We went to see The Phantom of the Opera on Friday night, and today we went to see Chicago.  I enjoyed both shows even though we didn’t have great seats.  Chicago worked better from the rear mezzanine as the band and the dancing were clear even from a distance.  The theatre for The Phantom was huge and sitting one row from the back did mean that it was hard to see the expressions on the actors faces.  The set still looked amazing and most of the singing was very clear thanks to the wonders of electronic amplification.  The only annoying thing was the audience.

Mobile phones are wonderful things but I don’t want to see them during a show.  They glow and are incredibly noticeable in a dark theatre.  Their use is also banned which means that as soon as someone tries to take a picture or a video annoyed staff members run up and tell them off.  The people behind us in The Phantom were given multiple warnings for taking pictures, which is incredibly distracting when you are trying to watch something.  Audience members also seem to think that it is O.K. to give a running commentary to their friends or to sing along with the songs.  I did turn and glare at quite a few people in the hope that they would just be quiet.  The actor playing the Phantom had a sensational voice, the man behind me did not.