What are some actors who have had standing ovations?- Page 2
What are some actors who have had standing ovations?
WishingWells
Chorus Member Joined: 3/19/07
#25re: What are some actors who have had standing ovations?
Posted: 4/12/07 at 12:08amAmericans just about stand for anything...The British, however, only stand if they are really impressed.
#26re: What are some actors who have had standing ovations?
Posted: 4/12/07 at 1:11am
The only time I started a standing ovation was for Christopher Plummer in Othello in 1982-3 (?).
Stephen Sondheim had an interesting theory about the standing ovation in the Broadway: The Golden Age documentary (or was Broadway: the American Musical). He thinks that with the prices so high, people need the standing ovation to make themselves feel it was worth paying the price to see the show. To make them part of the theatrical experience.
I killed the boss, you don't think they're gonna fire me over a thing like that!!!!
LoringsGuy
Broadway Star Joined: 9/28/04
#27re: What are some actors who have had standing ovations?
Posted: 4/12/07 at 1:21am
I'm of the belief you should stand only when you feel the performance merits it, but sometimes it's easy to feel "bullied" into it by the glares of those around you.
Also, I have resorted to standing simply because the people in front of me are and I want to see the curtain call!
"Word of advice: Be who you are, wear what you want---just learn how to run real fast." Marc, UGLY BETTY
Updated On: 4/12/07 at 01:21 AM
#28re: What are some actors who have had standing ovations?
Posted: 4/12/07 at 2:19am
I can remember a few times where I started the standing ovation at a live theatrical event:
The matinee performance of SWEENEY (Nov. 19, 2005), I remember getting up at the VERY moment the final note in the final reprise of the ballad was played ... Just then, I felt *this jolt* and I stood and just started cheering. I was TOTALLY 'taken' by the performance. I couldn't keep my eyes off of Michael Cerveris' performance ... It was a first for me, being so enveloped my one sole performance. Another time was the evening of Dec. 5, 2006, seeing COMPANY. I started the applause after Raul's "Marry Me A Little" and of course, "Being Alive" (by which I was also taken by, as expected). Standing-O's should be EARNED, the audience needs to be MOVED enough. Tourists can't seem to grasp it, though I am quite thankful they have a budding appreciation for what's up there.
#29re: What are some actors who have had standing ovations?
Posted: 4/12/07 at 2:34am
"Totally F*CKed" is the only non-curtain call standing ovation I can remember being present for recently. (I probably would have joined in, but I was in the onstage seating.) Oh, and of course when Betty Buckley sang "Open Your Heart" from Carrie at Broadway Backwards 2.
Not theatrical (well, theatrical, but not in a theatre), and I'll probably be slaughtered for bringing it up, but the entire audience leapt to their feet after "And I Am Telling You" when I saw Dreamgirls. Clapping for someone who can't even hear you... now THAT'S the kind of impression a standing o-worthy performance should have to make.
"Why, I make more money than... than... than Calvin Coolidge! PUT TOGETHER!"
~Lina Lamont
My name wasn't, isn't, and will never be Scott.
~Lina Lamont
My name wasn't, isn't, and will never be Scott.
#30re: Who are some actors who have had standing ovations?
Posted: 4/12/07 at 4:01am
Hugh Jackman got a standing ovation after singing "Once Before I Go" in THE BOY FROM OZ -- it happened at all three performances I attended, but from what I've read, I think it happened just about every time. This was the song before the finale. I had never seen an ovation before the curtain call before.
Also, Yul Brynner got standing ovations for his portrayal of the King in THE KING AND I. I saw the revival several times, and the ovation was amazing. He came out, the audience stood and applauded. He looked around at the theatre with an almost stern look on his face, then smiled and raised his arms. That seemed to be a signal for the cheers to start. It was a spine-tingling moment that I will never forget.
bwaygal1
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/5/07
#31re: Who are some actors who have had standing ovations?
Posted: 4/12/07 at 7:51am
Standing ovations are not readily given. When I saw GG in early Mar., the couple sitting next to me refused to give anyone a standing ovation and there were others sitting. (Although I must admit most were standing.)
Also-Non-standing ovation, but show-stopping-"Revolutionary Costume for Today" stopped the show for a few minutes (3-4-awhile) while the audience showed its overwhelming appreciation.
I did see ONE instance where there was a standing ovation in the middle of a show-Oddly enough, the show was forgettable enough, although the score was decent. "Triumph of Love," with Betty Buckley and Susan Egan and F. Murray Abraham-Buckley stopped the show with "Serenity" and got a standing ovation.
"A birdcage I plan to hang. I'll get to that someday. A birdcage for a bird who flew away...Around the world."
"Life is a cabaret old chum, only a cabaret old chum, and I love a cabaret!"-RIP Natasha Richardson-I was honored to have witnessed her performance as Sally Bowles.
#32re: Who are some actors who have had standing ovations?
Posted: 4/12/07 at 10:32am
I've stood a few times - it's difficult to be in the first few rows of early 'Wicked' previews and not end up on your feet - but there's only one time I've spontaneously risen to my feet without even having to think about it, and that was David Hyde Pierce in 'Curtains'. I try to only stand if I consider a performance is worth it, but I didn't really have a choice that day. ^_^
#33re: Who are some actors who have had standing ovations?
Posted: 4/12/07 at 10:48amChristian Hoff and John lloyd Young get one almost every show.
Cages or Wings
Featured Actor Joined: 11/27/04
#34re: Who are some actors who have had standing ovations?
Posted: 4/12/07 at 10:48am
I think more interesting is who gets these ovations DURING the show. That is a far better gauge for the subject. Lately, I have seen people stand for Raúl as he finishes "Being Alive," Ebersole's in-show ovations for "Revolutionary Costume" have been widely discussed, Jersey Boys practically begs for one every night after "Can't Take My Eyes After You" and often gets it.
As far as plays go I still think the ovation during curtain means something, because the nature and energy of the show doesn't compel people to give one as automatically as a musical. That said they still come far too often and aren't reserved for truly special performances. Deserving one's of late: Julie White, Vanessa Redgreave, Liev Schreiber, and Eve Best all come to mind.
Edit to clarify: I don't appreciate the way that Jersey Boys has that ovation built in, I find it arrogant and phony.
Updated On: 4/12/07 at 10:48 AM
#35re: Who are some actors who have had standing ovations?
Posted: 4/12/07 at 10:50am
Virgo, STANDING ovations used to be reserved for exceptional performances.
The appreciation you're speaking of is shown in plain old ordinary seated applause. Oh, and weekly paychecks.
Have I ever shown you my Shattered Dreams box? It's in my Disappointment Closet. - Marge Simpson
#36re: Who are some actors who have had standing ovations?
Posted: 4/12/07 at 10:50am
Mary Tyler Moore in Whose Life Is It, Anyway
Eartha Kitt following I'm Still Here in the London Follies
The ensemble of The Wiz following Brand New Day
The twins in Blood Brothers (except when played by The Cassidy's)
"Love Life. Live." Michael Bennett
#37re: Who are some actors who have had standing ovations?
Posted: 4/12/07 at 10:52am
"I hate to mention the obvious, but the first act finale of "Wicked" frequently gets a standing ovation."
Sorry sweetheart, I think they're just clapping as they head off to intermission and a much needed drink.
"Y'all have a GRAND day now"
#38re: Who are some actors who have had standing ovations?
Posted: 4/12/07 at 10:59am
I don't appreciate the way that Jersey Boys has that ovation built in, I find it arrogant and phony.
It is not arrogant or phony at all.
Jersey Boys practically begs for one every night after "Can't Take My Eyes After You" and often gets it.
I have been to the show, and they dont not beg for standing ovations, they get them because they deserve them, and I am not just saying that because I am a fan, they all do an amazing job. They deserve them just as much as anyone else on Broadway does.
Clarinetbiter135
Leading Actor Joined: 6/16/04
#39re: Who are some actors who have had standing ovations?
Posted: 4/12/07 at 11:15am
"Also, I have resorted to standing simply because the people in front of me are and I want to see the curtain call!"
Yep.... thats pretty much my thoughts.... sad isn't it?
Cages or Wings
Featured Actor Joined: 11/27/04
#40re: Who are some actors who have had standing ovations?
Posted: 4/12/07 at 11:20am
Look I enjoy Jersey Boys. Though I don't think the book is very good and the score is obviously "jukebox in nature," I think the cast is phenomonal. Additionally the material gives Des McAnuff turnips and he makes lemonade. Without his gorgeous direction this show will be playing dinner theatres in fifteen years and people won't understand what the big deal was.
That said the show is designed for a standing ovation after "Can't take my eyes off of you". They do this in a few ways. First they never mention the name of the song while hyping it in the preceding scenes. This is actually a very clever technique because it gives the audience a moment of revelation when the song begins. Also the way that they hype it is designed to cause one. By posing the problem of the audiences going crazy for it every night but deejays being unaware and not playing it, they allow the audience to feel the need to "help out". So when Crew lays out the plan of inviting the deejays to see the conert where the fans go crazy for the song every night, the show casts the audience in the role of Frankie's fans. So when the song starts and he is playing it in concert in front of those deejays, it's as if the standing ovation is simply the audience's "line" in response to the song. That alone is just clever writing and staging, and I have no problem with it. My real problem comes after the song when Young or Longoria stands there soaking in the applause with his arms out for an extended period of time. This is where they BEG for the Standing O. The more time they give the audience to applaud the more the audience is going to feel "a part of something" and will be more inclined to stand. I find that to be arrogant and unnecessary.
Look if Grief and Doyle in GG and Company respectively told their actors to just allow the applauses after "Revolutionary..." and "Being alive" to continue as long as they can as Ebersole and Esparza outstretch their arms and soak it in, they would get more ovations too. Guaranteed. I think that alone shows that it has less to do with the song or the performance, and more to do with the way that the show's design (and I will use the word again) BEGS for one.
p.s. I want to point out that I think that JLY or Longoria could get an ovation after that song without this, they are that good. I am just saying as it is now, they get alot of help.
WestVillage
Broadway Star Joined: 7/20/05
#41re: Who are some actors who have had standing ovations?
Posted: 4/12/07 at 1:19pm
"That's good that standing ovations are the norm now for broadway shows. They really should be, those actor/singers work really hard putting on a live show and deserve to see the audience appreciate their work live and in realtime."
That's the most ridiculous statement I have ever heard! When everything from lousy to mediocre to fabulous gets a standing ovation, what method do audiences have to show their appreciation for a really incredible performance? I will only stand when I feel I have seen something extra special. I don't care if everyone around me is standing or not, if it doesn't warrant my standing o, it doesn't get one from me. I miss the days when standing ovations were reserved for those brilliant performances that stood out from the rest; with standing ovations being the norm, they mean absolutely no more than simply applauding. It denegrates the importance of standing for something truly special.
In answer to the original posting, at the closing performance of Side Show, the entire cast got a prolonged standing ovation as they entered the stage and took their places. It was a very moving experience for both cast and audience.
jmacisawesome
Understudy Joined: 8/12/06
#42re: Who are some actors who have had standing ovations?
Posted: 4/12/07 at 1:25pmI saw DRS in its final weeks and at the end of "Dirty Rotten Number," Brian D'arcy James and Keith Carradine got a standing ovation that lasted at least three minutes. I didn't stand, instead I was grumbling under my breath that there was another number and that Keith Carradine didn't deserve a standing ovation. God, I hated him.
mikeyb16
Broadway Star Joined: 1/22/06
#43re: Who are some actors who have had standing ovations?
Posted: 4/12/07 at 1:36pm
Idina Menzel & Helen Dallimore had Standing Ovations when I saw them in Wicked in London at the end of the performance back in October.
I think as well Kristin Chenoweth had a Standing Ovation at her final performance in Wicked.
#44re: Who are some actors who have had standing ovations?
Posted: 4/12/07 at 1:42pmWait, the end of Defying Gravity gets a standing o? For what, A crane and some lasers?
I got rid of my teeth at a young age because... I'm straight. Teeth are for gay people. That's why fairies come and get them
neddyfrank2
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/23/05
#45re: Who are some actors who have had standing ovations?
Posted: 4/12/07 at 1:42pm
The Standing O in Jersey Boys is extremely phony. That is the true definition of milking the audience!
When I saw GG Revolutionary Costume got a well deserved Standing Ovation.
Fosse76
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/21/05
#46re: Who are some actors who have had standing ovations?
Posted: 4/12/07 at 1:46pm
"That's good that standing ovations are the norm now for broadway shows. They really should be, those actor/singers work really hard putting on a live show and deserve to see the audience appreciate their work live and in realtime. "
Actors don't work nearly as hard as most other professions. A performer really has to grab me (and probably literally) for me to stand. I don't generally give a standing ovation for someone who is doing what they are paid to do...i.e., their job.
#47re: Who are some actors who have had standing ovations?
Posted: 4/12/07 at 1:48pm
"Actors don't work nearly as hard as most other professions"
...uhh really? Cause I know when I'm done performing, especially on two show days I'm physically, vocally and mentally exhausted. My day job never once caused that for me.
I got rid of my teeth at a young age because... I'm straight. Teeth are for gay people. That's why fairies come and get them
broadwaygal3
Chorus Member Joined: 11/17/04
#48re: Who are some actors who have had standing ovations?
Posted: 4/12/07 at 1:50pm
Hi, Kec! I'm a fellow Ozalot, and at every performance of TBFO that I attended, (14 times!) Hugh indeed received a standing ovation after "Once Before I Go"! However, at some performances, such as the very first one I saw, some people thought that was the finale, and got up to leave the theatre! I tried whispering to them, "It's not over yet!!" but they left anyway, and of course, missed "Rio"!
That's actually a pet peeve of mine, and I'm sure some people will agree that it is so rude when people leave the theatre during the curtain call!
Cheryl
#49re: Who are some actors who have had standing ovations?
Posted: 4/12/07 at 1:56pm
Betty Buckley - on her last performance in Sunset Boulevard, got a thunderous applause (I swear the theater shook) and a spontaneous standing ovation after singing "As if We Never Said Goodbye." There was not a dry eye in that theater that night.
I wish that performance was immortalized on video. It was the greatest, most memorable performance I ever saw. During that particular number, the whole cast went on stage, and she gave each of them a long-stemmed red rose - not part of the choreography - as she sang. People went nuts when she belted "I've come HOME at last!"
What a night!
Side note: Sunset Boulevard was the only show where I ever saw where the audience actually applauded because of the props, specifically Norma Desmond's mansion. It was soooooooooooooooooo lavish that people's jaws dropped when they saw it.
Updated On: 4/12/07 at 01:56 PM
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