Log in Subscribe

Lifelines

A moment for silence

Kathy Werner
Posted 1/6/23

This past Sunday I was treated to the pleasure of attending a Broadway performance of “Into the Woods” with daughter Liz, son-in-law Peter and granddaughter Adeline. This show is so …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Lifelines

A moment for silence

Posted

This past Sunday I was treated to the pleasure of attending a Broadway performance of “Into the Woods” with daughter Liz, son-in-law Peter and granddaughter Adeline. This show is so fantastic that it was the second time we’ve gone, and Liz, Peter, and Adeline saw it once when it was playing at Lincoln Center, making this their third time.  Such a great show.  I took Mom to see it in 2002 with the marvelous Vanessa Williams as the Witch. 

We had seats high in the balcony, but the magic of Sondheim reached up to the rafters, reminding us of what a treat live theater is! When the curtain rose, the audience gave such prolonged applause that it lifted the entire performance.  Every bit got a laugh. 

Stephanie J. Block as the Baker’s Wife, Brian D’Arcy James as the Baker, Gavin Creel and Joshua Henry as the Princes, Joaquina Kalukano as the Witch, and the hilarious Katy Geraghty as Little Red Riding Hood—truly a dream cast. 

Of course, the thing about a live performance is that it also requires a live audience.  And there’s the rub. 

I’m getting cranky in my old age, I confess, but it drives me mad to see (and hear) audience members talking, eating, drinking, crackling papers, checking their phones, and not paying attention in general. 

Once a teacher, always a teacher, I guess, and I want those folks (at least those sitting near me) to sit up straight, listen to every line of dialogue, thrill to every note of every song, and attend to every moment of the performance.  We’ve all paid good money for these seats, you know, and we came to watch the performers, not our fellow playgoers. 

Some of the blame can be laid at the feet of the theater owners, only too anxious to make more money selling $20 drinks and $30 treats that come in nice, crackly cellophane bags. 

I know it costs a lot to keep Broadway going, but jeez, does every performance have to be a mini-dinner theater?  And who thought—crunch, crunch—that it was a good idea to sell Pringles on Broadway? 

Why can’t people go for a few hours without stuffing their faces or slurping?  The treat-unwrapping and eating noises were pervasive, and we had a very social group of young ladies in the row in front of us that was more interested catching up and deciding what they were going to do after the show than watching Cinderella lose her shoe.  Excuse me while I sigh deeply. 

So—how to remedy this problem? I’m thinking about renting headphones the next time I go to the theater.  It is getting harder for me to hear when there is ambient noise, and maybe headphones would do the trick in blocking out all the crunching, chatter, and general mayhem in the Peanut Gallery. 

However, I must say that in spite of the noisy neighbors, I thoroughly enjoyed the show.  My plea is this: I know that everyone is mic’d and amplified, but could we please have a moment of silence for the actual show?  Let’s yell and clap and cheer when appropriate, and let’s also attend when fitting. 

Today’s lecture is over. Go forth and behave, my dears.  Thank you greatly.

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here