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Some people treat a live show like karaoke night, and everyone around them just has to deal with it.

One man attended a professional touring production of Hamilton in Orlando, expecting the usual quiet, focused theater experience, only to sit beside a family whose young son sang along to nearly every word from the very first scene, with his mom chiming in occasionally too.

After half an hour of listening to the performance compete with the kid beside him, he calmly asked the mother if they could tone it down, and was met with outrage instead of understanding.

That’s how a simple request for basic theater etiquette spiraled into something much messier.

Keep reading for the full story.

AITA asking a kid to not sing at live theatre?

I saw Hamilton tonight on stage. Touring show in Orlando. Not a special sing-a-long version or anything.

The theatre-goer had quite the unfortunate pairing for the people sitting around them..

A family of 3 sat next to me with a kid of about 10. From the first line, the kid sang or said every word. On occasion the mom joined in. I often heard them over the show.

Finally, he had to speak up — and you can guess how well that went.

After 30 minutes, as politely as possible, I asked the mom for them to please not sing and talk during the show.

The mom looked at me like I’m a monster and said she wasn’t going to ask a kid that loves the show and is super excited to see it to not sing.

I left, said something to the theatre staff, and they moved me.

He doesn’t think he’s wrong for this, but turns to Reddit just in case.

My knowledge of etiquette says you stay quiet in a theatre.

AITA?

Why are people so poorly socialized nowadays?

Redditors chime in with their thoughts.

This was clearly an overstep on the other family’s part.

Rude people deserve to be called out.

This kind of behavior doesn’t fly at Broadway shows.

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If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a college student who decides to send his university a counter-bill after they try to get him to pay “inconvenience fees.”

Singalongs exist for this very reason.

Paying full price for a professional touring show and getting a live duet you never asked for is a pretty rough trade.

Loving a musical doesn’t come with a backstage pass to perform it yourself in the middle of a packed theater. Any reasonable adult would understand that.

Let’s leave the singing to the professionals.

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Author

Benjamin Cottrell

Benjamin Cottrell | Assistant Editor, Internet Culture

Benjamin Cottrell is an Assistant Editor and contributing writer at TwistedSifter, specializing in internet culture, viral social dynamics, and the moral complexities of online communities. He brings a highly analytical, editorial voice to his reporting on workplace conflicts, malicious compliance, and interpersonal drama, with a specific focus on nuanced stories that lack an obvious villain.

As a published author of rhetorical criticism, Benjamin leverages his academic background in human communication to dissect and elevate viral social media threads. Instead of simply summarizing events, he provides readers with balanced, deep-dive commentary into why the internet reacts the way it does. In addition to his cultural reporting, he is an experienced fine art photography essayist and video game reviewer.

When he isn’t analyzing the latest viral debates, Benjamin is usually chipping away at his extensive video game backlog, hunting down the best new restaurants, or out exploring the city with a camera in hand.

Connect with Benjamin on Instagram and read more of his essays on Substack.