The standing ovation is a filthy American habit.- Page 3

[DefyGravity777]

Posted: 8/1/08 at 7:49pm

I see alot of shows and I don't give standing O's all the time. I will at the beginning of the curtain call for Wicked because I think that everyone in that cast deserves one and not just the leads. I did give Laura Bell Bundy a standing O at her last show and also Bailey one when I seen the show this past Wednesday. I mainly just stand for the leads at most shows but if I feel that someone other than a led deserves one I will stand even if I'm the only one standing.

I have a friend that was told to sit down at Annaleigh's last show in Wicked. If it would have been me I would have told them to stand up.

I guess I'm a filthy American with a bad habit if I give standing O's to people that I think deserve them.

[winston89]

Posted: 8/1/08 at 11:10pm

I think that the standing ovation habbit is not one that is caused by New Yorkers rather by tourists either American or not. When people visit the city they are so into doing things the "New Yorker way." They thing that a lot of new yorkers give standing O's so they do that as well.

The last show I saw at a subscription house was Saved at Playwrights Horizon. Keep in mind that the subscription houses out there are ones that only locals touch and most tourists wouldn't. Therefor they have a completly different atmoshpere in them then on Broadway. I noticed that no one gave a standing O at all and only a very small handfull of people stood up when the entire cast was bowing together. It was a different reaction then what you would get from a Broadway show.

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 8/1/08 at 11:24pm

I think that Brit critic is "off his rocker". If people want to give a S.O., let them. Standing ovations are done for a variety of reasons. It's the old elitist mantra: "you must not do this... you must not do that..." Bollocks to that! from RC in Austin, Texas

[BNN]

Posted: 8/1/08 at 11:31pm

How has no one mentioned that modern musical theatre is an American creation? The British have no right to say what us Americans should and shouldn't do, we all know how that turned out last time.

[Kev14]

Posted: 8/2/08 at 12:37am

Standing O's can be pretty annoying. People are willing to give a Standing O to anything. It should be reserved for the best.

It doesnt upset me nearly as much as people clapping in the middle of a song. Wait until it is over. I guess that is the years of orchestra in me (It drove us nuts when people clapped at the end of a movement)

[Mildred Plotka]

Posted: 8/2/08 at 12:51am

Standing ovations are mostly an audience applauding for themselves for forking out the money, getting a babysitter, and making the effort. Sondheim's words, not mine.

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 8/3/08 at 2:46am

If people--even A LOT of people--want to stand up at the end of a show, let them. If they don't, let them sit. Why does anyone care so much about what other people do? I guess this guy just didn't have anything substantive to write about that day.

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 8/3/08 at 2:48am

Thank you pennywise.

There are shows that I don't stand for, but I don't care if others stand. If they enjoyed the show enough to stand, then they can.

[LePetiteFromage]

Posted: 8/3/08 at 3:42am

Updated On: 5/2/09 at 03:42 AM

[Ivan2]

Posted: 8/3/08 at 4:02am

You know, to an extent I agree about it being overused. The only reason I stand is because I can't see what's happening when everyone else does, and if I DON'T stand it doesn't mean people will catch on. The ovation really was designed for truly spectacular performances and I would not have given an ovation for Little Mermaid, Xanadu, Legally Blonde, RENT, or the last performance I saw of Wicked.

However, Patti Lupone after Rose's Turn...

[ruthiefan_felix]

Posted: 8/3/08 at 12:35pm

I've yet to see a performance that's worth a standing ovation in the middle of a show. For a curtain call, I think, stand if you want, but don't get pressured into standing up... which is often the case... I know I have because I just simply wanna be looking at the cast whilst applauding but obviously my views were blocked. I think we should really try to control ourselves with the standing ovations... I have to agree with the trend right now, pretty soon it'll become a pointless thing! have to agree a megamix in the end is a completely different matter but generally, I stand up or just simply applaud harder for the people I enjoyed.

[ljay889]

Posted: 8/3/08 at 12:37pm

No offense. But I'm glad Broadway doesn't have this "megamix" stuff. At least I don't think we do yet. Maybe Mamma Mia?

[theatreguy]

Posted: 8/3/08 at 1:03pm

Mamma Mia has the Dancing Queen/Waterloo Megamix (just like in the movie, but the entire cast is involved). Grease has a sort-of megamix, so does Altar Boyz. And the Joseph revival back in 1993 had a megamix as well. It does seem to be mostly a British thing though, even going as far back as Oliver! in the 60's.

[uncageg]

Posted: 8/3/08 at 1:32pm

I hate being pressured into standing and it has happened on a few occasions. One of the quickets standing ovations I have seen, and deservedly, was the afternoon I saw Caroline or Change. I was on my feet right after the last note and for a split second thought I would be the only one up only to notice most of the orchestra section was on their feet also. This also happened when I saw Doubt and The History Boys.

I taped the MTV broadcast of Legally Blonde and I don't know why, but when that guy yells "Brava" after the slow version of Legally Blonde, it just annoys me!

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 8/3/08 at 1:42pm

HIgh School Musical has a megamix!! Woooo rock on!

On topic: Theatregoing should be practiced with a respectful etiquette during and after the performance. However, I believe credit should be given where it is due. If a performance is deserving of a standing O., you give it. Don't have a stick up your *** and stay seated because you're "proper." As an actor myself, I like to know when I've given a good performance. Anyone who says they don't is lying. I'm not saying stand up after every show. No. Not every show is deserving. I was dragged against my will to the revival of Grease and while everyone around me rose to their feet, I stayed seated and issued only a smattering of applause. I was neither moved, nor impressed. When I am, I will gladly stand when the time calls for it. Most of the time, only for the leads.

Granted, who are we to say who's right or wrong in this situation? I realize I'm contradicting myself, but it needs to be said. I say we all just keep doing whatever it is we're doing. A standing O. is not offensive and if it ruins someone's night (or afternoon) out at the theatre... well, they're stupid and probably didn't enjoy the show very much anyway.

[Robert Taylor]

Posted: 8/3/08 at 1:56pm

"I say we all just keep doing whatever it is we're doing. A standing O. is not offensive and if it ruins someone's night (or afternoon) out at the theatre... well, they're stupid and probably didn't enjoy the show very much anyway."

Bravo, I couldn't have said it better myself.

[caitlinette]

Posted: 8/3/08 at 7:10pm

That article made me 'fess up to the fact that I give standing ovations too much, or for the wrong reasons. I saw Lion King recently and thought some of the acting and singing was pretty awful, but the people next to me were acting rude throughout the whole show so I stood when others started to just to show my support...Or maybe to show them I was a a bigger theater fan/better audience member than them. Weird.

[Timmer]

Posted: 8/4/08 at 3:04pm

What others me more than the proliferation of the standing ovation (which is done too frequently, but is often deserved) is the habit of applauding just becauase one of the leads walked on stage -- as "The Musical of Musicals: The Musical" points out, "even though she hasn't done anything yet."
Updated On: 8/6/08 at 03:04 PM

[Wildcard]

Posted: 8/4/08 at 3:22pm

I do agree that the standing ovation gets abused many times in the theater. Unfortunately, a truly deserving performance is undermined by this seemingly instinctual behavior. I had attended a lecture with Stephen Sondheim and he thinks that Americans give standing ovations to applaud themselves for being part of the theater experience. I am actually amazed when an audience doesn't stand up for an average performance. Too many shows get undeserved ovations. Then again, there are instances where you can tell beyond people standing that the audience and show really connected and deserved the accolades.

[Timmer]

Posted: 8/4/08 at 3:26pm

"Why do we lie this crazy life?
Standing ovations!"

[avab802]

Posted: 8/4/08 at 3:41pm

Half of the time I end up standing because everyone in front of me is standing, so I can't see unless I stand as well. I suppose one could argue that there's not much to see during a curtain call, but I hate being surrounded by standing people when I'm seated. It makes me claustrophobic.

[Tkt2Ride]

Posted: 8/5/08 at 5:46am

"a filthy American habit." Why do so many brits forget where many of us came from? I seriously doubt even your typical Theatre crowds in England are composed entirely of British, "subjects". I'm sure we have many habits much worse than this one.

I believe too that he just wrote this to start an argument and I guess we must be very bored to even bother with this ridiculous topic. I respond as I see fit. If I feel the performers put in an astounding performance, I will stand. Sometimes, I'll hesitate because if I find very few will stand, I don't want that fact to be too obvious but that is really silly. We should trust our own judgment.

I've attended many performances where no one stood at all. I've had at least one standing ovation and I very much appreciated it. I never felt it was anything but gratitude. Of course some do that out of "duty" or "protocol" too. I've gone to some shows where only a few feel the urge to stand-up and applaud. What is kind of weird to me is when people clap at a Movie Theatre? Many did after the latest Dark Knight Movie. That was different but if they want to, I don't really care. I'm leaving, so as long as they aren't destroying the furniture or dumping their food on the floor, why look for a reason to be upset?

To each his own and that is a very American value I can live with under most circumstances. I believe many Britons would object to being,"put in their place", by those whose only authority was title and birth. This practice was often abused, still is and perhaps even worse than American's need to applaud in the Theatre.

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 8/5/08 at 10:11am

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/theatre/2008/06/theres_little_difference_betwe.html

Look at his face in this pic. Look at it. Isn't that the face of like a really crappy self-satisfied old, gay high school science teacher? It's the kind of face you just want to walk up to and punch square in the nose, know what I mean? Of course you do.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 8/5/08 at 10:19am

I think it's unfortunate that this devolved into a Boston Tea Party. If the article hadn't been presented as a Brit vs. American thing, I imagine the subsequent discussion might have gone differently.

At any rate, in my opinion, the gesture of the standing O has become rather devalued. I can't recall a musical or, interestingly, a play with a movie star in it in the last ten years that didn't get a standing ovation.

"Nothing wrong with"; "doesn't hurt anyone"--true. But it's lost its specialness. As someone pointed out, applause used to be the way you showed approval of a show; a standing O indicated that you felt you'd seen something far above average.

Giving a standing ovation at the end of every performance is rather like saying "I love you" as your standard greeting to everyone you meet.

[Wildcard]

Posted: 8/5/08 at 1:04pm

Maybe some people just make the mistake that people getting up to leave is a standing ovation?