Walking Out of a Broadway Show is Fine. Posting About it Mid-Show is Tacky

by Chris Peterson

There’s a new theatre trend I’d love to kill with kindness: people announcing on social media that they walked out of a Broadway show like they just exposed government corruption.

You left at intermission. You didn’t leak the Pentagon Papers.

I saw someone do this with Hell’s Kitchen and the post was basically, “The singing is incredible, but I didn’t like the story, so I leaving.” And listen, that’s a totally fair opinion. Not every show is for every person. I’ve sat through things I didn’t love. We all have. That’s part of being a theatre fan with a pulse.

But why does it need to be a public declaration in real time?

That’s the part I don’t get. Walking out is a personal choice. Turning that choice into a dramatic status update is a separate choice, and it usually says more about the person posting than the show they left. If you’re posting from the lobby before Act Two has even started, it feels less like criticism and more like performance art starring you.

And I know the counterargument: “People can post whatever they want.” Yes. Correct. Obviously. I can also think it’s tacky.

Because there’s a difference between thoughtful critique and attention-seeking commentary. A thoughtful critique sounds like, “Here’s why the book didn’t work for me structurally.” Attention-seeking commentary sounds like, “Just walked out. You’re welcome for my bravery.” One of those contributes to conversation. The other is just vibe-based self-congratulation.

The thing we keep forgetting is that live theatre is live. People are up there doing this in real time, eight times a week, no safety net, no second takes, no pause button. You are absolutely allowed to hate the show. You are absolutely allowed to leave. But maybe we should stop pretending an intermission exit deserves a press conference.

Also, can we retire the idea that walking out makes someone a more serious theatre person? Sometimes it means the story didn’t connect. Sometimes it means you were tired. Sometimes it means your edible kicked in at the wrong moment. Sometimes it means nothing deeper than “not my thing.”

That’s fine.

If you want to review the show later, do it. Be honest. Be sharp. Be specific. Drag the pacing, praise the score, question the book, discuss the character development, all of it. I love a real critique. But the performative “I WALKED OUT” post is becoming its own genre, and it’s a boring one.

So yes, leave if you want. Protect your evening. Protect your peace. Just maybe skip the live broadcast.