Sir, - I have recently moved back to Ireland having spent seven years in London. As a regular theatregoer I have been to most of the theatres there and I plan to do the same in Dublin. I have one complaint, however: can anyone explain to me why theatregoers in Ireland have to put up with people noisily crunching and rustling sweet packets throughout performances? It does not happen in London theatres and it is irritating to the audience, not to mention being rude and insensitive to the actors who can hear it from the stage.
Two recent performances that I've attended have been marred by people in nearby seats chomping and sucking on sweets loudly and continuously, apparently oblivious to the disturbance they were causing. It doesn't help that some theatres actually have a sweet stall in the foyer, giving the impression that this distracting behaviour is acceptable. We expect high standards from the actors in our theatres. Why does this not extend to the audience? - Yours, etc.,
Abigail Inmann, Northumberland Road, Dublin 2.