Taking own refreshments to theatres

I agree, though in my case it wasn't food even for the interval but to take home though I accept only I know that.

At the O2 NOTHING is allowed in. On my last visit there (Peter Kay) a lady had to give up a huge box of chocolates and was really upset about it. Most people know the rule there by now but there will always be a few first timers who don' t.  I think it's wrong but I accept rules are rules and will only go there for a must-see. My choice, no problem.

There's a M & M store close to Shaftesbury Avenue, I wonder what would happen if a family group turned up at the Sondheim with one of the big expensive  gift packs sold there. Would they be told it can't be taken in ? It's still food and just as likely to be opened and consumed inside as my sandwich (taken), my pastries (allowed), the lady's crisps (taken) and her chocolates (allowed). It seems to me a lot depends on who checks bags and whether they just want a quiet life rather than enforce the rules.

I think the bottom line is that nobody wants a Big Mac or a pizza in a theatre, nor your shopping from the fishmonger, and the no food and drink rule is intended primarily to prevent that. It's generally operated with discretion / commonsense - I took more food into Back to the Future after a bag check on Monday than I had on Tuesday at Les Miz. In future I'll just ensure I never have anything I couldn't consume if required or be willing to throw away if demanded.

As for Les Miz at the Sondheim - well I've seen that seven times in the last three years always from the same seat so I'll probably give it a miss there for a couple of years now.

Very interesting debate anyway with many different views, glad I made my initial post .

The other thing about cinemas is that the seats in the modern ones at least are more spread out than theatres, and a lot of the time you don't have to sit next to anyone not in your group, meaning you are less likely to have someone munching right in your ear or eye-line. Good for other cinema-goers, but perhaps creates a false sense of it being normal for all outings?

There's also more resentment about having a live theatre experience diminished by rude behaviour. It's usually more expensive, took you longer to get there and you might not have the opportunity to see it again.

I think that's the standard - certainly I consider venues that bar bottles of water to be a bit much.

I know people frown on theatres having any sorts of sweets or snacks but I was impressed that when I saw Backstairs Billy a few months ago that the staff were selling chocolate and dispensing them into cups which I thought was a great idea.

Karma was laughing at me last night, the guy next to me kept slooowwwllyyyy dragging his hands into his packet of mini eggs. Unbearable.

But then he left at the interval!

I always take my multi-pack of pickled onion monster munch and open one at each sad moment. I ran out in Falsettos.

Seriously though, I also have a long train ride home and will often try and plan to have something in my bag ready for it in case of short connections. I always have water or a soft drink, though for shows where I know they might be hot on sneaking alcohol I make sure it is a sealed plastic bottle to avoid potential drama.

As mentioned the main issue is inconsistency. I have had a chicken wrap put in the cloakroom of the Adelphi but seen others with take-aways. It goes for sports grounds too - the rule is often no bottles, not even water bottles, then I've seen families with metal thermoses!

You can get pretend umbrellas and the like for sneaking booze into events. I know someone who is a big fan and has smuggled drink into festivals and concerts for years.

It all seems like a lot of hard work to me. I do enjoy an interval G&T, but the thought of being actually drunk at a show or festival sounds awful.

People seem surprised that people eat at all in entertainment establishments. In Shakespeare's day, they ate fruit which they would use to throw at performers if they didn't like it.

I was very unhappy arriving at Player Kings tonight to find the scent of fried chicken drifting over the auditorium; the good news is that it had been spotted (or smelled) by the ushers who had confiscated it at the entrance to the auditorium so when the doors were closed the smell dissipated pretty quickly.

Or during...

Ringo would never have put up with that.