Mom and 10-year-old son sing loudly during live performance of Hamilton, mom scolds fellow patron who asks them to be quiet: '[I'm] not going to ask a kid that loves the show and is super excited to see it to not sing.'

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Emmy Pratt • Senior Editor
Oct 1, 2026 7:45 AM EDT

Who do they think they are?

If you didn't grow up going to see theatre shows, you might not have been taught theatre etiquette. If you're going to see a Broadway show or a local children's production, the rules are generally the same. You shouldn't talk during the show; you should applaud after musical numbers; and, most importantly, you shouldn't sing along to the actors unless they have specifically instructed you to do so. There are some blurred lines when it comes to theatre etiquette (professional productions won't allow you to film the actors, but a local children's theatre probably will let parents record their kids), but in large, as long as you turn your phone off and keep your mouth quiet during the show, you should be in the clear. 

A lot of people earnestly believe they should be allowed to sing along with the actors. They don't really think about how that might disturb the people around them. Fans are encouraged to sing along at arena concerts, but theaters are much smaller and don't have as loud a sound system. If someone sitting next to you at a theater is loudly and badly singing over the performers, you're going to notice it, and it's going to be incredibly difficult to tune out. 

That's what happened to the theatre patron in this story. A mom and son were singing along to Hamilton and were incredibly insulted when he asked them to quiet down. The mom thought it was wrong to rob her son of the opportunity to sing along to his favorite show, and the ushers didn't do anything to stop them. Instead, they just moved the patron to a different seat and left everyone else to deal with their annoying voices. 

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  • A mother with happy small children in the theater
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    A mom and a son are watching a live theater show, singing along to the songs. 

    Featured likenesses do not identify those mentioned.

  • Am I the bad guy for 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. 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
    via Upstairs-Course-2552
  • the mom joined in. I often heard them over the show. After 30 minutes, as politely as possible | asked the mom for them to please not sing and talk during the show. The
    via Upstairs-Course-2552
  • 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
    via Upstairs-Course-2552
  • moved me. My knowledge of etiquette says you stay quiet in a theatre. AITA?
    via Upstairs-Course-2552
  • Hamilton marquee
    via Sudan Ouyang

    The marquee to Hamilton on Broadway.

    Stock photography for depiction only.

  • Spectre Omega NTA. You paid to hear professional actors perform, not to attend a $100+ karaoke session for an entitled mom and her kid.
    via Spectre_Omega
  • IceSeeker And isn't it a basic etiquette to remain silent during the performance because actors and actresses can hear noise from the stage? The mom and the kid are distracting not just the people near them.
    via IceSeeker
  • uSnow Yeah, and that's the part the mom seems to be missing. Being excited doesn't make singing along appropriate in a normal performance. The actors have to perform over the audience noise, and everyone around them paid to hear the actual show, not the audience's version of it.
    via uSnow
  • redhandsblackfuture I feel this way about normal concerts as well but alas, they're all sing-alongs
    via redhandsblackfuture
  • Crowd of people standing while raising their hands
    via Cason Asher

    Concertgoers singing along to the music. 

    Models pictured are not representative.

  • enjolbear This is far less understandable. If you can't hear the band over the person singing in your section, that's a failure of their sound system. They literally have loudspeakers blasting the concert at you. It's not like a stage production, where they may or may not have lavs and even if they DO have a lav, it's not nearly as loud.
    via enjolbear
  • cobalt999 the entire point of live music is to be present in the moment and vibe with everyone else. if you don't like people singing and cheering... stay home and listen to the studio album. plus yeah, I have never been to a show where the people were louder than the sound system.
    via cobalt999
  • stinkybinkyboo NTA, if they want to sing along the show is on Disney +
    via stinkybinkyboo
  • apatheticpurple A 10 year old is definitely old enough to follow theatre etiquette. That's just bad parenting.
    via apatheticpurple
  • Educational-Part-253 My mom took me to see a matinee performance of Fiddler on the Roof when I was 10 as a reward for passing my RCOM Grade 4 piano exam. I sat spellbound and speechless - for the entire performance. That parent and child clearly don't appreciate live theatre.
    via Educational-Part-253
  • EmpressOfMyBackyard Recently attended a Broadway touring show and as the usual speel about silence your phones, no photography, etc, ended, the speaker added, "and please be kind to your neighbors who have paid to hear the professionals - this is not a sing along." Your theater neighbor was encouraging her child to be very ride.
    via EmpressOfMyBackyard
  • anomo24 yeah the mom framing it as 'i'm not going to tell my kid who loves the show not to sing' is such a weird deflection. like... everyone in that theater potentially loves the show too. that's why they're there and paid for tickets lol
    via anomo24
  • Jerseygirl2468 NTA that would drive me insane. Very glad you got yourself a new seat.
    via Jerseygirl2468
  • SituationSad4304 10 years ago the theater would have asked them to leave
    via SituationSad4304
  • Longjumping Hat_2672 Reminds me of the "Friends" episode when Janice gushes to Chandler "I LOVE to sing!" "Yes, I know that you do. But I think the reason the people were complaining is that they wanted to hear the ACTOR singing 'Old Man River', not you" Chandler responds dryly.
    via Longjumping_Hat_2672

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musical theatre entitled parents theatre entitled parent bad parenting bad parents theater performance broadway Hamilton mom usher son parents entitled people
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