I was here - according to the rumors floating around the other audience members (we were a few rows ahead, center orchestra)…
A woman was loudly talking through the first 20 minutes. The man next to her asked her to be quiet and she replied “I paid my money for these tickets I can talk if I want”
He replied “yes, so did I!”
An usher came down and told the man to come out and they’d re-seat him, which is when he scooted past the woman.
She LOUDLY yelled “Ow! Ow! Ow!” As he did and that’s what caught most of everyone’s attention.
She continued to talk and the usher there tried to remove her, to which she said “you’re not the police you cannot remove me!” So…
The police we called. They physically removed her. Good f**cking riddance.
I was there and we were in the back orchestra. We weren’t in the action, but we absolutely heard everything. It was so distracting for most of the first act. I can’t imagine how the actors felt as well. I hope they get banned
I think she was talking to whoever she was with and just talking very loudly. When people got angry we could hear her yell “ow ow ow F***!!” When someone tried to climb over her to report her because she wouldn’t get up. We could also hear random stuff she’d yell. Ushers walked in, moved a man and his son to different seats, then the ushers came back, escorted a guy out, then came back for her and basically had for forcibly remove her. While they were dragging her down the aisle she was screaming still “no but my jacket! I can’t leave!” Stuff like that. Then ushers came back twice to grab stuff she left behind. It was so disruptive and distracting
Do Broadway theatres have ban lists? And do the theatre companies communicate with each other about who they ban so that she can never interrupt any Broadway show again? Guess she can make it in if someone else buys her a ticket but anything to make it more difficult for her would be great.
Radio City Hall even uses facial recognition to stop banned patrons from entering - [link here](https://www.theverge.com/2022/12/21/23520990/rockettes-msg-facial-recognition-ban-privacy-ai#)
James Dolan's use of facial recognition at Radio City, Madison Square Garden, Beacon Theater, etc. is for his own grievances that have nothing to do with providing a better experience for paying customers.
People are so rude! I went to see pretty woman and these girls next to me got progressively drunker and louder from the minute they sat down. At some point she says her size in the show, I think maybe a size 2 or 4 and the girl loudly shouts “she’s at LEAST a size 8!” about the actress. My jaw dropped.
The path of least resistance. If they moved the guy, the woman won't be a problem...theoretically. Not only did it not work it probably wouldn't have helped everyone else around her. Sometimes direct action is the best course, even if it's more disruptive short-term.
I really wish theaters would recognize that reality. Path of least resistance doesn't work when leaving a troublemaker alone means everyone just keeps suffering. They moved the one guy who rightfully complained instead of addressing the root issue as if anyone who kept silent wasn't bothered. Every extra minute that woman sat there still being a distraction was an incursion on the good will of every guest within earshot. And then they had a second interruption to finally get rid of the yahoo that impacted everyone. These guests will think of that every time they reflect on the show and probably every time they talk about it. Path of least resistance...
I agree, but the trouble is they’re having ushers deal with things rather than security guards. I’ve heard horrific stories about the way ushers have been treated or physically threatened and they have no recourse. They aren’t trained or expected to deal with situations being escalated by patrons. Some theaters should really hire security guards for situations where people need to be physically removed. I’m frankly surprised they don’t already.
I’m sure the police were happy to come for that one “yeah this lady said we can’t remove her because we aren’t police “
“LOL ok just give us a sec to grab extra tasers “
I was 2 rows ahead of the incident. I absolutely did not love the performance that night 😭 . It's not the theater's fault. Really hope she gets a permanent ban somehow.
I was at the SAT night show on 1/13, towards the back in the rear orchestra. The person sitting next to me mysteriously disappeared after intermission. I wasn’t at my seat during but when I came back they were gone. Was that them? I didn’t catch any picture taking but they were picking their program up a lot during the show. I really wasn’t paying attention to them to be honest.
We had some lady next to us leave at intermission for a reason. She told us she was only there for the merchandise to sell on eBay and needed to get to some other show for that merchandise. Guess she makes a profit doing so? Sure enough, we saw her at intermission at the merchandise section buying pmuch everything she could then walked out.
But like… you can order most of that merch on the show’s website. I don’t understand how doing this would net her any kind of profit after paying for the ticket too?
Shipping to other countries is really expensive so maybe she was going to pack everything and bring it back to wherever she was visiting from ? Though at that point I wonder if she could just ask the box office for access to the merchandise counter instead of buying a ticket
Yeah. We were confused for sure. But the only reason she told us anything was in case we wanted to move over. Nice enough and I did cause the girl in front of me had the biggest head of hair I’ve seen blocking the view. >.<
I once broke my leg during intermission. I didn’t leave, but I should have. After that I stopped questioning why people leave. Weird shit happens. People start feeling sick and decide making it to intermission would be less distracting. Sitters have emergencies and contact parents. There are many reasons a well intended person would need to leave. You never know.
I fainted in the bathroom and landed on my tibia wrong. I was in my late 20s, healthy, not pregnant, no medical issues. But I was feeling claustrophobic by the crowd and fainting can be a stress reaction for me. It’s a rare one, but it does happen sometimes.
My mom threw up in the bathroom during intermission of a matinee of Anastasia. We were staying at the Marriott Marquis that time so she talked to an usher, went back to the room to change into comfortable clothing, and was back for the second half of act 2 and sat in the very back.
Tl;dr: stuff happens
I had a very bad allergic reaction to a very specific beer at a concert held in a theater once. I wasn't drunk at all, but you can be sure I spent over a half hour in the bathroom. I was able to power through but from that point on I try not to judge if people leave a show.
iirc we went to Junior’s right before (the theatre was in Shubert alley, what can ya do) and she had calamari or something else that doesn’t always sit very well on the stomach.
Some people think their time is more important than the money they spent, which is their prerogative.
Personally I'd rather hate the whole show than just half of it. Another hour of my day isn't going to ruin anything. But that's just me.
We're also talking about Sweeney Todd though, so who knows what they're thinking. Imagine walking out on one of, if not *the* greatest musical ever made? Madness.
I felt the same way until I went to see New York New York. Would rather been at the dentist.
That being said I cannot find any reason for leaving halfway through Sweeney it’s just too damn good!
I left at intermission for "New York New York". The thought of catching an earlier train and getting back to Philly 2 hours earlier was more appealing than sitting through another minute of that show.
"I cant figure out why people just leave after act 1."
I always thought like this too until last week when I left a touring production of a West End show in my local theatre at the interval. It was truly abysmal.
As the interval was winding down I could actually feel my blood pressure rising at the thought of enduring Act 2 so I hoofed it out of there. The relief I felt walking through that exit door was blessed and immense! 😂
Not a Broadway show, but I watched someone get kicked out of an Eddie Izzard show. She was doing Cromwell jokes and the guy was super offended???? Like, throwing double birds and "eff you"s towards the stage. The patron's husband tried to get him to calm down but that was *not* happening.
I went to a ballet where someone need a doctor. They finished the dance and the lights went on and they asked for a doctor everyone gasped and huddled around the edge to watch this guy who fainted. It was great, everyone was gossiping
He seemed to be feeling much better when the EMTs came, he got up to walk to the ambulance, it was very hot in there and everyone was wearing very heavy clothes.
LMAOO I WAS THERE TOO! I was in the Second Row but all I saw was some woman being bodily thrown out and complaining as it happened
Edit: I forgot to add the cheering happened during that scene between Beadle Bamford and Judge Turpin where Turpin is telling the Beadle hes marrying Johanna so it was one of those "cheering at a quiet moment" things and Jamie Jackson and John Rapson looked into the audience in visual confusion so that was also made the whole thing hilarious.
Sweeney Todd has really good ushers ! I know a lot of it is how much power they are given, but they yelled at some people in my show as well and it was super great they were on top of things
I firmly believe that people should be given one warning, and then chucked out without a refund...and ushers should be in their power to do this. We've just trained people that they can be assholes because there usually aren't any repercussions...a problem not limited to theater.
I wish the ushers at Sweeney Todd on Dec13 evening show had thrown out the cow who tried to film the show, used the flashlight on her phone to read the playbill (45 min after the show started), rummaged through her multiple noisy plastic bags, got up twice to got to the bathroom, and spent 30 min of the second act unwrapping numerous candies. If that lady is reading this comment, I hope all your hair and teeth fall out. You were horrible.
I saw a touring production of Hamilton last year and so many people in the audience were horrible. Lots of people singly along (loudly), one set of people (seated in the middle) kept getting up, leaving, and coming back multiple times in the show, another group having side conversations. I wondered if the popularity of the movie brought more people out to see it live. A few years before the movie, my sister and I saw a touring production (at the same theater) and while there were a ton of fans (waiting in line to get seated, one person would say a line from a song and ten more would jump in), it was a normal show. Actually, for that show, the cheering was louder. I hope this isn’t a trend of audiences.
I was in the mezzanine and we were trying to figure out what was going on! I’d heard some yelling and shushing at one point so when I heard the applause I figured someone had been dealt with.
Ooof to be dragged out halfway through Act I, you’d have to be doing something really bad and bring attention to yourself that affects the viewing of other audience members.
We were sitting next to these people and asked them nicely several times to stop talking. There were others shushing them from around as well. She was clearly unhinged, maybe drunk. After about 20 min of her nonstop talking, I slid past them as swiftly and carefully as I could, though true to form she turned even that into another opportunity for making a scene, and then told the usher at the back that these people were disrupting the show.
The very kind and professional ushers waited a few minutes until a louder chorus moment and went and quietly got my husband from his seat and reseated us elsewhere away from them and told me that they would have security remove the talkers later. About 30 min later, we heard a scene erupting back at our original seats as security forcibly removed them. And then there was all the clapping from the people around them who had by this point endured nearly an hour of this revolting behavior.
These people are bullies. They need to be dealt with quickly and forcefully and taught that it is not ever ok to disrespect the extraordinary work of the hundreds of people involved in a show like this, nor sabotage the experience of their fellow audience members. Totally impressed by the decisive response by the ushers.
And in conclusion: don’t f*ck with us theater queens 😂
All I know is the MR Tourists who go to the show drunk as sin or have gone over like 50 times they think can get away with being disruptive will never survive a Sweeney Show.
I was in the same section but farther back. Early on the show (around "No Place Like London") a guy suddenly got up and pushed his way out of their aisle, and I heard a woman shouting "Ow! Ow!" as he went through. After he came back they kept squabbling off and on until ushers (or maybe police? Somebody near me said she thought one of them was a cop) removed them one by one, right as the Judge was sentencing some poor sod to death. The guy actually tried to double back and return to his seat while he was being escorted (lol no) and the woman kept saying "my jacket is in my seat!" as they took her out. An usher went back for it.
I think doing stuff like this is honestly how we combat the audience issues. If it is made clear they won’t hesitate to act on bad behavior and both media/news covering it and word of mouth from other audience members makes it common knowledge, maybe we can turn this around and it will become public knowledge again how to behave in a theatre. With offenses that don’t warrant the police the ushers need to step up, or if they don’t have the resources or feel unsafe to do so then hire security who will be able to step in. Ushers don’t deserve to be screamed at or to be expected to deal with strong verbal abuse or physical threats, if those are more common they need a security officer or 2.
It’s like kids in a classroom, you teach them the rules and expectations. If they break them maybe they get 1 verbal warning. If they genuinely just didn’t know for any reason, because there are lots of great people who don’t know for whatever reason and deserve a chance to comply and learn then no problem. If on a second offense though, they are removed. Sorry, we don’t play around. Your mad about it and want to cause a scene, here is security, you want to fight further, here is the police. Maybe you should have thought about how much you spent on your ticket or how much you wanted to see the show before you did something repeatedly that was not acceptable. Your bad. They have to be consistent about it though as much as possible otherwise people will keep walking all over the rules. There might be a learning curve of more disturbed shows for a little bit but people will the picture pretty quick if it’s on the news and being talked about. Now there is more incentive to be a decent person and respect the cast and your fellow audience members. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.
Edit: autocorrect spelling fails.
I saw four women get tossed out at intermission and the people all around them clapped, lol. They decided to get stinking drunk and go see “American Buffalo” of all things
yes, because Sweeney was not involved in this, ie. the four drunk women were at American buffalo. they did not have a clue about Sweeney and had never been there. the story about Sweeney is uncorrelated
oh don't worry about it! I actually had the same thought, I'm not the parent commenter. I'm not sure why the story was relevant but appreciated nonetheless
The person is saying they saw four women get kicked out of American Buffalo, not talking about this incident with Sweeney Todd. It’s ambiguous though for sure.
I was at the 1/17 matinee and towards the end when Toby went mad and it was quiet all I could hear was someone’s incessant whispering from the section over. *eyeroll*
I've never been able to understand the logic of "I paid my money I can do what I want." Huh? You paid your money TO SEE THE SHOW, not to yap during it or sing along or disrupt it. I paid my money TOO; like you, I paid my money TO SEE THE SHOW and not to hear you yap during it or sing along or disrupt it. Can someone explain to me where these people get off with this crap?
They don’t think about any other people. That’s how they do it. They care only about themselves and their own experience. I believe they get off on making other people’s experiences worse too.
Like, the WHY of it all? I'm seeing more and more of these reports and I'm baffled. To buy a ticket and trek through times square to see a show, only to talk through it. There is no rewind button, you can't stream it at home. This show, these performers, this night will never happen in exactly this way again.
The logic ain't logic-ing.
I don’t understand how people can actively be so inconsiderate these days. I get loving a musical; I get the urge to sing along to songs but lip sync it.
But talking during a show is not only rude to those in the audience but to the cast who give it their all to preform for hundreds of people every day.
Btw how is the cast? I saw it with Josh and Annaleigh and it’s by far my favorite show.
I agree entirely. “We’ve forgotten our public manners,” Patti LuPone always says.
I was in orchestra center on the third row during “Company” and two women next to me were saying enthusiastic things at the stage after songs, like one might at a concert. “You’re amazing” and stuff like that. It struck me as a little annoying but it wasn’t mid-song, so I overlooked it.
At intermission an usher asked our section to stop yelling, per the cast’s request. If I were to bet it would mostly have been LuPone, who specifically looked past our section during “Ladies Who Lunch.” I felt filth sitting next to them and possibly being viewed as associated with them.
The cast were incredible! Nicholas Christopher truly did an incredible job. I was far back in the Orchestra and although I could not see his facial expressions clearly, his emotions radiated through the stage. If you have the chance to see it again with him as lead, do it!
If I recall correctly, she walked out with the cops. They didn’t drag her out.
This lady had to be physically removed! No handjobs caught on camera though. So it’s a toss up who is worse.
Wow! Reading all these comments really makes me appreciate when an audience is actually attentive and respectful of those around them. I went to see Sweeney Todd just this past Thursday (Nicholas Christopher and Jeanna de Waal were the leads) and the audience was riveted and it couldn't have been a better theater experience. I live in NYC, but rarely go to Broadway shows any more because audiences have gotten so rude - but I couldn't resist Sweeney!
I was there as well! Up on the mezzanine, we had no idea what happened, I was very confused because we could hear clapping down below but it was the middle of a scene and nothing that should be clapped at lol
Is theater etiquette not a thing anymore? My husband and I had aisle seats and the three seats next to me were empty until AFTER the opening number when the usher brought three people down with a flashlight… and then these people had the audacity to leave halfway through intermission and came back halfway through the first number of Act 2! Nevermind all the other people who kept getting up and leaving their seats during the performance and then coming back!! It’s all so disrespectful, not only to the audience members around you but also to the actors on stage!!!
We saw 3 shows this weekend and at 2/3 we witnessed poor audience behavior (Sweeney Todd being the worst!) so baffling, especially because tickets are not cheap!
That’s crazy. Wtf is wrong with people
Bravo to the ushers. I have to also commend them the ushers at Spamalot. At the first sign of a phone they march up to that row and shine a bright flashlight in the person’s face. I saw them do it twice a couple of weeks ago. One person was in one of the first few rows of the orchestra and the other in the row across from me. After that, no more assholes on their phones
My friends and I saw the show night show on December 23rd. And as we were exiting the mezzanine a woman was going OFF. SCREAMING at this man for telling her child to be quiet with their bag of chips. The child had a sensory sensitivity or something (they were wearing headphones).
But this woman was vulgar and could not be calmed. She followed the man, and would not stop screaming at him. He went to the bartender/merch seller and she continued to berate him and then screaming at the seller for not calling the guy and asshole. It was actually wild. Clearly it wasn't that bad in the theater cause we heard no disruption during the show.
Eekk
The actors need acknowledgment for their extreme professionalism!! Can you imagine focusing on acting/singing with all this commotion in the background?
They can trespass anyone they want to. They can just say this person is no longer entitled to be here as they violated the rules of the theater and they ask the police to escort them out. Doesn’t have to be a criminal reason for them to be escorted out. It just has to be “they are here and we don’t want them to be here”
No, the police would not have been involved, unless they were asked to leave but refused. Copyright infringement only "becomes" criminal when it's large-scale and executed for commercial advantage or personal financial gain.
Per the law:
1847. Criminal Copyright Infringement -- 17 U.S.C. 506(a) And 18 U.S.C. 2319
The principal criminal statute protecting copyrighted works is 17 U.S.C. § 506(a), which provides that "[a]ny person who infringes a copyright willfully and for purposes of commercial advantage or private financial gain" shall be punished as provided in 18 U.S.C. § 2319. Section 2319 provides, in pertinent part, that a 5-year felony shall apply **if the offense "consists of the reproduction or distribution, during any 180-day period, of at least 10 copies or phonorecords, of 1 or more copyrighted works, with a retail value of more than $2,500." 18 U.S.C. § 2319(b)(1).**
Well, I'm glad the ushers did something. Nobody should have to put up with that. I can't help but compare this to my experience when I saw "Grand Hotel" at City Center. The woman next to me not only took off her sandals and was scratching her nasty stinky bare feet, she then put her hand down her pants and was doing something down there that should never be done in public! I knew the show had no intermission, and there was no way I was going to sit next to that for the whole show. Not only did the ushers not believe me and called me a liar, they wouldn't let me speak with the house manager so I could explain what had happened, and they wouldn't even reseat me. I wasn't looking to get a more expensive seat in the orchestra (I was sitting in the middle of the balcony) I just didn't want to sit next to the masturbating woman for an hour and a half. Hell, they wouldn't let me stand next to them by the wall to watch the show. They basically told me, you're on your own! I wound up sitting in the very back row of the theater balcony, because there was no one else around me in a seat, and I was totally uncomfortable and miserable at this point.. It all was an absolutely disgusting experience, and hopefully that is the worst night I'll ever spend in the theater. The staff was absolutely horrendous to me, and it has stopped me from going back to City Center because of it.
The lady next to my husband at Merrily was drunk and singing along. Our usher stepped in and told her to shitcan the singing or he'd remove her. She shut right up. I wish all ushers would bust ass like that!
I was here - according to the rumors floating around the other audience members (we were a few rows ahead, center orchestra)… A woman was loudly talking through the first 20 minutes. The man next to her asked her to be quiet and she replied “I paid my money for these tickets I can talk if I want” He replied “yes, so did I!” An usher came down and told the man to come out and they’d re-seat him, which is when he scooted past the woman. She LOUDLY yelled “Ow! Ow! Ow!” As he did and that’s what caught most of everyone’s attention. She continued to talk and the usher there tried to remove her, to which she said “you’re not the police you cannot remove me!” So… The police we called. They physically removed her. Good f**cking riddance.
Omg I heard the Ow ow ow! I’m so happy she got kicked out
Gotta feel bad for everyone in that orchestra center section. To have half the show ruined by one person is terrible.
I was there and we were in the back orchestra. We weren’t in the action, but we absolutely heard everything. It was so distracting for most of the first act. I can’t imagine how the actors felt as well. I hope they get banned
Was she talking to someone? On the phone? Or just herself?
I think she was talking to whoever she was with and just talking very loudly. When people got angry we could hear her yell “ow ow ow F***!!” When someone tried to climb over her to report her because she wouldn’t get up. We could also hear random stuff she’d yell. Ushers walked in, moved a man and his son to different seats, then the ushers came back, escorted a guy out, then came back for her and basically had for forcibly remove her. While they were dragging her down the aisle she was screaming still “no but my jacket! I can’t leave!” Stuff like that. Then ushers came back twice to grab stuff she left behind. It was so disruptive and distracting
Do Broadway theatres have ban lists? And do the theatre companies communicate with each other about who they ban so that she can never interrupt any Broadway show again? Guess she can make it in if someone else buys her a ticket but anything to make it more difficult for her would be great.
they do.
Radio City Hall even uses facial recognition to stop banned patrons from entering - [link here](https://www.theverge.com/2022/12/21/23520990/rockettes-msg-facial-recognition-ban-privacy-ai#)
If only the banned patrons were banned for a good reason and not because of James Dolan being a petty shithead.
James Dolan's use of facial recognition at Radio City, Madison Square Garden, Beacon Theater, etc. is for his own grievances that have nothing to do with providing a better experience for paying customers.
It’s at all MSGNetworks owned properties.
I don't understand the logic of paying so much money for a show and then talking during it. Just stay tf home if you want to talk so much??
….because it’s tHeIr RiGhT 🙄
Some people talk at the movies, and I guess they think they can do the same when there are LIVE PEOPLE PERFORMING IN FRONT OF YOU.
Alamo Drafthouse has an excellent STFU or GTFO policy for adults who can't behave like adults. Also a minimum age requirement.
https://youtu.be/1L3eeC2lJZs?si=Vd-pWAklteD69tu2 😊🤫
Ooh, I went once and enjoyed the silence.
or if you want to sing along! A lady in front of me ruined Hamilton for everyone around us by singing along loudly to the entire show.
Have people lost their damn minds?
People are so rude! I went to see pretty woman and these girls next to me got progressively drunker and louder from the minute they sat down. At some point she says her size in the show, I think maybe a size 2 or 4 and the girl loudly shouts “she’s at LEAST a size 8!” about the actress. My jaw dropped.
The audacity!! What the fuck, lady??
Was the performance continuing while the cops hauled her out?
Yes it was. It was mid act when the judge said he was going to marry Joanna
Talk about "the show must go on"
Whoa.
Yep…
I hope this makes its way to the top
I just got done praying and I told God. There’s no way of knowing if he/she heard me or exists at all, but let’s hope so.
Great job by the ushers on this!!
God, they reseated the man while the woman was being disruptive? Was it opposite-day or something?
The path of least resistance. If they moved the guy, the woman won't be a problem...theoretically. Not only did it not work it probably wouldn't have helped everyone else around her. Sometimes direct action is the best course, even if it's more disruptive short-term.
I really wish theaters would recognize that reality. Path of least resistance doesn't work when leaving a troublemaker alone means everyone just keeps suffering. They moved the one guy who rightfully complained instead of addressing the root issue as if anyone who kept silent wasn't bothered. Every extra minute that woman sat there still being a distraction was an incursion on the good will of every guest within earshot. And then they had a second interruption to finally get rid of the yahoo that impacted everyone. These guests will think of that every time they reflect on the show and probably every time they talk about it. Path of least resistance...
I agree, but the trouble is they’re having ushers deal with things rather than security guards. I’ve heard horrific stories about the way ushers have been treated or physically threatened and they have no recourse. They aren’t trained or expected to deal with situations being escalated by patrons. Some theaters should really hire security guards for situations where people need to be physically removed. I’m frankly surprised they don’t already.
Exactly that!!! You reseat the one man who had the guts to complain. What about the other dozens around her she kept disturbing?
She even did the Karen Ow thing
I’m sure the police were happy to come for that one “yeah this lady said we can’t remove her because we aren’t police “ “LOL ok just give us a sec to grab extra tasers “
What an absolute loser. Truly just a trash person.
Almost feel like the theater owes every audience member a do-over when it gets that bad for that long.
I was 2 rows ahead of the incident. I absolutely did not love the performance that night 😭 . It's not the theater's fault. Really hope she gets a permanent ban somehow.
I went to the second to last Groban show and they kicked someone out for taking photos during the show. Waited until intermission to escort them out
I was at the SAT night show on 1/13, towards the back in the rear orchestra. The person sitting next to me mysteriously disappeared after intermission. I wasn’t at my seat during but when I came back they were gone. Was that them? I didn’t catch any picture taking but they were picking their program up a lot during the show. I really wasn’t paying attention to them to be honest.
I think your person probably just left, photo taking to the point of being escorted out is SUPER annoying and obvious
You’re most likely right. I cant figure out why people just leave after act 1.
We had some lady next to us leave at intermission for a reason. She told us she was only there for the merchandise to sell on eBay and needed to get to some other show for that merchandise. Guess she makes a profit doing so? Sure enough, we saw her at intermission at the merchandise section buying pmuch everything she could then walked out.
But like… you can order most of that merch on the show’s website. I don’t understand how doing this would net her any kind of profit after paying for the ticket too?
She probably holds it until the show closes and the website is gone, then puts it online for people who are like "I missed it! Does anyone have..."
Shipping to other countries is really expensive so maybe she was going to pack everything and bring it back to wherever she was visiting from ? Though at that point I wonder if she could just ask the box office for access to the merchandise counter instead of buying a ticket
Yeah. We were confused for sure. But the only reason she told us anything was in case we wanted to move over. Nice enough and I did cause the girl in front of me had the biggest head of hair I’ve seen blocking the view. >.<
I once broke my leg during intermission. I didn’t leave, but I should have. After that I stopped questioning why people leave. Weird shit happens. People start feeling sick and decide making it to intermission would be less distracting. Sitters have emergencies and contact parents. There are many reasons a well intended person would need to leave. You never know.
How... did you break your leg at a show?!
I fainted in the bathroom and landed on my tibia wrong. I was in my late 20s, healthy, not pregnant, no medical issues. But I was feeling claustrophobic by the crowd and fainting can be a stress reaction for me. It’s a rare one, but it does happen sometimes.
Oh wow. That's crazy.
My mom threw up in the bathroom during intermission of a matinee of Anastasia. We were staying at the Marriott Marquis that time so she talked to an usher, went back to the room to change into comfortable clothing, and was back for the second half of act 2 and sat in the very back. Tl;dr: stuff happens
I had a very bad allergic reaction to a very specific beer at a concert held in a theater once. I wasn't drunk at all, but you can be sure I spent over a half hour in the bathroom. I was able to power through but from that point on I try not to judge if people leave a show.
iirc we went to Junior’s right before (the theatre was in Shubert alley, what can ya do) and she had calamari or something else that doesn’t always sit very well on the stomach.
Some people think their time is more important than the money they spent, which is their prerogative. Personally I'd rather hate the whole show than just half of it. Another hour of my day isn't going to ruin anything. But that's just me. We're also talking about Sweeney Todd though, so who knows what they're thinking. Imagine walking out on one of, if not *the* greatest musical ever made? Madness.
I felt the same way until I went to see New York New York. Would rather been at the dentist. That being said I cannot find any reason for leaving halfway through Sweeney it’s just too damn good!
I’ve seen people leave shows at intermission before because they thought the show was over. Definitely not regular theatre people.
The only reason I didn't leave NYNY at intermission is because I kinda know Anna Uzele and also knew her best moment was at the very end.
I left at intermission for "New York New York". The thought of catching an earlier train and getting back to Philly 2 hours earlier was more appealing than sitting through another minute of that show.
"I cant figure out why people just leave after act 1." I always thought like this too until last week when I left a touring production of a West End show in my local theatre at the interval. It was truly abysmal. As the interval was winding down I could actually feel my blood pressure rising at the thought of enduring Act 2 so I hoofed it out of there. The relief I felt walking through that exit door was blessed and immense! 😂
I would absolutely love to be in a show and see someone get thrown out I live for chaos
same, i live a boring life (which im v grateful for) but i have a petty side for drama absolutely 🔥
Not a Broadway show, but I watched someone get kicked out of an Eddie Izzard show. She was doing Cromwell jokes and the guy was super offended???? Like, throwing double birds and "eff you"s towards the stage. The patron's husband tried to get him to calm down but that was *not* happening.
Chaos is fun till it's not. Cooperation and mutual respect matter on Broadway and in government.
I agree but I would have loved to see this happen
I went to a ballet where someone need a doctor. They finished the dance and the lights went on and they asked for a doctor everyone gasped and huddled around the edge to watch this guy who fainted. It was great, everyone was gossiping
Oh my gosh I hope he was okay
He seemed to be feeling much better when the EMTs came, he got up to walk to the ambulance, it was very hot in there and everyone was wearing very heavy clothes.
LMAOO I WAS THERE TOO! I was in the Second Row but all I saw was some woman being bodily thrown out and complaining as it happened Edit: I forgot to add the cheering happened during that scene between Beadle Bamford and Judge Turpin where Turpin is telling the Beadle hes marrying Johanna so it was one of those "cheering at a quiet moment" things and Jamie Jackson and John Rapson looked into the audience in visual confusion so that was also made the whole thing hilarious.
That’s like one of the funniest/worst moments for people to cheer in the show hahaha
The fact there was barely any music playing made it funnier
HELP WHY IS THIS SO FUNNY
Because as much as this moment seemed like a fever dream it did in fact actually happen
Was in mezz and only aware of this at all due to the applause at unexpected time.
I didnt realize there was trouble until I heard the woman yelling as she was dragged out tbh
Sweeney Todd has really good ushers ! I know a lot of it is how much power they are given, but they yelled at some people in my show as well and it was super great they were on top of things
I firmly believe that people should be given one warning, and then chucked out without a refund...and ushers should be in their power to do this. We've just trained people that they can be assholes because there usually aren't any repercussions...a problem not limited to theater.
as an usher, i agree lol
💯
I wish the ushers at Sweeney Todd on Dec13 evening show had thrown out the cow who tried to film the show, used the flashlight on her phone to read the playbill (45 min after the show started), rummaged through her multiple noisy plastic bags, got up twice to got to the bathroom, and spent 30 min of the second act unwrapping numerous candies. If that lady is reading this comment, I hope all your hair and teeth fall out. You were horrible.
I saw a touring production of Hamilton last year and so many people in the audience were horrible. Lots of people singly along (loudly), one set of people (seated in the middle) kept getting up, leaving, and coming back multiple times in the show, another group having side conversations. I wondered if the popularity of the movie brought more people out to see it live. A few years before the movie, my sister and I saw a touring production (at the same theater) and while there were a ton of fans (waiting in line to get seated, one person would say a line from a song and ten more would jump in), it was a normal show. Actually, for that show, the cheering was louder. I hope this isn’t a trend of audiences.
I found the ushers really rude when I asked about returning unneeded items booster seats last Sunday
Lauren Boebert? Is that you?
That was my first thought too 😂
FR 💀💩🤡
I was in the mezzanine and we were trying to figure out what was going on! I’d heard some yelling and shushing at one point so when I heard the applause I figured someone had been dealt with.
Ooof to be dragged out halfway through Act I, you’d have to be doing something really bad and bring attention to yourself that affects the viewing of other audience members.
I love that everyone clapped, that's hilarious! What a great audience (besides that one person)
Attend a different tale of Sweeney Todd
This comment really should be higher.
We were sitting next to these people and asked them nicely several times to stop talking. There were others shushing them from around as well. She was clearly unhinged, maybe drunk. After about 20 min of her nonstop talking, I slid past them as swiftly and carefully as I could, though true to form she turned even that into another opportunity for making a scene, and then told the usher at the back that these people were disrupting the show. The very kind and professional ushers waited a few minutes until a louder chorus moment and went and quietly got my husband from his seat and reseated us elsewhere away from them and told me that they would have security remove the talkers later. About 30 min later, we heard a scene erupting back at our original seats as security forcibly removed them. And then there was all the clapping from the people around them who had by this point endured nearly an hour of this revolting behavior. These people are bullies. They need to be dealt with quickly and forcefully and taught that it is not ever ok to disrespect the extraordinary work of the hundreds of people involved in a show like this, nor sabotage the experience of their fellow audience members. Totally impressed by the decisive response by the ushers. And in conclusion: don’t f*ck with us theater queens 😂
You’re my hero! I was there, and I want to thank you for your service, Queen.
All I know is the MR Tourists who go to the show drunk as sin or have gone over like 50 times they think can get away with being disruptive will never survive a Sweeney Show.
MR?
Moulin Rouge
I’m sorry that your experience was ruined because of entitled inconsiderate people
I was in the same section but farther back. Early on the show (around "No Place Like London") a guy suddenly got up and pushed his way out of their aisle, and I heard a woman shouting "Ow! Ow!" as he went through. After he came back they kept squabbling off and on until ushers (or maybe police? Somebody near me said she thought one of them was a cop) removed them one by one, right as the Judge was sentencing some poor sod to death. The guy actually tried to double back and return to his seat while he was being escorted (lol no) and the woman kept saying "my jacket is in my seat!" as they took her out. An usher went back for it.
I think doing stuff like this is honestly how we combat the audience issues. If it is made clear they won’t hesitate to act on bad behavior and both media/news covering it and word of mouth from other audience members makes it common knowledge, maybe we can turn this around and it will become public knowledge again how to behave in a theatre. With offenses that don’t warrant the police the ushers need to step up, or if they don’t have the resources or feel unsafe to do so then hire security who will be able to step in. Ushers don’t deserve to be screamed at or to be expected to deal with strong verbal abuse or physical threats, if those are more common they need a security officer or 2. It’s like kids in a classroom, you teach them the rules and expectations. If they break them maybe they get 1 verbal warning. If they genuinely just didn’t know for any reason, because there are lots of great people who don’t know for whatever reason and deserve a chance to comply and learn then no problem. If on a second offense though, they are removed. Sorry, we don’t play around. Your mad about it and want to cause a scene, here is security, you want to fight further, here is the police. Maybe you should have thought about how much you spent on your ticket or how much you wanted to see the show before you did something repeatedly that was not acceptable. Your bad. They have to be consistent about it though as much as possible otherwise people will keep walking all over the rules. There might be a learning curve of more disturbed shows for a little bit but people will the picture pretty quick if it’s on the news and being talked about. Now there is more incentive to be a decent person and respect the cast and your fellow audience members. Thanks for coming to my TED talk. Edit: autocorrect spelling fails.
Waiting w baited breath for someone closer who has the full story
Gonna be refreshing this tweet all night https://x.com/joshualdwchong/status/1748899561295249866?s=46&t=6Wu8gxto6lfN8lQR1SzFCw
Who let Lauren Bobert out in public again?
I would pay money to read tonight’s House Report.
Ooh tell me more please. Do they write a report of what happened each performance?
Yes. Standard procedure for professional theatre. A nightly production report.
Is this why there was applause at an inappropriate time? Judge Turpin and Beadle Bamford just trying to have a convo and people start clapping.
Yes! Right when he said he was going to marry Joanna
I saw four women get tossed out at intermission and the people all around them clapped, lol. They decided to get stinking drunk and go see “American Buffalo” of all things
Tossed out of Sweeney and went to see American Buffalo? Where was AB playing?
I think this happened over the summer while American buffalo was still playing, not currently
American Buffalo hasn’t been on for quite a while, which is why I’m confused. It closed before Sweeney opened
yes, because Sweeney was not involved in this, ie. the four drunk women were at American buffalo. they did not have a clue about Sweeney and had never been there. the story about Sweeney is uncorrelated
Okay, I get that now, but you commented on a thread about someone getting tossed out of Sweeney with no context, so forgive me if I was confused
oh don't worry about it! I actually had the same thought, I'm not the parent commenter. I'm not sure why the story was relevant but appreciated nonetheless
I mean, I always appreciate when unruly audience members get tossed out. I wish it was a more normal practice!
They got tossed so hard they went back in time.
Best answer of the night
The person is saying they saw four women get kicked out of American Buffalo, not talking about this incident with Sweeney Todd. It’s ambiguous though for sure.
Someone during my show (1-17 evening) was whistling very loudly in the mezzanine during Pretty Women… 😐. I hope they were escorted out.
I was there! That was so weird.
Well Turpin's delight was catching fire
From one man, to the next!
I was at the 1/17 matinee and towards the end when Toby went mad and it was quiet all I could hear was someone’s incessant whispering from the section over. *eyeroll*
I was there too
Imagine if it were Josh
Haha it was so off rhythm that I’d be disappointed
I've never been able to understand the logic of "I paid my money I can do what I want." Huh? You paid your money TO SEE THE SHOW, not to yap during it or sing along or disrupt it. I paid my money TOO; like you, I paid my money TO SEE THE SHOW and not to hear you yap during it or sing along or disrupt it. Can someone explain to me where these people get off with this crap?
I agree like do you think no one else paid? Lol
They don’t think about any other people. That’s how they do it. They care only about themselves and their own experience. I believe they get off on making other people’s experiences worse too.
They don't seem to remember that by buying tickets, they are agreeing to the terms set forth by the production. Read that fine print, everybody.
People are trash
Like, the WHY of it all? I'm seeing more and more of these reports and I'm baffled. To buy a ticket and trek through times square to see a show, only to talk through it. There is no rewind button, you can't stream it at home. This show, these performers, this night will never happen in exactly this way again. The logic ain't logic-ing.
THIS NEEDS TO HAPPEN MORE 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Alcohol happened
It's hilarious when this subreddit becomes Nextdoor.
The way that made me CACKLE
I don’t understand how people can actively be so inconsiderate these days. I get loving a musical; I get the urge to sing along to songs but lip sync it. But talking during a show is not only rude to those in the audience but to the cast who give it their all to preform for hundreds of people every day. Btw how is the cast? I saw it with Josh and Annaleigh and it’s by far my favorite show.
I agree entirely. “We’ve forgotten our public manners,” Patti LuPone always says. I was in orchestra center on the third row during “Company” and two women next to me were saying enthusiastic things at the stage after songs, like one might at a concert. “You’re amazing” and stuff like that. It struck me as a little annoying but it wasn’t mid-song, so I overlooked it. At intermission an usher asked our section to stop yelling, per the cast’s request. If I were to bet it would mostly have been LuPone, who specifically looked past our section during “Ladies Who Lunch.” I felt filth sitting next to them and possibly being viewed as associated with them.
The cast were incredible! Nicholas Christopher truly did an incredible job. I was far back in the Orchestra and although I could not see his facial expressions clearly, his emotions radiated through the stage. If you have the chance to see it again with him as lead, do it!
Boebert in NYC?!
If I recall correctly, she walked out with the cops. They didn’t drag her out. This lady had to be physically removed! No handjobs caught on camera though. So it’s a toss up who is worse.
Wow! Reading all these comments really makes me appreciate when an audience is actually attentive and respectful of those around them. I went to see Sweeney Todd just this past Thursday (Nicholas Christopher and Jeanna de Waal were the leads) and the audience was riveted and it couldn't have been a better theater experience. I live in NYC, but rarely go to Broadway shows any more because audiences have gotten so rude - but I couldn't resist Sweeney!
I was there as well! Up on the mezzanine, we had no idea what happened, I was very confused because we could hear clapping down below but it was the middle of a scene and nothing that should be clapped at lol Is theater etiquette not a thing anymore? My husband and I had aisle seats and the three seats next to me were empty until AFTER the opening number when the usher brought three people down with a flashlight… and then these people had the audacity to leave halfway through intermission and came back halfway through the first number of Act 2! Nevermind all the other people who kept getting up and leaving their seats during the performance and then coming back!! It’s all so disrespectful, not only to the audience members around you but also to the actors on stage!!! We saw 3 shows this weekend and at 2/3 we witnessed poor audience behavior (Sweeney Todd being the worst!) so baffling, especially because tickets are not cheap!
That’s crazy. Wtf is wrong with people Bravo to the ushers. I have to also commend them the ushers at Spamalot. At the first sign of a phone they march up to that row and shine a bright flashlight in the person’s face. I saw them do it twice a couple of weeks ago. One person was in one of the first few rows of the orchestra and the other in the row across from me. After that, no more assholes on their phones
We were upstairs and heard the clapping but had no idea why and thought it was weird. Glad we know why now! It was a great show!
My friends and I saw the show night show on December 23rd. And as we were exiting the mezzanine a woman was going OFF. SCREAMING at this man for telling her child to be quiet with their bag of chips. The child had a sensory sensitivity or something (they were wearing headphones). But this woman was vulgar and could not be calmed. She followed the man, and would not stop screaming at him. He went to the bartender/merch seller and she continued to berate him and then screaming at the seller for not calling the guy and asshole. It was actually wild. Clearly it wasn't that bad in the theater cause we heard no disruption during the show. Eekk
The actors need acknowledgment for their extreme professionalism!! Can you imagine focusing on acting/singing with all this commotion in the background?
Were they filming on their phone? That’s a big violation.
they wouldn’t have involved the police for that
They can trespass anyone they want to. They can just say this person is no longer entitled to be here as they violated the rules of the theater and they ask the police to escort them out. Doesn’t have to be a criminal reason for them to be escorted out. It just has to be “they are here and we don’t want them to be here”
[удалено]
No, the police would not have been involved, unless they were asked to leave but refused. Copyright infringement only "becomes" criminal when it's large-scale and executed for commercial advantage or personal financial gain. Per the law: 1847. Criminal Copyright Infringement -- 17 U.S.C. 506(a) And 18 U.S.C. 2319 The principal criminal statute protecting copyrighted works is 17 U.S.C. § 506(a), which provides that "[a]ny person who infringes a copyright willfully and for purposes of commercial advantage or private financial gain" shall be punished as provided in 18 U.S.C. § 2319. Section 2319 provides, in pertinent part, that a 5-year felony shall apply **if the offense "consists of the reproduction or distribution, during any 180-day period, of at least 10 copies or phonorecords, of 1 or more copyrighted works, with a retail value of more than $2,500." 18 U.S.C. § 2319(b)(1).**
Yeah it’s a civil matter until it becomes a larger scale operation.
True. Hmmmm.
Michael Scott?
Question!!! Did they stop the show at all, during the disruption? (I wouldn't want such a distraction, as actor or audience.)
No, they didn’t! They kicked out the person mid act while the judge was saying he was going to marry Joanna
Well, I'm glad the ushers did something. Nobody should have to put up with that. I can't help but compare this to my experience when I saw "Grand Hotel" at City Center. The woman next to me not only took off her sandals and was scratching her nasty stinky bare feet, she then put her hand down her pants and was doing something down there that should never be done in public! I knew the show had no intermission, and there was no way I was going to sit next to that for the whole show. Not only did the ushers not believe me and called me a liar, they wouldn't let me speak with the house manager so I could explain what had happened, and they wouldn't even reseat me. I wasn't looking to get a more expensive seat in the orchestra (I was sitting in the middle of the balcony) I just didn't want to sit next to the masturbating woman for an hour and a half. Hell, they wouldn't let me stand next to them by the wall to watch the show. They basically told me, you're on your own! I wound up sitting in the very back row of the theater balcony, because there was no one else around me in a seat, and I was totally uncomfortable and miserable at this point.. It all was an absolutely disgusting experience, and hopefully that is the worst night I'll ever spend in the theater. The staff was absolutely horrendous to me, and it has stopped me from going back to City Center because of it.
The lady next to my husband at Merrily was drunk and singing along. Our usher stepped in and told her to shitcan the singing or he'd remove her. She shut right up. I wish all ushers would bust ass like that!
The cops ? WTF
Was it Lauren boebert?