Prerecorded audience applause played during show?!?!

Maybe they can add gum crackling and crinkling candy wrappers to really add to the contemporary theater experience.

Lighting advancements might be able to add cell phone like glows throughout the theater too!

I wonder if the audience applause was being picked up by "hot" microphones onstage or in the pit, or if it was actually pre-recorded?

Tag said: "Jersey Boys used/uses prerecorded applause at certain moments."

I never actually say Jersey Boys, but did they use it for a theatrical purpose (e.g., I could imagine it being part of showing the success of the act) or did they use it to artificially manipulate the audience into thinking they are having a really good time?

I must admit I’m surprised no one has thought of this before.

NOWaWarning said: "In the Broadway production of Phantom, don’t they play some canned applause after Think of Me? It’s when Christine is bowing toward upstage so it looks like we have the backstage view of her bowing to the Opera House patrons. That happens once the real applause from the song is over. I also believe they play some at the end of act 1 when the cast of the opera within the show are taking their “bows.” This is tight before/as the Phantom drops the chandelier.

In both of those instances, the effect is meant to portray the reception in the opera house, not to trick the actual audience into thinking they’re enjoying the show more than they are. I don’t know of any other moments where it’s used and can’t speak of the tour.
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Correct. I do believe it was done when they are portraying a performance at the Opera house. Similar as mentioned to Jersey Boys when the audience and scene is backstage. But what I experienced with Phantom was much different. I first noticed it after a scene at the Opera house. After that I continued to hear it.

One of the biggest reasons why I noticed it is I have season tickets at this theater. I know what the theater sounds like during an applause. The canned audience recording made it much louder and it certainly sounded much different than you would expect it the theater. I wish I had a chance to ask others if they noticed.

What I've noticed before is ushers standing on the sides of the mezzanine or orchestra who begin the applause after certain songs. I saw this at Les Miz at the Imperial and at Phantom at the Majestic. But I only saw it occasionally, and it has been a while. The usher would wait for a particular song to end, and then he would clap like mad until the entire house was clapping then he would scurry away. A few times I saw them do it at Phantom to initiate applause for the Masquerade staircase reveal.