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My friend W invited me to a traveling production of "Chicago" tonight (the one starring Tom Wopat as Billy Flynn) since she had an extra ticket and thought I could use something humorous and fun to counteract my ... well, whatever sadness is in my brain lately. I've seen four live productions of this play, each with a different cast, and each one has something good about it. This production was particularly rowdy and raunchy, and the actress playing Roxie really played well to the audience, hamming it up for laughs and cheers. In fact, there were many scenes people knew and they would cheer at the proper spot, or when a favorite character came onstage or did something they liked. ("Chicago" is one of those stories a lot of people have seen or are familiar with thanks to the movie version and/or the theatre cast recording CDs.)
In fact, at the end after the cast took their bows, Wopat made a short speech about a charity the production was helping raise money for, to help AIDS patients; he jokingly promised anyone who made a $1,000 donation "a ride in the General Lee."
Well, during the last 20 or so minutes, this woman in front of us kept turning around to stare and occasionally hiss something at W - W has a very distinctive laugh, and loud. The woman in front of us was really distracting and it was difficult for me to concentrate on the performance (meanwhile, everyone around us was also laughing loudly and some of them were howling or cheering occasionally). So after the lights come up at the end and W and I are discussing the performances and picking up our things, the woman in front of us and another with her proceeded to whirl on us and start lecturing us about theatre etiquette and how they've been to hundreds of performances and how they've never been so embarrassed or offended, etc. etc. They just kept going on and on, with no break so one could get a word in edgewise - I know I was just staring at them, and I'm pretty sure W was as well.
Finally, we had the chance to point out that (a) at a live comedic performance, the desirable response is laughter, and that we were laughing for the performers and not for them; and (b) we were hardly the only people exhibiting an enthusiastic response. I also pointed out that W was my friend, that was her laugh, and they needed to get over it. A person cannot control how they laugh - unless they just don't do it at all. (I really wanted to point out that spending your time hissing at the people behind you and whispering among your own party is much less respectful of the actors than paying attention and having a good, loud laugh now and again in the proper spots.)
Anyway, the old woman who'd begun lecturing us in the first place made some remark about having to sit near us, so I said, "Thank God I'll never have to sit behind you again." The fun part? She had the temerity to look *offended* by this. (Imagine! A stranger you've insulted and treated badly expresses a desire to stay far away from you!)
Man, I am just a jerk magnet in 2009. I swear to Dog, I'm tired of this entitlement rap I've gotten this year from various assholes thinking their shit doesn't stink and that I'm always wrong. I've had a fucking horrible year and I'm frankly tired of it.
In fact, at the end after the cast took their bows, Wopat made a short speech about a charity the production was helping raise money for, to help AIDS patients; he jokingly promised anyone who made a $1,000 donation "a ride in the General Lee."
Well, during the last 20 or so minutes, this woman in front of us kept turning around to stare and occasionally hiss something at W - W has a very distinctive laugh, and loud. The woman in front of us was really distracting and it was difficult for me to concentrate on the performance (meanwhile, everyone around us was also laughing loudly and some of them were howling or cheering occasionally). So after the lights come up at the end and W and I are discussing the performances and picking up our things, the woman in front of us and another with her proceeded to whirl on us and start lecturing us about theatre etiquette and how they've been to hundreds of performances and how they've never been so embarrassed or offended, etc. etc. They just kept going on and on, with no break so one could get a word in edgewise - I know I was just staring at them, and I'm pretty sure W was as well.
Finally, we had the chance to point out that (a) at a live comedic performance, the desirable response is laughter, and that we were laughing for the performers and not for them; and (b) we were hardly the only people exhibiting an enthusiastic response. I also pointed out that W was my friend, that was her laugh, and they needed to get over it. A person cannot control how they laugh - unless they just don't do it at all. (I really wanted to point out that spending your time hissing at the people behind you and whispering among your own party is much less respectful of the actors than paying attention and having a good, loud laugh now and again in the proper spots.)
Anyway, the old woman who'd begun lecturing us in the first place made some remark about having to sit near us, so I said, "Thank God I'll never have to sit behind you again." The fun part? She had the temerity to look *offended* by this. (Imagine! A stranger you've insulted and treated badly expresses a desire to stay far away from you!)
Man, I am just a jerk magnet in 2009. I swear to Dog, I'm tired of this entitlement rap I've gotten this year from various assholes thinking their shit doesn't stink and that I'm always wrong. I've had a fucking horrible year and I'm frankly tired of it.
