Should noisy audiences be allowed to upstage the show?

I AGREE uninvited audience participation in the theatre is unacceptable (Letters). The most annoying thing is when people stand up and start jigging around and waving their arms. No one behind can see. I wish there was an announcement before performances requesting the audience to be considerate to others.

SHEILA DREW, Uxbridge, Middlesex. I AM surprised at the miserable Elvis musical goer being so disdainful of fellow audience members. Did he really think fans of The King would stay silent throughout the performance? No doubt these enthusiastic participants viewed this as a concert, rather than a highbrow occasion. Their money is as good as anyone else’s, and after two years without performances, let’s forgive people for having fun. I expect the cast welcomed it. AMANDA YATES, Wideopen, North Tyneside. WHEN I attended the Back To The Future musical in the West End, one audience member insisted on loudly repeating the most famous lines. It would have been less disruptive to have him ejected. Years ago, I saw a play about Joe Orton. As the curtain rose, Matt Lucas, playing Orton’s partner Kenneth Halliwell, was already on stage. A latecomer came in and, unaware the play had started, complained at top volume: ‘Where’s seat B 13? It’s dark, I can’t see.’ A goodhumoured Lucas ad-libbed and the audience laughed. It was one of the rare occasions when a disruption worked in the show’s favour. The audience was warmed up and on side for the play when it was finally able to begin.

JAMES TURNER, London NW5. I GET irritated by tone-deaf audience members singing and shrieking. I’ve asked the person next to me to keep the noise down. It goes down like a ton of bricks when I tell them I’ve paid to hear the performance, not them screeching. Theatre etiquette is a thing of the past.

WILLIAM BOXALL, Warboys, Cambs.