When we first sat down at the Fabulous Fox Theatre, all seemed well. We had decent seats, if off to one side. But it didn’t last.

A group of girls behind us, probably high schoolers, gossiped nonstop before the play and during the intermission. They also discussed little tidbits about the play… which were all quite incorrect. It got a tad shrill.

Eventually the seats before us filled in as well. I was cursed with a large-headed dude who completely blocked my view of the left half of the stage. During the intermission I had to ask what had been going on over there when all the actors were on that side. At one point I had a matte painting, and heard singing, and had no idea what else was up. Of course I can hardly blame the guy for the size of his cranium.

The real problem was the couple to my left. They arrive late (naturally), and chattered throughout. After intermission they came back late (naturally), but this time with scotch. And chattered. The lady of the pair actually took the time to crack a joke, suggesting that Christine wanted the Phantom to “text her.”

Seriously.