Peter Pan has the whole audience to save tinker bell.
Spamalot has one audience member on stage.
I think I have seen at least on other that is not coming to mind.
Anything others?
Spelling Bee!
In Mamma Mia the audience dances. Does that count?
I made my Broadway debut in Spelling Bee!
MOOing in RENT...
I suppose Rent counts.
Of course, Spelling Bee.
Dull audience I guess, they didn't moo in rent that I remember.
Broadway Star Joined: 11/13/05
Rocky Horror does/did, but it's more of an effect of the movie than a legit idea they had when the musical premiered in the early 70's.
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/9/05
There's brief audience participation at the beginning of Drowsy Chaperone.
Leading Actor Joined: 7/31/06
No show that allows the throwing of tomatoes? I think that would have ensured many jukebox musicals a long run.
A cool thing would be if the audience could decide how a show ended by pushing mentometer buttons.
The Mystery of Edwin Drood - the audience decides whodunit
Peter Pan - the audience claps for Tinkerbell to keep her from dying
Leading Actor Joined: 7/31/06
Has tinkerbell ever died? Is it enough if one audience member claps or should it be a majority?
Swing Joined: 10/23/06
How about The Altar Boyz, where the audience is essentially a part of the show, and a lady is chosen by Matthew to appear on stage in the song "Something about you". Cats has audience members dancing with the Cats.
Bush Wars has quite a bit of audience interaction/performance.
The Boy From Oz obviously...back in the day...
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/29/04
"what is the audience participation in the beginning of Chaperone? Does it count that Bob talks to the audience?"
There are a couple times, like when the audience might respond to "How are we this evening?", "My favorite show, The Drowsy Chaperone... oh, I see you've heard of it" or "Would you indulge me? Would you let me play the record for you?"
Pippin the audience sings in Bertha's number
Avenue Q maybe with the money
Pageant.
The audience picks the winner of the 'title'.
Spamalot: besides from the audience member participation there's the "follow the bouncing ball" sing along to Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.
The conductor has everyone clap to the beat during the Act II intro of Hairspray, if that counts...
The recent Threepenny Opera had the entire audience sing along to a section of The Army Song.
Dame Edna shows rely heavily on audience participation.
Rocky Horror on Broadway immediately comes to mind. It was an absolute gas hearing some of the things that audience members shouted at the actors. The actors always came back with the best responses, too. Ah, I miss that show.
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/23/05
The Drowsy Chaperone's thing is more like breaking the fourth wall and asking for audience response.
Broadway Star Joined: 9/28/05
I have an incredible and very racy audience participation story.
I saw a show at this year's NYMF called Virgins:A Musical Threesome. The second act of this three act musical is called Girl on the Screen. It has to do with a reporter writing an article on various porn sites and their hosts. She logs onto her "Laptop" to research the article. Her Laptop is the lap of an audince menber, which she sits on as the other girls in the cast do their routines from the various sites. On the night I saw the show, that lap was mine. I was scared, embaressed, and excited all at the same time. I was just hoping this beautiful woman would not fall off of my lap during the secne. Everything worked out, and it is an experience I will never forget.
When I saw Chicago the first time, the actors did not break down the fourth wall. When I saw it the second time, I was surprised that the actors did break down the fourth wall and started talking directly to the audience to get their responses.
Stand-by Joined: 5/9/05
The first one that comes to mind for me is Drood, but that has already been mentioned.
In Will Rogers Follies Will talks to the audience throughout the whole show.
I've seen Godspell with part of the audience on stage and they interact with the cast throughout the show.
Well, a bunch of people threw tomatoes at Laura Benanti and other cast members at the end of WEDDING SINGER. That counts, right?
I've never been, can anyone who has been to Awesome 80s Prom tell me if there's audience participation- it seems like it'd be a show that encourages singing/dancing along maybe?
Updated On: 11/5/06 at 11:45 AM
Videos