Extreme Audience Reactions — Page 2

""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.
"

Yes, the intermission of DREAMGIRLS comes shortly after "And I Am Telling You..."

I certainly didn't find your post offensive (I, too, was shocked by the reaction to Holliday back in the day), but audience participation in African-American and African theater goes back thousands of years. In traditional African village theater in many areas, the community acts as the chorus and joins in the singing and dancing.

Even European theaters used to be much more raucous. During the Restoration, fruitsellers and prostitutes hawked their wear in the house during the play. Moliere was famous for responding to hecklers with improvised rhymed couplets.

We have Wagner to thank for the notion that we should sit politely in the theater as if at church. It's actually a fairly recent (two centuries ago) trend.

Oh my lord BWAY Baby2, your shoe story has me in stitches!

Someone at God at Carnage yelled "TONY!!!" at James Gandolfini at the very start. Major shushing ensued. And the offending guy said, "oops, sorry."

Not on Broadway, but I saw a performance of Hedda Gabler in a small, intimate house. When Hedda entered in her black dress these two elderly women in the front row had a running commentary about the dress--"wow, it's very pretty." "it means she's going to die you know." "I don't care it's still very pretty." "well, the actress is very pretty." "yes, she is. She looks nice in that dress." Finally someone told them to stop yapping.

Also, I was at a show (not on Broadway) but in a small house near Chicago where an audience member started having a coughing fit. And continued, and continued. There was water on the stage and the world class actress, without missing a beat, poured a glass of water and gave it to the coughing person. The water helped. The theatre goer apologized to and thanked her after the show.

"Even European theaters used to be much more raucous. During the Restoration, fruitsellers and prostitutes hawked their wear in the house during the play."

Yeah, I hope we're not going to return to this. I expect a kind of rowdy crowd at a concert but if I'm going to the theatre, I'd like to be able to fully experience what's happening on stage without too many distractions. Most things don't get filmed and for musicals not everything gets recorded. I don't go to see shows more than once. I'd prefer to not have my one chance of experiencing a show ruined.

I have a friend who disliked Tuck Everlasting in its out of town tryout and decided that not only did she dislike it, but she despised it. Every time it is mentioned, she attacks it. Furthermore, she decided that she hated Casey Nicolaw. Not just as a director, but she actually hates his guts. I've told her many times that her reaction was unfair and extreme, but she simply won't listen!

Now this person might look a bit like a lunatic based on that, but generally, she is actually a sane person.

Tuck played a few months ago in Atlanta- and other people I know also hated it to the extreme- for me, though, it was quite entertaining- the premise is a bit out there- but I like the message and thought it was okay for a regional production- saw a few others, pre BWAY, in Atlanta- and knew they were not good enough for the Big A- among them- hated Darkland County- the Stephen King one- it STUNK- hated Bring It On- yet, loved and saw twice pre Bway Color Purple- that was a great show and I really did think it could make it big- and it has- though not a mega-hit.

Thanks, guys. I must admit I too prefer an audience that knows its conventions and behaves appropriately. I don't mind entrance applause (if the star is big enough and the blocking allows it) and applause after numbers (the response is built into the rhythm of a good show), but I want to hear Jennifer Holliday, not everybody in the audience whooping and hollering.

And that's just musical theater, opera and classical music follow a different set of practices.

But when such interruptions occur, I do try to remind myself that audience participation is an ancient practice. Whether or not I like it, there's no reason to puff up with righteous indignation over an ancient tradition (one that can also be found in black churches and the white churches they influence).