Have you ever walked out of a performance?

Glad it's not just me then with Cats! In fact I have seen a couple of Lloyd Webber's shows and didn't like any of them. I also hated Les Miserables and DH persuaded me to go to see the film after all the hype. I couldn't wait to get out of the cinema. There are lots of wonderful shows I have seen though

Regrettably we had to leave a Ken Dodd show at the interval as it went on so long and we had a babysitter. Learnt our lesson and next time we went to his show, we stayed through to the end.
I also object to paying full price for matinee tickets when the advertised "famous" lead couldn't be bothered to appear.

Like others, I haven't just left but have not gone back after the interval. Once was sunset boulevard and the other was cats. I would have done the same at Phantom but my friend was enjoying it so I stayed. I think that some shows are hyped up so much that the reality is disappointing

We've left performances at the interval, always because we weren't enjoying it. As OP said, life's too short!

We walked out of an Alan Aykbourn play once, surprisingly, as usually they were so good. This one involved people continually climbing out of boxes, and was so dull and unfunny we couldn't even wait for the interval!

KatyK I also ditched Cats at the interval as thought it was rubbish!

I have walked out a few times. Most were Edinburgh Festival Fringe performances. It's lucky dip with them, some are brilliant, but some are just bizarre ego-trips for the performers. However, I have walked out of mainstream theatre performances too, out of sheer boredom. I also walked out of a comedy stand-up night when Andrew Lawrence, who can be funny, sang "I'm going to rape you up the bum", which he described as a revenge for his girlfriend ditching him. Sorry, not funny, although a lot of the male students in the audience found it hilarious apparently

Gerispringer, never ask! Just tell them what you're going to do, and don't give them the opportunity to say no

I remember an occasion when it was the other way round. We were in Holland with our DD who was then a teenager and a gifted pianist, and we saw a poster advertising a piano recital at a local concert hall. We turned up,( the audience was very small,)then the pianist came on stage, started to play and went wrong. He left the stage, came back on , bowed, sat down and started to play again---and went wrong at the same point again. He left the stage again---and didn't return. There was no announcement so after waiting for a few minutes the whole audience just left!

I was going to say I have never walked out but at billy connolly many years ago several people walked out at the start, maybe you Martha?!
I had to go to the loo at the crucial point in the mousetrap and blocked others view, still blush today!

We haven't actually walked out but on two occasions we haven't gone back in after the interval. One was Cats, which I thought was dire and then we made the mistake of going to see a middle aged Cliff Richard playing a very young Heathcliff - embarrassing.

I walked out of the film Elizabeth starring Cate Blanchett.
I know she is a marvellous actress, but the whole tone of the film upset me and when it got to a torture scene I simply had to leave.
Also, I was carried out, rather than walked out, of a film years ago, - the first version of Alfie starring Michael Caine. There was an abortion scene and I fainted and fell down between the seats. I was so embarrassed afterwards.

Often! We went to one of those 60's revival tours a few years back and walked during The Tremeloes set. It was so loud it was unbearable and I wondered how the other people of a certain age could stand it. Life is too short to sit through stuff you're not enjoying.

Nannyme has reminded me that I too have fallen asleep in the theatre . A friend and I went to see a play at a small theatre in the next town. It was a bitterly cold day and we were bundled up with heavy coats etc. The theatre was very, very warm and the play was very, very boring; I can't even remember what it was called now but it was a one set play; no scenery changes to keep you alert and only 2 actors in the play. I must have dozed off because my friend nudged me and hissed "you're snoring!". That and the fact that I'd slumped onto the man on my right was an indicator that it was time to leave! Not my finest hour, I'm ashamed to say.

Rubysong - your post made me laugh. My DS2 also couldn't stand loud noises when he was little. When he grew up he joined the army - Royal Artillery of course!!

Huge, not few!

I loved Billy Connolly’s tv humour in its heyday and was thrilled to get tickets to see him live at a local leisure centre. But his stage act was totally different, every other word was the f word. I was so disappointed that for the first time in my life I walked out of a performance, and promptly fell down the steps with a few crash and ended up the butt of one of his jokes.

My much older first husband took me to a carry on film in 1980... he thought it was funny but I found the likes of Sid James and his antics really insulting. I still can't bear trash from the 70s..i do not know how they got away with such sexism. May be I was just forward thinking for the time and spoke up where others didn't. I walked out of the cinema within 15 minutes.

My OH had to leave the cinema when the film being shown before the big feature included whales being cut up, I stayed to keep our seats.

Once from the Albert Hall during a proms night - the piano ‘player’ was inside the piano banging on the strings rather than using the keys - just awful.

And one I wish we had walked out of last week at our local theatre - much anticipated Pasha (from Strictly) dance spectacular which was so far from spectacular I can’t tell you! Pasha graced us with his presence for 2 full dances and cameo appearances in a few other during the entire evening. There were only 7 performers in total and the show was bulked out by 2 lovely performances by a local children’s dance group (no Pasha) and 3 members of the audience he pulled onto the stage for us to laugh at like they do in pantomimes.

We’ve walked out of three productions - most notably The Merchant of Venice starring Dustin Hoffman! It was the hottest night of the year one July and we were sitting in the Circle and when this little man walked on stage he just looked and sounded completely out of place. He is an impeccable film actor but clearly doesn’t have presence on stage. The combination of the heat and the fact that we were not engaged by the play led us to leave.

I have just remembered being invited to a golf club dinner by a colleague of my H's , said colleague wanted my H to join his club.
It was Spanish themed and after the meal we were subjected to an exhibition of flamenco dancing.
It went on monotously for what seemed like hours, how I would have loved to get up and go home.

The only film I ever walked out of was Andy Warhol's Chelsea Girls - the split screen drove me absolutely demented within minutes and although I gave it as long as I could it just was unwatchable. On TV I have struggled repeatedly with 4 Weddings and a Funeral and never got further than 20 minutes in. But don't go to the cinema more than once a year or so, because normally as soon as the lights go down I'm flat out!

My friend gave us some free tickets to "Lady sings the Blues" We were expecting the Billie Halliday story. It was a jazz band called "Lady sings the Blues" that sang never ending doobie doobie doo type jazz songs. They were probably very good but we both hate jazz so we left at the interval.

I walked out of The Vagina Monalogues after 10 mins. It was lewd, crude and completely unnecessary.