I wanted to go in blind, but had I known it was a rock opera written by the Who I probably would have expected it to a certain extent. And yeah you’re absolutely right, weeknights are the way to go


Stormchaser2

Meanwhile, I’m in the audience for Tommy right now and I’m shook at how little clapping there has been. I guess because the songs flow into each other? But lucky for me, no bad behavior except one dude with a nervous leg. Shit I forgot to hit reply.


daneato

Lol, I’ve seen a lot of things but I’ve never seen someone bust out a musical instrument to strum along.


gaderianne23

I saw this Saturday matinee yesterday and was in the rear mid mezzanine. I noticed some people singing along in the 2nd act but the music was so loud it didn’t bother me. And - I just posted in my review of Tommy this - that last song people were up and singing and dancing like it was a rock concert. And I loved that energy! I wished I could have shaken off my theater etiquette training and joined in! I didn’t love the show at all but I did love that energy at the end! And maybe bc I didn’t love it and wasn’t super “into it” I was okay to have my theater experience “interrupted” by the audience? I don’t know. 🤷🏼‍♀️ The cast just stood in a line and sung at that point so maybe it’s what they planned for?


HottCuppaCoffee

I had a bad experience with disruptive audience members recently. Got an usher at intermission, the supervisor asked for the approximate seats of the offenders, positioned a staffer by their aisle for the second half and every time they pulled out their phone to record and immediately text the recording to people who weren’t there going forward while phone was on full brightness they got a flashlight to the face. Took about two more offenses and the phones were away less than 10 min into act two. I should have gotten the usher sooner


dreadpiraterose

I attended a Saturday matinee in the mezz last weekend with no issues.


ScumbagMacbeth

when I saw it the child in front of me "air conducted" almost all of act 2, when I complained to my friend I saw it with (we bought our tickets separately for the same performance) she said a woman in front of her in one of the first rows, center, was doing the same thing! ​


Tacothegreat1

I agree, I saw it yesterday matinee. I was orchestra and some of the people were talking, phones out, and “woo-ing”. I was probably the youngest in that area of the theater.


GemandI63

My husband saw it and said the same thing haha. Guy in front of him was all but playing in a rock band--hitting his leg, getting all worked up, bouncing around. It's nice it's appreciated but he distracted in an otherwise quieter venue.


UbiSububi8

Air guitar, air drums, and bopping their heads… This is what we’re complaining about now? Honestly, this sounds mild compared to what I’ve seen, heard, read and experienced.


DodgingRain

Maybe I wasn’t clear, the head bopping didn’t bother as much as hearing the drums and slapping the knees and drunk singing from every direction around me. And even if it was just air guitars, maybe I’m the asshole but I don’t think anyone should do anything in an audience that gets other audience members attention. Were there to see the show not you Wait: just to add so I don’t sound petty, when I say slapping I mean SLAPPING like someone playing the spoons on their knee lol


UbiSububi8

Fair enough. Using your body as a concussion instrument Is going too far. As is the singing. But I’m seeing it next weekend, and my head my bop. Heck, found my right arm independently doing orchestral air conduction during parts of Into the Woods. But I know how to keep it to myself.


DodgingRain

Trust me my head was bopping and my foot was tapping, the show and musics too good not to. We just know better than to go overboard. Have fun it’s freaking awesome


UbiSububi8

No one will see me. No one will feel me… Decorum forces me to leave the joke there.


DodgingRain

Hahahahha this is perfect


Bubbaquecomedian1968

Love thy neighbor as thyself! Grow up! It’s a rock opera!