Some West End and touring musicals are being interrupted by rowdy audience members who treat the performance as part of their hen or birthday celebration and, already full of prosecco, neck more from plastic cups as they rudely join in with every song.
But bad audience etiquette isn’t a modern trend . . .
In Shakespeare’s day, audiences had to stand all the way through his often-lengthy plays, which explains why they became irritable and shouted insults to the players like “Oi! Are we going to be here ‘til Twelfth Night?” and “Your acting is much ado about nothing, mate!”
Victorian Music Hall audiences could be brutal to comedians and it’s said that the crowds who frequented the Glasgow Empire threw iron rivets at comics who failed to tickle their funny bones.
Apart from drunks, audiences today also suffer from idiots leaving their phones on “Because I’m expecting an important call!”.
In which case, you plonker, why go to the theatre?
Several leading actors have had audience members ejected for speaking on their phones during their performance, quite rightly.
A story a mate recently told me vividly illustrates how some individuals leave their manners at home once they’re part of an audience.
A couple he knows were staying at one of those hotels that rhyme with Lorna Pleasure.
Not that I’m familiar with a lady with that name, you understand!
At the evening cabaret show, 10 minutes into the Michael Buble-style singer’s act, the husband’s phone rang.
Instead of switching it off, as you or I would, he got up, walked to the side of the stage, engaged his son, who’d called him, in conversation and said, not in a whisper, “It’s alright. The singer’s not very good, anyway!”
He was completely oblivious that the audience and the performer could hear every word.
What’s shocking is, the ‘culprit’ himself related this story to my mate and when asked if he regretted spoiling the show for other people and insulting the performer, he shrugged and said, “Well. the singer wasn’t very good!” – as if that excused his appalling behaviour.
For once, folks, words fail me…