Shows you refuse to applaud at

[JakeB]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 4:42pm

"Unusual curtain call moments" reminds me, have you ever refused to applaud a show? Or walked out in disgust as soon as the curtain came down ? For me, it was Saturday Night Fever, which is currently in the West End. As soon as it finished, luckily I was at the side, I darted for the door. It was awful, absolutely disgusting. The same goes for Oh What a Night; in fact, I refused to stand up for the finale dance-a-thon. I sat, centre orchestra, with my arms folded stubbornly. Gah.

(I'm just waiting for someone to say that you should applaud even if the production's bad as a mark of respect to the actors.)

[Matt_G]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 4:43pm

I would never refuse to applaud at a show because whether I personally cared for it or not, I do know the actors up there (in most cases) put their hearts and souls into what they had just shown me and they deserve at least that from me.

Posted: 7/25/04 at 4:44pm

Why if nothing else, there's applause!

[JakeB]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 4:44pm

With SNF I felt they didn't. Which is why I refused to applaud. They looked bored.. as if they'd rather be somewhere else.

[shesings]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 4:45pm

i agree with matt. Whether or not the show appealed to me, there are so many people who worked on it who deserve to be applauded. Just because the director, producer, writer failed to do a good job doesn't mean we should deny all of the hard workers (both on and off stage) their applause.

[~*Triple Star On Broadway*~]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 4:50pm

I almost didnt at CATS when it came here a few weeks ago. It is such a horrific show, but I applauded the actors, they were fantastic no matter what. It was a difficult moment for me

[ponine24601]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 4:56pm

i've applauded at every show i've been to. they were all really good, so....yeah.

[Plum]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 8:04pm

As a musician and ex-singer who's performed frequently, I always applaud my fellow performers. It doesn't feel right not to, even at The Phanton of the Opera. :)

[Sumofallthings]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 8:05pm

If nothing else, applaud for the ushers.

[Chrysanthemum62001]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 8:13pm

I always applaud at shows, but I don't give applause to every performer-i.e. John Stamos in Cabaret.

[aspiringguy715]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 8:16pm

Agreed, I applaud all the time, but standing ovations are only if I'm blown away. The last show I saw, 42nd Street, I applauded the ensemble, billy lawlor, peggy sawyer, and patrick cassidy. As for Shirley Jones, I didn't. Some lady behind be started getting pissed because I wasn't standing for Shirely Jones...TOO BAD!

[zoom]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 8:53pm

Did anyone see the recent "Sussical" tour?

Uggggh. Having seen it on Broadway, this was a real downer. No where a creative as the NY one.

[bythesword84]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 9:40pm

I applauded at Caroline or Change because it was opening night and I felt obliged.

I applauded at Rent because I was in the 3rd row and it wasn't the actor's fault I hated the show, I applauded for their work not for the show itself.

I considered either sitting and applauding or standing and not applauding at The Lion King yesterday, I just couldn't muster up the desire to do both.

[broadwaystar2b]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 9:41pm

what did you end up doing bts84?

[insomniak]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 9:42pm

I always applaud out of courtesy to the people who worked so hard on the show, but I don't stand up unless it was really good.

edit- I just noticed that I am a broadway star. Whoo hoo! Updated On: 7/25/04 at 09:42 PM

[bythesword84]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 9:45pm

I stood up but didn't applaud. If I'd have stayed seated I would have probably been stoned by the people behind me who kept screaming about how amazing it was so I stood up and just kind of watched.

[MusicMan]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 9:59pm

My partner and I sat in the front row for The Boy from Oz. As the entire event was misconceived (poorly written, amateurly directed, bereft in its design)and gave its star absolutely nothing to play until he shook his ass in Act Two, we saw no reason to applaud this misbegotten crap, nor did we stand with the rest of the undiscerning idiots at curtain. I think Hugh noticed. Tough.

[MusicPos2]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 10:10pm

I would never not applaud, but I almost left a production of Romeo and Juliet, recently. When I say that Idina was bad on 7/3, I'm saying that for a Broadway Show: this was worse than a bad HS production of Shakespeare. I love Shakespeare (especially R&J), but this had no emotion, energy, or artistry. Where was the director? Each character seemed to have their own idea of the show (or none at all). The only reason we stayed was that the audience was so small, they'd notice, and we couldn't do that to them.

[rentrocks27]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 10:12pm

I saw the first show if Oklahoma on tour. I thought that since Susan Stroman had a hand in it, I would like it, boy I was wrong. I didn't want to applaud!!! I felt sorry for the cast...

[insomniak]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 10:14pm

Entirely OT- Love your name and avatar, rentrocks.

[Rose_MacShane]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 11:48pm

Usually, I'll applaud even if I wasn't enthralled (and sometimes when I didn't like the show at all--such was the case for "Mamma Mia" and "The Lion King") but the only show that I actually had to stop and think about applauding for was a production of "Blood Brothers". Awful. Simply awful. The cast was consistently off-key, the sets were garbage and the crew clearly was not on top of things, not to mention the insipid plot and songs. In the end, I did applaud (and stand--I was with a school group and our chaperone pretty much forced us to for decorum's sake) but very reluctantly. The rest of the audience felt the same way--a few seconds passed before (most of) the crowd stood up.

[judy_in_disguise]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 11:55pm

Is it just me, or is EVERY show getting standing Os nowadays?
Maybe it's just a polite Canadian thing.
I haven't been to a show in years that didn't get a standing O, no matter how obvoiusly bad it was. It makes the real standing Os so meaningless.
And the problem is, if you DON'T stand, not only do you get glared at, but you can't see what's going on onstage because the people in front of you are in your way!

[StickToPriest]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 11:57pm

If I don't feel a show or star deserves a standing O, then I don't give one and face the glares of those around me.

But I always applaud, but not always entusiasticaly.

Updated On: 7/25/04 at 11:57 PM

[insomniak]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 11:57pm

Nope, everyone stands up nowadays, except for me. I stand if I think it deserved it.

[aspiringguy715]

Posted: 7/25/04 at 11:58pm

Agreed Judy, they are very overrated even here on Broadway. 42nd street got a standing O, especially when the horrible Shirley Jones came out...ugh We had a thread about this in the past...but yes they are highly overrated.