Two cultural scenarios

Is there any difference in how Russians and Americans behave in theaters and stadiums? I have a maniacal interest in how cultural scenarios vary from culture to culture.

1. A Broadway Show
Theaters in Russia run up to 15 or more different performances each month. So, you can go to the same theater every day of the week and see something new. In America, or in New York at least, one theater runs one and the same show every night. If you want to see something new, go next door, to another theater. (We enjoyed the musical Hair Spray, and now I remember it every time I wash my hair.) One show may run for months and even years. Well, really, why trade good for worse? Actors polish their acting and singing. People go to see their favorite shows again and again, and they know all the words by heart, and at the end they often stand up and sing along together with the actors.

And yet, I wonder how it feels when you go on stage for the 100th time and have a hunch this groundhog day will last for who knows how long? I must go online and look for statistics of suicides among Broadway show actors.

2. A Basketball Game
I wanted to see basketball March madness. It's a fancy term which means end of the season games of university basketball teams. That couldn't be arranged but our hosts from the Department of State kindly offered us a substitute: an NBA game between New York Knicks and Orlando Magic. The game itself was good. However, I expected cheering to be somewhere between 8.0 and 9.0, according to the Richter magnitude scale. Alas, that was not to be. Cheering was good and whole-hearted but our Russian fans cheer as cheerfully. Ok, the fact has been established and dutifully filed.

Now, here comes the dessert. The most curious thing about circuses, stadiums, and theaters in the two countries is how people get to their seats! In Russia, we say "excuse me", those already sitting usually stand up unsmilingly, and we squeeze to our seats facing them, with our backs to the stage. In America, people say "excuse me" and smile, those already sitting smile back and usually don't stand up, and Americans squeeze to our seats facing the stage, with their backs to the sitting (or standing) people. My American friends explain that the latter approach is more rational, because in this case people don't kick each others' knees. My Russian friends counter by saying that seeing a face is better than... eh... you know...