Ain’t misbehavin’? Broadway audience faux pas get spotlight

By JENNIFER PELTZ and MARK KENNEDY
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) – Come on along and listen to the lullaby of Broadway: Marimba ringtones! Rat-a-tat texting! The shaming “shhhhh!”

Years of mounting tension over audience behavior hit a dramatic climax this month. A teenager clambered onto a stage to try to recharge his phone. And veteran star Patti LuPone whisked a phone away from a texting spectator, hours after performing a matinee punctuated by incoming calls. She says she’s considering quitting stage work because of the electronic onslaught.

Performers and some patrons say smartphones and a hyper-connected culture are shredding the immersive experience of live theater.

Some other theater-world insiders say it’s time to educate, rather than scold, a growing audience that’s used to interactivity.

New York City largely outlawed cellphone use in theater audiences in 2003.

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