Has theatre etiquette has taken a dramatic turn for the worse? Our friends at the Musical Theatre Appreciation Society have been sharing their experiences with misbehaved theatre audiences and also offering us their magic five top tips for ways to behave once the curtain has risen. Willy Mukendi-Wood reports...
Has theatre taken a dramatic turn for the worse? I almost feel there is a secret club of people who attend just to see how bad they can come across. From phone users to the regular loud drunken theatre Muggles – it’s all just getting very annoying. As an admin to a very active musical theatre-based Facebook forum, I’ve noticed that the number of etiquette-based complaints is on the rise – view a few more examples from shows including Aladdin here.
So let’s take this back to basics. And do my soul a favour would you? Share this!
1. Phone use.
Now I have become so attached to my iPhone that I refer to it as wePhone. With it being my connection to business and social media, I am honestly never without it. It’s terrible, I know. But even I know to put my best friend down during a show. There is no excuse for it. You display a huge amount of disrespect to the performers and the audience members who are seated near you being distracted by your phone light. Really want to message a pal? Wait for the interval. No if buts or maybes on this… Five minutes before a show starts, grab your phone and…
2. Talking during a show.
This is one that particularly annoys me. I cannot stand talkers during shows. I am not referring to the odd ‘wow’ whisper drowned by loud applause. But by the disrespectful audience member who seems to think their conversation is more important than everyone else’s viewing experience. I recently attended Thriller at the Lyric Theatre, where a loud abrasive pair kept discussing a party they were attending after. I couldn’t help but wonder that, if they were so excited about this party, perhaps they could attend it early and leave. My whole viewing experience was ruined by their continuous disruptions. It all comes down to respect. Performers are not immune to your disrespect - they just have no instant power to express their distaste for it.
3. Singing during a show.
We all know some shows invite you to sing along, mainly jukebox shows, or during curtain call. However, even these friendly invitations have their ending. Sorry to be blunt, but no matter how beautiful your voice is, the moment you sing over a performer without invitation, your voice becomes the most annoying voice known to man. And at least seven audience members want to strangle you (eight including me).
4. Food during shows.
Now this is one many people have never come to a conclusive decision for. Some believe nobody should even bring food to the theatre, whereas I am on the side that believes if you are eating during an interval I am not fussed. With food actually being served at venues, there’s an indication that this is part of the experience. However, keep it to the interval or cram those crisps down before the show starts. Until we get some cemented rules behind this topic, sticking to an interval snack binge seems to be a pretty good compromise.
5. Turning up late to shows.
Whether it’s your fault, your partners or TFL’s … on the usher’s command, get in fast and quietly. We know you’re late, you know you’re late – heck the performers know you’re late… so please do us all a favour and get in quickly so we can get back to the magic of the show. Do not embrace your lateness by entering and moving super slow whilst shouting out to your friends that you can’t see the seat numbers...
