On my recent trip to see Les Miserables, I had the unfortunate luck to sit next to a couple of niños in the theater. Grandma and grandpa thought it would be a good idea to take them to see this grown up movie musical. Luckily, they ended up leaving after about an hour. This lead me to think about movie musical etiquette. Aside from standard movie etiquette, movie musicals are it's own breed and bring out a different crowd.
- Don't sing. I didn't pay $12.00 to hear you sing. I don't care if you were born on Broadway, if there are no bouncing words on the screen, it's not a sing along.
- Don't give away the plot. I'm glad you've seen the show on Broadway 40 times. Do not give away the plot before the movie starts.
- If you never seen the show before (aka. you're being dragged by your significant other), do yourself a favor and read a summary online. This cuts down on you snoring loudly behind me or you asking "what did he say?" every five seconds.
- Alternatively, do not explain the plot during the movie. You should have done this before and can certainly do so after.
- No in-movie commentary of the performance. The whole point of a musical movie is that it is adapted from stage to screen. There will be differences to fit the medium better.
- Don't clap between musical numbers. They can't hear you. They never will.
- There is no intermission. So pee and snack-up before it starts.
- If you are unfamiliar with the musical, but like musicals. Listen to the Original London/Broadway Cast album before the show. This way you can have a better appreciation for the show.
- Know the difference between seeing the movie musical 40 times, and seeing the stage musical 40 times. Do not be surprised when you see the stage show and it's completely different.
- Bootlegging not ok for both live and filmed productions. We can all see the light on your camera/cell phone. Just turn it off. Just buy the cast album on iTunes.
- If you wouldn't take your kids to see the musical live, do not take your kids to see the movie version. See introduction.
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