Who do they think they are?

If you didn’t grow up going to see theatre shows, you might not have been taught theatre etiquette. If you’re going to see a Broadway show or a local children’s production, the rules are generally the same. You shouldn’t talk during the show; you should applaud after musical numbers; and, most importantly, you shouldn’t sing along to the actors unless they have specifically instructed you to do so. There are some blurred lines when it comes to theatre etiquette (professional productions won’t allow you to film the actors, but a local children’s theatre probably will let parents record their kids), but in large, as long as you turn your phone off and keep your mouth quiet during the show, you should be in the clear. 

A lot of people earnestly believe they should be allowed to sing along with the actors. They don’t really think about how that might disturb the people around them. Fans are encouraged to sing along at arena concerts, but theaters are much smaller and don’t have as loud a sound system. If someone sitting next to you at a theater is loudly and badly singing over the performers, you’re going to notice it, and it’s going to be incredibly difficult to tune out. 

That’s what happened to the theatre patron in this story. A mom and son were singing along to Hamilton and were incredibly insulted when he asked them to quiet down. The mom thought it was wrong to rob her son of the opportunity to sing along to his favorite show, and the ushers didn’t do anything to stop them. Instead, they just moved the patron to a different seat and left everyone else to deal with their annoying voices.