Have you ever walked out of a cinema/theatre half way through a show?

Cats

I wanted to walk out of Cats. I thought it was one of the worst musicals ever made. I never saw Mama Mia, but that is a musical to walk out on.

Something with a name like Our Ladies of the Blessed Virgin. Extremely foul language and an unpleasant theme throughout. Maybe suitable for fringe theatre but not for the West End. Also something called Shen Fui (or similar). Supposed to be Chinese dances, but the orchestra made all the music sound like the theme from The Big Country, and the two comperes were an insult to our intelligence.

I agree with Fairfraise about Rollerball - I didn't walk out as was with someone but I feel asleep. Also fell asleep in Star Wars.

The Greatest Showman I saw recently as a film on tv - just couldnt get why people rave over it.

Didn't find Cats that good, but was treating the kids so I had to stay.

Mollygo mentioned Soldier Blue - terrible violence and especially against the native american women. I'd never see that again.

I can't understanf Olliebeak saying that Donna in Mamma Mia was money-grabbing. As far as I see it, she brought Sophie up to the age of 20 without any financial help from any of the three possible fathers. And Songstress said she/he never saw Mamma Mia but that is a musical to walk out on - how do you know if you never saw it?

OP, good thread!

Haven’t walked out but have fallen asleep a couple of times.

Once - Soldier Blue. It was in 1970 nd I went with my then boyfriend, I walked out when the violence became too much. I waited for him in the foyer and was joined a few minutes later by another girl I didn't know. We had a lovely long chat about everything except the film. However, the film did ignite an interest in Native American history and I read and researched a lot after that.

Yes, after only about 10 minutes of the film The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover. I just found it most unpleasant but then spent 90 minutes walking around deserted streets and sitting in a cold foyer waiting for husband and friend. Also from a modern opera based on Kafka play and again ended up bored stiff waiting for rest of party.

The stage show of The Commitments. Just frantic with scene changes every few minutes and just a couple of bars from each song. Tosh!

Yes! Hairspray in the West End! My late OH got tickets in Leicester Square for the show on the day (something we used to do often) but it was awful! Once the interval came we both decided that we’d had enough.

I actually fell asleep during The Silence of the Lambs.
The three people with me were rooted to their seats throughout, I slept happily on!

LauraNorder

Orlin and I in our teens walked out of Women in Love cos I was embarrassed at the ‘exposure of their dangly bits’ during the fight.
Have seen it since and laughed at myself. The innocence of youth in those days.

I remember going to see Dennis Potter's Brimstone and Treacle. This was before it became well known and was in the small "studio" section of the theatre. The acting was done on the floor with all the seats around it at the same height. We were on the front row and the devil character was standing directly in front of me, about 2 feet away, for the nude scene. My eyes were exactly at "dangly bits" level. I had no idea where to look!!

A friend treated us to tickets for 'Heathcliff', with Cliff Richard in the leading role. Cliff seems a pleasant, decent person and I don't dislike his singing, but casting him as Heathcliff seemed an exercise of hope over talent. DH and I kept casting agonised glances at each other as the show ploughed on, but did not dare get up and slide out at half time as our friends, who bought the tickets, seemed to be enjoying every moment. We would have done though, had we been sufficiently bold!

A couple of very awful amateur dramatic things which we just sneaked away at the interval.
Then a couple of years ago we went to see a Queen tribute act the music started up sounded great the beat was really going people were really cheering and then the lead singer started singing he was Spanish or Italian and his English was abysmal.
We sat through "I went to breek free"
and "onder press- shure"
before deciding that we couldn't bear to hear dear Freddie Mercury spinning in his grave any longer and we left.

I left a Motorhead gig back in the 70's. They were about an hour and a half late for the stage, started the first song about 4 times, each time walking off stage whilst the crew worked on broken guitar strings, sound issues, etc. Two songs in (I use the term loosely) we left as we'd had enough and had a train to catch.
I left a Cliff Richard's gig when he got to all his religious stuff. If I want preachy songs, I'll attend a church. Having to sit through ASWAD whilst we waited for Cliff was penance enough.
We went to see a Muse Gig at the cinema a few years ago and the sound was terrible. I left and went shopping in Tescos whilst the boys stayed.
Finally, we stayed up really late at a Butlins music weekend, Giants of Rock, to see Hawkwind who we had seen in the 70's and had really enjoyed. We couldn't believe that we had ever enjoyed their music, it was absolutely dire and so we went to bed. So disappointing.

Yes, 'We Will Rock You" which we went to London to see. Money-making tedium. Fortunately we have good local theatres, when they are open again, which are fortunately not quite so hung up on the proliferation of musicals. I have fallen asleep in another London production but it was my fault, I was tired and it was dark!

Never have, mainly because I'm with other people. I've only been to one comedy show - Bill Bailey - and loved it. At musicals or theatre productions, if I get bored I find myself focussing on the costumes or the lives of the actors, or mentally planning my schedule for the next day or two...or counting how many calories I've eaten that day!

My late husband and I were in Austria in the 1980’s on a skiing holiday. The local cinema had a US film we loved so went in after dinner one night. Watched German trailers/ads then the feature film started...in German. It wasn’t the US film on that day and we spoke no German so after 10 mins we pushed our way out. People were shocked and told us off in no uncertain terms plus the door steward wouldn’t let us out. We had a very odd conversation before the door opened. They didn’t give us our money back and we never went to a foreign cinema again.

Mamma Mia about 18 months ago. We were surrounded by drunken women screaming and singing along completely drowning out the cast and the complete show.

I've never done it, even though I've felt like it. I just sit there with my mind elsewhere, thinking about my shopping list or something. I was at a one about N.Ireland, where I'm from, and we knew the bad language was expected in this show before we went, but the amount of shocked people walking out was amazing as they must not of heard about the play. The theatre looked half empty after the interval.

ex and I were highly recommended La Cage aux Folles. At the interval without saying anything we both picked up.our coats and walked out! Dennis Quaid was not in it that night, so I don't know if he would have made a difference.

We also walked out of a much hyped production of Aida at Olympia. the auditorium was vast, the seats had not been banked so we couldn't see the stage and the music was drowned by the Tube rumbling underneath. There was a near riot at the box office, and we did eventually get out money back.

My mother had to take me out of Bambi aged about 7, it upset me so.much.

Kim19
I walked out of Shampoo and also Performance with Mick Jagger.

Walked out of an Alan Bennett play called Kafka's Dick. Just couldn't make head nor tale of it. Also left an amateur 'songs form the shows' concert an old boss was in, it was awful but had to pretend It was really enjoyable, good job I'd bought a programme so we could discuss it the net day.
I didn't like the film The Greatest Showman got bored,, but I loved the show of the same story Barnum, that was spectacular,

Moulin Rouge, with Nicole Kidman, Titanic, Porgie & Bess and I wished I’d walked out of Dunkirk, Kenneth Branagh ( hopelessly unconvincing).

My friends and I left a theatrical performance at Richmond theatre at the first interval. Glenda Jackson was starring. I can't remember the name of the play, but it was just one long monotonous drone.

Two years ago DH booked tickets to see the Dick and Angel Strawbridge's live show in Newcastle. We quite liked them on the telly and were interested to hear more of their life in their French chateau. Unfortunately it really wasn't very interesting and it got to the interval with hardly a mention of their life in France. The audience seemed to hang on their every word and were clearly super-fans - we weren't so decided it was time to leave. On the way out someone with a clip board at the door asked us why we were leaving!
We've never watched one of their telly programmes again.