Seeing "Company" on closing night.- Page 2

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/3/07 at 8:17pm

That makes sense. But whoever said it was in the opening of Act Two, do you just mean in the song, or at the very beginning of the act? It was in the blocking for him to clap when he was up on the cube in the middle of the "band," but never at the beginning of the number. I could swear the clapping from the audience occurred way before that section of the number.

Updated On: 7/3/07 at 08:17 PM

[Fantabulous428]

Posted: 7/3/07 at 8:19pm

Raul claps during "Side by Side" at every performance. And yet this was the only performance I've seen where people decided to clap along. The people behind me began clapping, but then realized no one else was joining in and stopped within a few seconds. It's a theater, not a circus.

[Rentjenn]

Posted: 7/3/07 at 8:22pm

Yeah, that may have been the part I'm remembering, come to think of it. Like I said it was all a blur. It was awkward though.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/3/07 at 8:23pm

I don't think that part was ever meant for audience participation.

[Rentjenn]

Posted: 7/3/07 at 8:25pm

Like I said, awkward. But the audience was so involved in the show, that it made sense that they would. They clapped for EVERYTHING else. Of course they would take advantage of an oppurtunity to clap again.

[keen on kean]

Posted: 7/3/07 at 8:29pm

I felt that a lot of the awkwardness was the audience's reaction anticipating a good line or laugh. The one that I noticed the most, though, was April's message right at the beginning. "Hi, it's April." Big laugh, pause, even before she says the following line which is supposed to pull the laugh.

[Sondheim Geek]

Posted: 7/3/07 at 9:02pm

I think it was the awkwardness after "hi, this is April". It wasn't - "hi, this is April"*laugh riot*, it was "Hi, this is April" *extremely awkard pause* *laugh*.

[artscallion]

Posted: 7/3/07 at 9:21pm

"Might have been for the musicians, since there's no conductor."

I think you're right. Even though they don't really need a conducter, they do need some sort of cue to go from the silence of intermission into the first notes. The rest of the act has both musical and verbal cues they use throughout. But a cold start without a conducter needs something. so they all start playing at the same time.

They did the same thing with the Sweeney revival. But instead of clapping, Doyle has Donna Lynne Champlin (Pirelli) sniff loudly at the beginning of each act to start the group playing.

Updated On: 7/3/07 at 09:21 PM

[misschung]

Posted: 7/3/07 at 10:52pm

wait, what? So you're saying they use the applause as a musical cue? But usually they just start Act 2 after he walks out with the "Bobby, Bobby" lines again. I'm so confused

There was clapping immediately at the start of Act 2 when everyone came on. During Side by Side when they all finally do the kickline there was, too - but that's happened before.

"Side by Side" isn't exactly "You Can't Stop the Beat".
lol!

[Sondheim_Geek]

Posted: 7/3/07 at 10:54pm

"They did the same thing with the Sweeney revival. But instead of clapping, Doyle has Donna Lynne Champlin (Pirelli) sniff loudly at the beginning of each act to start the group playing."

LOVED THAT.

[Rentjenn]

Posted: 7/3/07 at 10:55pm

No, you're right it wasn't right at the beginning but a little into Side By Side.

Updated On: 7/3/07 at 10:55 PM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/3/07 at 10:57pm

I'd seen applause at the kickline several times, but what people are talking about as an annoyance wasn't the applause -- it was the rhythmic claps in time.

[misschung]

Posted: 7/3/07 at 10:59pm

Oh, I missed that.

[violet72]

Posted: 7/3/07 at 11:06pm

yeah it was during side by side when they make the three lines and go up and down...I have always seen him clap along but the audience has never participated...it was weird...I think it came from the mezz. mostly...

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/3/07 at 11:08pm

Yeah, he always clapped during that part of the song. That's where he had originally played cymbals back in Cincinnati.

[sweetestsiren]

Posted: 7/3/07 at 11:24pm

I think it was the awkwardness after "hi, this is April". It wasn't - "hi, this is April"*laugh riot*, it was "Hi, this is April" *extremely awkard pause* *laugh*.

...But isn't that fairly standard? The awkward silence IS funny, and it seems extremely silly to fault the audience for not being completely unfamiliar with April's character. The rest of the line, to me at least, is sort of an afterthought (though still funny).

[misschung]

Posted: 7/3/07 at 11:26pm

I remember the first time I heard her say that, I thought that something was really wrong, like she forgot the line or something. I was like "oh no!"

[Sondheim Geek]

Posted: 7/3/07 at 11:27pm

I was slightly annoyed with the fact that people started claping... if you think about it, it's a really pathetic moment for Bobby.... not a moment for audience participation. Ah well, you can't control the universe (as much as I may try).

sweetestsiren - Oh, I wasn't saying that it was a problem, I actually backing the laughing up. Someone went after it on another comment, and I was justifying it.

[sweetestsiren]

Posted: 7/3/07 at 11:37pm

Oh! I see; I was kind of misinterpreting. I agree with you.

[Sondheim Geek]

Posted: 7/3/07 at 11:40pm

Oh good :) I adore that moment. I think (out of all the answering machine messages) it captures the character most.

I love your signature BTW

[sweetestsiren]

Posted: 7/3/07 at 11:48pm

I love that line, too, along with Amy's. And thanks. Sadly, I think that's one of the most memorable parts of this year's Drama Desks! I wonder if that guy ever found out that he was overheard.

Anyway, I thought that there was some anticipatory laughter at the closing show (of course there would be), but I didn't find it overly awkward. I guess it sort of lacks the feeling of discovery, but it's actually somewhat of a compliment if you found whatever's coming up next funny enough that just thinking about it makes you laugh. From my perspective, the jokes all seemed to land well.

[misschung]

Posted: 7/3/07 at 11:53pm

hehe. I love Amy's "Paul, what is that noise?" line. That little montage before scene 2 is actually one of my favorite parts.

[violet72]

Posted: 7/3/07 at 11:58pm

speaking of Amy...a weird thing happened my friend Amy is getting married in August and I got an email today saying she is NOT getting married in August...immediately started singing Getting Married Today in my head and stated to laugh(thank god she emailed and didn't call)

[Sondheim Geek]

Posted: 7/4/07 at 12:04am

I know what you mean about the anticipatory laughter. It wasn't disingenuous, it was just... expected... sort of like Raul's applause after Being Alive.

I was on edge, and was dying to laugh. I always forget how much fun I have seeing that show, besides the emotional turmoil. It is a “musical comedy” in the end, and lives up to its name.

I got an email my friend Kathy yesterday (of the infamous “Hi! This is Robert and Kathy!” answering machine).... she has unfortunately split up with Robert. Ah well.

[artscallion]

Posted: 7/4/07 at 8:18am

"wait, what? So you're saying they use the applause as a musical cue? But usually they just start Act 2 after he walks out with the "Bobby, Bobby" lines again. I'm so confused"

Not the appluase, but Bobby's claps. Sorry, I thought people were saying that in addition to Bobby clapping during Side By Side, he also did an over-the-head clap at the very begining of the act. I didn't notice either myself.