Not So Entertaining These Days
- June
- 1
4:30 am Live Theater
As our daughter rose in the musical ranks, my husband and I attended every performance that we could. We rearranged work schedules to hear her play for two minutes. She would roll her eyes in humiliation as her parents sat beaming in the front row, trying desperately not to shout, “Encore, Encore” after her rousing performance of “Mary Had A Little Lamb.”
Now, she is a professional musician, having played in several venues offering live musical theater. We still try to see as many performances as we can but lately have noticed a trend that we find alarming and that detracts from our enjoyment of the arts.
At many area establishments, there appears to be no limit on how much alcohol a person is served. Whether it’s the grand opening of a gallery or a matinee performance, someone should be keeping a watchful eye on the amount of drinks a patron is ordering.
Last month, my husband and I saw a performance of “Tony ‘n’ Tina’s Wedding.” We heard rave reviews from our friends, so we eagerly anticipated a lovely afternoon of live theater, complete with dinner.
There were two other couples at our table, as well as a mother-daughter duo.
Mom was more than a little tipsy, thanks to three carafes of wine and beer directly in front of her, the majority already consumed. The daughter initially appeared to be more in control, but as time went on, she was a formidable contender in the race to see who could become more obnoxious.
As the show progressed, so did the mother’s behavior. She was repeating the actors‘ lines in a loud, slurred voice, something nearby patrons also found annoying. All the while, her server was asking, “What can I get you?” The response was never “Diet Coke, please.”
Yes, I realize this is where theaters make their money, although the price of the tickets certainly would not be classified as cheap. However, as this dynamic duo’s behavior deteriorated, I couldn’t help but wonder if their server was ever going to cut them off completely.
To make matters worse, since the audience played the part of the “guests,” they were treated to champagne. Free champagne. After the mother spilled her second (or was it third?) drink all over the table, followed by a tirade of obscenities, my husband and I left.
On our way out, we searched for someone to talk to about the situation, but no one was available. Everyone was singing and dancing and, of course, drinking.
The duo’s last exchange, however, still haunts me. As we were getting up to leave, they were arguing about which one of them was going to drive home. I wonder if a cab was called. Better yet, perhaps the server offered.
Tags: actors, amp, ava, carafes, contender, couples, day, diet coke, dynamic duo, establishments, front row, grand opening, humiliation, Live, Live Music, Live Theater, love, lovely afternoon, mary had a little lamb, matinee performance, money, mother daughter, music, patron, professional musician, rousing performance, theaters, two minutes, venue, watchful eye, work schedulesRelated posts
