Bethany North rightly castigates theatre audiences who disrupt performances and spoil others’ enjoyment (I’ve worked front of house in 40 theatres – and audiences behaved terribly in all of them, 22 February).
A few years ago, my husband and I were watching Il Trovatore at the Nice Opera in France. A very loud-voiced gentleman in the back row, sitting directly behind us, kept commenting on the performance to a female companion. Our British-style restrained shushing and repeated glares made no difference, and we were annoyed that ushers standing nearby did nothing.
At the first interval, my husband approached the man and expressed a firm wish that he’d be silent from now on. He looked somewhat taken aback but didn’t respond; he just walked away, disappearing to another part of the theatre.
At the very end, as the cast took their bows, a figure emerged from the wings, kissed the leading performers, received a large bouquet, and acknowledged the applause with theatrically outstretched arms. We recognised him. He was our loud-voiced gentleman. The director.
Heather Welford
Newcastle upon Tyne
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