On strobe lights, (fake) gun shots, and smoke effects

I saw A Free Man of Color shortly before it closed - it was OK, neither great nor terrible. It was definitely loooonnnngggg. The cast was very good, especially Jeffrey Wright (pictured at left), who was on stage almost all of the 3 hours. I'm a big fan of Paul Dano (I saw him - wonderfully - on stage in Things We Want as well as on screen in Little Miss Sunshine and There Will Be Blood). The only thing that I don't like about the actor Mos, who was also terrific, is that I'd just gotten used to an actor named Mos Def (born Dante Terrell Smith) when he shortened it to just Mos.


But my point here is separate from the acting (good) or the writing (disjointed). When I got to the theater, there was a sign announcing that the production includes gun shots - three of them, in fact. I don't really mind fake gun shots, but I'm sure that there are people who do.


My pet peeve is strobe lights, which are also announced at the door to a theater. I hate them I hate them I hate them. I cannot say strongly enough how much I hate them. For short periods, I close my eyes and cover them. If it goes on too long, I've been known to walk out of the theater. Yes, in the middle of a play.

I'm sure that there are people with allergies who feel equally strongly about smoke effects.

So here's my point: all of these effects should be announced clearly in all ads for the show. They should be made completely clear in any on-line ticket sales, and mentioned in any telephone sales. That way if we don't like them, we don't need to see them/hear them/inhale them.


I don't begrudge producers the right to use whatever effects they want. But tell me about them first.


End of rant.