British star Lesley Manville rips into theatre audiences over phone etiquette
Craig Simpson And Lily Shanagher
London: It’s a moment when theater actors should revel in the praise of their audiences, but are digital-obsessed audiences bringing down the curtain on the final arc?
Award-winning actor Lesley Manville claimed the shooting was an insult to the performers on stage and urged London theatergoers to put down their phones as the actors took their final bows.
70-year-old British star, Les Liaisons Dangereuses He spoke at the National Theater at a time when concerns were growing about the decline of etiquette in the West End.
“Come on theatre, let’s preserve it, let’s get the digital out of the way for a moment,” he said.
“We’re all in this room, we’re telling you a story, you’re listening — applaud or not, but don’t point your phone at our face. I find that insulting.”
The trend of filming curtain calls has increased in recent years, with modern musicals staging elaborately produced bows and encouraging audiences to record them in the hope of going viral on social media.
Such a production Six MusicalsDetailing the lives of Henry VIII’s wives as if they were a pop band. In the closing numbers, the character Anne of Cleves sings: “Get your phones out, you’re going to want to film this.”
Manville, who won the 2025 Olivier Award for his role in Oedipus at London’s Wyndham’s Theatre, said in an interview on Radio 4 that audience members pulling out their phones “never used to happen”, but warned the practice had already taken over in New York and spread to London.
“I just got back from Broadway,” he explained. “By the end of the evening, almost the entire audience will pull out their phones. Why don’t they let it live in their souls for five minutes?” he said.
“People need to take a photo of the curtain call to prove what they saw. There aren’t that many in the UK, but it’s starting to filter out.”
Phones have become a nuisance for actors performing in the West End and on Broadway.
In the early 2000s, when Richard Griffiths was starring History Kidsa number of audience members demanded that they leave their shows in both London and New York after their phones rang.
In 2009, Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig paused the game Constant Rain reminding theatergoers to follow proper telephone etiquette.
While old technology brought the problem of loud ringtones, smartphones have created a new problem as viewers attempt to record during the show and upload bootleg tracks online.
There are also concerns about broader degradation of standards beyond technology.
One complaint is that modern audiences give an overly generous and increasingly automatic standing ovation.
William Hanson, etiquette coach and training company executive British Style, he has previously said: “A standing ovation is kind of like a swear word; the more you do it, the less weight it carries.
“Today, people will oppose anything. Even mediocre and poor performances cause at least some of the audience to rise to their feet in mid-Atlantic frenzy.”
Another behavior that has become problematic for theaters, and especially musicals, is drink-induced rowdiness.
A performance in 2023 Protection A “mini riot” broke out in Manchester when two women were dragged from an auditorium by security after singing along to the music.
That same year, police had to remove four ticket holders from school. Grease the Musical Some concerns have been expressed that shows in the West End are becoming hubs for drunken nights out.
