I am SLF but my job is conducting UK touring musicals - theatre audiences can be just as bad.
We were in Manchester at the Opera House waiting in the pit at the end of the interval for the "standby" from the stage for act 2. Unfortunately, during the interval rain had started leaking through the roof and onto the stage (this was all relayed to us musos by intercom). It got so bad that 40 minutes after act 2 was supposed to have started we were still waiting.
The audience had by this time become very restless and started a slow clap (which obviously really helped...). One guy came up to me and demanded that I start the music anyway and they would hear it on stage and start act 2
. After explaining very politely that the sound was not on, and the cast were no doubt still in their dressing rooms, he stormed off to stage door to have a go at the company manager.
Eventually the show was cancelled (1 hour after we were supposed to start). 2 people marched down to the pit after the PA announcement and demanded that I (personally) pay them back for their tickets because "it will be easier for me to claim the money back than them".
That is only one show out of a 7 month tour...
Slewing seamlessly back to the topic
- as I stated in a thread in the SLF forum, CC - you have nothing but my respect and admiration. It's not just "chavvy scum" that annoy me as a Pax, but more so intelligent and educated people who feel that they deserve "special" and "different" treatment to the rest of us...
Martin