Last weekend, Rosamund Pike likely disappointed a fan while simultaneously attracting new admirers. During the conclusion of her play, “Inter Alia,” Pike addressed an unidentified audience member who had been texting, a move that may not have pleased the person but resonated with many theatergoers who have experienced disruptive behavior during performances.
After the show concluded, Pike took to the stage to convey her thoughts: “I am trying to tell you a story, and I’m feeling you, and I hope you’re feeling me too… Maybe your work is crucial, like saving a life, and I genuinely hope that’s the case, but we do notice these distractions, and they affect us.”
A witness recounted to the BBC, “The audience was understandably shocked, although there was a man beside us whose Apple Watch kept buzzing, and the couple behind me talked throughout the entire show.”
It raises the question: why do some individuals attend theater performances if they seem utterly disinterested? The high cost of tickets makes the behavior even more perplexing. It’s akin to indulging in a lavish meal at an upscale restaurant only to toss the dish on the floor when it arrives.
Initially, I would have found it hard to believe that people acted in such a manner if I hadn’t encountered it myself. When COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, I took my then-six-year-old to a matinee of “& Juliet,” a modern twist on Shakespeare’s classic featuring music by renowned songwriter Max Martin. From the moment the curtain rose, it was evident how emotional the moment was for the performers, eager to return to the stage after months of darkness in London’s West End.
Regrettably, moments later, a group of women entered the theater with two glasses of prosecco each, sitting right behind us. They began chatting as they arrived and continued their loud conversation, laughing and yelling as if the performance were invisible to them. Throughout the show, they drowned out the musical’s dialogue with their own constant chatter about unrelated topics.
We were seated near the front, and during the second half, an actor stood just a few feet away, delivering a poignant a cappella version of Britney Spears’ “I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman.” Yet, the loud group behind us continued their raucous behavior, showing blatant disrespect towards the cast and other audience members who had eagerly returned to enjoy a live performance. Frustrated, I finally mustered the courage to politely ask them to be quiet, feeling more like a timid figure than a brave theatergoer. I even questioned whether I was the only one aware of their disruptive presence, as no one around us offered support, even as tensions escalated. What did I expect would happen? Perhaps I thought they would recognize their disruption, apologize, and we would become friends. Unsurprisingly, the opposite occurred, and I briefly feared that this outing would culminate in a confrontation outside the theater.
A friend who I later confided in shared her own similar experience, where those she asked to be quiet retaliated by tossing popcorn in her hair. While it was comforting to know I was not alone in this frustration, such experiences should not be commonplace. Theatergoers shouldn’t have to rely solely on performances featuring stars like Pike to enjoy a peaceful evening. Therefore, if you are uncertain about attending the theater, I echo the advice Boris Johnson gave, albeit without following it himself, back in March 2020: staying home might be the best choice.
Polly Hudson is a freelance writer.
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