RuthE Posted December 24, 2015 Share Posted December 24, 2015 what larks! Was surrounded at last night's Nutcracker at ROH by whisperers - who were only quiet when they were texting or filming the show on their iPhone. Fortunately, having the binoculars glued to eyes blocked out the light from the phones, so was happier to let them get on with that, than the whispering... Bah humbug! That's bad luck. The ROH staff are usually really quick to crack down on this (much more so than at some other theatres)... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penelopesimpson Posted December 24, 2015 Share Posted December 24, 2015 That's bad luck. The ROH staff are usually really quick to crack down on this (much more so than at some other theatres)... The curse of the Iphone struck again on Monday's matinee of Cavaleria. Woman next to me left phone on in her lap for first half. As soon as there was some loud music I asked if she would turn it off as the light was distracting me. She did so but then pointedly exchanged seats with her companion. Oh dear, people can be truly ghastly. Why pay all that money (£225) to sit and look at a phone? 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted December 24, 2015 Share Posted December 24, 2015 "Manspreading" - what a marvellous word. You have to love the English language, don't you? Describes all those closet ballerino-wannabees who just can't resist the opportunity to spend a few hours improving their pliés and turnout 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuthE Posted December 24, 2015 Share Posted December 24, 2015 The curse of the Iphone struck again on Monday's matinee of Cavaleria. Woman next to me left phone on in her lap for first half. As soon as there was some loud music I asked if she would turn it off as the light was distracting me. She did so but then pointedly exchanged seats with her companion. Oh dear, people can be truly ghastly. Why pay all that money (£225) to sit and look at a phone? A point which Carmen Giannattasio made in a recent interview! https://t.co/nzQOFpv76p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTL Posted December 24, 2015 Share Posted December 24, 2015 Oh dear. Victoria-Beckham-shares-photos-girls-night-Royal-Opera-House-daughter-Harper-enjoy-Christmas-ballet. And from our own "Today's links as well. Scroll down for the mid-snowflakes-scene shot. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3372428/Victoria-Beckham-shares-photos-girls-night-Royal-Opera-House-daughter-Harper-enjoy-Christmas-ballet.html 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mallinson Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 Not unrelated, the humorist David Mitchell talks about manners on BBC R4. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus Posted January 5, 2016 Share Posted January 5, 2016 Oh dear. Victoria-Beckham-shares-photos-girls-night-Royal-Opera-House-daughter-Harper-enjoy-Christmas-ballet. And from our own "Today's links as well. Scroll down for the mid-snowflakes-scene shot. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3372428/Victoria-Beckham-shares-photos-girls-night-Royal-Opera-House-daughter-Harper-enjoy-Christmas-ballet.html That picture really, really irritated me too! Is she a complete fool or just horribly arrogant? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTL Posted January 5, 2016 Share Posted January 5, 2016 What makes it worse is that she's no fool: against expectations, she has become a well-respected businesswoman in the fashion industry. I think it's just ignorance and it disappointed me because on the whole I think the Beckhams are a Good Thing. Comparatively speaking, that is. They appear to be seated in the Royal Box (which anyone can buy) where the view of the stage is so poor it might have given her the idea that they couldn't be seen from the stage and were therefore being discreet. It was irresponsible to publish the photo. I blame the Daily Mail, but I guess most of us do that most of the time anyway, in oh-so-many ways. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 They appear to be seated in the Royal Box (which anyone can buy) where the view of the stage is so poor it might have given her the idea that they couldn't be seen from the stage and were therefore being discreet. It was irresponsible to publish the photo. I blame the Daily Mail, but I guess most of us do that most of the time anyway, in oh-so-many ways. Canny in fashion deals she may be, but I suspect they booked the Royal Box because Posh considers herself royalty, and indeed above the norms of behaviour. I was disappointed that Iana Salenko republished the photo on social media, all excited about them being there. I just don't get the cult around these people. I remember fondly the Ali G 'interview' with them where he asked whether their son wanted to grow up 'to be a footballer, like his dad, or a singer, like..............Mariah Carey' 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacqueline Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 I also imagine 'Posh' sat in the Royal Box in order to be seen - and in her case,photographed - doing so. That is the original point of the boxes as I recall,so it is the perfect place for the relentlessly publicity seeking Mrs Beckham to sit. She is of course, perfectly entitled to take her daughter to the ballet or anywhere she likes. It is just a pity she cannot for once do something without making it all about herself. I have made no secret of my disdain for the Beckhams. In my opinion, they personify everything that is shallow and money driven about current society. I gather they do a lot for charity and all the other things that must be seen to be done, but why so many people follow them so avidly, lap up everything they do/sell almost to the point of worship, is quite beyond me. I also remember the Ali G interview, in which he sent them up mercilessly and they laughed along with him, in that sort of rictus grin way that says yes, I am being a good sport, but I am not really amused and I don't really understand why I am being ridiculed. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 I think people often take the Royal Box because of its adjoining facilities - you can entertain back there, and it's more private. It also prevents people from gawking at you at the intervals, I suppose, if you are a really major celebrity. It may also be available at short notice when all other seats have been sold, perhaps? I'm not sure what the ROH does about hiring it out - I seem to remember it used to be made available to charities, but suspect that may no longer be the case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 when I did the RoH tour the guide said when the younger Royals attend 'on their own account' they don't use it anyway as as the view is so restricted! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuthE Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 Even the Queen chooses not to. Doesn't she typically sit in the centre of the Grand Tier for galas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 I know that Princess Diana used to, so that she could see! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangorballetboy Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 Even the Queen chooses not to. Doesn't she typically sit in the centre of the Grand Tier for galas? Of the last two galas HMTQ attended, HM sat in the Royal Box for one and the GT seats for the other. TPoW & TDoC sit in the Royal Box when they come in a private capacity (His RH nearest the stage and Her RH furthest from the stage). The Lady Sarah Chatto sits in a company seat in the GT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTL Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 I have seen HM in the Grand Tier with her mother and Princess Margaret, and more recently in the Royal Box with Prince Philip. It has its own loo, which helps when you're old. It often shows as available when booking opens, but I imagine you take it at risk of it later being requisitioned by VIPS. I only ever saw the dedicated ballet fans, Princesses Margaret and Diana, in the Grand Tier. Re the Beckhams: for those inclined to rôle models (and I am not), there are many worse-behaved and less talented out there, at least as far as he is concerned. Against the odds, they seem to have achieved a happy family life and I think usually try to behave with a measure of dignity, which in her case come can across as arrogance. Much the same, minus talent, could be said for a good few actual "Royals" round the world. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonty Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 While I am not a particular fan of the Beckhams, I don't dislike them either. I think we should cut Victoria a bit of slack here. She was taking her 4 year old daughter to the ROH for a Christmas treat, and perhaps hiring the royal box was part of the occasion. Not to mention that at that age, the child is less likely to cause annoyance to the rest of the audience if she wriggles, whispers or does any of the things that very young children might do, if she is tucked away in one of the boxes. Yes, you don't get as good a view, but I am sure the whole experience must have been terrific for Harper. Also, taking photos is obviously frowned upon, but it looks to me as though the person taking it was standing well back and they weren't using a flash, so I am not sure many people would have noticed, would they? Yes, perhaps Mrs Beckham was unwise to post the photo on the internet, but I don't think it is really as bad as someone texting or taking photos if they are sitting somewhere else in the theatre. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuthE Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Also, taking photos is obviously frowned upon, but it looks to me as though the person taking it was standing well back and they weren't using a flash, so I am not sure many people would have noticed, would they? Yes, perhaps Mrs Beckham was unwise to post the photo on the internet, but I don't think it is really as bad as someone texting or taking photos if they are sitting somewhere else in the theatre. From one of my regular spots in Balcony Standing you very much can see if somebody in an opposite-side Grand Tier box has their phone on - it happens frequently (presumably because the people there have no perception that they can be seen) and is very distracting. I also don't have a great deal of respect for anybody who hears the nightly pre-show announcement stating that photography is strictly forbidden and chooses to consider that that rule doesn't apply to them for some reason. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Ditto for the Balcony boxes as well, of course. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahw Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 I think the Beckham mean well - they just have more money than sense.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonty Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 (edited) From one of my regular spots in Balcony Standing you very much can see if somebody in an opposite-side Grand Tier box has their phone on - it happens frequently (presumably because the people there have no perception that they can be seen) and is very distracting. I also don't have a great deal of respect for anybody who hears the nightly pre-show announcement stating that photography is strictly forbidden and chooses to consider that that rule doesn't apply to them for some reason. Yes, I agree that the No Photography rule should be strictly adhered to. I just thought from the angle of the photo that the person might be standing or sitting in the back left hand corner of the royal box as you face the stage. I've never been in Balcony Standing, so I didn't realise that you could see phones from there. I think the only solution when it happens is for people to start shouting "Turn that ruddy phone off, you morons sitting opposite me in box xxx " in extremely loud voices in the middle of the performance. See if that does the trick. Edited January 7, 2016 by Fonty 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 We recently attended a New Years Operatic Concert with a lady (who must be in her late 70's ) and her two teenage granddaughters. The lady in question was very concerned that the girls had switched their phones off before the performance, she must have checked with them about three times. It turned out that that she was so concerned that she'd actually forgotten to turn her own off ! It rang very loudly (in her handbag) during one of those silences were the singer had just left the stage and before the orchestra started playing. The poor lady, amidst much tutting and shushing from the audience was desperately trying to locate her bag and the phone in the dark in order to switch it off. She was mortified. It was an honest mistake and I really felt for her ! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 It must be rather difficult for extremely well-known people to sit in the general auditorium without causing a huge commotion among their fellow audience members, and considerably disrupting everyone. Sitting in a box seems the obvious solution to me, especially if they have young children with them. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTL Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 Celebrity sightings are not rare at the upmarket London venues. You even see well-known faces in the shops or underground or street occasionally. The important thing is not to appear impressed by them. ???? 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuthE Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 It must be rather difficult for extremely well-known people to sit in the general auditorium without causing a huge commotion among their fellow audience members, and considerably disrupting everyone. Sitting in a box seems the obvious solution to me, especially if they have young children with them. Especially if they choose to leave halfway through an act, during a quiet bit, walking the full length of one of the wooden-floored Stalls aisles in stiletto heels. I'm sure anybody of any standing can commit such a felony, but the only person I have ever seen doing so happened to be an Hollywood star. (The lady shall remain nameless, but I think it was at that performance of R&J about four years ago that they filmed, with Cuthbertson and Bonelli.) I suppose the advantage of NOT being a celebrity is that you can do something like this anonymously and people won't tend to remember... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mallinson Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 (edited) The Chinese way, with lasers. (Incidentally, this thread was fairly well buried but I found it by using Google with 'audience behaviour balletcoforum'. Could be a useful way of finding half-remembered threads.) Edited March 15, 2016 by John Mallinson Added 'Incidentallly…' 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 (edited) Could have done with that at the Russian Icons gala. The wretched woman in front of me, must have been row G in the balcony, was checking her phone between every performance, and I've seen someone on Instagram post multiple video clips which must have been taken from the stalls. Perhaps someone could come up with a small plastic hand that attaches to a selfie stick, so we can clip the ears of offenders in front of us. Grrr. Edited March 15, 2016 by Quintus 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted March 15, 2016 Author Share Posted March 15, 2016 The selfie stick hand sounds a wonderful idea Quintus! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonty Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 Goodness, not sure I would want to sit in a theatre with ushers shining lasers in all directions. Most distracting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dance*is*life Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 I have never forgotten one oh so embarrassing occasion when we were on holiday in Bath with our three sons. I had really wanted to see Stepping Out in the West End, but it was July 1987 and the run had just finished. Stepping Out is a wonderful play about an amateur tap group and the various people who join it. There was also an excellent film version made with Liza Minelli, which for some unknown reason was never released on DVD. Anyway, we drove down to Bath and discovered that amazingly it had moved there! Our youngest was only six, but we decided to take the risk. All went well - I seem to remember stuffing him with sweets - and then came the great melt-down scene, when the extremely repressed lady, abused by her husband, finally explodes and swears loudly. It was a truly emotional scene and after it there was absolute silence in the auditorium, until my son's little voice piped up loudly - " She said F... !!!!!!! Of course everyone around us succumbed to laughter inspite of themselves and I felt so awful for the poor actress, who must have heard him! 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangorballetboy Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 There was also an excellent film version made with Liza Minelli, which for some unknown reason was never released on DVD. If you're interested: DVD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dance*is*life Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 That is so wierd! I have it on video and have searched for it on DVD. I even found posts on various sites lamenting the fact that it was never released on DVD! I don't like buying on E Bay , but thank you I will look again on Amazon etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynette H Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 At last a way of getting the audience to comply with requests. The usual announcement at Sadler's Wells before "Golgota" said the customary things about phones, photography and filming but then added. something to the effect that in addition, there should be no applause until the end "in case it frightens the horses". The audience complied. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts