Lately, I've seen an awful lot of rude people at live shows…especially people who snap photos and video with their little digital cameras and cameraphones, despite announcements that this is prohibited. I suppose there's always been a certain amount of rudeness this way but in the high-tech era, everyone seems to have some sort of recording device on their person and I guess the temptation to use them is too great.
This is actually an audio link. It's a recording from one of the last performances that Patti LuPone gave as Momma Rose in Gypsy. Someone was snapping pics during the big show-stopping number, "Rose's Turn," so Patti stopped the show and scolded the photo-taker, refusing to continue until the person was ejected. Once that was done, she started the number again from the top…and I'll bet the audience loved it. I also bet none of those people are going to take pictures in a theater for a lonnnng time.
Of course, there's a certain irony here because whoever recorded this audio and posted it to YouTube was violating the same rule just as blatantly as the clown with the camera. I guess they wanted to spread the warning that you should stick to the less obvious methods of rule-breaking. (By the way: The rule against taking photos is not just a matter of the producers wanting to preserve intellectual property. Performers on stage can be momentarily blinded by a flash in the darkness and can stumble or fall. At the very least, they can be distracted and it can harm the show for everyone.)
The audio's a little weak in spots so you might want to crank up your speakers for this. It runs a little over three minutes and the outburst occurs about 45 seconds in…
