Question for Broadway goers

[Anonymous]

I’ve been to a lot of musicals, in NYC, London, Toronto. The ushers wait for a suitable break, between scene changes. They wouldn’t wait until intermission, that would be too long.
I was at the ballet seeing Swan Lake and even then, people were entering after scene change. I was seated near exit, decided never again to sit close to the door.

About the seat assignment, it’s rude to not sit in your assigned seat. I once booked seats exactly in the middle, front row of mezzanine, months prior for a special occasion. When we arrived, someone was in one of our seats, before the show had started. They were a group of 3 and wanted to sit together, which would require taking one of our middle seats. Otherwise she had to sit two seats apart from her two friends, I said sorry no, this is where we want to sit, and she reluctantly got up but gave me the evil eye. I don’t know what her problem was, I’ve gone to shows and sat by myself and it’s not like you’re socializing together during the show.

So OP I don’t think your complaint will go anywhere. The tickets aren’t cheap, why would they make people miss half the performance if they’re 15-20 minutes late?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been to a lot of musicals, in NYC, London, Toronto. The ushers wait for a suitable break, between scene changes. They wouldn’t wait until intermission, that would be too long.
I was at the ballet seeing Swan Lake and even then, people were entering after scene change. I was seated near exit, decided never again to sit close to the door.

About the seat assignment, it’s rude to not sit in your assigned seat. I once booked seats exactly in the middle, front row of mezzanine, months prior for a special occasion. When we arrived, someone was in one of our seats, before the show had started. They were a group of 3 and wanted to sit together, which would require taking one of our middle seats. Otherwise she had to sit two seats apart from her two friends, I said sorry no, this is where we want to sit, and she reluctantly got up but gave me the evil eye. I don’t know what her problem was, I’ve gone to shows and sat by myself and it’s not like you’re socializing together during the show.

So OP I don’t think your complaint will go anywhere. The tickets aren’t cheap, why would they make people miss half the performance if they’re 15-20 minutes late?

The tickets not being cheap is why I am annoyed. It's not right to have people who bothered to get there on time have their experience affected by people who didn't. We left the house early to make sure we'd be there with plenty of time. I can't say that they waited until breaks to let people in because we were not near an exit and there were so many looking for seats for so long that i felt constant.

[Anonymous]

Broadway shows reliably start 10 minutes late.
One has to note varying start times. Both 7 and 8 pm depending on night of the week. Both 2 and 3 for matinees.

If you sit right in the middle of a row, you may be disturbed less. On the aisles, more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Broadway shows reliably start 10 minutes late.
One has to note varying start times. Both 7 and 8 pm depending on night of the week. Both 2 and 3 for matinees.

If you sit right in the middle of a row, you may be disturbed less. On the aisles, more.

It started on time! And I was in the middle. Movement was happening in front, to the sides, in the back...everywhere! I guess I was surprised that for expensive shows like these there is not better etiquette. I had not gone in years but go to the movies all the time and I can't ever recall a movie being disrupted as much as this show was, with constant comings and goings and cell phone use.

[Anonymous]

We go a lot. We had an annoying experience at a show last summer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Broadway shows reliably start 10 minutes late.
One has to note varying start times. Both 7 and 8 pm depending on night of the week. Both 2 and 3 for matinees.

If you sit right in the middle of a row, you may be disturbed less. On the aisles, more.

It started on time! And I was in the middle. Movement was happening in front, to the sides, in the back...everywhere! I guess I was surprised that for expensive shows like these there is not better etiquette. I had not gone in years but go to the movies all the time and I can't ever recall a movie being disrupted as much as this show was, with constant comings and goings and cell phone use.

About the movies, that’s because there’s 20 minutes of previews and commercials before the movie starts.

[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.

+100
This is what is wrong with society: people do the wrong thing, get caught and think it is rude of others. Such entitlement!

[Anonymous]

I was an theater usher in HS. Curtain was usually held about 5 mins past "start" time to let stragglers be seated. After that we were told what after what line/song, we could seat late folks after. It was very rare to have someone come as late as 20 mins in.