hfbrew Posted December 31, 2016 Share Posted December 31, 2016 (edited) No point in having the volume up as I still can't follow programmes without subtitles anyway. And they have vastly improved over the years. My stepfather has the TV so loud, I have to take my hearing aids out when it's on. So silly not to benefit from the wonderful technology we have available. Now I actually don't wear my aids all the time and taking them out is bliss but it would be stupid not to use them when it's necessary. I cannot understand those who think that there is shame in being in need of them, especially if it's down to vanity. On the subject of subtitles I am sure that they are partly why my son could read before he went to school! Edited December 31, 2016 by hfbrew 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted December 31, 2016 Share Posted December 31, 2016 I've an Aunty who,is now 89 and about ten years ago it must be now she had the cataracts done on her eyes and now she can see better than me!! She is a keen needlework lady and still wins prizes at local shows for her work. I just couldn't believe it when I was visiting a few months back that she was doing all this sewing without a pair of glasses in sight....totally amazing. Yes I thinks it's best to acknowledge that as we grow older a little help here and there as things wear out is a very good thing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loveclassics Posted January 1, 2017 Share Posted January 1, 2017 (edited) Re hearing aids - I have a friend who has hers built into the arms of her glasses. Not that she's embarrassed by needing them but simply for comfort and convenience. That would have been a great solution for my father whose hearing aids were so tiny they were continually being lost and were only found when the batteries ran down and they started to whistle. However, he hated wearing his glasses and when we looked through a box of old photos at Christmas everyone including Dad showed him with his hand in his breast pocket as he hastily whipped off and put away his glasses before the shutter clicked! I would say that deafness is far from being a stigma these days and there's even a movement in the USA denying that deafness is a disabliity, to the extent of trying to persuade parents not to allow their deaf children to have cochlear implants. Linda Edited January 1, 2017 by loveclassics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus Posted January 11, 2017 Share Posted January 11, 2017 The man behind me at Giselle tonight had a watch that beeped on the hour - so we got two of those, one in each act. What kind of moron do you have to be to set your watch to do that in the first place, let alone not turn it off even after it's rung out in a live performance?? I also think it's about time the ushers are issued with tranquilliser dart guns to take out persistent coughers - as soon as the stage smoke came on in Act 2 it sounded like the tuberculosis ward's annual outing. Enough is enough, zero tolerance! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted January 12, 2017 Share Posted January 12, 2017 Maybe the smoke got to them.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Newcombe Posted January 12, 2017 Share Posted January 12, 2017 The couple in front of me missed one of the great Myrtha performances. They were much more interested in each other Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted January 12, 2017 Share Posted January 12, 2017 The couple in front of me missed one of the great Myrtha performances. They were much more interested in each other and who said romance was dead!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Posted January 12, 2017 Share Posted January 12, 2017 Just as well they weren't following the plot really... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuthE Posted January 12, 2017 Share Posted January 12, 2017 The man behind me at Giselle tonight had a watch that beeped on the hour - so we got two of those, one in each act. What kind of moron do you have to be to set your watch to do that in the first place, let alone not turn it off even after it's rung out in a live performance?? I also think it's about time the ushers are issued with tranquilliser dart guns to take out persistent coughers - as soon as the stage smoke came on in Act 2 it sounded like the tuberculosis ward's annual outing. Enough is enough, zero tolerance! There was a woman behind me stamping her foot in time to the music. No requests or dirty looks would make her stop. I moved... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonty Posted January 12, 2017 Share Posted January 12, 2017 The man behind me at Giselle tonight had a watch that beeped on the hour - so we got two of those, one in each act. What kind of moron do you have to be to set your watch to do that in the first place, let alone not turn it off even after it's rung out in a live performance?? I have to say that I once managed to set this on my watch, and could not fathom out how to switch it off again. I ended up taking it back to the shop where I bought it, and they spent ages fiddling with it before it stopped doing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 I thought at first someone had brought their pet cockatoo to Giselle last night, but it turned out that a young woman at the front of the Balcony had opted to wear ostrich feathers in her hair, which stuck up a good five or six inches. Glad I wasn't sitting behind her, and I may put a pair of nail scissors in my pocket in future just in case.. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 Ugh. I sat behind someone at the ROH once who had one of these piled-on-top-of-the-head,-sticking-out-at-all-angles-type hairdos What're you supposed to do?! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangorballetboy Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 Ugh. I sat behind someone at the ROH once who had one of these piled-on-top-of-the-head,-sticking-out-at-all-angles-type hairdos What're you supposed to do?! Hand them a comb? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 There was a woman behind me stamping her foot in time to the music. No requests or dirty looks would make her stop. I moved... My sympathies, I have endured this a few times- in the ROH amphi, someone's foot may be far too close to one's ear which makes it unbearable- but I fear some people don't even seem to realise they are doing it, and some even keep up a low hum of the 'Tumpty tum' kind, often followed by a chuckle and perhaps 'oooh lovely' ...- the same people who have a slippery lap piled with handbag, cardigans and programme one after another of which gradually slide forwards into the back of my head or crashes to the floor behind me during the performance.. This is particularly common in Giselle I find. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonty Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 Oh, people who hum or sing along to the music are so annoying. I have had lost count of the number times I have asked people (politely) to shut up. And they always look so astonished when I speak to them, as if they think I can't hear them. I still remember the man who started to sing very loudly and tunelessly, the words Just One Cornetto at a recital. I think the whole audience was telling him to keep quiet, but he flatly refused, and seemed to think the whole thing was very funny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted January 15, 2017 Share Posted January 15, 2017 It's nice to combine shopping with a trip to the ballet but I have now sat through consecutive performances of Giselle at the Coli with my space invaded by other people's carrier bags. Other choice Coli episodes this week have included: my neighbour playing games on a phone throughout Act 2 - it was shielded by a scarf; having other people's coats with heavy pockets draped over me (I did take action on that one); and needing to trudge through a mass of discarded plastic cups on one's way out down the row. And please don't get me started on the changed layout at the Coli (with the Box Office now occupying foyer space) which just makes getting in and out of the theatre more difficult for everyone. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Posted January 15, 2017 Share Posted January 15, 2017 (edited) Other choice Coli episodes this weekBalcony specials last night included a particularly loud and persistent crackly sweet (?) bag, which I managed to stare down in Act 1 but which had a noisy encore in Act 2 (why can't people work out that going REALLY SLOWLY into a cellophane bag, trying oh so hard not to make any sound, just prolongs the sound over a much longer period and isn't any quieter?) Then there was a woman in Row C? who had a bottle of water in her handbag. Unzip the bag, unscrew the bottle, gulp water, screw top back on, put back in bag, wait a couple of minutes and then repeat. And repeat and repeat, including in the very last two minutes of the ballet. Until that point I was trying hard to be charitable (maybe suffering from terrible tickle in the throat or whatever, see posts passim) but her behaviour at the end revealed it was just a nervous habit. V distracting for those around, if you happen to be reading this by the way, somehow surprised no one snatched your comfort nipple away. There is a theory, proposed to me by the leader of an internationally famous string quartet (who tells me the distraction produced by thoughtless members of the public is far worse for performers than for the audience). He believes that performances arose unconscious resentment in members of the public, who then assert their own presence in unconstructive ways ("I am here too, you know", sort of thing). Well, it's a theory. Edited January 15, 2017 by Geoff 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavycapers Posted January 15, 2017 Share Posted January 15, 2017 (edited) I sat behind a woman who had an expensive pale suede jacket draped over the back of her seat, and as I sat down, she turned round and asked me to be careful of it! Actually, she left it over the seat during the interval, so I dropped it on the ground, did a little happy dance on it and put it back. (Not really...only in my dreams ). Edited January 15, 2017 by cavycapers 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josephine Posted January 15, 2017 Share Posted January 15, 2017 Just spotted this on twitter!! https://mobile.twitter.com/IsStevens/status/820724577231925248?p=v 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted January 15, 2017 Share Posted January 15, 2017 I know it takes a little more time ( Max 5 mins more) but I always leave everything in the cloakrooms these days....food bags, back pack winter coats etc etc. It's just so much nicer being in the theatre with no clutter. I wish more people would do it!! It's free at ROH and Coliseum and only 50p at Sadlers. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 I know it takes a little more time ( Max 5 mins more) but I always leave everything in the cloakrooms these days....food bags, back pack winter coats etc etc. It's just so much nicer being in the theatre with no clutter. I wish more people would do it!! It's free at ROH and Coliseum and only 50p at Sadlers. I like my stuff with me though - half time refreshments, iPad, jumper and coat (as we go sit outside), etc. As I stand anyway, it doesn't bother anyone (at ROH - at the Coli I can tuck my bag elegantly betwen legs and coat subs as a knee warmer) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacqueline Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 I like to keep my stuff with me as well. But I always travel very light and I don't wear big coats if I am going to be spending most of the time indoors or at least undercover. I even lighten the load in my wallet by taking out cards I won't need 250 miles from home. I dislike clutter and having to carry stuff. It amazes me how much people seem to take on just a simple trip out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 . It amazes me how much people seem to take on just a simple trip out. lol - guilty as charged! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacqueline Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 (edited) Ugh. I sat behind someone at the ROH once who had one of these piled-on-top-of-the-head,-sticking-out-at-all-angles-type hairdos What're you supposed to do?! Perhaps you could record the sound of electric hair clippers or snipping scissors onto your phone and when she's all comfy in her seat before curtain up, lean forward and play her a few bars before you switch your phone off! Edited January 16, 2017 by Jacqueline 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 I'd forgotten waiting for curtain up at the Coli.... The young man behind and happily a few seats away in the Balcony decided his shoelaces needed adjusting. As even a Zakharova wouldn't be able to twist down and reach her own feet in that confined space, he decided to plonk his legs in turn over the seat back in front of him and onto the seat in the next row down, where he was able to relace them. Priorities. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 A difficult one this............. Two adults arrive at the ballet with a small child and try to sit her in between them. But she is having none of it and spends her whole time climbing over the adults, her feet kicking the people in the adjacent seats and her arms flailing in their sightlines. She also frequently stands up on the floor and on her seat etc., thus impeding the view of the people behind. I felt that she spoiled the performance for at least 5 people yet none of us said a word. Would others have stayed similarly silent? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAB Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 I've seen a lot of very small children at both the opera and ballet recently, I thought there was a minimum age in theatres, is it not being upheld? Never seen a child under about eight at a continental house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonty Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 (edited) Is there a minimum age? I can remember someone taking a baby to the theatre once. The only reason I noticed is because it started crying during the performance. The woman was in a box, and she did leave as soon as the noise started. I can remember going to the ballet when I was well under the age of 8. However, my parents would not have tolerated any bad behaviour, and I would have been expected to sit quietly. In my case, it was not necessary to tell me off, as I was entranced by what I was looking at. I can't understand the parents. They must have had to pay for a ticket for the child, which was a complete waste of money, and surely it was disturbing them as well as all the people around? Edited January 22, 2017 by Fonty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwissBalletFan Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 (edited) I can't understand the parents. They must have had to pay for a ticket for the child, which was a complete waste of money, and surely it was disturbing them as well as all the people around? This reminds me of being in a box at the sylvester Gala in Zurich last year for the ballet. There was a whole box of bored children next to me (opposite the stage luckily) I asked the father why they were even here if the kids had no interest. The response ' it is impossible to get a babysitter for Silvester, to bring them was the cheapest option at ca. £150 a ticket. Edited January 22, 2017 by SwissBalletFan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 I think some people do that at the ROH It clearly states on the tickets for Giselle that "Children under 5 WILL NOT be admitted EXCEPT to Family Friendly performances". OTOH, it also says that if you leave your seat there will be no readmittance, yet there were at least 2 people last night who went out and were allowed back in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balletfanp Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 I'm afraid I would probably have had to say something eventually in that situation. Don't bring a small child to an occasion like that unless they can be trusted to sit quietly. And if it means you have to miss out on something because you know they are likely to get bored and start to fidget, then so be it. I missed a lot of things when my son was very small for that reason; luckily for me he was well behaved and able to be trusted in those situations pretty quickly. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coated Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 ....or buy stalls seats kids who gargle with snot all through a performance. Grr. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonbfisher Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 I don't know what to think about this afternoon's incident .... We went to the Odeon in Basingstoke to see the Bolshoi S B - and very fine it was too. But unlike our normal pleasant and attentive audiences, this one seemed to consist largely of a group outing from the local Home for the Bewildered. Seats could not be found, tickets were misplaced, sweets were sought, drinks were balanced and then knocked over, updates on the plot were "whispered" helpfully to friends in adjoining rows (not seats, rows) ... you get the picture. As Act 2 started I asked, very politely, if a lady near me could please stop talking as we were finding her commentary very distracting. She did fall silent, more or less, but at the end of the performance marched up to me and said that she supposed that when she died of cancer I would be pleased! How would my fellow Balletco-ers have responded to THAT? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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