Audience Behaviour

[alison]

Midsummers last night and Comedy of Errors tonight. Bliss!!!

They're doing MND again? MArvellous. Must see (again).

[Jacqueline]

I don't remember that one, but I do remember Not The 9 O'Clock News doing several queue sketches of various sorts, including the one where men are standing in line waiting for a phone box.  They don’t want to make a phone call, either!  I think the only answer is to have a female equivalent of the Gents' urinals.  Or use the Gents. 

 

Talking about toilets, I went to the Wyndham Theatre this week, and my friend and I decided to splash out on one of boxes for 2 people.  We had a good view of all but the extreme corner of the stage, and best of all, we had our own loo which we only shared with the other 2 person box on that side of the stage.   

 

So I decided this was too good an opportunity to miss, and went along to use it.  It was wonderful, with lovely smart striped wallpaper, scented soap, posh hand cream, the lot. However, somebody kept rattling the door handle.  Now, if there is one thing I hate, it is somebody rattling the door handle while I am in the loo, especially if I have only just closed the door.  Does the person outside think I am going to go any faster if they do that?   

 

So I made quite sure that my hair was perfectly combed, my makeup immaculate, and that hand cream thoroughly rubbed in before I opened the door.  And then I gave the two people from the box next door a charming smile as they stood there looking boot faced.  Childish, I know, but on this occasion I think they deserved it. 

It may well have been NTNOCN rather than Monty P. Sounds like the kind of thing Mel Smith would have done with his wonderful, lugubrious expression. I remember the telephone box sketch. Did they hold the door open for each other though? 

As for your trip to the posh loo, good for you keeping them waiting. I would have done the same and also made sure there was no loo paper left either!

[Fonty]

It may well have been NTNOCN rather than Monty P. Sounds like the kind of thing Mel Smith would have done with his wonderful, lugubrious expression. I remember the telephone box sketch. Did they hold the door open for each other though? 

As for your trip to the posh loo, good for you keeping them waiting. I would have done the same and also made sure there was no loo paper left either!

 

 

I don't remember the telephone door etiquette. 

 

I only had a very small bag with me, so pinching the loo roll was not an option. 

[ukcarter]

There is an old sketch (Monty Python?) where people are standing in a long, slow moving queue leading to a door. When they reach the door and go through, they find themselves in another long queue, leading to another door. When they go through the second door, they find themselves at the back of the first queue they were in. Possibly funnier in action than to read about! 

 

That was the much-missed Dave Allen - I think that very sketch was broadcast relatively recently as part of a programme on him.

[Jan McNulty]

Hello UKCarter.  Welcome to the Forum!  I hope you will carry on posting!

[Jacqueline]

That was the much-missed Dave Allen - I think that very sketch was broadcast relatively recently as part of a programme on him.

You are absolutely right, I remember seeing it now on the documentary about the late, great Dave Allen!! I think the queue was at the job centre or something like that. I used to love his sketches. I remember one about the old lady in the park who had just cleared up her dog's doings and put the package in her handbag. She was then 'mugged' by Dave who ran off with the handbag. He put his hand in the bag to see what riches he had stolen, only to find, well, you can imagine. 

[Jan McNulty]

An interesting point of view about an incident on Jessica Duchen's Blog

[SusanR]

I was at the Russian Ballet Icons gala on Sunday & my evening was ruined by an extremely arrogant Russian! I had a lovely seat at the end of a row in the dress circle.The people sitting next to me in the first half didn't return for the second part & as the lights dimmed this man barged past me without apology. He then proceeded to constantly look at his mobile phone & took pictures of all the dancers, at times holding the phone above his head. It must have been a nightmare for the people behind him. I was so furious it spoilt my evening completely. It was an expensive trip as I had to stay in London overnight due to no late trains.....I did speak to the house manager but, of course, there wasn't much she could do after the event!

Some people's behaviour is making me wary of going to the theatre or cinema.

Susan

[Amelia]

... an extremely arrogant Russian... proceeded to constantly look at his mobile phone & took pictures of all the dancers, at times holding the phone above his head.

.....I did speak to the house manager but, of course, there wasn't much she could do after the event!

 

 

O Susan, how I share your indignation! If there was just one extremely arrogant Russian there! I was irritated by several people who were reading messages on their shining mobiles, taking pictures and filming. The results of their deeds are proudly displayed now on Russian websites.

Very good for you to talk to the manager but it is much better to write to the Coliseum administration that the ushers took a back seat last night and allowed the cheeky people to spoil that evening for other viewers. The manager can and must act even after the event - she must train her stuff properly and supervise how they follow her instruction. I will write!

Edited March 11, 2014 by Amelia

[Fonty]

Do you thing a time might come when people will be banned from taking their mobiles into theatres?

 

I love youtube clips as much as the next person, but if it is causing a nuisance to others, then I can live with them. 

[SusanR]

I did actually write to the house manager today, Amelia.I await her reply!

Susan

[capybara]

I too had problems at the Russian Ballet Icons Gala. The three men in front of me were constantly on the move, not only with their heads (swaying from from side to side) but also, variously, leaning forward and leaning to talk to one another during the dancing. So they were noisy as well as physically disruptive. I should say, however, that they were not Russian and they only switched their phones on once the curtain came down.

[Amelia]

I did actually write to the house manager today, Amelia.I await her reply!

Susan

Well done, Susan!

I did write too.

[annaliesey]

Has anyone mentioned doughnuts yet? I don't mean the food sort but the hair do sort that add an extra 10" of height or even more if they are the scruffy sort.

 

I mean ... Why would anyone do that knowing they are going to a theatre?

 

Surely that's like going to the cinema and wearing a blooming cowboy hat! Are these women crazy?

 

I swear if I sit behind one more I shall sit there and quietly and carefully unpin it .. A bit like a game of kerplunk.

 

Discreetly whispering the plot to a child struggling with story I can cope with.

 

I can even cope with men who slip off their shoes to reveal a sweaty aroma.

 

I can forgive kids that kneel up on booster cushions but only sometimes.

 

But if I see anyone in the foyer wearing a foot tall doughnut in their hair I'm going to have to ask them where they are sitting and change seats in future.

 

Wouldn't it be great if there was a foot lever under each seat that had a short/medium/tall setting for the person's height if they were too tall (with their hair do for example) you could just press the lever with your foot to push their seat down a tad

[alison]

Very good for you to talk to the manager but it is much better to write to the Coliseum administration that the ushers took a back seat last night and allowed the cheeky people to spoil that evening for other viewers. The manager can and must act even after the event - she must train her stuff properly and supervise how they follow her instruction. 

 

I must admit, I'm surprised about this: I've generally found the Coliseum ushers to be very alert to any instances of filming.  I'm starting to feel quite glad I didn't go, now - I've been reminded about some quite considerable problems I had with various audience members (again, many of them Russian, I seem to remember) last year.  I can't remember whether I wrote about it at the time, but can't be bothered to scroll through 22 pages to find out.

 

Has anyone mentioned doughnuts yet? I don't mean the food sort but the hair do sort that add an extra 10" of height or even more if they are the scruffy sort.

 

I mean ... Why would anyone do that knowing they are going to a theatre?

 

Surely that's like going to the cinema and wearing a blooming cowboy hat! Are these women crazy?

 

I swear if I sit behind one more I shall sit there and quietly and carefully unpin it .. A bit like a game of kerplunk.

 

I love that idea

But I think the answer to your question is that it probably doesn't occur to them: they just think of it as a smart hairdo for a night out, and don't think that someone may be sitting behind them.  In fact, I saw someone with probably an added 6" of hair only the other day, probably at the ROH, although it might have been at the Coli.  I remember pitying the poor person sitting behind them.

[Aruna S]

I must admit, I'm surprised about this: I've generally found the Coliseum ushers to be very alert to any instances of filming. 

 

 

I'm surprised too. I remember an usher coming across to tell my husband he wasn't allowed to take a photograph of our son in his seat *long before* the performance started!

[Aruna S]

I had Russian ladies sitting near me at the ROH during the Bolshoi's 2010 season, and they sang/hummed loudly along with the music during both Coppelia and Giselle. Politely asking them to stop had no effect, they didn't seem to understand me and the few words of Russian I know were of no use. This hasn't happened so far anywhere else, thank goodness.

[Amelia]

Yes, Alison and Afds, it surprised me too. It looked as if they took a different attitude to a Sunday gala with a handful of "extremely arrogant Russians" in every seating area.

[SusanR]

Reference my post number 635 on this thread, I am beginning to wonder if it is me, attracting rude audience members! I was at Kings of the Dance on Saturday evening, sitting in the front row of the dress circle.Two ladies came & sat beside me & started drinking wine & eating chorizo crisps!The wine I could tolerate but the crisps were so smelly........when I pointed out that you shouldn't eat in the auditorium, one woman said that it was OK as the show hadn't started!I am seriously thinking of curtailing my trips to the ballet as every performance I have been to recently has been spoilt.

Perhaps theatre's should print a code of conduct & give one to each audience member as they enter the auditorium.

Susan

[Jan McNulty]

At some arenas they go as far as searching people's bags to ensure they haven't got food with them - although that is mainly to ensure that you have to buy from the vendors inside the venue!

[taxi4ballet]

Reference my post number 635 on this thread, I am beginning to wonder if it is me, attracting rude audience members! I was at Kings of the Dance on Saturday evening, sitting in the front row of the dress circle.Two ladies came & sat beside me & started drinking wine & eating chorizo crisps!The wine I could tolerate but the crisps were so smelly........when I pointed out that you shouldn't eat in the auditorium, one woman said that it was OK as the show hadn't started!I am seriously thinking of curtailing my trips to the ballet as every performance I have been to recently has been spoilt.

Perhaps theatre's should print a code of conduct & give one to each audience member as they enter the auditorium.

Susan

Could you take a can of air freshener with you and spray it liberally about?

[RobertL]

Almost everyone in the amphitheatre talking over the Orchestra between Act II and Act III of The Sleeping Beauty.

[aileen]

I wouldn't say that 'almost everyone' in the Amphitheatre was talking then but some certainly were. Quite a few people were sshing other people during the overture.

[EM12]

Almost everyone in the amphitheatre talking over the Orchestra between Act II and Act III of The Sleeping Beauty.

Completely agree! I think its terrible to talk so loudly over that beautiful Tchaikovsky music.  There might not be anyone dancing on stage but the music still part of the performance.

[Jan McNulty]

Hello Emilyyy and welcome to the Forum.  I do hope we will hear more from you!

[Melody]

I remember a time when that music was actually part of the action - when they had a proper interval between Acts 2 and 3, and Act 3 started with a grand entrance to that grand music. I suppose with this need to wind up performances by a particular time they can't have a full interval between the two acts any more, but it does seem like a shame when people treat that lovely march like background noise.

Edited April 2, 2014 by Melody

[capybara]

Unfortunately, many people talked through the music interlude between Firebird and Second Breath at Lest We Forget last night. While this was discourteous to the orchestra, the problem may have been that the audience wanted to comment on Firebird. I was bursting with appreciation for Ksenia Ovsyanick's amazing performance but had to hold myself in check!

[LinMM]

Perhaps they should have had one of these 5min Pauses in between then where the lights come on low just for a few mins between ballets. This has happened at the ROH on occasions. Just gives the audience a breather so to speak.

[MAB]

The natterers behind me were not discussing ballet.

 

The musical interlude Cortege was very much part of the programme, the compser died in the first world war.  Here is a brief biography and a picture of the original blood-stained score of the music that I was forced to struggle to hear uninterrupted last night.

 

http://www.warcomposers.co.uk/coles.html

[Petunia]

I´ve been to SB and Lest We Forget on April 1st and 2nd and was really surprised by the audiences being so fidgety and lacking of concentration. Talking during the musical interludes and (as it was the case at the ROH) constant fiddling with cellphones is something I am not used to.

 

I spent quite an amount of money and time to book tickets, flight and hotel and was looking forward to it for weeks. For me it was a very special occasion and although I wouldn´t say it was spoilt by such a behaviour it made me feel somehow uncomfortable and slightly embarrassed.

 

And what I found very remarkable was that at the end the applause was so short! I´d never thought us Berliners being a very enthusiastic lot but we wouldn´t have let the dancers go without extensive curtain calls, especially after a world premiere!

[Jan McNulty]

Hi Petunia - was it because the house lights came up very quickly.  I've often been at performances (not just dance) where there has been rapturous applause at the end and suddenly the house lights come up and kill it dead.

[capybara]

And what I found very remarkable was that at the end the applause was so short! I´d never thought us Berliners being a very enthusiastic lot but we wouldn´t have let the dancers go without extensive curtain calls, especially after a world premiere!

ENB is notoriously parsimonious where curtain calls are concerned. It is sometimes connected with the need to finish the show by 10.30pm but, even yesterday afternoon, the audience was left clapping long after the drape had come down.

 

[Edited to shift an additional comment into the Lest We Forget thread.]

Edited April 4, 2014 by capybara

[aileen]

Conversely, I sometimes feel that curtain calls go on too long at the ROH and that some dancers expect too much applause at their end of their variations and pdds etc.