Opening Applause for Celebrities?

Two recent shows I attended starring David Schwimmer and Jake Gyllenhaal, the audiences were faced with a question of theater etiquette: Should they applaud when the stars first appeared on stage? Some did clap; most did not.
I canvassed actors, directors, critics for their responses to the question: Is opening applause appropriate? (see link below for answers.)
What do YOU think?




Opening Applause for Celebrities?

Updated On: 9/29/12 at 10:17 AM

After giving it some thought, I think that it is almost always appropriate for the audience to applaud when they've seen something they particularly enjoy...whether it's a performer singing the hell out of a song or even if it's the mere fact that Angela Lansbury walked out on the stage. I think it would be silly not to do it (if you wanted to) and I think it would be even sillier for someone to be annoyed by it. For someone whose status is not as legendary as someone such as Angela Lansbury, like Schwimmer or Gyllenhaal, I could see how some would and some wouldn't applaud immediately. I wouldn't call it "inappropriate" whether you do or whether you don't.

The only time I think it might be "inappropriate" would be if it is in the middle of an intense scene and the applause would disrupt the mood of the moment. I would think that for the most part there wouldn't be many first entrances in the middle of such a scene. Oh...and of course I think it would be inappropriate if you were the ONLY one applauding...like if you were someone's mom and your chorus member son walked out for the first time.

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Any good director knows how to stage a star's entrance so that the applause doesn't interrupt the action of the show (i.e., a pause in the dialogue or music underscoring).

I don't like entrance applause. Not because it interrupts the show (although that does happen) but because the actor hasn't done anything yet. It diminishes the meaning of the rest of the applause after songs and during the curtain call because people get applause for merely entering the stage. It takes a lot more than that to get me to willingly applaud.

Any good director knows how to stage a star's entrance so that the applause doesn't interrupt the action of the show (i.e., a pause in the dialogue or music underscoring).

^^^This. If you feel like applauding an entrance, you were probably meant to do so.

I'm not a gigantic fan of entrance applause but I feel like as long as it isn't totally obnoxious, it's all right.

If you feel like applauding an entrance, you were probably meant to do so

This was especially true in Young Frankenstein where it seemed like every major character's entrance was staged in a way that compelled the audience to applaud.

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When I saw the entire cast got applause for their entrances.

The last item in NewYorkTheater's link brings up a related question. I may be contradicting myself here, but I'm not so fond of applauding the scenery.

I guess the difference is the scenery can't hear the clapping. (Yes, the designer may, but that's not quite the same thing to me.)

If it's someone like Elaine Stritch, Barbara Cook, or Angela Lansbury, who's given a lifetime to theater, eh, it's fine. I get a little more eyerolly when it's for whoever's migrated from TV this year. (And I admit I was very amused when Anna Madely got the entrance applause that was clearly meant for Kim Catrall in last year's Private Lives.)

I personally get annoyed when someone is applauded before doing anything, just because they're famous. For instance, the audience went crazy when Morgan Freeman entered the stage during A Country Girl. He proceeded to give one of the most lack luster performances I've seen...

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Why in the world do you care if an actor gets applause on his or her entrance? Seriously, there is something really wrong with you if you fret about an audience expressing it's love for a performer upon first sight. Really, seriously wrong.

Must be something in the air.
The Globe and Mail of Canada has two articles on the same subject published today, one pro, one con.

Hold your applause until an actor deserves it, by Kate Taylor
A star enters, we clap. What’s the problem? by J. Kelly Nestruck

I've put excerpts of, and links to, both articles at the bottom of my blog post

Opening Applause for Celebrities?

Agreed with newintown on this one. I find entrance applause pretty cringeworthy in most cases.

One of the most hilarious recent memories I have was in CURTAINS where all of John Bolton's entrances were specifically designed to receive entrance applause--and of course none of them did, because the B&T audiences had no idea who John Bolton was. I also chuckle a bit remembering Plum's comments about Anna Madeley and Kim Cattrall--it was the exact same the night I saw it.

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