The Standing Ovation Enforcer

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 1/25/06 at 12:41am

So...I don't know if anyone else has encountered this, but Monday night at Dog Sees God, at the curtain call, right when the lights come up, this guy jumps out of his chair to start his standing ovation. (Which is fine, I could see how it could be warranted, I really enjoyed it.)

But as soon as he stood up, he clapped a couple of times, then proceeded to turn around and start gesturing wildly to the rest of the audience around and behind him to stand up with him. I believe he may have actually said "come on" to us, taking all the attention off of the cast and all on him.

This happened a couple of months ago at Chicago, almost the exact situation. As with the first case, he also was in the first couple of rows center, stood up, and started screaming come on! I was back in Row M, and everyone, including the cast, got really distracted. Luckily the cast knew to appreciate it, but it was really bizarre and not comfortable.

How do we stop this weird trend?

[Luckydave14]

Posted: 1/25/06 at 12:54am

Well I think it is perfectly fine for someone to give a standing ovation at the END of a show during curtain call. It is there way of saying it was a great production to the cast (well if the cast can see them standing). I do not think that if one person stands, that person should gesture others to stand too. Also, if some people stand, I don't think it is mandatory for everyone else to stand. People have different opinions about every show. I do think it is weird to give a standing ovation during a show, though.

[jimmirae]

Posted: 1/25/06 at 12:55am

We don't. That is their 15 minutes.

[NYC4Life]

Posted: 1/25/06 at 1:18am

When I saw Gypsy the audience gave Bernadette a well deserved standing ovation after Roses Turn, it also happend after Brian Stokes sang Impossible Dream. They both deserved it. They brought the house down.

Anyone else have this happen during a show?

[hushpuppy]

Posted: 1/25/06 at 1:55am

Tonight after Chita Rivera and Dick Van Dyke sang 'Rosie' the audience gave them a standing ovation

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 1/25/06 at 2:07am

The end of "Dirty Rotten Number" has received standing ovations quite a few times.

[NYC4Life]

Posted: 1/25/06 at 2:55am

I love when it happens. Great #'s deserve it.

[meagan9848]

Posted: 1/25/06 at 3:06am

sometimes those people are planted there

[kec]

Posted: 1/25/06 at 4:01am

Hugh Jackman got a standing ovation after "Once Before I Go," when I saw The Boy From Oz in preview. I understand it happened at almost every performance throughout the run of the show.

[ashley0139]

Posted: 1/25/06 at 7:21am

Standing ovations are fine, but it does seem wierd that someone would try to get everyone else to do it too. I mean, not everyone likes every show and performer. I would actually be a little annoyed by that. How to stop it, though, I have no idea.

[Nothatsmrt]

Posted: 1/25/06 at 9:03am

Sounds like they think they're at a Yankee game.

[beacon1]

Posted: 1/25/06 at 9:20am

Standing Ovation Enforcer...is this a paid position? If so, what would be the qualififcations?

[AugustusGloop]

Posted: 1/25/06 at 9:27am

It happens all the time after a big audience-rousing number. The "Sail On Sailor" number in Good Vibrations frequently got a standing ovation at the end. In fact, Brian Wilson himself started the standing ovation when he saw the show.

Wait...did I just admit to seeing Good Vibrations more than once?

[YankeeGal#24]

Posted: 1/25/06 at 9:31am

I think everythingtaboo's point is not about standing ovations during the show, it's about someone in the audience trying to get the rest of the audience to stand along with them.

Pretty odd trend.

[Fosse76]

Posted: 1/25/06 at 9:48am

Hugh Jackman only received a Standing Ovation at curtain call when I saw The Boy from Oz. He definitely didn't sing the song well enough to warrant a S.O., but at curtain call his overall performance certainly warranted one. But I'm a firm believer in only giving S.O.'s to an extraaordinary performance.

[jacobtsf]

Posted: 1/25/06 at 11:02am

My friend saw Rob Evan in Jekyll&Hyde (a show he has seen too many times to count) and told me he got a standing ovation after This is the Moment (a song that Mr. Evan reinvented on stage with the help of Wildhorn to make an TRULY REMARKABLE experience). This Standing O continued for almost two minutes and would not stop until Mr. Evan took a bow (something both my friend and I usually don't agree with but he said it WAS warranted in this case)
I do not know of any other actor in J&H who got a standing O.