Villains and Curtain Calls
Villains and Curtain Calls
Villains and Curtain Calls#1
Posted: 3/8/18 at 9:20pm
Ursula, Jafar, Trunchbull, Miss Hannigan, Captain Hook, Gaston, et al.
The bigger the villain, the bigger the applause at the curtain call, nearly always the loudest applause and louder than the hero/heroine/protagonist.
I have theories. Would love to hear yours.
Villains and Curtain Calls#2
Posted: 3/8/18 at 9:24pm
it's easier to write drama than comedy, and it's easier to write villains than heroes.
i have no support but that's my theory 
Villains and Curtain Calls#3
Posted: 3/8/18 at 9:30pm
Jafar certainly doesn’t get the kind of applause the Genie gets at curtain call. And I’ve never heard Captain Hook get more applause than Peter, particularly when Peter takes flight. Gaston doesn’t get more applause than the two leads, and the kids in Matilda always got the loudest applause.
I understand your point, but it isn’t (anecdotally, of course) true with most of the examples you gave.
Villains and Curtain Calls#4
Posted: 3/8/18 at 9:32pmI’ve expierenced the opposite where people boo the villain during the curtain call which I think is disrespectful.
Villains and Curtain Calls#6
Posted: 3/8/18 at 10:29pm
When I saw WAITRESS Earl kindof did a motion like "I'm Sorry" at the curtain call which I thought was pretty amusing.
Broadway Star Joined: 1/12/17
Villains and Curtain Calls#7
Posted: 3/8/18 at 11:12pm
When I read the title of the thread, I also thought of Waitress, and the same experience where I saw Earl get boos.
Villains and Curtain Calls#8
Posted: 3/9/18 at 12:34am
I have seen Scar get boos and Trunchbull get rapturous applause
Villains and Curtain Calls#9
Posted: 3/9/18 at 1:37amEarl in Waitress always gets boos when I see the show and the guy on tour always says "I'm sorry" when it happens.
Villains and Curtain Calls#10
Posted: 3/9/18 at 3:41am
CATSNYrevival said: "I’ve expierenced the opposite where people boo the villain during the curtain call which I think is disrespectful."
Seems like a compliment of the highest order.
Villains and Curtain Calls#11
Posted: 3/9/18 at 6:05am
haterobics said: "CATSNYrevival said: "I’ve expierenced the opposite where people boo the villain during the curtain call which I think is disrespectful."
Seems like a compliment of the highest order."
When I saw Chitty Chitty Bang Bang the actor playing the child catcher got boos and when we asked him he said that he considered it a compliment.
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/29/05
Villains and Curtain Calls#12
Posted: 3/9/18 at 6:15am
PatrickDC said: "Ursula, Jafar, Trunchbull, Miss Hannigan, Captain Hook, Gaston, et al.
The bigger the villain, the bigger the applause at the curtain call, nearly always the loudest applause and louder than the hero/heroine/protagonist.
I have theories. Would love to hear yours."
These are juicy roles which stand out in ensembles and which in the vast majority of cases give highly talented actors chances to shine. They are typically played by vivid, scene-stealing performers who rarely fail to make big impressions on audiences.
"
Villains and Curtain Calls#13
Posted: 3/9/18 at 7:53am
When I played Ismay in Titanic I got I got booed during the curtain call. I kind of expected it but didn’t take it personally.
Villains and Curtain Calls#14
Posted: 3/9/18 at 8:02am
Javert (if he's good) and the Thénardiers usually get a lot of love at the curtain call.
"Michael Riedel...The Perez Hilton of the New York Theatre scene"
- Craig Hepworth, What's On Stage
Villains and Curtain Calls#15
Posted: 3/9/18 at 9:11am
The genre of the piece has something to do with it too- not necessarily just children's theatre either. Look at Waitress, which is written and staged in such a way that the final hospital scene seems designed to elicit loud audience response, Tyler Perry style. I've never seen a performance where the audience didn't hoot and holler when Jenna finally kicks Earl to the curb, and once you're in that performative mindset, booing the misogynist doesn't seem like such a stretch (especially in the Me Too era, when the show seems to invite that demonstration).
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