Do they really allow eating and drinking during performances in London theaters?
 

A recent article in The New York Times spotlighted a disturbing new trend: eating and drinking during Broadway performances in many theaters. Such behavior is not only allowed, it is actually encouraged by some theater owners.

Anyway, the article mentioned that eating and drinking during performances have long been allowed in many theaters in London. Is this true? Have you seen it? What was your reaction? Have you yourself put on the old feedbag while taking in a show in the West End?

Eating during a theatre performance is "new?"

I haven't "put on the feedbag" but I've certainly eaten things during performances.

Where I live they make an announcement in theatres just prior to cutrain up asking people to "please unwrap your candy...NOW!"

for london...

drinking...a very little.

eating...not really. maybe a bit of ice cream left over from the interval but not full on snacking.

i don't really know what is allowed, just what is done.

I was amazed when attending the London production of Les Miz to see most of the audience filing in with glasses of booze. The wackjob sitting in the row in front of us got so blitzed she started singing along as the show went on. A rather rude kick to the back of her seat finally got her to shut up.

Of course we eat and drink at theatres. Stopped doing it briefly when those idiot republicans ran the country (mind you, they closed the theatres as well). But for the past 350 years,since we reverted to a sensible form of government, we've been eating and drinking pretty much wherever we damn well please.

I can imagine in stuffy provincial towns, where they never go to theatres, there might be some kind of fetishisation of plays.

But in a real city?

You mean they ban eating in New York? Well, as I said. In stuffy provincial...

Having seen most US theatres refuse to allow anyone into a theatre with any food or drink (sometimes not even bottled water), it has always been a shock to me to see the vendors selling ice cream right in the theatre during interval (intermission) in London. And yes, people eat that at their seats. I guess maybe some continue once Act II starts, but I've never noticed that or any other general eating. Candy or lozenges is another matter -- and I suppose that along with the companion noisy wrapper problem will always exist.
But that report in the New York Times about adding nachos, hot dogs, etc. really was disturbing to me.

Funny story. Once at a rather sophisticated Off Broadway show, the recorded announcement said "normally at this point we remind you to turn off cell phones and unwrap candies, but since we know this is an unusually intelligent audience we won't mention that". It got a little laugh. But when the curtain went up the couple behind me launched into devouring a big bag of candy, crinkly wrappers constantly. I turned and gave them "the look" several times. At intermission the man tapped me on the shoulder and said "what is your problem?" I said, "I guess you didn't hear the announcement before the play?" The guy said, "I sure did, they said normally you shouldn't eat candy but for this show it was all right". So much for the intelligent audience.

Heck, they sell ice cream cups at the bottom of every aisle during the interval. But one knows how to finish up one's chocolate sundae cup w/o disturbing one's neighbors.

I always get a pre-ordered drink during the interval but almost never take it back to my seat - mainly just because I don't want to spill any wending my way back through the row. But, if I'm in an easily accessed seat I will take the drink.

Well generally I pick up a 0.5 liter bottle of diet coke cherry or coke zero and bring it into the theatre and have never been stopped (usually they are sold at the chain groceries like tesco at 2 for £1.40)...if thirst hits me during the performance I quitely go into my bag for it... I've never been stopped...(I see nothing wrong with it as many theatres only serve pepsi and I don't drink pepsi nor do any I know of serve diet coke cherry or coke zero)...

Now sometimes the theatres are so considerate and I know many are not going to like this but at half time many of the bars have empty paper cups with ice available incase I want a cold coke....(I know how unethical but then again considering the prices they charge for a bottle of soda we have to do what we have to do to survive also given the weakness of the USD. (Imagine $6 for a small cup of ice cream!)

The answer to your question is NO!!!

You are allowed to drink and eat - but obviously this mainly occurs before the show and during the intermission. Why else would there be a bar/snacks sold on site. I guess they just rely on the audience to behave. I presume if an audience member was to be disruptive they would ask them to leave.

Having a glass of wine at the beginning of the show adds to the enjoyment IMHO.

In some NY theatres the bar is at the back of the auditorium; those Shubert ladies with the lace collars can be as tough as any bouncer when they want to be about bringing the drinks down the aisle but it does occur.

Another thought occurs to me. Alcohol sales in London theatres is big business. Bars are busy selling drinks before the show, lots of orders for interval drinks, and some even stay afterward for more drinks. By comparison very little alcohol is sold at Broadway shows. Why is that, I wonder?

Likr wilees says, a glass of wine adds to the enjoyment. Maybe that's why often it seems like London theatre is so much "more fun" than Broadway.

The New York Times article I referred to in my original post began with the image of two people in the front row fighting over the last few pieces of popcorn during a performance last year of “Sweeney Todd.” The noise distracted not only the audience, but the cast, including Patti Lupone, who recounted the incident.

A front-row seat for the show (plus service charges) was around $110. Would you want someone munching and crunching away while you were trying to watch the show at those prices?

Even worse, imagine a play, say by Shakespeare, and someone’s audible mastication during an intense soliloquy. (To belch or not to belch, that is the question ...)

Four well dressed guys (suits) were sitting behind us when we went to see Chicago in London several trips back and all 4 brought their "dinner" with them...McDonald's. They were not finished before the curtain went up so they continued eating till done. When I talked to them during the interval they said they had come from work and were hungrey :-) Aside from them we have seen candy bars being devoured during London shows but never any "real food". Ice cream is a big seller during intervals tho.

I've had a very different experience than Patrick, as most of the theatres in the US I go to sell food and drinks there. They make a lot of money from them, that is very normal. The only ones that don't are small ones, but all the major performing arts venues do that.

They not only sell food that people eat who are trying to have a quick dinner, I suppose (sandwiches, etc.), but they definitely sell desserts and boxes of candy in the lobby, as well as drinks of all kinds. They do this in the Kennedy Center, for example. They also have done this on Broadway as long as I can remember, I don't know why they say that is new in the NYT, I guess they ran out of articles to write.

As far as I notice, they allow food in (and can't really stop it, anyway, if it's a box of candy), although maybe not a drink, in these places.

Personally, I think it is disgusting, and am always suprised at the people who can't let a few hours go by without stuffing their faces with something. I sat next to a woman at some Broadway show who ate a super large box of candy during the first half hour of the show (which was somewhat noisy, as well as just distracting since she was right next to me). I feel the same way about the movies, although lots of people eat there, also, even if they are going to have dinner as soon as they get out. I just think people eat too much junk food, in general, and eat too much when they don't need it.

Christina, maybe I didn't make myself clear. I agree that much food (well, mainly candy) and drink are sold at US theatres. I was referring to alcohol, however. Compared to the percentage of people who have alcoholic drinks in the London theatres, the US theatres sell very few. I am only speaking comparatively. On Broadway, the big lines at intermission seem to be for buying CD's, t-shirts, and a whole lot of cokes. And you will almost never stand in line if you want a cocktail or a glass of wine BEFORE the show on Broadway. People seem to get their drinks somewhere else before coming, and rarely have one at the theatre before the show.