Entrance Applause - love it or hate it? — Page 3

I think it's wrong for directors to design shows to beg for applause. The entrance of every actor should be determined by the character they are portraying, not by their star power.

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Updated On: 5/25/05 at 12:29 PM

People are saying that they don't want to applaud until an actor earns it.

I am saying that it is the entrance ITSELF that the applause is for.

As I stated in my previous post, an entrance is WORTHY of applause. It is an entrance, and entrances are by definition dramatic. Drama, in turn, elicits applause. And applause exists almost exclusively in the glorious confines of the theatre.

Therefore, theatre people getting their undies all twisted up over applause, entrance or otherwise, is like . . . oh God I can't think of an analogy . . . a cat turning up his nose at a bowl of milk because it's skim. Hahahahaha that was so bad, I'm terribly sorry for the ill-conceived analogy!

I have mono.

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Very interesting thread...I actually do not like the 4th wall to be broken at all, but some shows are designed to. I think it is a tough call given that the entrances are sort of expecting applause like many described here, but should the show be designed that way? Mama Rose's entrance begs applause a bit, but the show was written for it's star.

I have a difficult time sitting on my hands for a favorite of mine, but agree that they should earn it...I found the huge applause for Elphaba too much, but I am not an Idina nut.

Part of what is so distracting is that the applause also will start much talking about the performer, or trying to identify the performer, etc. I especially hate when it is so expected, that the wrong person gets the applause.

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baaaaaah. clap clap clap

sorry. I'm not bad; I'm just drawn that way.

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LOL, Mikewood! :}

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I am not concerned with the actors and their being able to handle it; you are right, any actor worth their salt must be able to deal with any distraction while they are on stage.

My point in aimed at the audience member who applauds when someone like Marie Osmond or David Cassidy comes on stage to begin a performance. Not only do they not deserve this adulation for simply showing up, the audience hasn't even seen their performance yet!

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Well, with my easy to follow course, I can teach you how to deal with distracting audience members.

Oh, wait, I gave away the "when to start back up after applause or laughter" already.

Okay, you guys owe me.

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Yes you're right. Absolutely millions of us are exaggerating all over the place.

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'My point in aimed at the audience member who applauds when someone like Marie Osmond or David Cassidy comes on stage'

Are you kidding me? I'd applaud if either of them showed up at Whole Foods, let alone on a stage.

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I realize that there are fans of Osmond and Cassidy that would indeed applaud if they showed up anywhere. Perhaps using Pop icons was a bad choice. But I stick by my statement. Watch the performance, then determine whether or not they are worthy of such applause.

Which is what the curtain call is for, by the way.

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Since you used me as an example, I don't have to tell you guys how I feel about enterance applause BUT its a personal thing for me. If Joanna Gleason who i love and admire is on stage, I'm gonna applaud, if Victoria Clark enters in LIght in the Piazza, I'm gonna appluad and if BP walks down that aisle in Gypsy, you can bet some serious money that I'm gonna applaud. For me, its all in if I like the person on the stage. For exmaple: I didn't give enterance applause for John Lithgow but I did for Joanna. For me, same rules apply for standing ovations. If a person touched the core of me with their performance, they are getting a standing ovation. If they didn't, no matter how big a star, they ain't getting one.
This might seem like an odd statement but for me, Broadway perfomances are very intimate and personal. Its so much about how the performance touches you as a person, how the performance has touched your heart and how you relate to it. Its how you feel. So, if you've seen a show before and it means alot to you, for me it only seems natural to express that when the actor comes out on stage. Its all personal opinion though.

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While that question wasn't for me, I will answer. In that situation I would stay standing but stop applauding.

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