Do you give a standing ovation at every show?- Page 3

[verynewyorkcurious]

Posted: 5/11/08 at 12:12am

So I saw The Lion King on Thursday night, and no surprise, standing ovation. I had never seen the show, and thought it was a good production. It was big and colorful and everyone had a lot of energy, but none of the talent on stage deserved a standing ovation.

Now, I'm all for encouragement, but that would just be false encouragement. I ended up starring at people's asses. Most of the people were tourists.. My guess would be like 90%, and like some of you had mentioned, they've already spend the money on a full price ticket, and chances are, they've never seen a truly riveting performance..so whatever.

[bwaybabe2]

Posted: 5/11/08 at 12:37am

Of course, no.
I am very selective also of when to stand to make the point. I stay seated until that particular actor comes to take his/her bow, then stand. I think this sends the message...

[johnnykluv]

Posted: 5/11/08 at 3:25am

I don't want to unless it was superlative in everyway, but I have to in order to see the cast. There is no choice. They didn't use to do this but some rubes started the obnoxious habit, probably because they saw it in a movie and now we're all stuck with it.

[B3TA07]

Posted: 5/11/08 at 3:31am

Nah.

[bwaybabe2]

Posted: 5/11/08 at 3:36am

"...I have to in order to see the cast"
THAT"S funny! But, even more, because I have experienced the same (see, I thought I was the ONLY one feeling this way...).

[la_vie_boheme_et_moi]

Posted: 5/11/08 at 8:59am

Not reallllly. I try not to. It seems like everything I see is really good, though, so it's difficult. I didn't at Spring Awakening- even though I had to respect the actors for giving excellent performances, I couldn't stand the show. I also didn't at Grease. Ew.

[jordangirl]

Posted: 5/11/08 at 9:17am

See, I'd rather stay true to myself and my thoughts/feelings than "seeing the cast", so I stay seated the whole time if the show doesn't move me to the point of deserving one. And yes, I have been surrounded by people standing and glaring at me for not standing. At The Seafarer the woman behind me said something about it to me very rudely and I explained my reasoning politely, that I don't just give them away. She seemed shocked that someone had actually thought about it rather than being a lemming. Maybe if more people stayed in their seats when a performance doesn't warrant it others would slowly start to figure it out and they'd begin to mean something again.

[Urban]

Posted: 5/11/08 at 9:27am

I don't believe I have ever gave a standing ovation in my life.

[Marcus2]

Posted: 5/11/08 at 9:29am

I only stand for what I believe to be amazing performances, I saw the Evita revival back in 06 and stood at the end for Elena Roger's even though many didn't!

Its just in a way to show that a performance has truely effected you and its a way of expressing it!

[xogreenified94]

Posted: 5/11/08 at 12:03pm

Updated On: 6/9/08 at 12:03 PM

[Steve2]

Posted: 5/11/08 at 12:06pm

Yes.

I must admit though that I was very surprised at "Sunday in the Park" at what a tough crowd it was and no standing ovation from many, many people. Even "Cry-Baby" got a better crowd response and standing ovation!

[DefyGravity777]

Posted: 5/12/08 at 4:00pm

I give a standing ovation when it warrants it. I always give one at Wicked though starting at curtain call until the curtain goes down(I think everyone in that cast deserves it). Yesterday(Annaleigh's last) a friend of mine stood up at the beginning of curtain call and the people in back of her told her to sit down because they couldn't see :-/.

[philly03]

Posted: 5/12/08 at 4:14pm

Standing ovations were not as common now as they were in the later '90s anyway. When I saw Annie Get You're Gun most poeple didn't stand until the Annie came out, and at most Jekyll & Hyde performances (I didn't see any of the OBC however), on Broadway, there were large numbers of people not standing. You can even see it on the DVD sort of.

Everytime at the Les Mis revival I gave Judy Kuhn or Lea Salonga a standing ovation, and John Owen-Jones, Drew Sarich and Alexander Gemnigagi. It was one of those things where I wish I could sit down through the Javert part though! (I didn't see Norm Lewis!)

[Brick]

Posted: 5/12/08 at 4:22pm

No.

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 5/12/08 at 4:27pm

No one gave one at a performance of Thoroughly Modern Millie, and I left right after the drugging Spelling Bee ended (one of the worst things I've sat through...).

As many others...I need to be compelled....either I jump to my feet the moment the curatin goes down, or I wait for the best performer to come out.

[hubee]

Posted: 5/12/08 at 4:28pm

Steve2, yah, I was surprised none was given at Sunday either.

usually I find I give standing o's on shows where everyone else doesn't (Sunday, Passing Strange) while the ones I really feel adamantly doesn't deserve it, get huge audience ovations (We Will rock you, The Grinch)

though what happens when there are great performances from a mediocre show? I usually want to applaud the performer but not the show and end up usually chickening out and just doing what everyone else does in those middle instances where I'm less clear about it all.

[BWF]

Posted: 5/12/08 at 4:31pm

If only...

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 5/12/08 at 4:32pm

Absolutely not. I give them for worthy performances and worthy shows. If neither is worthy, I sit.

[cello_dude]

Posted: 5/12/08 at 4:45pm

I have only given a standing ovation a couple of times in over 100 shows