This summer I've seen more theater than usual, and it seems to me that people are talking more in theater productions than they used to. I've paid for tickets to four productions, and in each one of them people around me were talking -- not a quick whisper, like, "Do you have a tissue?" but ongoing observations in out-loud voices. Tonight I went to the kids' performance that marks the end of theater camp, and I was genuinely taken aback by the chattiness of the people around me.
My parents must have been very firm about talking in theaters when I was a small girl, because I arrived at adulthood with a deep inner certainty that talking in theaters was for barbarians only. It took me years (and some blog posts on the topic) to realize that chatting in a movie theater is part of the enjoyment for some people. But honestly, it still bugs me. And talking in a live production seems like next-level rude to me. In a small space, the actors can hear audience comments. For audience members with any degree of hearing loss, nearby chitchat makes it harder to follow the dialogue. It seems to me like common sense: if people nearby have come to see a show, especially if they have paid money to do so, I should be quiet so they can enjoy the show.
Tell me what you think here. How do you feel about chitchat in movie theaters? What about in community theater productions? Does it make a difference if people are buying tickets or just showing up to see something for free? Does it make a difference if the comments are on-topic observations (e.g., "I don't think she understands") versus off-topic complaints ("This is really long")?
As always, I am 100% sympathetic to adults trying to help small children understand confusing parts or enjoy a new experience. I'm a lot less patient with bigger kids who want to talk about the Instagram post that just appeared in their feeds. Phones are part of the problem: people get interesting alerts and they want to talk about them right away. One teenaged couple at the show tonight spent the entire show commenting on the stuff that kept blipping across their respective phone screens.
It doesn't seem to be a kids-only issue, though, as evidenced by the 60ish guy who took an actual phone call in the middle of tonight's performance. He didn't just say, "I'll call you back later"; he had the conversation right there.
Sometimes I wonder whether I am cut out for life in the modern world. Moments like that make me wish for a fainting couch, and a phial of hartshorn.
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