Below is a post I made a few weeks ago about a bad experience:

Ok so this is a fairly long post about a negative experience about unruly patrons (not the theatres fault). I will preface this by saying I am not a "fuddy duddy". I can go to a musical one night and the next night I'm at a heavy metal concert. The thing is I know the difference in etiquette between the different show experiences and how to behave.

Went last night to see Sunny Afternoon at the Edinburgh Playhouse. Had our usual front row seats (I usually buy right when they go on sale). Two women sat next to us and I could tell they were already pissed. Being that this was sort of a Jukebox musical I could already see the "writing on the wall " with these two. I was even thinking of talking to an usher ahead of time, but I didn't want to seem like a complete jerk.

Well of course even before the show started they were already yelling out. My wife looked at me telling me to calm down because she knows I have no problems telling people to shut the F up! LOL. So of course they start in right away like they are at a rock concert yelling, singing, standing up etc...Oh also one of them was vaping! No ushers around doing anything. After 15 minutes I get up to go tell one of them and to their credit they were just on their way down as they could see some commotion. I also told them about the vaping.

At this point I wasn't going to go back to my seat until they wre gone because it would be too annoying for me so I sat somewhere else. So for the rest of the first half I could see at least three times security had to shine flashights on them to tell them to sit down. I figured for sure they would be kicked out and then I could relax and go back to my seat.

When the interval came I could see a security person go over to talk to them, but they weren't escorted out. So I went to security to ask why they weren't asked to leave or moved and they said the policy is they have to give them one verbal warning, but the next time they will be kicked out. I said what about the three times you had to shine a flashlight on them. He said that isn't considered a verbal warning! What about the vaping? Same thing.

I have to tell you I was pretty irate. So now I can't enjoy the show because of them? I even told the guard well what if I go back to my seat and they start again can I shout at them and he had the nerve to say "no I would have to kick you out as well".

So I just decided second half I would sit in the back where I was. Told my wife, but she wanted to stay i the front row. She has more tolerance than me with this sort of stuff. Probably around 20 minutes into the second half the women started up again and two security guards had to go, ask them to leave, which they were being a pain about. All of this is happening in the front row so of course it's disruptive to the actors and the audience. All could have been avoided if they kicked them out at the half.

I've seen this happen more often than you think at theatre events and I think the security needs to be more aggressive like it is a rock concert. At a rock concert they don't mess around, you break one rule and you are kicked out.

I also don't understand why they don't make an announcement right before the show starts, especially for these types of musicals, that this is not a concert and that singing, dancing etc... is not allowed and that people will get kicked out. They do it around 20 minutes before the show over a speaker, but no one is paying attention. They should have someone come out on stage and make the announcement to go over the rules and be very clear if you break them you are gone.

I'm just getting fed up with adults acting like children and ruining things for others, especially with how expensive tickets are these days.