Should I Tap Them on the Shoulder?

Last Thursday evening I was seated in a theater waiting to see the stage production of World of Dance, a show I enjoy watching on TV.

I was there with a close friend, one of my daughters, and her husband.  We had all enjoyed a wonderful dinner at a nearby Indian restaurant (one of the best in Los Angeles).  Our seats were toward the front of the orchestra section, though not quite in the center. There were several preshow “warm-up” acts that were reasonably good.  After an intermission the main show began. I think.

I don’t remember clearly, because I was so annoyed.  “Annoyed” is an understatement. I was angry.

The woman seated to my left one row in front of me, and immediately in front of my daughter, was taking a video of the performance.  She held her cell phone high over her head, directly blocking my view.  I was fuming.

But what to do? At every live show I have attended there has been an announcement banning photography.  The auditorium was dark.  I would have had to leave my seat and search for an usher or someone else to help me.  I waited.  Maybe the woman just wanted to video the opening act to remind herself where she had been this evening.  She certainly wasn’t watching the dancers. She focused her full attention to her cell phone.

Apparently her cell phone had a great view.

I was reminded of an experience in a movie theater years ago.  Three people in front of me were talking loudly during the movie as if they were in their own living room.  I asked them to stop talking but they only laughed at me.  So I called an usher who spoke with them, and then suggested I take another seat.  The theater was full, and I refused.  Eventually the rude group stopped talking.

But back to the dancing.  I was worried my daughter was as bothered by it as I was.  And then the woman directly in front of me also started to video the performance!

Simultaneously, my daughter and I finally tapped the woman in front of my daughter on the shoulder.  We were a tag team – I touched the right shoulder, my daughter touched the left.

“You’re blocking my view,” I said.  She was immediately responsive, sort of.  She lowered her camera a few inches, still interfering with our view of the performance.

At the next intermission, we found an usher, who spoke with both women.  Then she reported that because there “hadn’t been an announcement” there was nothing she could do. The usher helpfully suggested we change seats if we were disturbed.

Fortunately for us the two woman stopped recording toward the end of the show. Maybe their cell batteries died.

Whoopee!

Tonight I’m going to watch a televised football game at home.

The videographer will be at the game.  I will be watching from my bed.

Each of us will be where we belong.

Alan