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Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Jun 20, 2017 12:41:32 GMT
Never left at the interval; would've at Wonderland if I didn't have 'connections' in the show and would've at Whisper House if they had one! Other than that, I'm a mixture of finding something positive in everything I see, but also going to see things that I know I have a very high chance of liking. Gotta spend those duckets wisely! The Whisper House did have an interval when I saw it (and I very nearly did leave then too!). Did they change it during the run, or did you see it elsewhere (i.e. not at The Other Palace)? |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2017 12:45:25 GMT
I reckon you can tell which critics left at the interval of Too Close To The Sun, as the second half did take something of a turn for the "so bad it's enjoyable". They'll deny it until the cows come home, of course, but some of the reviews do have a distinct undertone of affection while others are notable for completely lacking one...
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Post by theatremadness on Jun 20, 2017 12:49:58 GMT
Never left at the interval; would've at Wonderland if I didn't have 'connections' in the show and would've at Whisper House if they had one! Other than that, I'm a mixture of finding something positive in everything I see, but also going to see things that I know I have a very high chance of liking. Gotta spend those duckets wisely! The Whisper House did have an interval when I saw it (and I very nearly did leave then too!). Did they change it during the run, or did you see it elsewhere (i.e. not at The Other Palace)? No you're right - it absolutely did have an interval and I've no idea why I completely made up that it didn't! I must be thinking of something else but I can't even remember what it was! But now that you've jogged my memory, what I do remember is that I *had* to stay for Act 2, not because I wanted to! |
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Post by infofreako on Jun 20, 2017 13:17:21 GMT
Oh I have done the 'it's worth losing the money to save my sanity' a couple of times (usually TBH due to not being well or life making travel to London difficult) but once or twice I have simply done the 'Dear Lord I just can't be dealing with that today' and not gone though. I did do a cheeky thing this weekend of waiting until so late in the day to book tickets that I *knew* a thing would be sold out in order to legitimately tell people "oh no I'd LOVE to have gone but look it's all sold out" I attempted this once and it failed miserably. They replied its fine, we got you one |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2017 13:30:01 GMT
Oh I have done the 'it's worth losing the money to save my sanity' a couple of times (usually TBH due to not being well or life making travel to London difficult) but once or twice I have simply done the 'Dear Lord I just can't be dealing with that today' and not gone though. I did do a cheeky thing this weekend of waiting until so late in the day to book tickets that I *knew* a thing would be sold out in order to legitimately tell people "oh no I'd LOVE to have gone but look it's all sold out" I attempted this once and it failed miserably. They replied its fine, we got you one Utter failure. |
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Post by danb on Jun 20, 2017 13:34:06 GMT
Several of my leavings have been planned...The second time I saw the Ghost tour I only really wanted to see 'I Had A Life' & 'Rain/Hold On' so purchased my ticket location accordingly so I could chip off, like wise Les Mis when Carrie was in it....sneaking out of the aisle seat next to the door once she was dead so as to cause minimal disruption, normally at a matinee.
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Post by d'James on Jun 20, 2017 13:35:52 GMT
Oh I have done the 'it's worth losing the money to save my sanity' a couple of times (usually TBH due to not being well or life making travel to London difficult) but once or twice I have simply done the 'Dear Lord I just can't be dealing with that today' and not gone though. I did do a cheeky thing this weekend of waiting until so late in the day to book tickets that I *knew* a thing would be sold out in order to legitimately tell people "oh no I'd LOVE to have gone but look it's all sold out" I attempted this once and it failed miserably. They replied its fine, we got you one WHOOPS! That would be brilliant in a sitcom or something. |
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Post by Someone in a tree on Jun 20, 2017 16:10:00 GMT
I left tons of things in the interval but how about mid performance?
Emma Rice's Dream @ Globe
Birds @ NT
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Post by Tibidabo on Jun 20, 2017 16:49:07 GMT
I've definitely left something Russian before time. Also, my memory is telling me that I left Antony Sher shipwrecked on an island, possibly in Waterloo? (I may have totally made that up as I love Sher, so it must have been dire or I was drunk or, most likely, both.)
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Post by 49thand8th on Jun 20, 2017 17:03:00 GMT
Just once. Bad outdoor production of Man of La Mancha. Luckily they had inserted an intermission.
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Post by rockinrobin on Jun 20, 2017 19:21:41 GMT
I never left at the interval - I am one of these overly optimistic people who always hope that the 2nd half will be better (and are usually very wrong). I'll bravely sit through anything, even if I keep on yawning or rolling my eyes. I survived 4 hours 40 minutes on a wooden bench at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse once, so I'll survive everything.
Having said that, I felt very tempted to leave mid-show once. Not because of the show itself, although I didn't like it (it was "The Trial" at the Young Vic, the one with the conveyor belt) but because the guy next to me fell asleep and started snoring. REALLY loud. I, meanwhile, felt more and more embarrassed because everyone in the half-empty house could hear it - including the actors, I'm afraid - but I couldn't find the courage to give the guy a nudge or whatever to wake him up, even though I thought I should have. I really, really wanted to sneak out then.
Oh, and I also wanted to leave immediately when, during an interval in a certain West End show a few years back, a nice stranger seated next to me told me that he'd been watching me during the first half and noticed that I kept my eyes fixed on one actor (a rather attractive person) all the time. He found it hilarious.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2017 19:29:01 GMT
You can always casually kick or elbow a seatmate under the guise of crossing your legs or arms. If they're *that* asleep, you could also consider reaching around the back and tapping the shoulder on the far side from you. Or there's coughing or sneezing, but they're a wee bit more disruptive...
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2017 23:36:56 GMT
Given how often I go to the theatre on my own, I seem to have an unfortunate habit of always being with people when I dislike something so much I want to leave at the interval. Shakespeare in Love and a version of The Nutcracker in Singapore spring to mind, and I recall a friend and I talking about leaving Bend it Like Beckham in the interval but deciding to stick it out in the hope it got better...it didn't.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2017 6:58:08 GMT
War Horse - I seriously considered leaving.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Jun 21, 2017 7:19:08 GMT
War Horse - I seriously considered leaving. ^^^ oh god I thought I was the only person in the world who thought this. I only got through it by focussing on the bum of one of the puppeteers in his very tight breeches 😋. The rest of it left me cold. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2017 7:22:49 GMT
Thinking "War Horse is a bit rubbish" isn't exactly a hot take though. It's a poorly kept secret that it was regarded by the NT as one of the worst plays they had on. Sure, the puppetry was amazing and the music was great, but although that will compensate for a poor script for some, that's not quite the same thing as improving a poor play.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2017 7:33:09 GMT
^ And we all know to trust the NT's judgment of the quality of their plays.
I'm in the camp which appreciates the puppetry and music.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2017 7:45:52 GMT
^ And we all know to trust the NT's judgment of the quality of their plays. I'm in the camp which appreciates the puppetry and music. I had a fight with my PhD supervisor (which as far as I know is still going on) to exactly this end. I'd stated Horsey was in the realm of 'innovative plays the NT has staged' due to the use of puppetry, music etc she disagreed (as with most things I wrote TBH) I stubbornly upped my defence of Joey just to be stubborn. I stand by it.
Personally my inner horsey child cries just seeing the horses, but the story is sentimental trite.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2017 8:31:53 GMT
Both  Joey would make some tasty tripe (sorry) |
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Post by jess173 on Jun 21, 2017 9:15:03 GMT
The last time I wanted to leave was at Sister Act in Berlin.
Most Stage Entertainment shows I saw recently have been bad but this was the worst thing I ever saw.
Whoever translated it from the original was a complete idiot. I know they are adapting certain jokes so the regional audience gets them but this... well... I actually have no words.
Also there are often foreigners in lead roles which is totally fine by me if I'm at least able to understand what they are saying. Which wasn't the case here, especially when it came to the singing parts. I guess the woman playing Dolores had no idea what she was saying or singing either. Her intonation was totally wrong and she didn't even pause for the funny bits - which weren't funny anyways, so no real problem there... ^^
The audience was mortified. At least ten people around me got up and left halfway through the first act. I wanted to leave at the interval but my friend wanted to stay. Not because she liked it but for the sake of the money we had spent... I envied everyone that got out of this mess. It was dreadful...
Well I'm seeing the Hunchback of Notre Dame on Friday in Berlin... Let's see how this goes... ^^*
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Post by TallPaul on Jun 21, 2017 12:24:44 GMT
Paging Tesco's Ready Meal buyers... Paging??? |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Jun 21, 2017 13:38:44 GMT
Paging Tesco's Ready Meal buyers... Paging??? I hear tm still has one clipped to his belt. When it goes off he has to run to the nearest "phone box" and ring up someone. Fortunately this hasn't happened since 1996. |
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Post by TallPaul on Jun 21, 2017 13:56:43 GMT
I'm far too young to remember, but back in the day, did theatres used to make pre-performance announcements about pagers?
(There used to be two companies still providing pager services, but Vodafone recently withdrew from the market, leaving just the notorious Capita. I really can bore for England.)
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Jun 21, 2017 14:02:02 GMT
I hear tm still has one clipped to his belt. When it goes off he has to run to the nearest "phone box" and ring up someone. Fortunately this hasn't happened since 1996. But surely all he has to do is wait for someone to pick up the MonkeyPhone and beam out the MonkeySignal into the sky?? Then he can get into the MonkeyMobile and go and fix someone's theatre seating problem. |
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Post by TallPaul on Jun 21, 2017 14:11:07 GMT
No. People with pagers were generally doctors etc, and theatres had systems whereby they could leave pagers with staff, and be contacted if required. That aside, people back then had manners. I say no more. But surely ushers rushing into the auditorium, and shining a light into the middle of the dear seats, caused more disturbance? |
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Joey would make some tasty tripe (sorry) 
