Villains and Curtain Calls

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.

When I read the title of the thread, I also thought of Waitress, and the same experience where I saw Earl get boos.

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.

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.

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).