From Broadway to the symphony, standing ovations now seem required
Covid canceled plays and concerts. With live audiences returning, from "Hamilton" to "Chicago," the standing ovation has become ubiquitous.
Returning to the theater after a pandemic-induced hiatus was something I wanted to stand up and cheer — until the very end of the performance, when all I wanted was the right to remain seated. Unfortunately, I quickly found out that the interruption of Covid-19 had done nothing to stop the wild proliferation of the standing ovation. As plays reopen for the fall season, I hope others will join me in standing up to the social pressure by staying seated.
Over my lifetime, the cultural norm of standing ovations has gone from rare to common, which makes it hard to acknowledge an actual masterpiece.
Over my lifetime, the cultural norm of standing ovations has gone from rare to common, which makes it hard to acknowledge an actual masterpiece. The now ever-present standing ovation seems to be part of the performance rather than a mark of appreciation for it. Has there been a single “Hamilton” show that did not get an ovation? At the performance I went to in Chicago, we were on our feet as the last note rang out. It was a good performance, but not a great one.
Indeed, it often feels as if the standing ovation is anticipated before the first line is spoken or the first note sung. Maybe it’s steep ticket prices that create a self-fulfilling prophecy; a performance has to be great to justify spending a week’s pay on a night out. Perhaps it just makes for a better selfie if you are standing at the end of a performance. Or it’s done unreflectively because performances can be staged in such a way as to manipulate this response. It’s also possible this phenomenon is an extension of the “everyone gets a trophy” culture. And if today’s audience grew up knowing only standing ovations, then this behavior can seem as appropriate to them as knowing not to clap between movements at the symphony feels to my generation. .
Whatever the cause, it generates another problem: the requisite encore. Rarely does an encore feel spontaneous these days. Instead, it’s often planned as part of the program. At a classical music concert I attended recently, the soloist left his violin backstage during his bows as a clear sign that there would be no encore despite the demands of the audience. As we headed out of the theater, I overheard grumblings of disappointment that he had not acquiesced to the call for more. We don’t expect every sporting event to go into overtime in return for giving the teams a standing ovation, so I am not sure where this sense of entitlement comes from for the performing arts.
Rating: 5