Just sit down. It’s not *that* good

[InformEducateEntertain]

I live in London. I go ‘up West’ fairly often and visit the theatre. All sorts. Musicals, one man shows, classics, whatever looks interesting really.

I love going but what really annoys me is the apparently compulsory standing ovation. Most shows are good. Occasionally they are brilliant (seen Kenrex anyone?). But whyowhyohwhy do audiences now stand up and clap? Always.

They never used to.

I’m middle aged and grumpy I know but in the good old days the standing ovation was reserved for the truly outstanding performance (Kenrex springs to mind). Now you are seen as a weirdo if you don’t partake.

AIBU to think the theatre going folk of today have lost it or am I the one with the problem?

It makes a difference to how you feel at the end when you can't see what's going on. Clapping etc is all part of the release of emotions, and part of the experience.

You clap because you see the actors/singers on stage, bowing, acknowledging you with arms that say 'thank you', moving back and forth, going off and coming on again, taking it in turns to come forward, acknowledging the band, etc etc. It's an exchange at that point, they look out to you and you look at them and clap.

If you can't see the stage, you can't see them bowing or acknowledging you, you have nobody to smile to. Even if they can't see you, you smile when you clap because they smile at you. You're denied that when you can't see.

You could say that for those sat at the back or restrict view seats

The actors are looking at the front row, they can't even see anything but lights more than maybe 5 rows back

This does annoy me. It’s one thing for the audience to insist on standing and whooping but quite another for the actors to encourage it.

I once had a drama teacher who said that at the end we were to line up, bow twice and get off the stage. Any more was about our ego, not the audience. He wasn’t a very nice guy but he was right about that.

Eyeroll.

I'm hardly the only person agreeing with the OP. And actual great thespians would tell you the same. Anything that becomes run-of-the-mill is not special.

As a pp alluded to, giving everyone a gold medal completely devalues the point of a gld medal.

Honestly this thread comes across incredibly sneery from the regular theatre goers who are soooo used to attending the theatre that the genuine displays of emotion and appreciation from mere mortals who may not experience is as often is just sooooo tedious.

It’s deeply unpleasant and actually id much rather be in a theatre full of people expressing appreciation than boring farts sat about judging others. I suppose you think you are far more civilised and superior to the clappers but actually this thread makes you sound like a tit.

This.

Absolutely fucking insufferable.

Which company was the Swan Lake, if you don't mind me asking?

Absolutely. I can't imagine being as bloody miserable as some of the posters on here, sitting around tutting at people daring to stand up and applaud

Completely agree op. We aren't watching Larry Olivier perform hamlet so sit down.

The first time i remember people doing it was Jason Donovan in Priscilla queen of the desert. My friend and I just sat down looking at everyone.

they did it at Hamilton and les mis. Is it a musical thing? Or an alcohol thing as at an inspector calls a few weeks ago no one did it and it was excellent.

Nope, I’m not a regular theatre goer at all and I hate it.

it has to be pretty good show for me to stand up. London born and bred and I’ve seen countless shows now. Definitely not all worthy, I’ve seen some pretty ropey productions get ovations and yes this is an arsehole comment from me but so be it, I always think the people standing up maybe don’t get out much or are visiting, so let them enjoy their night and stand if they want to.

@SisterAgatha to be fair to me I haven't (yet) grappled anyone to the ground. Maybe it is just a matter of time.

I sometimes take the opportunity to get to the toilets first while they are doing all that, so it’s not exactly unbeneficial!

I’ve thought the same as you for a while and sometimes you do see some truly outstanding stuff that does deserve an ovation. Some of these shows are quite tired now really but it might be the first time someone has even been to London 🥹

If 'great thespians' are upset by standing ovations they feel are undeserved, that's too bad. That's the nature of art. You offer it out to your audience and it becomes theirs to recieve and respond to as they wish.

We had a standing ovation for that. It was hilarious because it hadn't even finished and people started whistling and cheering. 🤣

Quite. "Thespians" can't dictate how their audiences respond anymore than OP can.

It makes me a bit sad that so many people feel the need to look down their noses at how other people choose to show their appreciation for things.

A pointless act that the production company tried to make 'a thing' out of because there's absolutely no drama in somebody's cake looking like - well, a cake?

This is wonderful 😄

People generally always give an 'ovation'. It's the standing bit that's annoying if it's not warranted.

I think im going to market flags on long sticks for us grumps that just say "good", we can hold them up from our seated positions over the heads of those standing. Means we make a point AND participate.

Can we have one that says ‘I should have left at the interval’ or ‘I’m only here because I can’t get to the aisle’

i actually think the worst is when there is an ovation purely because there’s a celeb in it (scarred by seeing alexei sayle acting dreadfully in a terrible reworking of a great book)

Well, when the way they “show their appreciation” is gauche, disruptive and blocks others’ view, yes it is annoying.

MamaMia or Wicked on a random night is hardly Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh in Titus Andronicus.

Or Kenrex

I think this is a covid thing. Pre-covid there was only a standing ovation for exceptional performances. Post covid we were so relieved and happy to be in the theatre at all that everything got a standing ovation.

I don't know what audiences will start doing when something is truly exceptional now. A new fashion will emerge. Someone invented the standing ovation in the first place.

@TheHerboristecongratulations on the most pretentious comment on the thread.