Threaded Order Chronological Order
| eating/drinking loophole for masking at the theater | |
| Posted by: ilw 12:19 pm EDT 09/01/21 | |
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| I've been fortunate to see the two shows now open on Broadway, and unfortunate to sit behind people who abused the masking regulations. At Springsteen on Broadway last week, a clear announcement was made about masking and Springsteen made a point of thanking the audience for wearing masks. Despite that, the person in front of me didn't wear his mask, and, when I asked him to please put it on, he gestured toward his glass to show me that he was drinking. He sipped slowly enough to make the drink last for the entire show, and never put his mask on. I had a very similar experience last night at Pass Over, though this time I chickened out and didn't even try to ask for compliance. Is there some way to eliminate this loophole for masking other than just banning food and drink at your seat? When some of the NY specialized movie houses like Film Forum reopened this year, they initially kept their concession stands closed to allow masking at all times. Would Broadway theaters lose substantial income or have other problems by not allowing audiences to eat and drink at their seats? I know that, in the past, drinks could only be consumed in the bar area. |
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| re: eating/drinking loophole for masking at the theater | |
| Posted by: KingSpeed 04:47 pm EDT 09/01/21 | |
| In reply to: eating/drinking loophole for masking at the theater - ilw 12:19 pm EDT 09/01/21 | |
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| I played a lot of poker in Vegas last week and they were very strict- you pull your mask down, take a sip, and put the mask back on. If you don’t comply, it’s 2 warnings and then you’re out. Everyone complied. Different at the theater where it’s harder to enforce but I’m here to say you can have a drink while keeping your mask on 95% of the time. | |
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| re: eating/drinking loophole for masking at the theater | |
| Posted by: MockingbirdGirl 05:01 pm EDT 09/01/21 | |
| In reply to: re: eating/drinking loophole for masking at the theater - KingSpeed 04:47 pm EDT 09/01/21 | |
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| I’m here to say you can have a drink while keeping your mask on 95% of the time. I think we all know that the ability to drink while wearing a mask responsibility is not the issue here. |
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| re: on a more positive "note": exemplary sound at SPRINGSTEEN, PASS OVER (minor spoilers), 54 Below streaming | |
| Posted by: ilw 03:00 pm EDT 09/01/21 | |
| In reply to: eating/drinking loophole for masking at the theater - ilw 12:19 pm EDT 09/01/21 | |
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| I should have mentioned that the vast majority of the audience at Springsteen on Broadway and Pass Over did wear their masks, and I just happened to sit right behind those who didn't. I also want to laud the sound design of both shows. At Pass Over, the actors' voices were so natural that I was unaware that they were miked until I could see the mics when the cast disrobed. The actors sounded glorious during the brief singing passages, and the sound effects were also expertly designed. At Springsteen, the first strum of his guitar was thrilling, an impeccably clean sound that was loud but not ear-shattering. Whether he was playing piano or guitar, the sound was always beautifully balanced. I shouldn't have been surprised, since the sound design was by Brian Ronan, whose incredible work on the original Spring Awakening contributed greatly to that show's impact. It's great to hear live sound in a theater when it's so well done. One of the many problems I've found with streaming shows is that the sound is often poor. Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised that the recent Norbert Leo Butz show from 54 Below sounded great when played through my stereo system. |
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| re: on a more positive "note": exemplary sound at SPRINGSTEEN, PASS OVER (minor spoilers), 54 Below streaming | |
| Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 03:10 pm EDT 09/01/21 | |
| In reply to: re: on a more positive "note": exemplary sound at SPRINGSTEEN, PASS OVER (minor spoilers), 54 Below streaming - ilw 03:00 pm EDT 09/01/21 | |
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| Are Playbills being made available for those 2 shows at their respective theaters? | |
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| re: Yes, Playbills were provided at the theaters (nmi) | |
| Posted by: ilw 03:14 pm EDT 09/01/21 | |
| In reply to: re: on a more positive "note": exemplary sound at SPRINGSTEEN, PASS OVER (minor spoilers), 54 Below streaming - BroadwayTonyJ 03:10 pm EDT 09/01/21 | |
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| nm | |
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| re: Yes, Playbills were provided at the theaters | |
| Last Edit: BroadwayTonyJ 03:50 pm EDT 09/01/21 | |
| Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 03:50 pm EDT 09/01/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Yes, Playbills were provided at the theaters (nmi) - ilw 03:14 pm EDT 09/01/21 | |
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| Good to know. Thanks for responding. | |
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| re: eating/drinking loophole for masking at the theater | |
| Last Edit: carolinaguy 02:56 pm EDT 09/01/21 | |
| Posted by: carolinaguy 02:54 pm EDT 09/01/21 | |
| In reply to: eating/drinking loophole for masking at the theater - ilw 12:19 pm EDT 09/01/21 | |
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| I can't think of a truer aphorism than "You can't fix stupid." Some people just refuse to behave like the pandemic is still going on and ignore even the most basic social distancing measures, which we should all be well used to by now. |
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| re: eating/drinking loophole for masking at the theater | |
| Posted by: ryhog 04:51 pm EDT 09/01/21 | |
| In reply to: re: eating/drinking loophole for masking at the theater - carolinaguy 02:54 pm EDT 09/01/21 | |
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| There was a clever illustration I saw online somewhere. Left panel, a person saying "you can't fix stupid," and the right panel a drawing of the coronavirus (with a face) say "I can." With the caveat that I have expressed before that each of us has to make our own risk assessments, I think we have done quite a bit to neutralize if not fix stupid. We have prevented unvaxxed stupids from attending shows (as well as a ton of other things to the extent that they are feeling very unwelcome in our precincts), we have vaxxed ourselves and will continue to boost our vax up, and we are wearing masks. Is that a guarantee of anything? No. Is it enough for everyone? No, with special consideration for those who come in contact with little ones. But overall, we are not being stupid to do things as we are presently and what we are doing in these precincts appears to be working pretty well. The scarier question for me is if we are reopening stupid in an economic sense and sadly I think we are. |
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| re: eating/drinking loophole for masking at the theater | |
| Posted by: PlazaBoy 01:27 pm EDT 09/01/21 | |
| In reply to: eating/drinking loophole for masking at the theater - ilw 12:19 pm EDT 09/01/21 | |
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| It would make me uncomfortable too. As ShowGoer point outs, it is probably unavoidable though. My pet peeve is people who drape the mask over their mouth, but leave their nose totally exposed. |
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| re: eating/drinking loophole for masking at the theater | |
| Posted by: Ncassidine 01:26 pm EDT 09/01/21 | |
| In reply to: eating/drinking loophole for masking at the theater - ilw 12:19 pm EDT 09/01/21 | |
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| Maybe ask an usher to intervene. People are going to be less likely to rule break if they think they're going to be removed. | |
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| re: eating/drinking loophole for masking at the theater | |
| Posted by: fosse76 05:49 pm EDT 09/01/21 | |
| In reply to: re: eating/drinking loophole for masking at the theater - Ncassidine 01:26 pm EDT 09/01/21 | |
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| Ushers aren't responsible for regulating mask compliance. | |
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| depends on the theatre | |
| Posted by: CamMacFan 07:36 pm EDT 09/01/21 | |
| In reply to: re: eating/drinking loophole for masking at the theater - fosse76 05:49 pm EDT 09/01/21 | |
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| At my theatre, which opens next week, our Ushers are absolutely responsible for it. In theory, our ticket holders are given two warnings. Strike three involves Security removing them from the building. Check back with me next week and we will see how it ACTUALLY goes |
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| Not so much a loophole as an impracticality. | |
| Last Edit: ShowGoer 12:51 pm EDT 09/01/21 | |
| Posted by: ShowGoer 12:49 pm EDT 09/01/21 | |
| In reply to: eating/drinking loophole for masking at the theater - ilw 12:19 pm EDT 09/01/21 | |
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| "Is there some way to eliminate this loophole for masking other than just banning food and drink at your seat?" The short answer is no; and theaters are unlikely to take that step of banning food and drink, especially since it does drive additional income for them (even if, one presumes, fewer people are buying refreshments than in the past). Some people have to take medications, some have medical conditions that require frequent hydration, and we're all constantly being told that everyone should be drinking between 8-to-10 glasses of water a day. But even apart from that, it would be very strange if suddenly Broadway was the one industry to attempt a strict blanket no-beverages-in-your-seat rule, when in restaurants and bars, and on planes and trains throughout the last year and a half, prior to vaccines being available, and even with no mandatory vaccine reguirements, people have always been allowed to discreetly sip in their seats. Obviously the man in front of you was abusing the guidance, with far too much latitude. But my experience is that house managers and ushers have been useless half of the time even when I've alerted them to people using their phones, texting, or photographing/filming the stage, so they're certainly not going to start climbing over seats and reprimanding people for drinking beverages purchased on the property. The unfortunate upshot is, if you're not comfortable with people removing their masks to drink (or eat), whether occasionally, off-and-on throughout the show, or as this person did, nursing a beverage for the full running time, then sadly it's probably best to not attend the theater right now. Because people are currently more or less on an honor system, and while some may abuse the "except while eating or drinking in your seat" rule as this man apparently did, they're technically (and unlike using cellphones that cause light disruption or that illegally film the stage) completely within their rights. |
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| re: Not so much a loophole as an impracticality. | |
| Posted by: fosse76 05:52 pm EDT 09/01/21 | |
| In reply to: Not so much a loophole as an impracticality. - ShowGoer 12:49 pm EDT 09/01/21 | |
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| "house managers and ushers have been useless half of the time even when I've alerted them to people using their phones, texting, or photographing/filming the stage" That's a security issue. The ushers and house manager aren't actually responsible for that. Though they should be notifying security. |
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| re: Not so much a loophole as an impracticality. | |
| Posted by: PlazaBoy 01:16 pm EDT 09/01/21 | |
| In reply to: Not so much a loophole as an impracticality. - ShowGoer 12:49 pm EDT 09/01/21 | |
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| "people have always been allowed to discreetly sip in their seats." Not always. There were no bottles of water or anything else sipped at your seat in my early days of attending the theater. That was the late 80s. I don't quite remember when water bottles and drinks became the norm. |
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| re: Not so much a loophole as an impracticality. | |
| Last Edit: finally 01:50 pm EDT 09/01/21 | |
| Posted by: finally 01:45 pm EDT 09/01/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Not so much a loophole as an impracticality. - PlazaBoy 01:16 pm EDT 09/01/21 | |
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| Having food and drink in the seating area is a relatively recent phenomenon. I was a house manager at a few regional venues until around 2000 and drinks (even water) were never allowed in the seating area anywhere I worked. I heard the medication/hydration excuse back then, too, but only a handful of times. We always held firm and it was never an issue, although that was pre-social media so I'm sure I'd be put on blast somewhere these days. However, you're realistically away from food or drink for about an hour. No different than waiting to use the restroom during intermission, to me. In the DC area, allowing food & drink in the theater came into fashion within the last 10 years or so, and I feel like it's probably been less time than that at most. Some places have only allowed it in the past few years & there are a few that still don't. I remember attending the Color Purple tour in 2018 at the Kennedy Center, and a friend got a sippy cup of wine, which was the first time I'd seen it at that venue. Ford's only allows water. The idea that we somehow cannot go back to not allowing food or drinks in the seating area, especially during a pandemic, is a big stretch. Just a matter of instituting the policies. Even the best trained and attentive house staff cannot police everything once the show starts, and you also have to weigh the disruption factor when you're the one charged with doing it. |
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| re: Not so much a loophole as an impracticality. | |
| Posted by: PlazaBoy 03:33 pm EDT 09/01/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Not so much a loophole as an impracticality. - finally 01:45 pm EDT 09/01/21 | |
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| I miss those days! No eating, drinking or smart/cell phones in the theater. Heaven. | |
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| re: Not so much a loophole as an impracticality. | |
| Posted by: fosse76 05:55 pm EDT 09/01/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Not so much a loophole as an impracticality. - PlazaBoy 03:33 pm EDT 09/01/21 | |
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| It's been common for the 10 years or so. And, no, they wont go back to that. Allowing beverages at the seats had certainly increased sales, so they aren't going to restrict it. But frankly, this mostly posturing. Everyone inside the theater is required to be vaccinated, and breakthrough infections are still rare. |
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