"Wait.. why is everyone laughing?" Moments- Page 2

[StageManager2]

Posted: 9/17/06 at 11:12pm

I think I know why people laugh when Eponine/Gavroche get shot. The gunshots (firecrackers?) are so loud, it scares the hell out of people, especially those not expecting it. They feel foolish and laugh it off with their family/friends/neighbors.

bdwayondabrain: You stated in your first post that you "now sort of understand why" people were laughing during the "Ohio" number. However, in your response post to me you wrote that you still "have no clue." So which is it?

[thevolleyballer]

Posted: 9/17/06 at 11:49pm

I didn't understand the whole "I'm Muriel of Omaha... it's mutual" thing in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels until I had it explained to me later. Then I laughed.

Also, I'll tell you something I was surprised nobody laughed at. I saw DRS once and not a single person laughed during the "Bushes of Tex" line. There were a few chuckles, but I was SHOCKED to hear nobody give the thunderous laughter that that joke always gets.

[flaemmchen]

Posted: 9/17/06 at 11:56pm

When I saw The Goat in London, everyone was in hysterics when Stevie dragged on the goat carcass towards the end of the play. When my friends and I discussed it afterwards, we all agreed that it was a "We're laughing...oh my god, what the hell are we laughing at?!" kind of moment.

[justme2]

Posted: 9/18/06 at 12:05am

I had this reaction when seeing Martin Short's show in SF...when the 50 plus Short is dressed as a baby, in a maternity bassinet with the fake legs hanging down, and singing how he wants those "big, big, titties".

My friend and I were doing the "WTF? take" while others were laughing out loud.

[Attendthetale331]

Posted: 9/18/06 at 12:21am

I wondered why people were laughing for the entire performance of "The Wedding Singer"

[iactuallylikedbklyn]

Posted: 9/18/06 at 12:44am

I think in the case of the wedding singer, people were laughing to keep from crying because that show is so awful.

Anyone else hear awkward laughter @ The Color Purple when Celie's adult children appear out of nowhere? It not only happened at the performance I saw, but two of my friends as well.

[gertiecummings]

Posted: 9/18/06 at 12:52am

One of the times I saw the Rent movie in the theatre, there was a group of kids laughin during Angel's fineral. I was soooo f*cking pissed!

[defygravity2]

Posted: 9/18/06 at 1:07am

For me, it would have to be almost the entire show of Spamalot...I just didn't 'get it'. Besides, I am still upset about the Tony thing....

**Bitter, party of one***

...sigh....

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 9/18/06 at 7:15am

When I lived in Berkeley, there was this third-run dollar movie theatre that had a different bill every night. And on this particular evening it was "Cabaret". So my b/f and I go to see this, and the only place we could find two seats together was about two rows back from this pair of little old ladies: one was in her late 60s, the other slightly older and wearing a hearing aid.

About ten minutes into it, the older lady's hearing aid went bust. So, in a voice that could be heard throughout almost the entire theatre:

"WHAT ARE THEY SAYING NOW?"

"THEY'RE SAYING THEY'RE GOING TO A BAR."

"OH..... WHAT ARE THEY SAYING NOW?"

"THEY'RE SINGING A SONG."

"OH."

Now sure, it sounds like it might annoying as all heck, but since everyone there probably knew the entire movie front to back, it made it sort of bizarre fun to see this movie afresh through their conversation. Naturally, everyone was waiting for *that* scene, and our elderly friends did not disappoint: the scene in the car where they have the argument about Max.

"Screw Max!"

"I have!"

"So have I."

"WHAT ARE THEY SAYING NOW?"

"I DONT KNOW! I DIDNT HEAR IT!"

"IT MUST HAVE BEEN SOMETHING FUNNY! EVERYONE'S LAUGHING! ASK SOMEONE!"

"SHUT UP AND WATCH THE MOVIE!"

God, we were *dying* to tell her what they said.....

[JeaniusIsMe]

Posted: 9/18/06 at 8:13am

A few weeks back when I was watching Titus Andronicus at the Globe a majority of people began laughing when Tamora's sons are discussing how they plan to rape and disfigure Lavinia. The best explanation I can come up with was that people didn't quite understand what they were talking about- but they were shut up pretty quickly when they saw the aftermath of the conversation.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 9/18/06 at 8:39am

I think it's meant to be sentimental.

I think it's meant to cheat tourists out of $110.

[Claire2141]

Posted: 9/18/06 at 8:42am

'Glinda is the one who gave her the pointy hat and the cape. I think it has to do with the cliche of withces wearing capes and pointy hats. The fact that the stereotype came from a person like Glinda is the funny part...at least thats what I think is funny about it.'

If it helps restore your faith in people...when I saw the London version no laughs at those points.

[Mother's Younger Brother]

Posted: 9/18/06 at 9:01am

Urinetown.

[theminutepast]

Posted: 9/18/06 at 1:04pm

I've only noticed laughing during Gavroche's death scene when the first bullet misses him.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 9/18/06 at 1:07pm

I thought URINETOWN was hysterical!

[Calvin]

Posted: 9/18/06 at 1:43pm

I can't exactly tell if this is a "jokes I didn't get or that weren't as funny as everyone thought" discussion or "inappropriate laughter" discussion, but falling into the latter category, there was a lot of laughter for some reason after Celie got beaten when I saw The Color Purple. On that same lines, there was a lot of laughter when Debra Monk's character had a stroke in Thou Shalt Not, but I was one of them because I knew it meant the show's last saving grace would be taciturn for the rest of the performance.
Updated On: 9/18/06 at 01:43 PM

[Jade]

Posted: 9/18/06 at 2:04pm

When I saw Altar Boyz for the first time, there was a really loud and sudden burst of laughter on the "It doesn't matter if you're pregnant and you're unwed" line. It's quite a funny line but no funnier than the rest of the song so I didn't understand why everyone burst out laughing at that particular moment.

[WiiCKED x3]

Posted: 9/18/06 at 2:36pm

I never understood the cape part in Wicked. Now that I just had it explained... I still don't think it's funny at all.

I didn't understand the whole "I'm Muriel of Omaha... it's mutual" thing in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels until I had it explained to me later. Then I laughed.
Same

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 9/18/06 at 2:39pm

The "pregnant/unwed" line is an example of perfect pacing and rhythm. If you listen to the song, it just naturally builds to that line; it's almost a release for everything before it -- and you cant help but laugh because the absurdity of it all has kicked in.

[SorryGrateful]

Posted: 9/18/06 at 2:45pm

My moment is people laughing at a really inappropriate moment. I was seeing Cabaret the November before it closed with Adam Pascal and while he was performing "If You Could See Her," people laughed at the Jewish line at the end. It wasn't even ironic laughter. It was out and out, "Wow, that's really funny!" laughter. It seemed really out of place.

[alliez92092]

Posted: 9/18/06 at 3:46pm

The Muriel/Omaha part, Andre says he's pleased to meet Muriel, and Muriel responds with, "It's mutual" as in she's pleased to meet herself or others are also pleased to meet her.

[KJisgroovy]

Posted: 9/18/06 at 4:14pm

"The Muriel/Omaha part, Andre says he's pleased to meet Muriel, and Muriel responds with, "It's mutual" as in she's pleased to meet herself or others are also pleased to meet her"

While that is funny, there is a famous insurance company called Mutual of Omaha that used to sponser a famous television program...

I too saw Cabaret and there was loud laughter at the end of "If You Could See Her"... I don't think it was inappropriate... I guess I was just expecting stunned silence so... it was weird for me... also when I saw Caroline or Change there was a lot of loud laughter at "Hell's Where Jews Go/When They Die" which also caught me off guard... it maybe have been more shocked laughter than anything... but... it was still odd.


kmc

[bwayondabrain]

Posted: 9/18/06 at 4:23pm

StageManager- what i meant when i said "i sort of get it" is that i think that the audience was laughing at her voice for some reason. but i still have no clue the real reason they were laughing, so im just assuming because i dont know what they were really laughing at

sorry...

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 9/18/06 at 4:24pm

Many times I find that audience are too eager to laugh. I can't recall off hand, but there were some very serious and riveting moments that were ruined by inappropriate laughter.

[bwayondabrain]

Posted: 9/18/06 at 4:33pm

yeah, there were a few of those moments in THE COLOR PURPLE, i was like "why yall laughing?"
yup