Sweeney Entrance Question

So I'm going to see Sweeney in a couple weeks (just found out my girlfriend is taking me...quite awesome) and I was listening to the CD and had a thought. Obviously, it is general courtesy to applaud when a star enters. I have the Philharmonic recording and when George Hearn enters you hear the audience applaud and they intrude a bit on his first line of singing. It is more polite to applaud for the actor when they enter or is that distracting to some of the audience who might not know the show as well? Thanks!

Updated On: 2/15/14 at 03:05 PM

I've actually never heard applause at Sweeney's entrance in this production. You somewhat feel compelled to applaud, but actually not as much as in other shows. Just as most other buttons were removed, I guess they found a way to tone down the entrance/applause button.

All the actors start on stage. So, it's not like anyone gets a huge entrance. Also, the way that it's staged and directed...the show flows with little space for applause.
As munk said, it's distracting.
Just sit back and enjoy. You'll know when it comes time to applaud.

Like others have said, there's really no room for applause throughout the entire show. There wasn't any entrance applause and after most of the songs they lead right into lines, so if you were to applaud you'd be cutting them off. The only time I remember clapping was after "A Little Priest" and the end of the show.

After Patti's "Good, you got it," in "A Little Priest" she gets a ridiculous amount of applause. Brilliant delivery. Sometimes it doesn't die down for a long time.

Well there is the difference between written appluase that works and those that don't. Gypsy's Rose entrance is brillant while DRS's Lawerence enterance doesn't really work now that John Lithgow has left. The last time I saw it, I was like "ummm yeah lets get on with the show" and Johnathan Price kinda just stood there. Awkward.

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I always hate entrance applause, and I never give it. I dont mind clapping at the end of a good proformace, but what are we clapping for? showing up at your job? or walking onto stage without tripping?

The audience applauds between "Johanna" and "Pirelli's Miracle Elixir", don't they. They did at the performance I saw.

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