Steve On Broadway (SOB)

Truly Ugly Betty Behavior

Truly Ugly Betty Behavior

As much as I enjoyed tuning in to last night's episode of ABC's "Ugly Betty" to catch a glimpse of the Los Angeles sitdown production of Wicked, I was shocked by the patently offensive and ill-conceived plot device of having its lead character text messaging her paramour during the performance.

Regular readers will know how much I absolutely abhor disgraceful, shameful behavior on the part of theatre audience members. Nothing steams me quite like the disrespectful use of cell phones during a live performance, whether it's keeping them turned on during a show, receiving calls or even texting. It's just plain rude. While these self-absorbed idiots are looking at their little lit-up screens, it's distracting to the people around them who paid good money to enjoy the performance rather than the show in the audience.

I'm not a regular "Ugly Betty" viewer (I much prefer NBC's "30 Rock," which offers the smartest half hour on prime time), but I believe if a show is going to showcase a real live theatrical production, the least it could do would be to set a solid example for its decidedly young audience and demonstrate appropriate theatre etiquette. Instead, it essentially said that anything goes in the audience.

Ugly? You bet!

This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).

Related Stories:
One Short Hour In The Emerald City (November 1, 2007)
Theatre Etiquette, Part Three (Or The End Of Southern Gentility) (July 30, 2007)
Rat Patrol: Coming To A Theatre Near You? (May 30, 2007)
Theatre Etiquette, Part Two (May 1, 2007)
Theatre Etiquette, Part One (November 30, 2007)

Labels: 30 Rock, Broadway, Theatre Etiquette, Ugly Betty, Wicked

posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Friday, November 02, 2007