Lack of civility in theater not only experienced by columnist

Memories were sparked by my Monday column on civility in the theater, and they weren’t good memories.

I know I’ve struck a chord when readers write and co-workers stop to tell me their own horror stories.

Rich Pelkowski wrote, “Your suggestions for speaking up to ensure your enjoyment is applicable at many public performance. I regret to this day not speaking up when a person in the audience, and seated next to my wife, whistled loudly throughout a performance of the group Chicago at the Stardust (circa 2006?). When the annoying fan wasn’t whistling, she was on her cell phone. However given the attitude she portrayed throughout the performance, I doubt she would have accepted any comment/request in a very polite manner.”

Michelle said during one of her trips to the Utah Shakespeare Festival, a woman took her large souvenir program and fanned herself continuously. “I was seething. What a gross invalidation of me. Finally, my left hand grabbed her right arm in midstroke. Neither of us said a word – not then or ever again – but it stopped.”

She actually gave some practical advice I hadn’t thought of: Tell the usher. That’s what she did when someone hard of hearing was asking questions throughout the first half of the play. “Two rows of people were angry and confused at the intermission about what to do. Again I went to an usher and explained the problem and gave the culprit’s seat number. Not only did it get handled in a tactful, firm manner but it allowed all of us to remain anonymous.”

I can’t really advocate grabbing a stranger’s hand (although I have a dear friend whose fiddling with his ticket in the movies has forced me to snatch it from him more than once). But for really big annoyances, the usher can be to go-to person.

Now to the guy to wants me to write about pop-corn eaters in movie theaters, I doubt anyone can suggest to another how to eat popcorn. Sorry.