theater etiquette /dating

[jasonf]

Posted: 7/10/05 at 12:22am

So, I just went to Sweeney Todd in NJ on a first date with a girl. She said she liked it -- but throughout the whole show she never clapped once after any of the songs. Not once. And it wasn't like she's never been to the theater before, she was very proud of having seen Les Mis a couple of times. Am I crazy? This REALLY bothered me! There were other things, but this drove me NUTS! It just seemed so -- rude.

What do you guys think?

[Corine2]

Posted: 7/10/05 at 12:32am

You want to hear rude.
I went to Primo tonight and the girl behind me brought in french fries.
FRENCH FRIES to a show. Can you imagine. People, theater is not a ball park. Leave the fries behind.
Can you imagine that?
And the show was one of the most engrossing and riveting one man shows this year. She was chomping on fries as he talked about starving.
It made me very upset.
I wanted to shove a french fry up her nose. I could actually hear her digging into the paper bag and chewing.
DISGUSTING!~

Posted: 7/10/05 at 12:37am

Dating is all about getting to know the other person. She is a person who doesn't like Sweeney Todd-- or worse yet, a person who sits like a rock while they are watching a show they like. Either thing would disqaulifiy her for a second date with me.

Personally, I'll stick to men. When you take a queen to Sweeney, he tells you what he thinks, he tells you what numbers should have been cut, he tells you what was wrong with the costumes and he sings the act one finale the whole way home--doing all six parts.

[FosseBoi]

Posted: 7/10/05 at 12:38am

I went to see RENT in Atlanta with my mom and her friend who has been to a lot of theatre. She clapped three times maybe, and for curtin call. It REALLY bugged me. I still wonder why she didnt clap. The cast wasnt bad!

[zbigner]

Posted: 7/10/05 at 12:39am

I actually would prefer if there were less applause in the middle of shows, so I definitely don't think it's rude to not clap during the show. It can really break up the flow. It's kind of like how many of us feel about standing ovations - if it becomes standard, it doesn't really mean anything. If people clap after every song, then they have to clap even longer when they are really blown away by a performance.

I'm not saying it's inappropriate to show your appreciation to a performer during the show, but I certainly wouldn't not date someone because they choose not to do so.

Zack

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 7/10/05 at 12:44am

Well maybe she wasn't quite prepared for SWEENEY.

Before I take anyone to see this show I usually tell them that it is more like an opera and give them an idea what it's about and let them hear some of the cast album or see some of video.

Taking someone who has only seen LES MIZ in to see SWEENEY cold might have been a bit overwhelming.

[jasonf]

Posted: 7/10/05 at 12:53am

Joe -- I'm going to stick with girls, but your point about Sweeney is well taken.

Oh - and she wasn't impressed with the first act finale...then again, it wasn't done very well...

[Unmasked05]

Posted: 7/10/05 at 12:53am

I was thinking the same thing frontrowcentre2...but I wouldn't have taken her to see Sweeney Todd at all though...not cause its bad but if I go out with a girls I would want to take her to see a show that might have comedy or romance in it something that I know would be enjoyable then I would move up to musicals like Sweeney.

[jasonf]

Posted: 7/10/05 at 1:01am

To clear this up--
1)She did like the show.
2)I gave her a choice of this and Pirates of Penzance which was playing aroudn here also. I told her about both (she knew a little about them both already) and decided Sweeney was more up her alley.
3) Epiphany SUCKED and Little Priest was not as funny as it should have been (though Pretty Women WAS pretty).
4)My issue was the lack of clapping - even for Not While I'm Around which was EXCELLENT.

[itsmeeeee]

Posted: 7/10/05 at 1:27am

i think that clapping can be rude at times also. Not the clapping after a song, i think the actors deserve the benifits for the work they put in, hence the screams for a performance that really was excellent. I think that when people hear a funny line, they should laugh. NOT laugh for 15 seconds and then clap and yell- laughter is applause enough i think. It breaks the illusion and takes away from the show when thirteen year old girls squeal for about a minute when elphaba says that we cant all come and go by bubble. Nothing personal against thirteen year old girrls.

It only takes one person to spoil a moment too. I remember when i was at Hairspray a few weeks before harvey left, when Motormouth Maybelle says something along the lines of "youre about to get on road in a world full of stupid" (pardon the pathetic inaccuracy) and of course everyone agrees with the line, some nod, some smile: great. But one person felt so inclined to clap and hoot. The whole theater chimed in.

I know the actors react well to responses frow the audience and can feed off of them, but theres a definite line that is crossed at most really popular shows.