Theatre Manners

One of the cultural differences we've noticed here is the protocol for live theatre. The shows are certainly as good as those we have seen in New York, San Francisco, Portland and St. Louis, but the behavior of the audience is quite different. Not only do people eat and drink in the threater, but they do so during the show! Also, forget about polite applause. These folks engage in catcalls and the sort of cheering that we Americans typically only see at high school graduations and football games. Today at The Lion King, the entire audience began clapping in time to the music during a particularly upbeat song. While I'm glad everyone was enjoying it, I was wishing I could hear the fantastic voices! Then, I was amused when the actor who played the villian, Scar, took his curtain call. Although he was fantastic, he was booed! When I saw his giant smile and the smiles of those around me who were participating in the booing, I realized it was actually a compliment. The audience was showing its approval by booing! All this drove hom the point that while they might look like us and we might even speak the same language, I'm definitely still in a foreign country! (Scott's note: I saw something very similiar when we saw Wicked. I couldn't believe that people were allowed into the theater late, forcing everyone else in the their row to stand to let them in and even more incredibly that most people brought to their seats a glass of wine, a drink or a beer into the theater. The thing is, they do all this as if it were still Shakespeare's Day and they were the groundlings and then they have the nerve to say that the Americans are the ones with no manners!)