Extreme Audience Reactions

[vfd88]

Posted: 6/6/15 at 3:45pm

The other night I went to see The Visit, which I loved. But apparently, not everyone shared my opinion. As I was leaving, I couldn't help but overhear an unhappy man screaming at his poor wife about how much he hated the show: "The direction and book were terrible! It's a musical, there has to be some opportunity for joy! I f***ing HATED it!"

This seemed a bit over-the-top to me. Anybody have any stories about seeing audience members react to a show in an extreme way, whether positively or negatively?

 

[kristinj1]

Posted: 6/6/15 at 4:01pm

This is a bit different, but during two seperate performances of Lyric's Carousel in Chicago I handed grown men (strangers) in front of me Kleenex as they were audibly sobbing.  I saw many others in the lobby who had clearly been crying, both at intermission and after the show.  I have very rarely witnessed that intensity of emotion in a theatre.

[VotePeron]

Posted: 6/6/15 at 4:17pm

My friend and I naively snagged TDF tickets to the closing performance of the New World Stages "Bare", which we knew nothing about. Most of the audience was so audibly sobbing that we couldn't help but laugh. It was awful. 

[Islander_fan]

Posted: 6/6/15 at 4:42pm

When I saw the 2008 revival of Les Miserables, the audience at intermission was very vocal about their disdain of Daphne Rubin-Vega's Fantine. When I stepped out for a smoke, I remember a group of people talking about how they couldn't wait till she kicked the bucket. 

Not saying I disagreed with their viewpoints, I didn't and it would put it nicely for me to say that I wasn't the biggest fan of her performance. But, those around me talked about it at a level that I would never have gone to.

[Bilbo3]

Posted: 6/6/15 at 4:44pm

Fantasia's last performance in the the color purple. The audience was insane and rude and yelling and wouldn't shut up. 

[vfd88]

Posted: 6/6/15 at 4:52pm

I've seen a video on that site of Fantasia's last "I'm Here". The audience is unbelievable in the worst way.

[followspot]

Posted: 6/6/15 at 5:06pm

A 50-something woman (to what appeared to be her mother) on the way out of THE VISIT (shaking head, rolling eyes, loud enough that she seemed to think all those around her would chime in and agree):  "She can't sing! She can't dance! She can't act!  But a standing ovation and a Tony nomination!  Unbelievable!"

Hilarious.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 6/6/15 at 5:39pm

I saw the production of A Little Night Music at ACT in San Francisco a couple weeks ago. In the second act, when Fredrika lies to Carl-Magnus and tells him Desiree is waiting for him in her bedroom (and before it's revealed that's it was a lie), a man in the audience shouted "yay for Malcolm!" from the Balcony. I'd call that an extreme audience reaction. 

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 6/6/15 at 6:37pm

Me thinks she had a blockage of blood to her peanut sized brain

[Mr Smith]

Posted: 6/6/15 at 7:02pm

"When I saw the 2008 revival of Les Miserables, the audience at intermission was very vocal about their disdain of Daphne Rubin-Vega's Fantine. When I stepped out for a smoke, I remember a group of people talking about how they couldn't wait till she kicked the bucket. 
Not saying I disagreed with their viewpoints, I didn't and it would put it nicely for me to say that I wasn't the biggest fan of her performance. But, those around me talked about it at a level that I would never have gone to."

  Daphne is a two time tony nominee , who has worked in two Pulitzer winning shows . I do not think she was right for les mis but to say kick the bucket is a bit much .

 

 

But did they mean Fantine or Daphne

Updated On: 6/6/15 at 07:02 PM

[Alex M]

Posted: 6/6/15 at 7:09pm

I went to see gentleman's guide a while back the same day as my friend saw disgraced and my friend met me in theater after the show and when i asked how he liked disgraced he said "It was HORRIBLE worst thing i have ever seen!" and there where a few ushers standing by us when he said this and i think they thought he was talking about gentleman's guide and all looked uncomfortable. 

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 6/6/15 at 8:54pm

I'm a fairly quiet theatregoer so I find a lot of audience reactions during the show to be extreme. I'm sure some people are just louder in their enjoyment that I am but I think to some extent it's about people wanting to be part of the show instead of just a member of the audience. Entrance applause, overly loud laughter at every single joke, cheering in the middle/before the end of songs, standing ovations...

[uncageg]

Posted: 6/6/15 at 9:28pm

VotePeron, I saw bare a few times and there was sobbing at the end. I did both times. I would call that a natural reaction as opposed to extreme. 

Updated On: 6/6/15 at 09:28 PM

[Bilbo3]

Posted: 6/6/15 at 10:12pm

Not really that extreme but I love it when the audiences gasps and starts clapping when it is revealed that *Spoiler* Elphaba doesn't die and she pops her head out of the well or trapdoor. Each time I saw the show the audience went nuts. 

[VotePeron]

Posted: 6/6/15 at 11:10pm

Uncageg:

You are absolutely correct, and I didn't elaborate on my original post.

It is completely understandable for there to be crying at the end of Act 2. But since this was closing night, and the audience was comprised of mainly fans, everyone was being overly emotional and overly vocal the entire time. It was a nice heartfelt evening. When Missy started crying in, "You're Not Alone" I finally gave in and accepted that's how the evening was gonna go.

[brldisteach2]

Posted: 6/7/15 at 12:31am

Years ago when Martin Guerre was doing an out of town try out in Minnesota, someone in the Balcony yelled something like "this is the worst f***ing show I've ever seen," and another audience member yelled back "I agree." I actually thought it was a decent show, not the best I've ever seen, but certainly not bad enough for that reaction.

[evic]

Posted: 6/7/15 at 1:03am

I was up on the mezz at 20th Century the other night and could see the first few rows of the orchestra.  A man in the front row on the stage left side gave Kristin a standing ovation after each one of her songs.   ugggghhhhhhh.

[malletgirl02]

Posted: 6/7/15 at 1:23am

@evic

It could have been worst, at least you weren't the person sitting directly behind the man.

[blaxx]

Posted: 6/7/15 at 2:55am

Nothing has ever come close to Jennifer Holliday in Dreamgirls. Now that was extreme audience reaction.

[LMcC95]

Posted: 6/7/15 at 4:52am

When I saw Head Over Heels at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, a group of LGBTQI students were sitting in front of me. They sang a loud to very song, laughed at every gay joke for 2 minutes, and cheered for one moment so long the actors looked up at them and gave them a look to shut up. I was ready to tell their teacher to control her students but she was the worst of them all. 

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 6/7/15 at 4:54am

At the Times Square showing, wasn't there someone who yelled during credits of Love Never Dies, "I'M SO CONFUSED!"?

Sadly (for me), I was at the Union Square showing.

Updated On: 6/7/15 at 04:54 AM

[devonian.t]

Posted: 6/7/15 at 5:40am

LOVE NEVER DIES SPOILER

Ramin Karimloo tweeted that one night when Christine got shot someone in the front row spontaneously exclaimed "F*ck right off!" with surprise.

Personally, I was thinking that from around 10 minutes in.

[SweetLips]

Posted: 6/7/15 at 5:48am

"Nothing has ever come close to Jennifer Holliday in Dreamgirls. Now that was extreme audience reaction."

 My first ever experience,seeing this show in San Fran,I had never been exposed to [and please don't be offended because I don't now how to say this] an audience of colour,and I got such a fright when the audience started yelling at the singer[Jennifer] all through the song.

I didn't know what to do-the audience was yelling a whole lot of stuff-the noise was unbelieveable.

I can't remember if there was then interval but I didn't go back.

 

[BWAY Baby2]

Posted: 6/7/15 at 7:10am

Many years ago, I saw Wait Until Dark starring Lee Remick- from the front row- and just as Lee, playing a blind woman being stalked by a criminal- was being chased- something startling happened on stage- and my foot went up in the air- and my shoe went on stage- and I wanted to get my shoe back- so I had to reach on stage, without bothering Lee- which I did- to get my shoe back- I was bemused.

[BWAY Baby2]

Posted: 6/7/15 at 7:14am

Another extreme Audience reaction of mine- though not at a BWAY show- saw Timeless concert Barbra Streisand at MSG- when the chorus came out midway through the performance to sing a few songs with Barbra- I jumped out of my fourth row seat in front- and joined the chorus at the side of the stage- and waved to Barbra- who looked a bit puzzled- but ignored me.  I sang the songs- about 4 of them, with the chorus, and when they left, I returned to my seat- quite satisfied, to tell the truth.