On the other hand, I saw the tour of Fiddler in December in Boston. Just as the show was starting - violin solo and all - the usher in our section started admonishing people who hadn't quite been able to put their phones away yet. (Someone sitting near me was clearly in the process of turning it off, but he didn't escape the wrath of the usher.) The problem is, he had a loud, high-pitched piercing voice (the same one he used with me when I was checking my seat number with him), and while he was berating people who were late in getting their phones taken care of, NONE OF US were able to enjoy the music. Because of the usher, not the audience.
I was more angry about this than I tend to be with the usual audience "offense" (though I just dealt with it and was grateful when he stopped), because if there's going to be a disruption, it definitely should not be coming from the house staff. I also think he could have dealt with things in a less obnoxious manner. But - as level headed as I try to be with "audience misbehavior" stuff, I was so wanting to tell the usher to shut the F up, because HE was interrupting the show.
But I didn't. |
