Overture Center introduces sippy-cups for classy patrons
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Now, chances are you've been to some kind of establishment around town where folks can enjoy a beverage while taking in some music, a play, or comedy. These places are known colloquially as "bars," "clubs," "theaters," or, more generally, "venues." But ducking into a show at the Overture Center For The capital-A Arts is a bit more like getting into your mom's newly re-upholstered minivan: You can buy a drink and put it down in the lobby before the show or during intermission, but you can't actually bring it to your seat. Until now. In a press release this morning, Overture announced that patrons will be able to "sip freely" during shows, provided they drop an extra $3 on a "souvenir cup with a spill-proof lid," something The Capital Times is already referring to as "Tommee Tippee"-style drinkware. You read that right: The same people who might spend upwards of $40 each on theater tickets will now be expected to drink from, effectively, sippy-cups. Well, the upcoming production of Late Night Catechism, at which the policy takes effect, is fairly cheap, but the point stands. [UPDATE 7/13: Overture has revealed that the cups are "not nearly as dopey as they could be," resembling traveler coffee mugs more than sippy cups. But still kind of hilarious.]
Even better, Overture's press release itself presents a strangely unflattering image of patrons slamming down their beverages: "It’s happened to all of us—you’re just three sips into your intermission beer when the lights begin flashing and it’s time to head back to your seat. Do you cut your losses and leave the glass half-full, or do you chug it like a college junior?" Well, excuse us, but we like a good buzz at the matinee of Grease. Of course, it makes sense to want to protect the seats in the historic Capitol Theater from wine stains, but newer Overture spaces like Overture Hall are so shiny and sleek, they look as if they could just be rinsed off with industrial-strength hoses. Why not just cover all the seats in plastic, gramps?
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