UK COMEDY
Recent reports regarding comedian and national treasure Peter Kay and the antics of hecklers at one of his stadium tour-shows led Mark Ritchie to make a few points of his own. Mark saw Peter’s show recently in Manchester and perhaps his views may surprise a few readers. Mark Writes:

In my humble opinion it is a feeling of entitlement and the ‘keyboard-warrior’ social media opportunities which exist today that creates the sheer bile and vitriol we see appearing when entertainers tell it like it is to hecklers.
The crime of spoiling the pleasure of other paying customers at gigs seems to be on the increase. I personally do not blame Peter Kay one iota for recently having people thrown out of an arena gig. The fact that some of these idiots feel so entitled I believe to be a 21st century development and not either useful or welcome.
We have people singing out en-masse in the audiences of live west-end musicals. We have people talking back to comedians and actors during performances, apparently labouring under the misapprehension that the performers on stage can neither see nor hear them. Do they believe that they are watching a recorded TV show and they are somehow in control, with the aid of an invisible interactive red button on the ar of their seat?
When will these oft-inebriated clowns get it through their addled and muddled heads that we (the punters) have paid our heard-earned to see the comedian on-stage and not endure their extraneous and superfluous shouting and swearing?

Am I being old fashioned? Am I being a prude? Please get in touch and let me know what you think at mark.ritchie@ukcabaret.com