capybara Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 You should see the seat snatching bag-laden ladies at the Mariinsky! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 I'm sure there's a short ballet in this somewhere!! In one of the Scream movies can't remember which number probably Scream 10!! The audience turns on a disruptive member and she does not come to a good end!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 You should see the seat snatching bag-laden ladies at the Mariinsky! They must have popped over to London for one of the recent Russian Icons galas: I seem to remember one of them insisting on plonking herself next to me, with bags, in the balcony, despite the fact that I held both tickets (and was sitting in the aisle seat, of course). Did it during the performance so I couldn't remonstrate with her, I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulip Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 Last night I went to watch Jesus Christ Superstar at the Empire Theatre in Liverpool. The audience behaved impeccably. No mobile phones, talking or eating during the performance, no complaints at all. The show was fantastic and wow what a theatre. A good evening all round. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted March 29, 2015 Author Share Posted March 29, 2015 Glad you enjoyed your visit to the Empire Tulip. It is a barn of a theatre, holding over 2300 on 2 levels, but I always enjoy my visits there. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulip Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 It's my favourite theatre Janet, so pretty and a nice big stage with depth to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 I hear that sandwiches (purchased outside the ROH!) were being consumed in the Grand Tier last week during a performance of Swan Lake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted March 29, 2015 Author Share Posted March 29, 2015 I've just come across this gem via twitter: "Back in 1915, a notice appeared in the programs handed out at New York Philharmonic concerts, signed ``Felix F. Leifels, Manager.'' It read: ``The Philharmonic Society fully appreciates the spirit that prompts charitable assistance in the great world's calamity caused by the European war, but many complaints have ben received from patrons of the concerts who are annoyed by knitting during performances, and the Directors respectfully request that this practice, which interferes with the artistic enjoyment of the music, be omitted.'' Let this serve as a reminder to those attending the Auditorium concert, both to the ladies and the gentlemen. Don't bring your knitting needles." http://ww.heraldtimesonline.com//stories/1990/11/18/archive.19901118.b7e852b.sto?code=db988ed8-d63a-11e4-b6c4-b757e3a1d9f8 (Scroll down to the bottom 2 paragraphs) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulip Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 Bad enough chomping on sanwhiches but what about the pong. Cheese and onion stinks and I definately would not want to sit next to someone eating something like this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 I hear that sandwiches (purchased outside the ROH!) were being consumed in the Grand Tier last week during a performance of Swan Lake. Literally *during* the performance, and not in a box? Janet, love the bit about knitting! Reminds me of a German student who used to knit during seminars - she claimed it helped her concentrate better (And she did use round needles, which tend to be less noisy) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 Literally *during* the performance, and not in a box? So I was told and, according to reports, the smell was pretty ripe too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 Ugh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulip Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 It's just bad manners. What next Apple chompers, I Say put a nose bag on these people and leave them to graze. I don't mind bottles of water, even glasses of wine, but noisey chompers I can't cope with and are a huge distraction to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonty Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 (edited) I don't see how anybody could go to the ballet and chomp away while the dancers are performing. But I seem to remember going to a talk once, where someone said the dancers hated doing mid week matinee performances, because the people in the stalls seats were all munching sandwiches. Edited to add that they were talking about performances in the 1960s, I think. Edited March 30, 2015 by Fonty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickwellings Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 I saw a guy in lower slips told off at ROH for filming last week. Last night at another Swan Lake (not a ROH) a girl openly filmed the whole final act. Not quite cricket in my book, firstly very distracting, secondly, I doubt you can enjoy it whilst filming and thirdly, it is technically theft. Had to chuckle though when some lusty triangle tingling was going on from the put, the woman behind said quite angrily 'Is that someone's phone ringing??' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loveclassics Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 I don't see how anybody could go to the ballet and chomp away while the dancers are performing. But I seem to remember going to a talk once, where someone said the dancers hated doing mid week matinee performances, because the people in the stalls seats were all munching sandwiches. Edited to add that they were talking about performances in the 1960s, I think. Back in the day, matinee audiences could order tea (plus sandwiches, cake etc) to be served to their seats. The service was delivered during the interval but the clink of cups and saucers could continue during the next act. I suppose we should be grateful that water and other drinks come in plastic bottles nowadays. Linda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penelopesimpson Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 Awful problem last night with woman videoing performance. I was in Row A Stalls Circle and she kept her phone light right the way three the first act. Then she used the camera immediately the performance finished. ROH need to get on top of this. Their announcement that photography is forbidden is not enough. They should state 'PHONES AND CAMERAS MUST NOT BE USED OR TURNED ON AT ANY TIME IN THE AUDITORIUM. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 While the pianist was hidden from view in order to preserve the darkness of In the Night, people in the stalls were using their phones to light up their cast sheets. Unacceptable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penelopesimpson Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 While the pianist was hidden from view in order to preserve the darkness of In the Night, people in the stalls were using their phones to light up their cast sheets. Unacceptable. Could see some lights from my seat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPD444 Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 I could see the lights from my seat in row E in the stalls but I thought they were trying to read the synopsis in the program. At the end of the day, what can the ROH do. Take the phone/camera off the person? Not sure they can do that and if they tried how much noise would that cause. They could wait until an interval and then escort the person out of the building? Bouncers at the ROH??? I don't like this happening and am very concerned for the safety of the dancers who could easily be distracted by these and perhaps cause an accident and injury to themselves or fellow dancers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marg S Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 Awful problem last night with woman videoing performance. I was in Row A Stalls Circle and she kept her phone light right the way three the first act. Then she used the camera immediately the performance finished. ROH need to get on top of this. Their announcement that photography is forbidden is not enough. They should state 'PHONES AND CAMERAS MUST NOT BE USED OR TURNED ON AT ANY TIME IN THE AUDITORIUM. Faced with this in the Nutcracker two years ago I told the offender to stop. She did! I think that if your enjoyment is being affected you are entitled to step in. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuthE Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 Always easier to "step in" - or get a member of staff to do so - from some seats than others, though. I was in Stalls Circle Standing for the first night of La Boheme the other week - somebody was openly filming parts of Act 1 from a mid-Stalls seat and it must have been visible to almost EVERYBODY in the house. But not apparently to the ushers - I wasn't near enough an usher to alert one, and the offender wasn't near enough the end of their row to have been dealt with easily. On the other hand, I frequently find myself in the most central block of Balcony Standing, which has an usher seated directly behind. Any filming I spot anywhere in the balcony is instantly reported and always dealt with immediately. Sure I saw the flash of a camera during In the Night on Monday as well, but it wasn't anywhere near me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trog Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 When I was at the BRB triple in Shrewsbury the other day, during the second interval, the orchestra left the pit to head up on stage for Elite Sycopations. The lady sitting next to me, commented to her friend, that she thought it was discusting that the orchestra were leaving early and "She was going to send an email to the BRB and complain." She whips out her phone and starts tapping away. I decided to save her some embarrassment and I said to her that the orchestra were on stage. "Oh no they're not! I've seen this ballet in London and there is no orchestra on stage." Ah well, I tried and I assume she beamed off her email. As the curtain rose, I heard her say "Oh, the orchestra ARE on stage.....". 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coated Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 I think I've been in my first proper altercation in the upper slips with a lady who would not switch off her mobile despite me asking her twice. She was asked again to keep it off in the intermission. When she complained about people spoiling the performance for her by going on about the need to switch off her mobile (she needed to take pictures, you see), I saw red and shared my thoughts with her in a somewhat forceful manner. She agreed to not switch her mobile on again. I've seen so many mobiles beaming their shining light through the darkness of the auditorium recently, some flash photography, the guy with the green blinking light...it's getting bad out there and I wish they'd continue the announcements reminding people to switch their phones off and generally not to behave like a prat. And yes, hire bouncers if necessary. Just call them ushers and give them cattle prods. Honestly, how many people will cease going to the ROH if they can't have their mobiles out when the house lights are off? If there are 20 per performance delighting the rest of the house with their brightly lit devices, that's less than 1% - seeing that most performances sell out, I suspect that they might not be missed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 I always thought the main announcement at the beginning of performances definitely included the words "and make sure all mobile devices are switched off" or words to that effect. Even in the pause between Faun and In the Night people were quickly having a look at their phones.....though did switch off for performance but what's the matter with people it's like they cannot be separated from their mobile for more than half an hour at a time!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPD444 Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 I always thought the main announcement at the beginning of performances definitely included the words "and make sure all mobile devices are switched off" or words to that effect. Even in the pause between Faun and In the Night people were quickly having a look at their phones.....though did switch off for performance but what's the matter with people it's like they cannot be separated from their mobile for more than half an hour at a time!!! It happened at a performance I was at, and I thought the same, but I enquired with the person and it turned out they were using the torch on the phone to read the synopsis of the next ballet. So, on this occasion, it was not a use of the phone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 but what's the matter with people it's like they cannot be separated from their mobile for more than half an hour at a time!!! But Lin, they suffer severe psychological stress if forcibly deprived of their phones for 15 minutes! Very sad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLOSS Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 (edited) I think that the problem is that for a lot of people what is going on via their phone is more real than what is happening around them. Somebody posted about the use of mobile phones on the ROH website where they ask you to tell them about how much you enjoyed the performance and the response from the powers that be at the ROH was that you should tell the staff. Perhaps the answer is for a few more people who have posted here to post on the ROH website to complain about how distracting the shining screens are and to ask what the management intend to do about it. As some of the worst offenders seem to be in the stalls I suspect that the answer is not very much. A significant part of the audience are foreign visitors so a starting point would be for announcements about the use of phones to be made in languages other than English such as Japanese and Russian.The management have the right to refuse any of us admission and they have the right to eject anyone who causes annoyance to other audience members.They are almost certainly entitled to confiscate phones whose use is causing annoyance during a performance for the duration of the rest of the performance.They would probably be wise to inform the audience by incorporating that information in the general terms and conditions printed on their tickets. Those conditions already prohibit the use of cameras and recording equipment. Stating that the prohibition extends to the use of mobile phones in the auditorium whether or not they are being used to record performances must be within the ROH's powers. Edited June 4, 2015 by FLOSS 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted June 4, 2015 Author Share Posted June 4, 2015 Review of a show where you are required to keep your telephone on! Standard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangorballetboy Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 I always thought the main announcement at the beginning of performances definitely included the words "and make sure all mobile devices are switched off" or words to that effect. Even in the pause between Faun and In the Night people were quickly having a look at their phones.....though did switch off for performance but what's the matter with people it's like they cannot be separated from their mobile for more than half an hour at a time!!! The house lights are raised so what's the problem? It's not distracting you from a performance; chill out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangorballetboy Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 But Lin, they suffer severe psychological stress if forcibly deprived of their phones for 15 minutes! Very sad. Thanks Alison. I'll remember that. I'm so sad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2dancersmum Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 A cinema near us is one of the retro art deco cinemas that has been refurbished and taken back in time to when you could eat and drink quite happily in the cinema. The ground floor has tables and chairs (big high back armchairs that swivel) and a bar so drinks will be delivered during the performance. It does not detract from what is happening on the screen at all because of the layout and design of the seating. Quite a different matter when you are sat in rows and close together - even disregarding the sound and smell it can be distracting having someones head keep moving constantly as they take a bite or drink and you are trying to see around them 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 The house lights are raised so what's the problem? It's not distracting you from a performance; chill out. Sorry to say this BBB but it can be very distracting, even in what is an official 'pause', to have a bright light from someone else's phone shining in one's eyes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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