• About
  • Contact Me
  • Legal Stuff

From Hip to Housewife

...in two kids flat.

Follow Me:

Facebook Twitter RSS Pinterest Instagram
  • Family
  • Travel
  • Rants
  • Parenting
  • NY Theatre
  • Reviews
  • Tech

9 Tips for Broadway Theatre Goers

Jul 11 Posted by nancyjrab 1 Comment

Theatre Tips
1. Shut your damn phone off.  Generations of theatre goers have survived without people being able to reach them for a few hours.  You will too.  Honestly — you’re not that important. Get over yourself.

2.  Tone Down your ‘do.  If you’re  tall, it’s one thing.  No one likes to see Lebron James scooting his way into the row directly in front of them, but it’s not like there’s a whole lot he can do about being circus-freak tall.  But if it’s just your ginormous hairdo, here’s a tip: TONE IT DOWN.

3. Clean Yourself Up – If you have to fit in that Spin Class before you get the theatre, shower before you arrive.  Please.  It’s a common courtesy not to reek when you’re sitting in close proximity to so many people. Brush your teeth, while you’re at it. Sounds obvious, but you’d be amazed. Ditto deodorant.  But don’t floss in your seat.  I’ve seen that.  No joke.

4. This is not your living room.  Keep your comments to yourselves. Theatre is LIVE, people.  You may not comment on the goings on on stage to the person next to you the way you would were you watching, say, The Real Housewives of New Jersey. (who, by the way may not even be live themselves – just well drawn cartoons.)

5. Go Smoke Free If you must smoke, give yourself at least a few moments to air out before you take your seat.  Nothing spoils the illusion of being in the African Jungle, or the royal court like the stench of old cigarette smoke.

Of course if it’s a Mamet play, smoke away.

6.No Snoring.  I know what you’re thinking : how would I know I‘m  snoring if I’m asleep?  I don’t care. Snoring is disrespectful to the actors and the people around you.  Tie a rubber band around your wrist, and if you feel yourself dozing off, give yourself a good hard snap.

7. If you are sick STAY HOME.  This is common courtesy.  But also, it’s distracting to everyone and spoils the experience if you’re coughing and sneezing, and sniffling throughout the show. If you MUST have a tuberculosis attack the second the lights go out, at least cover your mouth.  Why does the coughing begin as the curtain goes up? Passive aggressive anyone?

8. This is not your bedroom either. No canoodling.  Keep your head on top of your own shoulders, not snuggled up against your date’s.  You’ll be blocking someone’s view. And making them sick from the cuteness of it all. Get a room.

9. DON’T JUMP ONTO THE STAGE.  Seriously??

Overall, keep in mind that the people on that stage, the people back stage, and the people sitting in the theatre with you are all there for a reason:  to see a show, to have an experience, to be in the moment.  It’s not YOUR experience.  It’s shared.  But share the experience, not your food, your germs. your conversations, and certainly not your cell phone.

 

You can do that, right?

And if you can’t, stay home.  If you won’t stay home, fine, just don’t sit in front of me.

Liked this post? Share it, baby!

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: Theater Tagged With: #handtogodbway, broadway shows, Broadway Tips, Hand To God Broadway, man plugs in phone on stage, Patti Lupone, Shows for Days

Comments

  1. Holly says

    July 11, 2015 at 1:31 pm

    Amen! Apparently, the guy (kid) who jumped on stage was drunk and had never seen a Broadway show before. His statement made me laugh.

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Holly Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

What are you looking for?

Subscribe by Email

You know you want to read me all the time! Leave your email and hit subscribe and I'll email you every time there's a new post!

Join 21,209 other subscribers

Check out my other baby!

Shop Books by Me and Friends

Click Here to buy The Bigger The Better the Tighter the Sweater, which includes my essay about my boobs. (yes, really) Click Here to buy The Knitters Gift, which features my essay on the psycho-sexual effects of being a knitter. (sort of, kind of)

Categories

Recent Posts

  • #Me too? #Well Duh.
  • How My Dog Convinced me to Get Botox
  • Activism Boot Camp: Are High Schoolers our Hope for the Future?
  • Museum Hack: A Whole New Way to Go to the Museum
  • jimmyCASE: My Favorite New iPhone Case

Copyright © 2021 · Beautiful Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in