Question for Broadway goers

[Anonymous]

Do they typically prevent people from coming in and taking their seats once the show started? Do they have a small time allowance? I went to a touring musical and people were allowed to come in almost through the whole act. I want to complain but wonder if it is just normal. It was completely distracting.

[Anonymous]

They'll usually hold people at the back until a break between songs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They'll usually hold people at the back until a break between songs.

It was a constant stream it seemed like because people were taking forever to find their seats, a couple of them had their phone flashlights on bright.

[Anonymous]

It really depends on the show on the theater. Some will not let you in at all until intermission, super strict, while others will wait for a break in the songs. You better not be busting out that flashlight because they will escort you out!

[Anonymous]

Are you planning to be late or are you a frequent bathroom user?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you planning to be late or are you a frequent bathroom user?

No, I am wondering if I should write to the theater about all the comings and goings, the bright lights, and they did not enforce texting/screens policy at all. It was way worse than any regular movie theater I've been too! I was pretty upset because I paid a lot of money and could not get into the show and enjoy the first act at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It really depends on the show on the theater. Some will not let you in at all until intermission, super strict, while others will wait for a break in the songs. You better not be busting out that flashlight because they will escort you out!

They let people do this, zero control of it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do they typically prevent people from coming in and taking their seats once the show started? Do they have a small time allowance? I went to a touring musical and people were allowed to come in almost through the whole act. I want to complain but wonder if it is just normal. It was completely distracting.

That sounds like a touring company issue. So sorry that happened to you. Very annoying. I've never seen anything like that on Broadway.

[Anonymous]

What show?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It really depends on the show on the theater. Some will not let you in at all until intermission, super strict, while others will wait for a break in the songs. You better not be busting out that flashlight because they will escort you out!

They let people do this, zero control of it.

I went to Miss Saigon on Broadway in the 90s. Center Orchestra. 2 vacant seats In our row towards the middle, next to ours. No patrons in them when the lights went down. The three of us immediately moved over in the same row to occupy the vacant seats.

Ticket holders showed up 20 minutes into the first act. Started entering the row assisted by a flashlight-bearing usher and started squishing past us, leaving the two vacant seats behind them. They definitely wanted their exact seats so we moved back.

Thought it was a bit rude considering they were so late. They still would have squished us and blocked other people's view if we had stayed in our original seats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What show?

She went to the Lion King. She’s very worried about this:

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1264948.page

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They'll usually hold people at the back until a break between songs.

I am a Broadway regular and that is not my experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It really depends on the show on the theater. Some will not let you in at all until intermission, super strict, while others will wait for a break in the songs. You better not be busting out that flashlight because they will escort you out!

They let people do this, zero control of it.

I went to Miss Saigon on Broadway in the 90s. Center Orchestra. 2 vacant seats In our row towards the middle, next to ours. No patrons in them when the lights went down. The three of us immediately moved over in the same row to occupy the vacant seats.

Ticket holders showed up 20 minutes into the first act. Started entering the row assisted by a flashlight-bearing usher and started squishing past us, leaving the two vacant seats behind them. They definitely wanted their exact seats so we moved back.

Thought it was a bit rude considering they were so late. They still would have squished us and blocked other people's view if we had stayed in our original seats.

What was rude was for you to take someone else’s seats when you had already been assigned different ones. You have no idea what the circumstances were that led to their being late - and you don’t get to take someone else’s paid seats if they don’t show up within your expected time frame. The usher obviously has no issue with them coming late and led them in. Y you shoisk enver have presumed they weren’t coming and should never have taken any other seat other than the one you paid for. You made it more of a scene than it needed to be with all the switching.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It really depends on the show on the theater. Some will not let you in at all until intermission, super strict, while others will wait for a break in the songs. You better not be busting out that flashlight because they will escort you out!

They let people do this, zero control of it.

I went to Miss Saigon on Broadway in the 90s. Center Orchestra. 2 vacant seats In our row towards the middle, next to ours. No patrons in them when the lights went down. The three of us immediately moved over in the same row to occupy the vacant seats.

Ticket holders showed up 20 minutes into the first act. Started entering the row assisted by a flashlight-bearing usher and started squishing past us, leaving the two vacant seats behind them. They definitely wanted their exact seats so we moved back.

Thought it was a bit rude considering they were so late. They still would have squished us and blocked other people's view if we had stayed in our original seats.

What was rude was for you to take someone else’s seats when you had already been assigned different ones. You have no idea what the circumstances were that led to their being late - and you don’t get to take someone else’s paid seats if they don’t show up within your expected time frame. The usher obviously has no issue with them coming late and led them in. Y you shoisk enver have presumed they weren’t coming and should never have taken any other seat other than the one you paid for. You made it more of a scene than it needed to be with all the switching.

Yes. I realized I was rude. However, it also seemed rude to seat people in the middle of the show. I am more familiar with the no seating until intermission or scene change strategies.

It was basically no more or less inconvenient for the people whose view was blocked (row behind). So the only people who suffered were the people who were insistent on getting exactly what they paid for to the point where they needed to be 4 feet to the right in a non-obstructed view section.

2 rudes don't make a right. They should have waited for a scene change.

I only mentioned this to share a Broadway experience where people were allowed to be seated at an illogical time for other patrons (people in rows behind the latecomers).

[Anonymous]

I go to Broadway shows weekly, no this is not a typical occurrence at them. Usually the ushers will hold people until a pause between songs or a reasonably quiet moment before they let them enter. If someone is behaving badly just ask an usher for help.