Musical rioting is what happens when you cut funding from the local youth clubs.
> Should you be allowed to sing along at a musical?
No. Obviously not.
I can’t believe people think this ok. I could sort of understand why people might think it’s ok at a Jukebox musical which is intentionally designed to play on the fact you already know and like songs but still.
>Vanessa Feltz added: “Isn’t the whole point of going to a musical that you know, that you sing along to all the bits you know… very, very loudly while eating an ice cream.”
I put this in the same category as people who clap and cheer when the plane lands
“Don’t punch the staff” isn’t just theatre etiquette, it’s everyday life etiquette.
Its alcohol. They were drunk as fuck you can hear them wailing.
Please do not sing along when we perform. Its distracting and the audience think you are an asshole to.
Do not play on your phone mute it and put it away or turn it off. If you were so convinced there will be an emergency call you must answer then why are you at the theatre?
Do not get up and down from your seat and leave the theatre over and over during the show. Use the toilet before and after and during intermission of the show has one. It used to be if you left the room then you could not come back in till there was a break in performance (medical reasons were am exception)
Dont talk. If you are bored? Leave. Do you need help? Signal for am usher and be helped out of the room. Do you just want to chat with your friends? Leave and go find a pub this isnt a social gathering.
We hear everything on stage. We can hear conversations from the heavens to the front row (and we hear interesting things at that) it is very distracting to see and hear all that going on and it happens far to often lately. Do you remember that trend speach jammer where lots of sounds were played in your ear and it made it hard for you to speak clearly? That is what its loke hearing all the talking and singing in the audience and so many shows have young children in that its even harder for them.
Its not just theatre etiquette (which a lot of theatres have signs about and do pre show announcements about) its just basic manners. Why pay all the money to not sit back relax and enjoy it?
It’s a theater, not karaoke night at the Slapper’s Arms. We want to see the performers sing. Not some pissed up tart who’s had one too many sherbets and with the voice of of a violated cat.
Nothing would make me think it’s ok to join in a theatre performance- unless they specifically state it’s allowed/expected.
I know the words to a lot of Shakespeare plays, should I join in with the RSC? Of course not.
If you want to sing along, buy the soundtrack and play it in the car later.
What’s more surprising is the people actually defending this kind of behaviour.
There is another theatre trend since the pandemic and that’s remaking old films with banging soundtracks because its a sure bet to make money rather than gambling on creating new musicals.
Bad behaviour shouldn’t be tolerated but if the theatre companies are doing what’s essentially a panto for 40 year olds whilst serving booze they are naive to expect audiences to behave as if they are watching les mis.
I know people have become even worse since Covid, but it’s nothing new, only increasingly prevalent.
I was bemused a few years ago when my late-50s colleague was moaning that she went to the Tina Turner musical and people complained her group of friends were singing along. She very seriously said “it’s a musical with popular songs, how are you not expected to sing?”.
I remember shushing a couple of younger girls singing along and headbanging during a film that heavily focussed on music. That was many years ago (not in the UK) and I was in my mid-20s myself but still found that it was a weird and disruptive thing to do in a regular cinema (i.e. unlike a sing-along screening of the Rocky Horror Picture Show for example).
“When there’s drink involved” … I am sick to the back teeth of hearing this. Like booze is a magic potion that allows you to do anything and be forgiven. I work in bars and recently had to remove a bloke in his 50s from a 19year old barmaid- everyone’s response? “Ah well he’s just had a drink”. I have been drunk many, many, many times but have never assaulted anyone or messed up a theatre show. Why do we just let these dickheads have a free pass?
They absolutely shouldn’t sing. No one wants to hear some fog horn in the audience bellowing lines to a song. They pay to watch the performance, not drown it out
I went to see this (thankfully at a different venue) Theres time at the end for everyone to stand and have a good time. Doing during the show would have totally ruined the atmosphere! How do people not know theatre etiquette?
I think these people must think it’s the same as Panto. I’d have definitely been pissed off.
It’s not just theatre that’s been seeing an increase in bad behavior/etiquette.
Ever since lockdown ended I’ve seen progressively worse behaviour at music gigs and comedy nights too.
Talking through bands constantly, even quiet acoustic tracks. At one gig the singer asked people to keep quiet as it she was about to sing a deeply personal song about her father’s death – a bunch of groups still gobbed off through the entirety.
Getting out of seats multiple times (the guys who went in and out 7 times during a 1 hour set were my favourite so far).
More fights in the last 2 years of gigs than I’ve seen in the previous 20.
Cheap coke and post lockdown me-centric attitudes aren’t a good combination.
First night out after lockdown, went to see a stand up comedy show at a theatre with my gf- some pissed up crone on our row was cackling before the punchline of every joke- drowning out the actual punchline.
Then joined in with her own stories and anecdotes for most of the second half. Totally spoilt the evening- next time I’ll just buy the DVD.
We should also talk more about cinema etiquette. Seems like the same kinds of twats that can’t be quiet for an hour or two. It’s not the alcohol, people are just arseholes.
“Should you be allowed to sing along at a musical”
No. It pisses me off that this is even a debate that’s come from the video of someone screaming off-key at the top of their lungs along with the performer.
Unless it’s a sing along or something people take part in sit down shut the fuck up and enjoy the fucking show
Not being funny but if I’d paid to see a group of professionals singing and instead got Carol and Tracey, pissed up, singing out of key I’d be livid.
Sing along when allowed and then listen to the soundtrack on the way home to do the same. Musicals are fun but people pay to hear the performance, not the audience, for good reason. I understand wanting to have fun, however that is listening to the performance for 99% of people, which the minority need to accept.
This happened to me when I saw it years ago.
Women behind me was drunk singing (badly) and loudly along.
I asked an attendant to ask her to stop.
The next hour was her going on making a scene with “under her breath” comments dire ted at me.
At the last song when the audience is asked to sing along she was just shouting, can I sing a long, are you sure, your not going to tell on me…
Everyone in that section of the theatre hated that woman, but I got all the hate from her. Theatre didn’t move me or her which they should have done. Ruined the night out.
I went to a panto at my local theatre last year. The family next to me changed their child’s nappy during the play, instead of going out to the toilet. They were going to just leave without taking the dorty nappy and all of their rubbish with them. Tgey had left everything on the floor. I said to the man “aren’t you going to take your rubbish?” And he made a big show of picking it all up and said “there, happy now!?”. I told the member of staff on the exit door, in the hope they would be banned, as they would have a record of who booked those seats. She apologised to me as if it was her fault! But I doubt that skanky family were banned, and I doubt it would have improved their behaviour.
Does this happen in any other country? Really starting to hate the UK, why are there so many in our country who have no respect for anyone else? You go to the cinema now and there’s almost always a few people chatting right through or on their phones or something, and now its happening at the theatre too, and if anyone has the cheek to mention anything they just kick off like they did here.
A load of pissed up Karens full of espresso martinis and their own self importance causing drama at a theatre show, what a time to be alive.
Disgusting behaviour. People just act like animals wherever they go now.
Did people just really forget how to conduct themselves in public in the space of two years over the pandemic? Honestly some of the stories since blow my mind.
It’s not karaoke.
Shut the fuck up and enjoy the show.
How are there ACTUAL ADULTS on this planet that can’t understand this?
We had a full row of screeching women behind us when we went to see Mama Mia, it was awful. They were not even singing the right lyrics. They do special showings for sing alongs and it is rude and disrespectful to others and the cast if all you can hear is some woman with a voice like a cat in heat belting out the wrong words to a song. We went with my nieces as they got tickets for Christmas and it ruined what should have been a brilliant night.
I asked them in the interval to keep it down a bit and the staff came in as someone else complained but the women did not give a rat’s ass about anyone else.
I think it’s time to add ‘NO RIFF RAFF’ on the tickets
I saw Les Mis while it was on tour a few months ago and it was an absolute shite show that reminded me why I stopped going to the cinema; basically, the ‘great’ British public ruin everything.
The venue, a large renowned theatre in the North East, sold overpriced snacks and sweets in obnoxiously crinkly plastic packets, a bunch of lasses sat directly behind me were shitfaced and kept loudly talking throughout the entire show despite being shushed and told to shut the fuck up several times, and the absolute cherry on the cake was some old twat a few rows down that butchered Bring Him Home by singing loudly and off key through the whole song, despite also being shushed many times.
When did we get so fucking rude and ignorant as a collective? Did we forget how to behave during Covid or have people just stopped giving a shite? I’m just done with public events, you can’t enjoy it anymore without someone ruining the experience in some way shape or form.
This extendeds to almost every public space, not just the theatre. People playing music and talking on the phone on public transport, walking down the street on a video call at full volume, letting their toddlers have free reign while they follow them along filming and grinning etc
It’s now more common that not at the cinema to have someone either full on looking at their phone at head height or having a full conversation with someone next to them.
I suppose it’s not society breaking down, just…changing.
I went to Moulin Rouge last Friday. £65 to hear Beverly in Seat J6 straining to out-sing the cast. An announcement was made at curtain up – no audience participation till the finale ‘when you are welcome to dance and sing along’. No amount of glares and tuts were going to stop Beverly and her Moulin Rouge Karaoke. She had a great night.
33 comments
Musical rioting is what happens when you cut funding from the local youth clubs.
> Should you be allowed to sing along at a musical?
No. Obviously not.
I can’t believe people think this ok. I could sort of understand why people might think it’s ok at a Jukebox musical which is intentionally designed to play on the fact you already know and like songs but still.
>Vanessa Feltz added: “Isn’t the whole point of going to a musical that you know, that you sing along to all the bits you know… very, very loudly while eating an ice cream.”
This was a joke, right?
[Hey, it’s nothing new.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_classical_music_concerts_with_an_unruly_audience_response)
You just get the odd arsehole audience.
I put this in the same category as people who clap and cheer when the plane lands
“Don’t punch the staff” isn’t just theatre etiquette, it’s everyday life etiquette.
Its alcohol. They were drunk as fuck you can hear them wailing.
Please do not sing along when we perform. Its distracting and the audience think you are an asshole to.
Do not play on your phone mute it and put it away or turn it off. If you were so convinced there will be an emergency call you must answer then why are you at the theatre?
Do not get up and down from your seat and leave the theatre over and over during the show. Use the toilet before and after and during intermission of the show has one. It used to be if you left the room then you could not come back in till there was a break in performance (medical reasons were am exception)
Dont talk. If you are bored? Leave. Do you need help? Signal for am usher and be helped out of the room. Do you just want to chat with your friends? Leave and go find a pub this isnt a social gathering.
We hear everything on stage. We can hear conversations from the heavens to the front row (and we hear interesting things at that) it is very distracting to see and hear all that going on and it happens far to often lately. Do you remember that trend speach jammer where lots of sounds were played in your ear and it made it hard for you to speak clearly? That is what its loke hearing all the talking and singing in the audience and so many shows have young children in that its even harder for them.
Its not just theatre etiquette (which a lot of theatres have signs about and do pre show announcements about) its just basic manners. Why pay all the money to not sit back relax and enjoy it?
It’s a theater, not karaoke night at the Slapper’s Arms. We want to see the performers sing. Not some pissed up tart who’s had one too many sherbets and with the voice of of a violated cat.
Nothing would make me think it’s ok to join in a theatre performance- unless they specifically state it’s allowed/expected.
I know the words to a lot of Shakespeare plays, should I join in with the RSC? Of course not.
If you want to sing along, buy the soundtrack and play it in the car later.
What’s more surprising is the people actually defending this kind of behaviour.
There is another theatre trend since the pandemic and that’s remaking old films with banging soundtracks because its a sure bet to make money rather than gambling on creating new musicals.
Bad behaviour shouldn’t be tolerated but if the theatre companies are doing what’s essentially a panto for 40 year olds whilst serving booze they are naive to expect audiences to behave as if they are watching les mis.
I know people have become even worse since Covid, but it’s nothing new, only increasingly prevalent.
I was bemused a few years ago when my late-50s colleague was moaning that she went to the Tina Turner musical and people complained her group of friends were singing along. She very seriously said “it’s a musical with popular songs, how are you not expected to sing?”.
I remember shushing a couple of younger girls singing along and headbanging during a film that heavily focussed on music. That was many years ago (not in the UK) and I was in my mid-20s myself but still found that it was a weird and disruptive thing to do in a regular cinema (i.e. unlike a sing-along screening of the Rocky Horror Picture Show for example).
“When there’s drink involved” … I am sick to the back teeth of hearing this. Like booze is a magic potion that allows you to do anything and be forgiven. I work in bars and recently had to remove a bloke in his 50s from a 19year old barmaid- everyone’s response? “Ah well he’s just had a drink”. I have been drunk many, many, many times but have never assaulted anyone or messed up a theatre show. Why do we just let these dickheads have a free pass?
They absolutely shouldn’t sing. No one wants to hear some fog horn in the audience bellowing lines to a song. They pay to watch the performance, not drown it out
I went to see this (thankfully at a different venue) Theres time at the end for everyone to stand and have a good time. Doing during the show would have totally ruined the atmosphere! How do people not know theatre etiquette?
I think these people must think it’s the same as Panto. I’d have definitely been pissed off.
It’s not just theatre that’s been seeing an increase in bad behavior/etiquette.
Ever since lockdown ended I’ve seen progressively worse behaviour at music gigs and comedy nights too.
Talking through bands constantly, even quiet acoustic tracks. At one gig the singer asked people to keep quiet as it she was about to sing a deeply personal song about her father’s death – a bunch of groups still gobbed off through the entirety.
Getting out of seats multiple times (the guys who went in and out 7 times during a 1 hour set were my favourite so far).
More fights in the last 2 years of gigs than I’ve seen in the previous 20.
Cheap coke and post lockdown me-centric attitudes aren’t a good combination.
First night out after lockdown, went to see a stand up comedy show at a theatre with my gf- some pissed up crone on our row was cackling before the punchline of every joke- drowning out the actual punchline.
Then joined in with her own stories and anecdotes for most of the second half. Totally spoilt the evening- next time I’ll just buy the DVD.
We should also talk more about cinema etiquette. Seems like the same kinds of twats that can’t be quiet for an hour or two. It’s not the alcohol, people are just arseholes.
“Should you be allowed to sing along at a musical”
No. It pisses me off that this is even a debate that’s come from the video of someone screaming off-key at the top of their lungs along with the performer.
Unless it’s a sing along or something people take part in sit down shut the fuck up and enjoy the fucking show
Not being funny but if I’d paid to see a group of professionals singing and instead got Carol and Tracey, pissed up, singing out of key I’d be livid.
Sing along when allowed and then listen to the soundtrack on the way home to do the same. Musicals are fun but people pay to hear the performance, not the audience, for good reason. I understand wanting to have fun, however that is listening to the performance for 99% of people, which the minority need to accept.
This happened to me when I saw it years ago.
Women behind me was drunk singing (badly) and loudly along.
I asked an attendant to ask her to stop.
The next hour was her going on making a scene with “under her breath” comments dire ted at me.
At the last song when the audience is asked to sing along she was just shouting, can I sing a long, are you sure, your not going to tell on me…
Everyone in that section of the theatre hated that woman, but I got all the hate from her. Theatre didn’t move me or her which they should have done. Ruined the night out.
I went to a panto at my local theatre last year. The family next to me changed their child’s nappy during the play, instead of going out to the toilet. They were going to just leave without taking the dorty nappy and all of their rubbish with them. Tgey had left everything on the floor. I said to the man “aren’t you going to take your rubbish?” And he made a big show of picking it all up and said “there, happy now!?”. I told the member of staff on the exit door, in the hope they would be banned, as they would have a record of who booked those seats. She apologised to me as if it was her fault! But I doubt that skanky family were banned, and I doubt it would have improved their behaviour.
Does this happen in any other country? Really starting to hate the UK, why are there so many in our country who have no respect for anyone else? You go to the cinema now and there’s almost always a few people chatting right through or on their phones or something, and now its happening at the theatre too, and if anyone has the cheek to mention anything they just kick off like they did here.
A load of pissed up Karens full of espresso martinis and their own self importance causing drama at a theatre show, what a time to be alive.
Disgusting behaviour. People just act like animals wherever they go now.
Did people just really forget how to conduct themselves in public in the space of two years over the pandemic? Honestly some of the stories since blow my mind.
It’s not karaoke.
Shut the fuck up and enjoy the show.
How are there ACTUAL ADULTS on this planet that can’t understand this?
We had a full row of screeching women behind us when we went to see Mama Mia, it was awful. They were not even singing the right lyrics. They do special showings for sing alongs and it is rude and disrespectful to others and the cast if all you can hear is some woman with a voice like a cat in heat belting out the wrong words to a song. We went with my nieces as they got tickets for Christmas and it ruined what should have been a brilliant night.
I asked them in the interval to keep it down a bit and the staff came in as someone else complained but the women did not give a rat’s ass about anyone else.
I think it’s time to add ‘NO RIFF RAFF’ on the tickets
I saw Les Mis while it was on tour a few months ago and it was an absolute shite show that reminded me why I stopped going to the cinema; basically, the ‘great’ British public ruin everything.
The venue, a large renowned theatre in the North East, sold overpriced snacks and sweets in obnoxiously crinkly plastic packets, a bunch of lasses sat directly behind me were shitfaced and kept loudly talking throughout the entire show despite being shushed and told to shut the fuck up several times, and the absolute cherry on the cake was some old twat a few rows down that butchered Bring Him Home by singing loudly and off key through the whole song, despite also being shushed many times.
When did we get so fucking rude and ignorant as a collective? Did we forget how to behave during Covid or have people just stopped giving a shite? I’m just done with public events, you can’t enjoy it anymore without someone ruining the experience in some way shape or form.
This extendeds to almost every public space, not just the theatre. People playing music and talking on the phone on public transport, walking down the street on a video call at full volume, letting their toddlers have free reign while they follow them along filming and grinning etc
It’s now more common that not at the cinema to have someone either full on looking at their phone at head height or having a full conversation with someone next to them.
I suppose it’s not society breaking down, just…changing.
I went to Moulin Rouge last Friday. £65 to hear Beverly in Seat J6 straining to out-sing the cast. An announcement was made at curtain up – no audience participation till the finale ‘when you are welcome to dance and sing along’. No amount of glares and tuts were going to stop Beverly and her Moulin Rouge Karaoke. She had a great night.