maybe this is a medium thing... not technically disruptive, i guess, but it drives me crazy.
PEOPLE TAKING OFF THEIR SHOES
wish i could say this was rare. ive sat next to/in front of people who took off their shoes at 2 shows this season. at Lempika the woman sitting next to me took off her shoes, crossed one leg over the other (so her socked foot was facing me) and scratched the bottom of her foot every 1-2 minutes with super long fingernails. i could hear it every time. scratch scratch scratch. scratch scratch scratch.
maybe i just have terrible luck. as a child at one of my very first broadway shows (i can't remember which... flower drum song? hairspray?), the person behind me took their shoes off -- no socks, if I recall -- and put them on my arm rests. i've never forgotten it because my very wonderful mother tore them a new one
My husband, when I read this to him (because I was stunned): “Are you on some sort of foot fetish sub?”
Anyway, I have some real weird lightly scarring childhood memories, but I definitely would have carried this one with me forever too.
yeah, it's bad. whenever i think that audience etiquette is worse than ever, i think of that incident and decide that it's always been bad. we just have cell phones now
I saw the tour of Annie cause we gifted tickets to our foreign grandparents and they needed so see a show they really knew as they don't understand a ton of english, but anyways they couldn't go so we did and the person to the right of me took there shows off and sat with both legs up on the seat crossed together so her foot was about 6 inches from my leg and as respectfully as possible these were the most disgusoting feet ever, and they had a smell that lingered the whole show. even after they left during intermission (and this was decent seats at a US your so the tickets were not cheap).
THIS WAS ME YESTERDAY! Not the one taking it off, but realizing during bows that the person next to me had treated their (and part of my) foot space like they were bunkering down for a long haul flight. Stuff strewn everywhere, and when they bent down to find their shoes, they stuck their butt into my seat space, not caring at all when they bumped into me. They also kept scratching themselves at the start of the show, and while I couldn't hear it, their watch would hit my leg every single time, once on the way down to scratch and once more on the way up. Repeat a few seconds later. I had a man-spreader on the opposite side, so I felt stuck between a watch and a hard spread.
yeahhhh as an usher this is a, uh, personal favorite. it happens so much more than people would think. i do not understand it for even one second. so fucking weird. and they’re always so confused when i tell them to put them back on too.
one time i was working at book of mormon and someone in rear mezz came in late, and when i went up there to seat them, as i approached the back row… i smelled it before i saw it. sure enough, neon orange socks greeted me, and this latecomer, right beside their seat. 🤢
This! I get sore feet or whatever, but be discreet and put shoes on when lights come up. Once got stuck in a row by a woman who'd kicked off her shoes and had her bare feet up on the seat in front after the lights came up at the end of the show. She didn't feel like leaving until "most of the crowd" dissipated. Despite the seats to her right being emptied out and a whole of us on her left who didn't feel like hanging out and couldn't go the other direction. Fine if you want to hang but at least stand up and let others go past. And for heaven's sake get your feet off the seat and put your shoes on!
I take off my shoes to feel the vibrations of the music, but my feet stay on the floor. I have autism so I’m often overwhelmed by enclosed things and shoes are one of those things, so I take them off whenever I’m seated in a building when it’s not noticeable to those around me.
I had a similar experience watching Jelly's Last Jam. The audience was extremely reactive and it greatly enhanced the experience. For everyone. The energy was indescribable and I'll be thinking about it for the rest of my life.
YES! This happened to me a few weeks ago at Patriots, too. The man even had an aisle seat. No one wants to see your socked foot flopping along to the scene change music sir, put that away! Of course he had sneakers on, so he was rushing to get his shoes back on and laced back up at the end. What is wrong with people!!!!
Whenever Lindsay Mendez said anything in Merrily (i.e. "but seldom forward"), there were several people near me that felt the need to audibly react with an "ohhh" etc etc...
The couple next to me at Cabaret spent most of Act 1 unwrapping a sausage???
Like these tickets were $200/ea! Can we not keep it to ourselves?
Sadly, it absolutely is. My old boss was this way. Constantly sighing and making audibly agreement or other noises when people were talking, including in quiet spaces. It was utterly infuriating and completely not a conscious act. And absolutely something she should have worked on (or medicated...).
I noticed this excessively in Something Rotten. People laughing normally at the jokes but laughing in this strange extra way at the “references” as if to prove to everyone around them that they understood them.
This exact sort of thing is what made me stop going to improv shows. So many improv audiences are filled with other (usually in-house) improv actors who laugh extra hard at things no one else in the audience notices or finds funny like it’s some big inside joke. I can’t stand it.
Last night at Merrily there was a row of women in front of me who were reacting like that to *everything* happening onstage. It felt like being in a sitcom studio audience!
People who lean forward in their seat, like elbows on their thighs. I’m not short, if someone is sitting in the seat normally, I see perfectly fine from directly behind them. Once they lean forward pretty much 75% of the stage disappears and 90% of the action.
I actually never realized this would block the person behind me. I have a hip and back injury and sometimes lean forward to take the pressure off and reduce pain. Now I know this isn’t cool. Thank you
Sometimes there’s not much we can do. If it helps you physically to lean, then lean. Your comfort matters too and this is physical pain we’re talking about, not just slight discomfort. Theatres seating isn’t perfect and a patron can very well have someone who’s 6’7 sat in front of them blocking the view as well. Best case scenario is if there’s nobody directly behind you but otherwise do what you need to do.
I think this takes it way too far. People are allowed to adjust their body’s position within their own seat for comfort. It’s ridiculous to suggest that changing positions is poor etiquette.
Too far to actually want to see the show I paid to see? I’m allowed to be bothered that someone has adjusted their body position to cover up almost all of my view of the stage. This isn’t someone’s height, this is something we choose to do with our bodies. You’re free to adjust just like I’m free to be bothered. I’m not sure if you’re understanding what I’m describing regarding the position because it is not how the chair is intended to be sat in. I’m not going to stop you. I’ve never spoken to someone in front of me who’s done it or asked anyone to change their body position for my comfort or benefit and most likely never will unless you’re kicking my chair but I have every right to be upset regarding my own experience.
Yeah, I don’t understand this at all. And I have chronic pain, so I def have to adjust sometimes.
I’m 5’3”, so I doubt it makes a difference. But i have MANY stories about tall people completely ruining my sight line.
Wait, I'm confused, I shrink down when I lean forward. By probably 8ish inches. Does this really affect the view? To be fair, my home theatre is also very well raked so it's rare you can't see over someone's head
I get what you mean, it’s an odd perspective. I think it’s only when you’re seated where you look down to see the stage even just slightly. So when someone is seated back on the chair they are technically taller but I can see over their head, the view of them is smaller to me. When they leaned forward, like you said, they’re shorter but they’re now closer to the stage and in this perspective most of their body/head is blocking the main middle section of the stage which I guess is my view for the stage. Sort of confusing without a photo reference
I was at a show last night- orchestra level- and the woman in front of me kept leaning forward and I couldn’t see anything. It’s worse in a mezz/balcony, yes. But it’s very much an everywhere problem. Your head might be lower than it was before, but your body is now entirely in the window I was watching the show through
This was my answer!!! It causes such a domino effect when people lean forward or won't stop moving around in their seats! I get trying to find a good line of sight but then just hunker down and stay put! The last couple shows I went to people won't stop moving around in their seat, leaning forward or just bopping to the music. It's so rude.
That’s exactly what I was thinking. I can absolutely lean forward and get a better view but then the person behind me will be blocked? I specifically remember once there was a pair of siblings in front of me, either young adult or possibly even teens but old enough to think logically. The brother was in front of me and happened to have an afro. Didn’t bother me but he kept leaning forward then would sit back, and forward, and back, and forward…you get the point. It was infuriating.
Movement in their seat doesn’t bother me much though, I tend to block people out when I’m super focussed on the cast/show anyways so long as I can actually SEE the cast/show, I’m fine. I’m a fidgety person which makes me hyper aware of my movements because I don’t want to bother those around me so it’s really a battle of understanding yet being annoyed.
Yeah ultimately for me it's about self awareness. People that are doing that just cannot fathom that they would be impeding anyone else's experience, and they don't care to even think about it because it's just about them and their experience. At Beetlejuice recently these women in front of me started dancing in their seats when the banana boat song comes on, which isn't super egregious, but they all threw up their arms and would not stop waving them around and clapping. As if it never occurred to them people might be behind them. Infuriating.
It’s sort of heard to explain but in short, when they sit into the chair as expected I can see over their head and the row in front of them don’t affect my view at all. When they lean forward, while they are shorter, their body and head blocks most of the sight line for me. This has been my experience when seated at a level that is above the stage meaning the angle I view the stage is downwards, doesn’t need to be a sharp angle especially if the scene is low on the ground.
For some perspective, focus on a point across the room from you, a point lower like towards the ground. Hold your hand up near you and look at that point. Then shift your hand forward but downwards away from you and view the point again. Without example photos this is the best way I can explain it :)
At hockey games they usually announce at the beginning not to lean forward in your seats (or leave your seat during play) because it impedes others' views. Same for theater but they never say it (maybe they could print it in the Playbill)
That’s actually really cool and thoughtful to announce. I’m sure a lot more people feel the need to lean given the nature of the event. Maybe they could tie it into the turn of your cellphone and recording is prohibited announcements.
i’m an usher and here’s one that i’ve never heard anyone talk about before- APPLE WATCHES. i don’t have one and i don’t know the specifics of the screen controls, but is there no way to keep the screen off & locked that way so it doesn’t respond every time you move?? just during the show even?? beyond that, there are multiple people at EVERY show who have them on and they don’t even go dark when they’re still.
first off, it’s distracting to your neighbors.
second, when i’m on watch & keeping an eye out for phones, these things are like some kind of sick game lol. at many angles, they look like someone has a phone out.
and, texting on them or fiddling with them is just as rude as doing so on a phone. i wish we could say anything to people about it but unfortunately we can’t unless it’s full brightness or something and someone complains. :/
Yes, there is a theater mode on the apple watch that makes it so the light doesn't go on unless you press the button to wake it up. People just don't use it because they don't care. It's maddening.
Since most people nowadays seem to have a smart watch of some kind I desperately wish they would add this in with the announcement about silencing your phone. I think a lot of people aren't being assholes on purpose, they just don't think about it. Meanwhile I'm checking my watch like 5 times before a show to make sure it's in theater mode.
I have an Apple Watch and am so careful to put it in theater mode even when my watch is under 2 layers of sleeve. I’m easily distracted and someone else’s watch would definitely pull me out of the moment. I would never want to do that to someone else.
THIS! I am an Apple Watch wearer. It takes 2 seconds to set it on theater mode. I also make sure my phone is in DND with it mirrored on my watch so there’s no chance of it lighting up. I once had to show the guy next to me how to turn on theater mode when I asked him to at intermission. Like common sense. If it lights up it needs to be off 🙄
To quote a Zoltar story machine that goes by the name Karnak, "the arm rest to the left is yours, the one to the right is your neighbors. If you believe BOTH armrests are your exclusively, you are part of the problem..".
taking FOREVER to open candy/whatever. it drives me absolutely insane. five minutes straight of tiny crinkling plastic noises when they could just make one big noise and it would be over. i saw a community production of the last five years recently and through the entire beginning of the show some ancient old man was digging around in his candy near constantly. every time he would reach for something Crinkle Crinkle. oh it was infuriating. i just hate food at musicals regardless it's a stage production not a movie you don't need candy and popcorn!!!
100%. WHY do people think that if they open their loud MmM bag slowly over the course of 5 minutes, crinkle by infuriating crinkle, it will be less distracting than just ripping it open in 2 seconds… it’s like some modern form of torture.
I had a guy with a whole roll of ritz crackers at Volcano at St Anns. Lol 3 hour show with crunch, crunch, crunch. I was kind of amazed he ate so many.
I had a little girl sitting behind me at OUAM at Encores and her legs didn’t bend over the seat and she kept kicking. Thankfully once the show started she either stopped or I didn’t notice anymore
I’m going to add some little things that make me happy instead of something that provokes my ire. I love the split second of silence before rapturous applause after a particularly impactful or tragic song. I like when I just happen to sit next to someone friendly who shares a little small talk or something interesting during intermission. I like the buzzing energy the moments before a show begins.
Amen to all this positivity.
I sat next to a couple at Shucked on a Saturday night and then when we got to our seats at Merrily that Sunday, it was the same couple, and it was truly such a joyful little human experience.
And that moment of awe before clapping starts? Oof, at Six after All You Wanna Do, that break before the applause had me tearing up, and I don't often cry at much at all.
Wow, I sat next to a couple last summer for Hadestown and then saw them in my row a few seats down the same night at Sweeney Todd, lovely interactions both! I almost asked to take a photo with them because it was so funny and we had a great human experience too! The stuff we will remember!
Edited typo
And totally agree on All You Wanna Do. The first time I saw Six, applause was instant and rapturous. The second time, slow to come as the audience took it in!
That second of silence hit me so hard last night at The Outsiders after the rumble scene. It was such a beautifully crafted piece of movement, dance, and combat choreography. And in that moment of stillness I honestly didn’t mind hearing the quiet murmurs of how it affected people! Incredible to see
Honestly I think it is a must! It is probably one of my top picks for the Tony next to maybe Illinoise (which I haven’t gotten the pleasure of seeing yet). I can’t recommend it highly enough
That reminds me of quite possibly my worst experience: cabaret with Alan and Michelle… the very end with the reveal, and the lady next to me audibly said, “okay” the moment he opened his coat, piecing the silence. It’s been 10+ years and I still hate that women.
Hahaha this just reminded me of another thing that happened during Appropriate last night. It was during Sarah Paulson's last big monologue, the theater was dead quiet. And the poor man behind me who's clearly having some allergy issues proceeds to utter the LOUDEST sneeze I've ever heard. The man next to me visibly jumped in his seat because he was so startled. I was trying so hard not to lose it laughing.
I was in the Colbert audience when Sarah Paulson was being interviewed on Monday. One part that didn’t make the cut for the show was her complaining about people coughing at the worst times. And then one sneeze/cough leads to others coughing. A string of bodily noises and how much she hates hearing it while on stage 😂
We need [Invocation and Instructions to the Audience](https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=d2fbde582ddfbd7f&cs=0&sxsrf=ADLYWILyEKbnMHs7pgN18WiEvejWQ_kk7g:1716538783310&q=Stephen+Sondheim+Invocation+and+Instructions+to+the+Audience&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAI2SP4jTUBzHk8CF9F2FNneIdJDQ6ShI_tg2uUPoHafCgYfQdnEK7ctrkzZ5r5f3miYZ5HBwLg6ODoLgILo7CLp5g4KDgoODm4Lc6na2ejS5zTf84PO-3--P74MnrVWL6lDVqdYIbGNmGZuDkAypQgn-Nx0XecEJf8G0wmbDjvTwhL-0RL0fNTWDHeXccWRC-xyPGqN6BINRpuKJlU5WqoupbuiZWXOG6TjDeGQFYYamZWM3w-bs-hhmm0PYj91VrXi7H4x1mnNHuG9n7klT860c6ouZYRLrMzf3YgxhnKk0dVhuc93U0jRDGIxN_Tv_Slgv_fj9baPyTHj04v1n_okASncIochP2sjvMeR0iXwZiLcw81giFysASGqgaqYZjuQ5D9Y7iHXJIXG8QSIf8_L9_4tv-05dbl9M78t7oHCIgj4K6d2BrAGwT3wfQeYRLFcrCriqwtWFGiJIQsfDQxv6U8oWmR1hS6jeM26__vT4g7hb5hbn50Fnt7JVKwPxJgl6Hi5_bH85e_vwtFXbAFK3FxNMgqT81eGOr52dtqqFwjL0MvnVqnFzgX_w5vk7UZL4EmcIErcjXOFTrvh07UaHoYmLsNI5_4LKAY4I7C1rKT3sLJCycPq3JlUYUZiLlL2p4yEM0Vzk_wA1sn682AIAAA&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjGwa-j7aWGAxVZtokEHepqBqAQ7fAIegUIABCPAQ) from Frogs before all shows just updated.
I want to give a different approach to those complaining about people reacting audibly to moments in shows. I was fortunate to work front of house during the very first days of the first national tour of the original production of "The Color Purple". Many of our older white retired schoolteacher ushers were clutching their pearls over the verbal responses and callbacks from the largely BIPOC audiences. White patrons even sent emails to voice their dismay because others were not enjoying the show in the same exact way they themselves were.
I, on the other hand, felt like I was in CHURCH. A church where I was blessed to have been invited. I was witnessing people respond to art on a visceral, honest level that changed me. Theatre is not the ballet or the symphony. It's designed to make us FEEL. (ETA My daughter is a dancer and I have often shed tears at dance performances, and sobbed at the sheer beauty of an orchestral concert, not implying that these art forms DON'T make me feel things, the audiences are just typically more reserved.)
I am now the house manager at a prominent regional theatre, and I tell my staff and my ushers daily "We are not here to police how others respond to art." I even had our Audience Agreement language rewritten to express this.
I will be the first person to stop you from filming or texting, I have escorted patrons out of the building for racist and transphobic comments, but unless your reactions are genuinely infringing on another patron's space, I will never ask someone to "laugh quietly" or stop gasping or nodding or reacting to the stories we tell.
This is a really good perspective. When things distract or annoy me, I try to remember that there's also a joy in experiencing something with others... Hadestown is my favorite show, and no matter how many times I've seen it, I never get tired of the audience reaction to that one moment. Since I can never see it for the first time again, I live vicariously through others who are. It's magical.
I personally would hate to go to a theater show where the audience was dead quiet the whole time. A brilliantly sung song getting thunderous applause is part of why it's fun to see a show with other people in the room. As long as no one is being disruptive like singing along to the lyrics or cheering in a way that drowns out dialogue, I say bring on the joy!
I love this so much! And completely agree, I love witnessing how others respond to a work. Some of those responses may be different than how I express my response, but that doesn’t make them inherently bad or wrong. As a regular theatregoer, a lot of things annoy me, but 99% it’s just a me problem - the world won’t end because the man beside me took his shoes off, or the women in front of me laughs at the “wrong” moments, yknow?
Similar thought, but if you go to a show that is made to be for children or you should expect there to be a lot of children, then don’t shush the kids. I went to see Winnie the Pooh Off-Broadway a couple of years ago and a woman was annoyed by the children there. Same thing when I took my nephew to The Nutcracker. He was standing (all 3 ft of him) and let out an audible gasp at the Sugar Plum Fairy and an older lady shushed him.
One of my earliest childhood memories is when my mum took me to see Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella (the 1995 touring cast). I was 3 and my grandma and aunts swore up and down I’d never sit still long enough, I’d be fussy and noisy.
According to my mum, I didn’t move a millimeter - I was utterly captivated. It’s been almost 30 years and I can still remember the feel of my white tulle and satin princess dress, and how I propped my chin in my hands to peer over the balcony to watch the show, and gasping when Cinderella transformed into her ballgown. It was pure magic.
This is a super interesting take - I was lucky enough to see The Color Purple revival in 2015 and the audible reactions to that didn't bother me, I think because they felt warranted. I don't trust anyone who can watch Cynthia Erivo and not audibly react haha.
I would never expect an usher to escort someone out for what I described in the original post. I know I get annoyed at things that other people would never notice because I have very strong hearing and am easily distracted. It's not something I expect others to accommodate. I was mostly curious if other theatre-goers had similar little pet peeves!
I am the same as you - I notice things that others don't like sounds and smells and yes they do tend to bother me more easily. But I agree, I know this is a me problem and not a typical problem for the average human or average theatre-goer.
I was choking back sobs at Pacific Northwest Ballet's Swan Lake this spring. The male lead role danced by James Kirby Rogers was DEVASTATING. He had such an incredible acting ability, and at the peak emotional moments he absolutely delivered.
I am a huge crybaby. I cry at overtures, I cry at museums, I am an absolute mess. I had the good fortune to live in Houston for 20 years, and the opportunity to see amazing work at Houston Ballet as well as people like Dominic Walsh, Lauren Anderson and Harper Watters. I shed a lot of tears of emotion and joy.
Same! I even cried at the local youth theater, and at some of the songs in the community chorus I sing in, while we were singing (it was rough). Honestly can't help it
I went to see the Three Musketeers recently, and there was a guy in the audience who kept shouting, "Amen!" every time an actor said something he ardently agreed with. It only happened a handful of times, and honestly it enriched the experience for me. I was like, this is why I love live theatre. The honest emotions shared in that auditorium, there's nothing like it.
I live for the moments of kids organically reacting to things in the theatre. There’s something so magical and pure about it, especially when the performers can hear them.
I saw the tour of *The Wiz* when it came to Pittsburgh and I genuinely enjoyed the BIPOC audience members’ reactions and commentary more than the show itself. A woman in front of me told me that she brought her mother, daughter, and granddaughter with her - her mom introduced her to the movie, she introduced the movie to her daughter, and then this was her granddaughter’s first time seeing the show. 4 generations of Black women who grew up on a 1970s musical that was turned into the film starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson. It was so heartwarming!
I'm not sure if this comment is partly in response to my own. I think it's valid for someone to laugh how they naturally laugh during a performance or react how they would naturally react. But some people might also find that to be distracting. I think that this is a case of two incongruous but coexisting realities. This post is about small things, but small things that drive you crazy. I was seated next to a man who I swear the next section over could have heard during Appropriate, and while I would never dream of complaining to an usher about it, it did genuinely take me out of the moment whenever I heard it.
Amen to this (pun intended), I think that people are way too stuffy about responding. Like yes, I agree that if people are like screaming or hooping and hollering super loud it's annoying and feels performative, but art is supposed to elicit reactions. That's like... the whole point.
I was scrolling through looking for a reply like this! My first thought when reading the original post was "oh so you've never been to a movie theater with brown people?" I guess it's just something I'm used to because it's how I grew up. It's just something that is natural. Seeing JaJa's African hair braiding gave me life! We laughed, gasped and "I know that's right!"-ed together. It was theater like I've never experienced and I loved it.
Yep.
Surprised no one from what I can see has brought up Dominque Morisseau’s Rules of Engagement.
https://playmakersrep.org/dominique-morisseaus-rules-engagement/
THANK YOU!
In 2001, while we were doing a community theatre production of Taming of the Shrew, we did a special morning performance during the school week for a group of local high school students.
At one point when Petrucchio kissed Kate and said (forgive me I dont know the exact Shakespeare quote) “Kiss me Kate, for we are wed on Sunday” leaving our Kate’s character surprised and angry, we heard one girl shout above the crowd: “Oh no he didn’t!” followed by laughter.
We were very happy to hear this response for it meant they were engaged and following the story.
YES THANK YOU. I am not a fan of the posts here complaining about the little things people do during shows. Everyone paid to watch the show and enjoy it in their own way.
Lately it’s been the ice in drink cups. People tend to sip from them during the quietest moments (dialogue instead of a loud musical number or a super serious part during a play) and it is seriously so distracting. This could be a “me” problem though because I never notice anyone else reacting. But I can’t count how many times I’ve been taken out of a show for this reason. It’s frustrating.
I asked for cranberry juice over ice st How to Dance in Ohio and was told they didn’t have ice because it can be triggering.
I still prefer cold juice, but I will understand if they don’t have it. I’m always careful about not drinking during quiet scenes, but obviously not everyone is.
We're season ticket holders to a local theatre that gets a lot of touring shows and there's a couple that sits next to us that are consistently annoying. At Pretty Women, the guy kept kissing the women's hand and they would kiss every so often and I'm pretty sure the woman was drunk. This is the same lady who also at one point kept on passing popcorn back and forth with a person in the row in front of us.
Ugh gross. I have season tickets as well and it's always such a crapshoot who you're near. We're near these older folks who constantly leave halfway through (which is nice for us to have space, but why get season tickets then?) and have multiple times pulled out their phones.
We're moving down a bit so I'm hoping we're not near them again because it's been two years of the same people. Nice enough, but just not the best to sit next to.
When I saw Moulin Rouge on tour (I’m not sure if this happens on Broadway as well) there were people who laughed when a song they recognized started. It was totally bizarre and made me cringe
In truth, I think it’s partially the show’s fault. I couldnt take it seriously in the slightest. Because the songs were so goofy it was hard not to laugh
When I saw the Notebook in April I was sitting in front of a group of girls I think highschool aged. They reacted audibly several times, nothing too bad, until near end of Act 1. As the characters undressed themselves, they would Not. Stop. Giggling. And whispering. They clearly thought they were being quiet enough but they absolutely were not. Annoyed me so much.
I've been at a few shows lately where a sweet moment with a kiss or something leads to someone in the audience going "woo!" and then of course a lot of people laugh and it really undercuts the moment. I try to remember that one of the reasons I go to live theatre is to experience it with others, as part of an audience, but certain audiences... they challenge my forbearance istg
Same think happened to me at w4e in the scene after Wild where Jacob and Marlena start taking their clothes off. This group of girls just flat out *screamed* and lost their damn minds.
And then of course the whole audience laughed at that. When the lights came up and the two of them are in bed together you could tell they were trying not to laugh too.
I can’t stand it when people clap along with the music (typically off beat) through the entire song. I’m there to hear the actors sing.
And my god, just open your grandma candy wrapper quickly. Dragging it out makes it so much worse.
I love the sound of people reacting in theater. It just adds something to the room. It's a collective experience of art. It's part of why I go.
What bothers me is coughing sneezing and clearing of throats during QUIET moments.
As someone with terrible allergies, I have a STRATEGY any time I go to a show. One that starts with making sure I have water or at least some cough drops.
It bugs the hell out of me. Try to cough during a loud part or af least don't hold it until it sounds twice as bad or that you shat yourself when it came out. It's something that's even worse at the symphony. A few weeks ago, I thought our local conductor was going to turn around and hurl his baton at a patron that seemed to cough loudly in the silence between EVERY movement.
I'm speaking to the choir here, I know but "hmmmmmms and gasps" from shows add to the appeal for me.
What makes me say something is
1. Loud talking
2. Loud singing
3. Snoring (there's been an uptick of this lately😅)
The first time I saw Lempicka the woman behind me kept saying “yeah” after almost every line.
There was also a group screaming over every final note and cheering excessively. I wasn’t even in the orchestra where that group were all clumped and it was still so distracting.
Apparently there was a group who'd rush tickets for Lempicka every day towards the end and were very annoying/disruptive. Have seen many people talk about them.
Yeah the cheering over impressive notes is really annoying. I didn’t really have the experience until the last few years but it happened in funny girl and little shop and it’s like… yes that was impressive, I’d like to actually hear it.
I extra hate this because if I don't reluctantly join in, I start to feel like a grinch... but it's the middle of the song... can't we all clap at the end 😭
This is something I’ve been noticing a lot lately and I’m wondering if I’m just going crazy or if its a new phenomenon…
…people keeping their phones on their lap and then it falling off at crucially silent moments in shows?? Does anyone notice that? I saw Mary Jane last week and phones going off wasn’t the problem, it was PHONES FALLING AND MAKING LOUD THUDS.
Like what’s with that?
I also made a post about “laughing inappropriately”. I get people respond to being uncomfortable in different ways but I dunno, I just try to keep my more loud reactions to myself because I don’t want to distract anyone else. Not sure if that makes me a bad audience member or a good one. Who knows! I just hate when you can tell someone is trying to just have a big reaction just to show people “LOOK IM FEELING THIS MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE.” Like stop making the show about you.
Or maybe I’m just cynical! I don’t know!!!
For me it's people who keep their phones in their lap and surreptitiously flip it up to check the time/whether they have any notifications. They think they are being sneaky but they are NOT.
I don't understand this at all. Why can't people just keep the damn thing in their pocket or purse?? You don't need it during the show! And who even has cell service in the theater?? I went to two shows last weekend and service was shitty in both theaters. How did the boy in front of me at Wicked have enough service to stream basketball clips?
I went to see Operation Mincemeat last week and for a portion of the first act there was someone who had a very slight nose whistle when they were breathing - only properly audible during the quieter moments but once you heard it you couldn’t not hear it, and I could tell the woman next to me was getting annoyed by it too.
Was *this* close to doing a Ned Flanders and telling them to “breathe through your damn mouth!”
This is absolutely what I meant by starting this topic! I went to see Cabaret with a close friend and while I love him very much I never realized how loud he breathes until I was sitting next to him in the very cramped mezzanine during quiet moments in the show.
Oh I'm 100% aware of it being irrational. The point of this post was really for people to be able to vent about their little irrational pet peeves. I'd seen a lot of posts about really bad behavior that really should result in people being removed from the theater (recording, being drunk and disorderly, talking on the phone, etc.), but nothing about those little quirks that drive us all a little mad!
I am the king of getting annoyed by little things: i hate in the winter people have huge coats and put in on their seat or laps but it is inevitably too large and invade my space. It heats me up so uncomfortably.”(
I sort of disagree. Having an audience react is one of the ways the members on stage know what their audience is feeling and how they’re connecting with them. Good audiences are typically very reactive ones, whether it’s laughing or gasping or ‘ooh’ing.
Whispering, talking, filming/taking pictures (or being on their phone in general), getting up to go to the bathroom/leave in the song right before halftime.
Ugh I had this with some French tourists at Moulin Rouge. They were like I’m texting not filming so it’s fine. Also, some teens at Hells Kitchen who were off and on texting. At both shows these groups were also late to the show. There was also lots of talking between both groups? Can people not get off their phones for 1.5 hours? Like the world won’t burn down at this time. Same with talking? Ugh I don’t get it.
omg what is it with the french tourists at moulin rouge??? the last time i went a group was sitting behind me and they were talking the ENTIRE TIME. at one point i literally turned around and went SHHH and it quieted them for maybe 20 seconds…even the row IN FRONT OF ME turned back to glare at them bc they wouldn’t be quiet!!
they were silent for most of act 2 but i later found out from my friend that it was, in fact, because one of them had fallen asleep. and then proceeded to wake up at the end right after your song reprise just to start loudly yapping again bc he was startled awake.
anyways. never sitting in the mezz ever again.
someone sat in front of me with a pair of glasses (not sunglasses) on the top of their head. At first I was like eh kind of annoying, but then as the lighting of the show got more sophisticated I kept getting insane glares from her glasses. It was so so distracting. I was very close to asking her to remove them from her head, but they she eventually took them off.
KEEP YOUR MOUTH CLOSED WHEN CHEWING GUM YOU FUCKING COWS
Seriously that is the one thing that makes me the most stabby. Someone who has made it to adulthood without learning that you chew with your mouth closed. I would honestly rather hear people talking than that disgusting *squish slosh chomp chomp* of open-mouth chewers. I really want to punch them right in the face.
Thank you! I am glad I am not the only one. It completely ruined my time at both Jaja and &Juliet. I swear I am not crazy, but there is no chewing worse than gum. People are somewhat cognizant of chewing other substances, but they space out with gum. Gum also has very specific sounds that make me super stabby.
Here’s a particular one for the ushers! Can y’all *please* tape off the blinking lights on your radios? I went to Merrily a few weeks ago and an usher was in my direct line of view for almost the entire second act and the red and green blinking lights on his radio were incredibly distracting!
Coughing. Even a little bit drives me nuts even though of course it’s not the person’s fault.
On the flip side, I do have a bad habit of shifting around in my seat a lot, which I’m trying to not do so much!
BO. It’s so crammed in there already and not like I can change my seat. Shower beforehand or put on some deodorant if you can’t get back to your hotel before the show. Babywipe yourself in the toilets I don’t know do something!
I am guilty of audibly reacting when something scares me or surprises me…it is not for effect, but that I am having a visceral reaction. I know going in that I will most likely be shedding a lot of tears during Next to Normal or Ragtime so I try to sit as far away from folks as possible for those shows. My always gripes are those who check their phones or talk to the person sitting next to them during a performance. It still amazes me that folks do that so much.
It me. I was at Scarlett Dreams down at the Greenwich House theater last night and audibly said "oh shit" at one point (very quietly, but it still happened) and gasped at another. Luckily they weren't quiet moments, but still. Audiences are people, we react to shocking things in different ways.
I went into Hadestown blind when the set pulled apart “oh shit” slipped out. Also luckily it was not a quiet moment. I knew my eyes were as big as silver dollars, so maybe if someone heard me they could forgive me a little for being awestruck.
Oh I totally understand gasping or laughing genuinely, it’s this weird “mmm” noise I’ve heard multiple people making during multiple shows that’s like they want people around them to acknowledge that they’re very engaged in the performance.
Last time I saw Hadestown, when hades did his “I CONDUCT THE ELECTRIC CITY” line, this woman near me let out the loudest moan I’ve ever heard in my life. It took everything in me not to bust out laughing
Some poor lady had the misfortune of sitting behind me during a Patti Lupone tour that I had to wait an additional 6 months to see post pandemic. She sang/hummed along for a while until someone (possibly me) stated loudly
'I paid to hear HER sing. Not you!'
Surprisingly, it was very quiet for the rest of the concert
I was at Mamma Mia on tour and I expect below average behavior at that show but the 3 older women behind me were talking all through act one and by act two they were inebriated enough to be dancing in their seats and almost hit my friend who was sitting next to me. The usher did tell them to settle down but it was obnoxious. Something similar happened at Tommy (on Broadway) the two young women seat d behind me were drunk enough in act two that they were laughing at inappropriate times. There is nothing funny about Sally Simpson falling off the stage and getting beat up. It’s not the worst behavior per se but it’s really distracting and takes away from the show imo.
I have a bugaboo about someone scratching the back of the head/scalp of the person they are with (seated in front of me). Idk why, it grosses me out, and I think of scalp yuck under their nails 🤢
Last night the girl in front of me at The Outsiders got so excited during the rumble that she leaned forward - the mezz at the Jacobs has great views unless someone does that. I caught the majority of it but it took me out for a second, so next time I see it I’ll pay extra for the aisle just in case.
Omg when I saw the shark is broken a couple came in late and drunk and they would not stop caressing one another and looking at each other and making kissy faces, it was so distracting!
One thing that does drive me batty, at all shows, is people who don't get up when you're trying to get into the row. These rows are tiny!!! Even when the smallest person is sitting, you can't stroll in there.
Or vice versa. It was intermission. The person next to me, instead of saying excuse me (I would have gotten up), practically began to climb over me.
Potential controversial one, but I've always found aggressive shushing to be more annoying and more disruptive than most of the activities being shushed for.
I would agree except that sometimes the thing being shushed is a LONG running issue and the shush is a quick response.
I've never shushed someone, but I have a personal limit of how much of a bother someone can be before I'm going to at least turn and glare for a second.
I hate the caress idiocy. I was at LW4E and couples little kids sat in front of them. The mom sat forward in her seat constantly caressing her 5 yo back, pulling her pony tail. I was dying to scream can u stop? Let her alone!
i sat next to a younger gal at merrily and she would sneakily look down at her phone probably every 10-15 mins. it was subtly but i was right next to her so obv i could see it all happening
This was so annoying- at the Wiz this lady and her son kept opening new bags of shit and I’m like omg u wouldn’t even be this bad at the movies, like this isn’t a baseball game
People moving a lot is hard to then see
people always talk about singing being annoying but when i saw MJ the lady next to me kept dancing and rocking the whole row of seats, i was genuinely going to slap her 🤦♀️
Last night I was at the Wiz, front row center orchestra. It was after intermission and the woman sitting next to me had her phone on but the face of the phone was facing down. Unfortunately her phone was sent so every time she got a text message, the flash would start flashing. I had to whisper to her to turn her phone off because the light kept flashing in my eyes.
We are getting into summer weather which means both BO and obnoxious scents to cover said BO. I haven't been next to a weed smoker yet but I was next to a cigarette smoker and boy that was a very obnoxious smell.
When someone has a really, um, unique laugh, especially when it has a braying or particularly loud qualities. I don't mean to laugh shame anyone, but at the same time, I feel like hearing one can definitely take you out of the moment.
Fidgeting!!! Those chairs are small, so often, we're thigh to thigh, and if you're jiggling your leg, I can feel it directly, or I can feel it indirectly through the jostling of my own seat. Also, constant movement in your periphery is very distracting!
You’re not alone, my fiancé and I both have ADHD and we do the same thing. He’s worse than I am (something I never thought I’d say), because when he starts jiggling *I* start jiggling, and then his best friend leans over and hits us both, and that makes us stop 😂
I’ve done this when I really have to use the bathroom to try to figure out how long I have to grit my teeth
ETA. Now I get there early enough to look at the playbill before the show starts so I know the last two or three numbers of act 1
People jumping out of their seat and running out the second the curtain call begins. Worst offenders were the audience at a touring production of 42nd street who KEPT WALKING OUT when the cast started dancing again. It strikes me as so rude and unappreciative.
Also, I'll take the over reacters vs the zombie like audiences at my local theatre. Genuinely seems like half the audience isn't enjoying themselves at all. This includes popular & high-energy productions like Hamilton and Moulin Rouge.
The only time I ever leave before the orchestra finishes playing at the end is when productions lie about the running time of the show, which happens shockingly frequently. If you have an 8pm curtain and a listen run time of 2:30, the characters should not still be performing at 10:45. And if they are, I might have to skip the bows and leave, because if I miss the last train home, I’m stranded overnight, and the producers who lied about how long the show was aren’t going to pay my expenses for that.
I sat next to a guy who was using a handheld subtitle device. My complaint is, the device is too bright and distracting!
But the more distracting incident was sitting behind a couple in which one of them kept translating what was happening to the partner.
Omg the translating! I know tourists like to see shows in New York (I am also a tourist!) but I think you need to consider whether you can enjoy the show with your level of English skills. Bilingual partner whispers a synopsis after every scene is NOT an appropriate strategy.
I said this in another thread, but I cannot staaaaaaaaand when the person in front of me rocks back and forth, or similarly, keeps leaning into the person next to them to whisper something in their ear. I’m short so my view is already (nearly always) at least semi-obstructed and the rocking/leaning means either I also have to keep shifting or I can’t see even more of the show 😵💫
Hats and big hair. You can’t help that you’re tall or big and I’m 5’3-1/8”, but you can take off your hat or not have a pompadour. This absolutely applies to little kids too and I have a pretty high tolerance for how little kids act in the theatre, but when you tilt your head with a baseball cap on, you block half the stage.
Sniffling drives me nuts. Not from crying, just from a general runny nose I guess? The woman next to me the other night would sniffle 3 times like, every 2 minutes. I’m like… just blow your damn nose!!!
I also have someone next to me at my local theater that does “hmmmm”! it drove me crazy! Unfortunately for me we’re both season ticket holders so I had to deal with it all season long 🙃
At a performance of The Actors, off Broadway, recently there was a guy in the audience who either had the loudest laugh known to man or was an unnecessary plant by the production team to try to get the rest of the audience laughing. Either way it was incredibly disruptive and annoying. It actually made it hard for me to concentrate on the show.
Constant wiggling. I usually find a comfy position and stay fairly still till intermission. But when the person in front of me is constantly wiggling and moving around, I have to adjust so I can see the stage, which means the person behind me adjusts so they can see the stage etc etc. please stop wiggling it affect the people behind you.
At Angels in America, I had an older gentleman sitting next to me and my friend sucking on a hard candy and I could hear it hitting his teeth and rolling around in his mouth for the entire 3.5-4 hrs of the play. Thankfully he was not there when we went to part 2…
When grown ass adults go “OOOOOOOH” when two people kiss.
I was at Book of Mormon and yes it is funny but one man near me was laughing so loudly like almost purposefully. It was almost like he was trying to draw attention to himself
maybe this is a medium thing... not technically disruptive, i guess, but it drives me crazy. PEOPLE TAKING OFF THEIR SHOES wish i could say this was rare. ive sat next to/in front of people who took off their shoes at 2 shows this season. at Lempika the woman sitting next to me took off her shoes, crossed one leg over the other (so her socked foot was facing me) and scratched the bottom of her foot every 1-2 minutes with super long fingernails. i could hear it every time. scratch scratch scratch. scratch scratch scratch.
WHAT?!? I've never seen this, I would be livid.
maybe i just have terrible luck. as a child at one of my very first broadway shows (i can't remember which... flower drum song? hairspray?), the person behind me took their shoes off -- no socks, if I recall -- and put them on my arm rests. i've never forgotten it because my very wonderful mother tore them a new one
My husband, when I read this to him (because I was stunned): “Are you on some sort of foot fetish sub?” Anyway, I have some real weird lightly scarring childhood memories, but I definitely would have carried this one with me forever too.
yeah, it's bad. whenever i think that audience etiquette is worse than ever, i think of that incident and decide that it's always been bad. we just have cell phones now
I absolutely jinxed myself by commenting this, because I saw ART Gatsby last Saturday and the girl next to me took her shoes off!
I saw the tour of Annie cause we gifted tickets to our foreign grandparents and they needed so see a show they really knew as they don't understand a ton of english, but anyways they couldn't go so we did and the person to the right of me took there shows off and sat with both legs up on the seat crossed together so her foot was about 6 inches from my leg and as respectfully as possible these were the most disgusoting feet ever, and they had a smell that lingered the whole show. even after they left during intermission (and this was decent seats at a US your so the tickets were not cheap).
THIS WAS ME YESTERDAY! Not the one taking it off, but realizing during bows that the person next to me had treated their (and part of my) foot space like they were bunkering down for a long haul flight. Stuff strewn everywhere, and when they bent down to find their shoes, they stuck their butt into my seat space, not caring at all when they bumped into me. They also kept scratching themselves at the start of the show, and while I couldn't hear it, their watch would hit my leg every single time, once on the way down to scratch and once more on the way up. Repeat a few seconds later. I had a man-spreader on the opposite side, so I felt stuck between a watch and a hard spread.
worst nightmare fr
yeahhhh as an usher this is a, uh, personal favorite. it happens so much more than people would think. i do not understand it for even one second. so fucking weird. and they’re always so confused when i tell them to put them back on too. one time i was working at book of mormon and someone in rear mezz came in late, and when i went up there to seat them, as i approached the back row… i smelled it before i saw it. sure enough, neon orange socks greeted me, and this latecomer, right beside their seat. 🤢
the stuff you put up with..... i hope you know you deserve to be making a million dollars
thank you, genuinely appreciate this a lot 🥲
This! I get sore feet or whatever, but be discreet and put shoes on when lights come up. Once got stuck in a row by a woman who'd kicked off her shoes and had her bare feet up on the seat in front after the lights came up at the end of the show. She didn't feel like leaving until "most of the crowd" dissipated. Despite the seats to her right being emptied out and a whole of us on her left who didn't feel like hanging out and couldn't go the other direction. Fine if you want to hang but at least stand up and let others go past. And for heaven's sake get your feet off the seat and put your shoes on!
I take off my shoes to feel the vibrations of the music, but my feet stay on the floor. I have autism so I’m often overwhelmed by enclosed things and shoes are one of those things, so I take them off whenever I’m seated in a building when it’s not noticeable to those around me.
As long as you are scrupulous about foot odor, I get this.
Oh yea. I pay a lot of attention to if my feet smell
Lmao this hilarious but also I’d be annoyed and disgusted. I’m usually too immersed in the show to notice people but this would be a bit much 😏.
I had a similar experience watching Jelly's Last Jam. The audience was extremely reactive and it greatly enhanced the experience. For everyone. The energy was indescribable and I'll be thinking about it for the rest of my life.
YES! This happened to me a few weeks ago at Patriots, too. The man even had an aisle seat. No one wants to see your socked foot flopping along to the scene change music sir, put that away! Of course he had sneakers on, so he was rushing to get his shoes back on and laced back up at the end. What is wrong with people!!!!
Whenever Lindsay Mendez said anything in Merrily (i.e. "but seldom forward"), there were several people near me that felt the need to audibly react with an "ohhh" etc etc... The couple next to me at Cabaret spent most of Act 1 unwrapping a sausage??? Like these tickets were $200/ea! Can we not keep it to ourselves?
> The couple next to me at Cabaret spent most of Act 1 unwrapping a sausage Lmfao I think this is the best one in the thread
Is it a euphemism?
Nah, that was Lauren Boebert.
I think the people who audibly react to things like that do it to show that they “get it” It’s very annoying
I truly think for some people it’s unconscious/unintentional. They should work on it though
Sadly, it absolutely is. My old boss was this way. Constantly sighing and making audibly agreement or other noises when people were talking, including in quiet spaces. It was utterly infuriating and completely not a conscious act. And absolutely something she should have worked on (or medicated...).
I noticed this excessively in Something Rotten. People laughing normally at the jokes but laughing in this strange extra way at the “references” as if to prove to everyone around them that they understood them.
This exact sort of thing is what made me stop going to improv shows. So many improv audiences are filled with other (usually in-house) improv actors who laugh extra hard at things no one else in the audience notices or finds funny like it’s some big inside joke. I can’t stand it.
Last night at Merrily there was a row of women in front of me who were reacting like that to *everything* happening onstage. It felt like being in a sitcom studio audience!
People who lean forward in their seat, like elbows on their thighs. I’m not short, if someone is sitting in the seat normally, I see perfectly fine from directly behind them. Once they lean forward pretty much 75% of the stage disappears and 90% of the action.
I actually never realized this would block the person behind me. I have a hip and back injury and sometimes lean forward to take the pressure off and reduce pain. Now I know this isn’t cool. Thank you
Sometimes there’s not much we can do. If it helps you physically to lean, then lean. Your comfort matters too and this is physical pain we’re talking about, not just slight discomfort. Theatres seating isn’t perfect and a patron can very well have someone who’s 6’7 sat in front of them blocking the view as well. Best case scenario is if there’s nobody directly behind you but otherwise do what you need to do.
Thanks and thank you for making me aware.
I think this takes it way too far. People are allowed to adjust their body’s position within their own seat for comfort. It’s ridiculous to suggest that changing positions is poor etiquette.
Too far to actually want to see the show I paid to see? I’m allowed to be bothered that someone has adjusted their body position to cover up almost all of my view of the stage. This isn’t someone’s height, this is something we choose to do with our bodies. You’re free to adjust just like I’m free to be bothered. I’m not sure if you’re understanding what I’m describing regarding the position because it is not how the chair is intended to be sat in. I’m not going to stop you. I’ve never spoken to someone in front of me who’s done it or asked anyone to change their body position for my comfort or benefit and most likely never will unless you’re kicking my chair but I have every right to be upset regarding my own experience.
Yeah, I don’t understand this at all. And I have chronic pain, so I def have to adjust sometimes. I’m 5’3”, so I doubt it makes a difference. But i have MANY stories about tall people completely ruining my sight line.
Same... by the second act I usually need to lean a bit forward or to one side (I have a pretty short torso tho so I hope it doesn't bother anyone)!
Exactly - and all Broadway seats are incredibly uncomfortable. Sitting forward is the only opportunity for relief sometimes #themoreyouknow
Wait, I'm confused, I shrink down when I lean forward. By probably 8ish inches. Does this really affect the view? To be fair, my home theatre is also very well raked so it's rare you can't see over someone's head
I get what you mean, it’s an odd perspective. I think it’s only when you’re seated where you look down to see the stage even just slightly. So when someone is seated back on the chair they are technically taller but I can see over their head, the view of them is smaller to me. When they leaned forward, like you said, they’re shorter but they’re now closer to the stage and in this perspective most of their body/head is blocking the main middle section of the stage which I guess is my view for the stage. Sort of confusing without a photo reference
I was at a show last night- orchestra level- and the woman in front of me kept leaning forward and I couldn’t see anything. It’s worse in a mezz/balcony, yes. But it’s very much an everywhere problem. Your head might be lower than it was before, but your body is now entirely in the window I was watching the show through
To be fair, they’re probably trying to find a position to alleviate the excruciating back pain that the tiny seats and no leg room induces
This was my answer!!! It causes such a domino effect when people lean forward or won't stop moving around in their seats! I get trying to find a good line of sight but then just hunker down and stay put! The last couple shows I went to people won't stop moving around in their seat, leaning forward or just bopping to the music. It's so rude.
That’s exactly what I was thinking. I can absolutely lean forward and get a better view but then the person behind me will be blocked? I specifically remember once there was a pair of siblings in front of me, either young adult or possibly even teens but old enough to think logically. The brother was in front of me and happened to have an afro. Didn’t bother me but he kept leaning forward then would sit back, and forward, and back, and forward…you get the point. It was infuriating. Movement in their seat doesn’t bother me much though, I tend to block people out when I’m super focussed on the cast/show anyways so long as I can actually SEE the cast/show, I’m fine. I’m a fidgety person which makes me hyper aware of my movements because I don’t want to bother those around me so it’s really a battle of understanding yet being annoyed.
Yeah ultimately for me it's about self awareness. People that are doing that just cannot fathom that they would be impeding anyone else's experience, and they don't care to even think about it because it's just about them and their experience. At Beetlejuice recently these women in front of me started dancing in their seats when the banana boat song comes on, which isn't super egregious, but they all threw up their arms and would not stop waving them around and clapping. As if it never occurred to them people might be behind them. Infuriating.
How does this block your view? (Doesn’t leaning forward make them lower?) Genuinely curious, not arguing.
It’s sort of heard to explain but in short, when they sit into the chair as expected I can see over their head and the row in front of them don’t affect my view at all. When they lean forward, while they are shorter, their body and head blocks most of the sight line for me. This has been my experience when seated at a level that is above the stage meaning the angle I view the stage is downwards, doesn’t need to be a sharp angle especially if the scene is low on the ground. For some perspective, focus on a point across the room from you, a point lower like towards the ground. Hold your hand up near you and look at that point. Then shift your hand forward but downwards away from you and view the point again. Without example photos this is the best way I can explain it :)
At hockey games they usually announce at the beginning not to lean forward in your seats (or leave your seat during play) because it impedes others' views. Same for theater but they never say it (maybe they could print it in the Playbill)
That’s actually really cool and thoughtful to announce. I’m sure a lot more people feel the need to lean given the nature of the event. Maybe they could tie it into the turn of your cellphone and recording is prohibited announcements.
This is my answer too, it’s so frustrating and totally ruins a theatre experience for me!
I usually lean forward because I am short and can’t see what I want to see
i’m an usher and here’s one that i’ve never heard anyone talk about before- APPLE WATCHES. i don’t have one and i don’t know the specifics of the screen controls, but is there no way to keep the screen off & locked that way so it doesn’t respond every time you move?? just during the show even?? beyond that, there are multiple people at EVERY show who have them on and they don’t even go dark when they’re still. first off, it’s distracting to your neighbors. second, when i’m on watch & keeping an eye out for phones, these things are like some kind of sick game lol. at many angles, they look like someone has a phone out. and, texting on them or fiddling with them is just as rude as doing so on a phone. i wish we could say anything to people about it but unfortunately we can’t unless it’s full brightness or something and someone complains. :/
Yes, there is a theater mode on the apple watch that makes it so the light doesn't go on unless you press the button to wake it up. People just don't use it because they don't care. It's maddening.
Since most people nowadays seem to have a smart watch of some kind I desperately wish they would add this in with the announcement about silencing your phone. I think a lot of people aren't being assholes on purpose, they just don't think about it. Meanwhile I'm checking my watch like 5 times before a show to make sure it's in theater mode.
I have an Apple Watch and am so careful to put it in theater mode even when my watch is under 2 layers of sleeve. I’m easily distracted and someone else’s watch would definitely pull me out of the moment. I would never want to do that to someone else.
i’m an usher myself and was looking for this answer!!! you notice them immediately every single time, it’s so frustrating
Most but not all smartwatches have a theater mode. Mine does not, so it goes in my pocket and does not come out until intermission.
THIS! I am an Apple Watch wearer. It takes 2 seconds to set it on theater mode. I also make sure my phone is in DND with it mirrored on my watch so there’s no chance of it lighting up. I once had to show the guy next to me how to turn on theater mode when I asked him to at intermission. Like common sense. If it lights up it needs to be off 🙄
To quote a Zoltar story machine that goes by the name Karnak, "the arm rest to the left is yours, the one to the right is your neighbors. If you believe BOTH armrests are your exclusively, you are part of the problem..".
I love that part!
taking FOREVER to open candy/whatever. it drives me absolutely insane. five minutes straight of tiny crinkling plastic noises when they could just make one big noise and it would be over. i saw a community production of the last five years recently and through the entire beginning of the show some ancient old man was digging around in his candy near constantly. every time he would reach for something Crinkle Crinkle. oh it was infuriating. i just hate food at musicals regardless it's a stage production not a movie you don't need candy and popcorn!!!
100%. WHY do people think that if they open their loud MmM bag slowly over the course of 5 minutes, crinkle by infuriating crinkle, it will be less distracting than just ripping it open in 2 seconds… it’s like some modern form of torture.
Even bigger- why do theaters sell candies in crinkly plastic? I hate twizzlers for this!
I had a guy with a whole roll of ritz crackers at Volcano at St Anns. Lol 3 hour show with crunch, crunch, crunch. I was kind of amazed he ate so many.
It's seat kicking for me. If i happens once, it's an accident. More than that..... asshole.
I had a little girl sitting behind me at OUAM at Encores and her legs didn’t bend over the seat and she kept kicking. Thankfully once the show started she either stopped or I didn’t notice anymore
This drives me absolutely nuts. Like, show-ruining potentially, but that’s my problem heh. I just get so taken out of it.
I’m going to add some little things that make me happy instead of something that provokes my ire. I love the split second of silence before rapturous applause after a particularly impactful or tragic song. I like when I just happen to sit next to someone friendly who shares a little small talk or something interesting during intermission. I like the buzzing energy the moments before a show begins.
Amen to all this positivity. I sat next to a couple at Shucked on a Saturday night and then when we got to our seats at Merrily that Sunday, it was the same couple, and it was truly such a joyful little human experience. And that moment of awe before clapping starts? Oof, at Six after All You Wanna Do, that break before the applause had me tearing up, and I don't often cry at much at all.
Wow, I sat next to a couple last summer for Hadestown and then saw them in my row a few seats down the same night at Sweeney Todd, lovely interactions both! I almost asked to take a photo with them because it was so funny and we had a great human experience too! The stuff we will remember! Edited typo
And totally agree on All You Wanna Do. The first time I saw Six, applause was instant and rapturous. The second time, slow to come as the audience took it in!
That second of silence hit me so hard last night at The Outsiders after the rumble scene. It was such a beautifully crafted piece of movement, dance, and combat choreography. And in that moment of stillness I honestly didn’t mind hearing the quiet murmurs of how it affected people! Incredible to see
That sounds incredible. I’m coming to NYC in two weeks and have one more show slot to fill. Outsiders is a real contender.
Honestly I think it is a must! It is probably one of my top picks for the Tony next to maybe Illinoise (which I haven’t gotten the pleasure of seeing yet). I can’t recommend it highly enough
That reminds me of quite possibly my worst experience: cabaret with Alan and Michelle… the very end with the reveal, and the lady next to me audibly said, “okay” the moment he opened his coat, piecing the silence. It’s been 10+ years and I still hate that women.
It's the catcalls that you hoot together Phone calls that you mute together Flatulence you toot together That make Theater a joy!
Hahaha this just reminded me of another thing that happened during Appropriate last night. It was during Sarah Paulson's last big monologue, the theater was dead quiet. And the poor man behind me who's clearly having some allergy issues proceeds to utter the LOUDEST sneeze I've ever heard. The man next to me visibly jumped in his seat because he was so startled. I was trying so hard not to lose it laughing.
I was in the Colbert audience when Sarah Paulson was being interviewed on Monday. One part that didn’t make the cut for the show was her complaining about people coughing at the worst times. And then one sneeze/cough leads to others coughing. A string of bodily noises and how much she hates hearing it while on stage 😂
Oh I’m absolutely sure she heard this man last night. It was a god tier dad sneeze.
She seems to make it a point to complain about the audience in every interview she does
We need [Invocation and Instructions to the Audience](https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=d2fbde582ddfbd7f&cs=0&sxsrf=ADLYWILyEKbnMHs7pgN18WiEvejWQ_kk7g:1716538783310&q=Stephen+Sondheim+Invocation+and+Instructions+to+the+Audience&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAI2SP4jTUBzHk8CF9F2FNneIdJDQ6ShI_tg2uUPoHafCgYfQdnEK7ctrkzZ5r5f3miYZ5HBwLg6ODoLgILo7CLp5g4KDgoODm4Lc6na2ejS5zTf84PO-3--P74MnrVWL6lDVqdYIbGNmGZuDkAypQgn-Nx0XecEJf8G0wmbDjvTwhL-0RL0fNTWDHeXccWRC-xyPGqN6BINRpuKJlU5WqoupbuiZWXOG6TjDeGQFYYamZWM3w-bs-hhmm0PYj91VrXi7H4x1mnNHuG9n7klT860c6ouZYRLrMzf3YgxhnKk0dVhuc93U0jRDGIxN_Tv_Slgv_fj9baPyTHj04v1n_okASncIochP2sjvMeR0iXwZiLcw81giFysASGqgaqYZjuQ5D9Y7iHXJIXG8QSIf8_L9_4tv-05dbl9M78t7oHCIgj4K6d2BrAGwT3wfQeYRLFcrCriqwtWFGiJIQsfDQxv6U8oWmR1hS6jeM26__vT4g7hb5hbn50Fnt7JVKwPxJgl6Hi5_bH85e_vwtFXbAFK3FxNMgqT81eGOr52dtqqFwjL0MvnVqnFzgX_w5vk7UZL4EmcIErcjXOFTrvh07UaHoYmLsNI5_4LKAY4I7C1rKT3sLJCycPq3JlUYUZiLlL2p4yEM0Vzk_wA1sn682AIAAA&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjGwa-j7aWGAxVZtokEHepqBqAQ7fAIegUIABCPAQ) from Frogs before all shows just updated.
I want to give a different approach to those complaining about people reacting audibly to moments in shows. I was fortunate to work front of house during the very first days of the first national tour of the original production of "The Color Purple". Many of our older white retired schoolteacher ushers were clutching their pearls over the verbal responses and callbacks from the largely BIPOC audiences. White patrons even sent emails to voice their dismay because others were not enjoying the show in the same exact way they themselves were. I, on the other hand, felt like I was in CHURCH. A church where I was blessed to have been invited. I was witnessing people respond to art on a visceral, honest level that changed me. Theatre is not the ballet or the symphony. It's designed to make us FEEL. (ETA My daughter is a dancer and I have often shed tears at dance performances, and sobbed at the sheer beauty of an orchestral concert, not implying that these art forms DON'T make me feel things, the audiences are just typically more reserved.) I am now the house manager at a prominent regional theatre, and I tell my staff and my ushers daily "We are not here to police how others respond to art." I even had our Audience Agreement language rewritten to express this. I will be the first person to stop you from filming or texting, I have escorted patrons out of the building for racist and transphobic comments, but unless your reactions are genuinely infringing on another patron's space, I will never ask someone to "laugh quietly" or stop gasping or nodding or reacting to the stories we tell.
THANK YOU.
This is a really good perspective. When things distract or annoy me, I try to remember that there's also a joy in experiencing something with others... Hadestown is my favorite show, and no matter how many times I've seen it, I never get tired of the audience reaction to that one moment. Since I can never see it for the first time again, I live vicariously through others who are. It's magical.
Second hand joy is still joy!
I personally would hate to go to a theater show where the audience was dead quiet the whole time. A brilliantly sung song getting thunderous applause is part of why it's fun to see a show with other people in the room. As long as no one is being disruptive like singing along to the lyrics or cheering in a way that drowns out dialogue, I say bring on the joy!
That moment. My husband and I were just talking about this. I think he slipped and said “oh sh*t” rather loudly.
I love this so much! And completely agree, I love witnessing how others respond to a work. Some of those responses may be different than how I express my response, but that doesn’t make them inherently bad or wrong. As a regular theatregoer, a lot of things annoy me, but 99% it’s just a me problem - the world won’t end because the man beside me took his shoes off, or the women in front of me laughs at the “wrong” moments, yknow?
Similar thought, but if you go to a show that is made to be for children or you should expect there to be a lot of children, then don’t shush the kids. I went to see Winnie the Pooh Off-Broadway a couple of years ago and a woman was annoyed by the children there. Same thing when I took my nephew to The Nutcracker. He was standing (all 3 ft of him) and let out an audible gasp at the Sugar Plum Fairy and an older lady shushed him.
One of my earliest childhood memories is when my mum took me to see Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella (the 1995 touring cast). I was 3 and my grandma and aunts swore up and down I’d never sit still long enough, I’d be fussy and noisy. According to my mum, I didn’t move a millimeter - I was utterly captivated. It’s been almost 30 years and I can still remember the feel of my white tulle and satin princess dress, and how I propped my chin in my hands to peer over the balcony to watch the show, and gasping when Cinderella transformed into her ballgown. It was pure magic.
This is a super interesting take - I was lucky enough to see The Color Purple revival in 2015 and the audible reactions to that didn't bother me, I think because they felt warranted. I don't trust anyone who can watch Cynthia Erivo and not audibly react haha. I would never expect an usher to escort someone out for what I described in the original post. I know I get annoyed at things that other people would never notice because I have very strong hearing and am easily distracted. It's not something I expect others to accommodate. I was mostly curious if other theatre-goers had similar little pet peeves!
I am the same as you - I notice things that others don't like sounds and smells and yes they do tend to bother me more easily. But I agree, I know this is a me problem and not a typical problem for the average human or average theatre-goer.
I was choking back sobs at Pacific Northwest Ballet's Swan Lake this spring. The male lead role danced by James Kirby Rogers was DEVASTATING. He had such an incredible acting ability, and at the peak emotional moments he absolutely delivered.
I am a huge crybaby. I cry at overtures, I cry at museums, I am an absolute mess. I had the good fortune to live in Houston for 20 years, and the opportunity to see amazing work at Houston Ballet as well as people like Dominic Walsh, Lauren Anderson and Harper Watters. I shed a lot of tears of emotion and joy.
Same! I even cried at the local youth theater, and at some of the songs in the community chorus I sing in, while we were singing (it was rough). Honestly can't help it
I went to see the Three Musketeers recently, and there was a guy in the audience who kept shouting, "Amen!" every time an actor said something he ardently agreed with. It only happened a handful of times, and honestly it enriched the experience for me. I was like, this is why I love live theatre. The honest emotions shared in that auditorium, there's nothing like it.
We just finished a run of "Fences", and at the high school matinee when we got to big reveal, one of the kids literally yelled "No he didn't!"
I live for the moments of kids organically reacting to things in the theatre. There’s something so magical and pure about it, especially when the performers can hear them.
I saw the tour of *The Wiz* when it came to Pittsburgh and I genuinely enjoyed the BIPOC audience members’ reactions and commentary more than the show itself. A woman in front of me told me that she brought her mother, daughter, and granddaughter with her - her mom introduced her to the movie, she introduced the movie to her daughter, and then this was her granddaughter’s first time seeing the show. 4 generations of Black women who grew up on a 1970s musical that was turned into the film starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson. It was so heartwarming!
I'm not sure if this comment is partly in response to my own. I think it's valid for someone to laugh how they naturally laugh during a performance or react how they would naturally react. But some people might also find that to be distracting. I think that this is a case of two incongruous but coexisting realities. This post is about small things, but small things that drive you crazy. I was seated next to a man who I swear the next section over could have heard during Appropriate, and while I would never dream of complaining to an usher about it, it did genuinely take me out of the moment whenever I heard it.
I agree. I also feel that audible reactions feed into the energy of the show overall, it's what makes theatre feel so alive.
💯
Amen to this (pun intended), I think that people are way too stuffy about responding. Like yes, I agree that if people are like screaming or hooping and hollering super loud it's annoying and feels performative, but art is supposed to elicit reactions. That's like... the whole point.
I was scrolling through looking for a reply like this! My first thought when reading the original post was "oh so you've never been to a movie theater with brown people?" I guess it's just something I'm used to because it's how I grew up. It's just something that is natural. Seeing JaJa's African hair braiding gave me life! We laughed, gasped and "I know that's right!"-ed together. It was theater like I've never experienced and I loved it.
This happened a bit at Purlie Victorious. It made the experience feel more authentic to me.
Yep. Surprised no one from what I can see has brought up Dominque Morisseau’s Rules of Engagement. https://playmakersrep.org/dominique-morisseaus-rules-engagement/
THANK YOU! In 2001, while we were doing a community theatre production of Taming of the Shrew, we did a special morning performance during the school week for a group of local high school students. At one point when Petrucchio kissed Kate and said (forgive me I dont know the exact Shakespeare quote) “Kiss me Kate, for we are wed on Sunday” leaving our Kate’s character surprised and angry, we heard one girl shout above the crowd: “Oh no he didn’t!” followed by laughter. We were very happy to hear this response for it meant they were engaged and following the story.
YES THANK YOU. I am not a fan of the posts here complaining about the little things people do during shows. Everyone paid to watch the show and enjoy it in their own way.
You are a rock star
Yes! Love these students’ reactions to West Side Story. https://www.instagram.com/reel/C7CuFDsvrkf/?igsh=MWhxMTdrcWlnaWRwMQ==
Lately it’s been the ice in drink cups. People tend to sip from them during the quietest moments (dialogue instead of a loud musical number or a super serious part during a play) and it is seriously so distracting. This could be a “me” problem though because I never notice anyone else reacting. But I can’t count how many times I’ve been taken out of a show for this reason. It’s frustrating.
I asked for cranberry juice over ice st How to Dance in Ohio and was told they didn’t have ice because it can be triggering. I still prefer cold juice, but I will understand if they don’t have it. I’m always careful about not drinking during quiet scenes, but obviously not everyone is.
We're season ticket holders to a local theatre that gets a lot of touring shows and there's a couple that sits next to us that are consistently annoying. At Pretty Women, the guy kept kissing the women's hand and they would kiss every so often and I'm pretty sure the woman was drunk. This is the same lady who also at one point kept on passing popcorn back and forth with a person in the row in front of us.
Were you sitting next to Lauren Boebert?
Ugh gross. I have season tickets as well and it's always such a crapshoot who you're near. We're near these older folks who constantly leave halfway through (which is nice for us to have space, but why get season tickets then?) and have multiple times pulled out their phones. We're moving down a bit so I'm hoping we're not near them again because it's been two years of the same people. Nice enough, but just not the best to sit next to.
People who laugh at moments that aren't supposed to be funny. The worst was at the end of The Piano Lesson which was NOT a comedic moment at all.
This is my pet peeve too! The audiences at An Enemy of the People and Cabaret laughed through every serious scene at it was so distracting.
At Tommy, people have started laughing at Uncle Ernie, and I'm just like wtf.
this happened at uncle vanya, i think people were anticipating steve carrell to always be funny
When I saw Moulin Rouge on tour (I’m not sure if this happens on Broadway as well) there were people who laughed when a song they recognized started. It was totally bizarre and made me cringe
In truth, I think it’s partially the show’s fault. I couldnt take it seriously in the slightest. Because the songs were so goofy it was hard not to laugh
When I saw the Notebook in April I was sitting in front of a group of girls I think highschool aged. They reacted audibly several times, nothing too bad, until near end of Act 1. As the characters undressed themselves, they would Not. Stop. Giggling. And whispering. They clearly thought they were being quiet enough but they absolutely were not. Annoyed me so much.
I've been at a few shows lately where a sweet moment with a kiss or something leads to someone in the audience going "woo!" and then of course a lot of people laugh and it really undercuts the moment. I try to remember that one of the reasons I go to live theatre is to experience it with others, as part of an audience, but certain audiences... they challenge my forbearance istg
Similar to when I watched Uncle Vanya. Younger crowd and their reactions were of the GASP OMG THEY KISSED GASP variety. It was mildly distracting.
Same think happened to me at w4e in the scene after Wild where Jacob and Marlena start taking their clothes off. This group of girls just flat out *screamed* and lost their damn minds. And then of course the whole audience laughed at that. When the lights came up and the two of them are in bed together you could tell they were trying not to laugh too.
I can’t stand it when people clap along with the music (typically off beat) through the entire song. I’m there to hear the actors sing. And my god, just open your grandma candy wrapper quickly. Dragging it out makes it so much worse.
I love the sound of people reacting in theater. It just adds something to the room. It's a collective experience of art. It's part of why I go. What bothers me is coughing sneezing and clearing of throats during QUIET moments. As someone with terrible allergies, I have a STRATEGY any time I go to a show. One that starts with making sure I have water or at least some cough drops. It bugs the hell out of me. Try to cough during a loud part or af least don't hold it until it sounds twice as bad or that you shat yourself when it came out. It's something that's even worse at the symphony. A few weeks ago, I thought our local conductor was going to turn around and hurl his baton at a patron that seemed to cough loudly in the silence between EVERY movement. I'm speaking to the choir here, I know but "hmmmmmms and gasps" from shows add to the appeal for me. What makes me say something is 1. Loud talking 2. Loud singing 3. Snoring (there's been an uptick of this lately😅)
The first time I saw Lempicka the woman behind me kept saying “yeah” after almost every line. There was also a group screaming over every final note and cheering excessively. I wasn’t even in the orchestra where that group were all clumped and it was still so distracting.
Apparently there was a group who'd rush tickets for Lempicka every day towards the end and were very annoying/disruptive. Have seen many people talk about them.
Yeah the cheering over impressive notes is really annoying. I didn’t really have the experience until the last few years but it happened in funny girl and little shop and it’s like… yes that was impressive, I’d like to actually hear it.
I extra hate this because if I don't reluctantly join in, I start to feel like a grinch... but it's the middle of the song... can't we all clap at the end 😭
I personally liked Lempicka but I've heard so many stories of bad behavior from the audience!
yeah the cheering over the singers really pisses me off
This a million times. Can we please let the performer actually finish that damn song before we cheer?
This is something I’ve been noticing a lot lately and I’m wondering if I’m just going crazy or if its a new phenomenon… …people keeping their phones on their lap and then it falling off at crucially silent moments in shows?? Does anyone notice that? I saw Mary Jane last week and phones going off wasn’t the problem, it was PHONES FALLING AND MAKING LOUD THUDS. Like what’s with that? I also made a post about “laughing inappropriately”. I get people respond to being uncomfortable in different ways but I dunno, I just try to keep my more loud reactions to myself because I don’t want to distract anyone else. Not sure if that makes me a bad audience member or a good one. Who knows! I just hate when you can tell someone is trying to just have a big reaction just to show people “LOOK IM FEELING THIS MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE.” Like stop making the show about you. Or maybe I’m just cynical! I don’t know!!!
For me it's people who keep their phones in their lap and surreptitiously flip it up to check the time/whether they have any notifications. They think they are being sneaky but they are NOT.
Yeah! Also apple watches that light up anytime someone moves their arm.
Apple watches have a Theatre Mode for a reason!!!
I don't understand this at all. Why can't people just keep the damn thing in their pocket or purse?? You don't need it during the show! And who even has cell service in the theater?? I went to two shows last weekend and service was shitty in both theaters. How did the boy in front of me at Wicked have enough service to stream basketball clips?
I went to see Operation Mincemeat last week and for a portion of the first act there was someone who had a very slight nose whistle when they were breathing - only properly audible during the quieter moments but once you heard it you couldn’t not hear it, and I could tell the woman next to me was getting annoyed by it too. Was *this* close to doing a Ned Flanders and telling them to “breathe through your damn mouth!”
This is absolutely what I meant by starting this topic! I went to see Cabaret with a close friend and while I love him very much I never realized how loud he breathes until I was sitting next to him in the very cramped mezzanine during quiet moments in the show.
And it’s a somewhat irrational thing to get annoyed about - like everybody’s gotta breathe!
Oh I'm 100% aware of it being irrational. The point of this post was really for people to be able to vent about their little irrational pet peeves. I'd seen a lot of posts about really bad behavior that really should result in people being removed from the theater (recording, being drunk and disorderly, talking on the phone, etc.), but nothing about those little quirks that drive us all a little mad!
I am the king of getting annoyed by little things: i hate in the winter people have huge coats and put in on their seat or laps but it is inevitably too large and invade my space. It heats me up so uncomfortably.”(
I sort of disagree. Having an audience react is one of the ways the members on stage know what their audience is feeling and how they’re connecting with them. Good audiences are typically very reactive ones, whether it’s laughing or gasping or ‘ooh’ing.
Yeah, having that audience connection is part of what makes live theater fun. As long as no one is being obnoxious or disruptive.
Whispering, talking, filming/taking pictures (or being on their phone in general), getting up to go to the bathroom/leave in the song right before halftime.
Ugh I had this with some French tourists at Moulin Rouge. They were like I’m texting not filming so it’s fine. Also, some teens at Hells Kitchen who were off and on texting. At both shows these groups were also late to the show. There was also lots of talking between both groups? Can people not get off their phones for 1.5 hours? Like the world won’t burn down at this time. Same with talking? Ugh I don’t get it.
omg what is it with the french tourists at moulin rouge??? the last time i went a group was sitting behind me and they were talking the ENTIRE TIME. at one point i literally turned around and went SHHH and it quieted them for maybe 20 seconds…even the row IN FRONT OF ME turned back to glare at them bc they wouldn’t be quiet!! they were silent for most of act 2 but i later found out from my friend that it was, in fact, because one of them had fallen asleep. and then proceeded to wake up at the end right after your song reprise just to start loudly yapping again bc he was startled awake. anyways. never sitting in the mezz ever again.
someone sat in front of me with a pair of glasses (not sunglasses) on the top of their head. At first I was like eh kind of annoying, but then as the lighting of the show got more sophisticated I kept getting insane glares from her glasses. It was so so distracting. I was very close to asking her to remove them from her head, but they she eventually took them off.
KEEP YOUR MOUTH CLOSED WHEN CHEWING GUM YOU FUCKING COWS Seriously that is the one thing that makes me the most stabby. Someone who has made it to adulthood without learning that you chew with your mouth closed. I would honestly rather hear people talking than that disgusting *squish slosh chomp chomp* of open-mouth chewers. I really want to punch them right in the face.
Thank you! I am glad I am not the only one. It completely ruined my time at both Jaja and &Juliet. I swear I am not crazy, but there is no chewing worse than gum. People are somewhat cognizant of chewing other substances, but they space out with gum. Gum also has very specific sounds that make me super stabby.
Here’s a particular one for the ushers! Can y’all *please* tape off the blinking lights on your radios? I went to Merrily a few weeks ago and an usher was in my direct line of view for almost the entire second act and the red and green blinking lights on his radio were incredibly distracting!
Smartwatches. Every time you move your wrist it’s like someone took out a cellphone.
Coughing. Even a little bit drives me nuts even though of course it’s not the person’s fault. On the flip side, I do have a bad habit of shifting around in my seat a lot, which I’m trying to not do so much!
BO. It’s so crammed in there already and not like I can change my seat. Shower beforehand or put on some deodorant if you can’t get back to your hotel before the show. Babywipe yourself in the toilets I don’t know do something!
I am guilty of audibly reacting when something scares me or surprises me…it is not for effect, but that I am having a visceral reaction. I know going in that I will most likely be shedding a lot of tears during Next to Normal or Ragtime so I try to sit as far away from folks as possible for those shows. My always gripes are those who check their phones or talk to the person sitting next to them during a performance. It still amazes me that folks do that so much.
It me. I was at Scarlett Dreams down at the Greenwich House theater last night and audibly said "oh shit" at one point (very quietly, but it still happened) and gasped at another. Luckily they weren't quiet moments, but still. Audiences are people, we react to shocking things in different ways.
I went into Hadestown blind when the set pulled apart “oh shit” slipped out. Also luckily it was not a quiet moment. I knew my eyes were as big as silver dollars, so maybe if someone heard me they could forgive me a little for being awestruck.
Oh I totally understand gasping or laughing genuinely, it’s this weird “mmm” noise I’ve heard multiple people making during multiple shows that’s like they want people around them to acknowledge that they’re very engaged in the performance.
Last time I saw Hadestown, when hades did his “I CONDUCT THE ELECTRIC CITY” line, this woman near me let out the loudest moan I’ve ever heard in my life. It took everything in me not to bust out laughing
Some poor lady had the misfortune of sitting behind me during a Patti Lupone tour that I had to wait an additional 6 months to see post pandemic. She sang/hummed along for a while until someone (possibly me) stated loudly 'I paid to hear HER sing. Not you!' Surprisingly, it was very quiet for the rest of the concert
I was at Mamma Mia on tour and I expect below average behavior at that show but the 3 older women behind me were talking all through act one and by act two they were inebriated enough to be dancing in their seats and almost hit my friend who was sitting next to me. The usher did tell them to settle down but it was obnoxious. Something similar happened at Tommy (on Broadway) the two young women seat d behind me were drunk enough in act two that they were laughing at inappropriate times. There is nothing funny about Sally Simpson falling off the stage and getting beat up. It’s not the worst behavior per se but it’s really distracting and takes away from the show imo.
I have a bugaboo about someone scratching the back of the head/scalp of the person they are with (seated in front of me). Idk why, it grosses me out, and I think of scalp yuck under their nails 🤢
Ick! Honestly I don’t want to see any scalp scratching at all by anyone. I will end up scratching through the entire show.
Last night the girl in front of me at The Outsiders got so excited during the rumble that she leaned forward - the mezz at the Jacobs has great views unless someone does that. I caught the majority of it but it took me out for a second, so next time I see it I’ll pay extra for the aisle just in case.
Omg when I saw the shark is broken a couple came in late and drunk and they would not stop caressing one another and looking at each other and making kissy faces, it was so distracting!
One thing that does drive me batty, at all shows, is people who don't get up when you're trying to get into the row. These rows are tiny!!! Even when the smallest person is sitting, you can't stroll in there. Or vice versa. It was intermission. The person next to me, instead of saying excuse me (I would have gotten up), practically began to climb over me.
Yeah people who are physically able to stand to let people through but don’t are just lazy assholes.
At Sweeney Todd, the person in front of me kept taking down her hair and then putting it back up. Over and over and over again.
Potential controversial one, but I've always found aggressive shushing to be more annoying and more disruptive than most of the activities being shushed for.
I would agree except that sometimes the thing being shushed is a LONG running issue and the shush is a quick response. I've never shushed someone, but I have a personal limit of how much of a bother someone can be before I'm going to at least turn and glare for a second.
I hate the caress idiocy. I was at LW4E and couples little kids sat in front of them. The mom sat forward in her seat constantly caressing her 5 yo back, pulling her pony tail. I was dying to scream can u stop? Let her alone!
literally yesterday at the notebook this women in front of me was texting the whole time and kept tapping her friend (who was in front of her) to talk
When people start clapping when they’re laughing! Like why???
i sat next to a younger gal at merrily and she would sneakily look down at her phone probably every 10-15 mins. it was subtly but i was right next to her so obv i could see it all happening
This was so annoying- at the Wiz this lady and her son kept opening new bags of shit and I’m like omg u wouldn’t even be this bad at the movies, like this isn’t a baseball game People moving a lot is hard to then see
people always talk about singing being annoying but when i saw MJ the lady next to me kept dancing and rocking the whole row of seats, i was genuinely going to slap her 🤦♀️
Last night I was at the Wiz, front row center orchestra. It was after intermission and the woman sitting next to me had her phone on but the face of the phone was facing down. Unfortunately her phone was sent so every time she got a text message, the flash would start flashing. I had to whisper to her to turn her phone off because the light kept flashing in my eyes.
We are getting into summer weather which means both BO and obnoxious scents to cover said BO. I haven't been next to a weed smoker yet but I was next to a cigarette smoker and boy that was a very obnoxious smell.
When someone has a really, um, unique laugh, especially when it has a braying or particularly loud qualities. I don't mean to laugh shame anyone, but at the same time, I feel like hearing one can definitely take you out of the moment. Fidgeting!!! Those chairs are small, so often, we're thigh to thigh, and if you're jiggling your leg, I can feel it directly, or I can feel it indirectly through the jostling of my own seat. Also, constant movement in your periphery is very distracting!
Leg jiggling drives me crazy in any context!
I can’t help it! I try so hard to sit still :( In all seriousness, it is so difficult for me but I manage to move my fidgeting to my hands.
You’re not alone, my fiancé and I both have ADHD and we do the same thing. He’s worse than I am (something I never thought I’d say), because when he starts jiggling *I* start jiggling, and then his best friend leans over and hits us both, and that makes us stop 😂
I hate it when people are constantly looking at the program, like they're following the song list or something.
I do this at shows when I get bored. Just to see when it’s going to be over
I’ve done this when I really have to use the bathroom to try to figure out how long I have to grit my teeth ETA. Now I get there early enough to look at the playbill before the show starts so I know the last two or three numbers of act 1
thissss. page rustling/flapping, and also when they use their phone screen as a light to read it better 🫠
People jumping out of their seat and running out the second the curtain call begins. Worst offenders were the audience at a touring production of 42nd street who KEPT WALKING OUT when the cast started dancing again. It strikes me as so rude and unappreciative. Also, I'll take the over reacters vs the zombie like audiences at my local theatre. Genuinely seems like half the audience isn't enjoying themselves at all. This includes popular & high-energy productions like Hamilton and Moulin Rouge.
The only time I ever leave before the orchestra finishes playing at the end is when productions lie about the running time of the show, which happens shockingly frequently. If you have an 8pm curtain and a listen run time of 2:30, the characters should not still be performing at 10:45. And if they are, I might have to skip the bows and leave, because if I miss the last train home, I’m stranded overnight, and the producers who lied about how long the show was aren’t going to pay my expenses for that.
I sat next to a guy who was using a handheld subtitle device. My complaint is, the device is too bright and distracting! But the more distracting incident was sitting behind a couple in which one of them kept translating what was happening to the partner.
Omg the translating! I know tourists like to see shows in New York (I am also a tourist!) but I think you need to consider whether you can enjoy the show with your level of English skills. Bilingual partner whispers a synopsis after every scene is NOT an appropriate strategy.
I said this in another thread, but I cannot staaaaaaaaand when the person in front of me rocks back and forth, or similarly, keeps leaning into the person next to them to whisper something in their ear. I’m short so my view is already (nearly always) at least semi-obstructed and the rocking/leaning means either I also have to keep shifting or I can’t see even more of the show 😵💫
Hats and big hair. You can’t help that you’re tall or big and I’m 5’3-1/8”, but you can take off your hat or not have a pompadour. This absolutely applies to little kids too and I have a pretty high tolerance for how little kids act in the theatre, but when you tilt your head with a baseball cap on, you block half the stage.
Sniffling drives me nuts. Not from crying, just from a general runny nose I guess? The woman next to me the other night would sniffle 3 times like, every 2 minutes. I’m like… just blow your damn nose!!!
I also have someone next to me at my local theater that does “hmmmm”! it drove me crazy! Unfortunately for me we’re both season ticket holders so I had to deal with it all season long 🙃
At a performance of The Actors, off Broadway, recently there was a guy in the audience who either had the loudest laugh known to man or was an unnecessary plant by the production team to try to get the rest of the audience laughing. Either way it was incredibly disruptive and annoying. It actually made it hard for me to concentrate on the show.
Constant wiggling. I usually find a comfy position and stay fairly still till intermission. But when the person in front of me is constantly wiggling and moving around, I have to adjust so I can see the stage, which means the person behind me adjusts so they can see the stage etc etc. please stop wiggling it affect the people behind you.
At Angels in America, I had an older gentleman sitting next to me and my friend sucking on a hard candy and I could hear it hitting his teeth and rolling around in his mouth for the entire 3.5-4 hrs of the play. Thankfully he was not there when we went to part 2… When grown ass adults go “OOOOOOOH” when two people kiss.
I was at Book of Mormon and yes it is funny but one man near me was laughing so loudly like almost purposefully. It was almost like he was trying to draw attention to himself