Sally Moehlau, 83, said she also quit Shea's after being told she, too, couldn't sit in the last row of the upper balcony.
For almost 20 years, Moehlau said, she drove back and forth from Clarence, paid for parking, arrived 1 1/2 hours early to stuff programs and get show information, and typically spent an additional 2 1/2 to 3 hours during and after the performance before heading home.
But the atmosphere became noticeably worse a few years ago, she said, when the theater hired an operations manager to oversee things.
"They've put such a tight rein on people that the enjoyment has left," she said.
Jeanette Swartz, who has ushered at Shea's for 12 years, said the ushers have reasonable expectations.
"We would never complain about not sitting if a show is sold out. We're talking about when the theater has sold 1,200 or 1,800 tickets out of 3,000, and we're not still allowed to sit," Swartz said.