Finally, someone who agrees with me:

In New York the standing ovation is now a meaningless nightly ritual. Unless the show is a real stinker a Broadway audience will leap to its feet almost before the curtain has fallen. I’ve always assumed this had two explanations. One is that, if you’ve paid 100 bucks or more for a ticket, you have to justify to yourself the worth of your investment.

(source: http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/theatre/2008/07/standing_ovation.html )

Thank you, thank you, thank you.  I went to see a recent performance of RENT at The Fox Theatre in Atlanta, and I was severely disappointed.  The lighting was horrible, the set was cramped, the acting was sub-par, the vocals were weak, the sound system cut out repeatedly… Honestly, there were very few positive aspects to the performance.  And as soon as the show was over, the entire house jumped to their seats and applauded with a Standing O.

What?  I was astounded.  I stubbornly remained in my seat.

I reserve a Standing O for a performance that really moves me, such as a performance I saw of “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter” that left me in tears at the end or the performance of “The Lion King” I saw in Toronto many years ago that left me giddy as a child.  But for a completely sub-par or even average performance, I’m not standing up.

It’s kind of like voting.  Standing O is a “You did a great job!” and sitting down is, at best, “It was pretty good, but not great”.  At worst, there’s an empty seat because the audience member left at intermission.  That means “You suck ass”, by the way.

As an actor, I don’t want a Standing O unless we really, truly deserve it.  A friend of mine, Andrew, played Bazzard in a recent production of “The Mystery of Edwin Drood.”  His bit part completely blew the rest of the show out of the water.  At the end of the performance, the audience remained seated during curtain call until Bazzard’s appearance, at which they stood up and started cheering wildly.  THAT is a Standing O.  THAT is a meaningful gesture.

Like our friend in the UK, I believe the Standing O has, in general, become a meaningless gesture.  If it ain’t good, don’t stand up.

Last Fall I directed a play called “The Faculty Room”.  Unfortunately, it didn’t really connect with most of the audience.  It was one of those plays where you had to really pay attention to every word, and if you missed anything, you’d be lost.  There was one kid that I knew, still in high school, that came to see the show.  I kept my eye on him throughout the performance.  He was rapt with attention.  He was so into this play, he couldn’t take his eyes off the stage.

At the end of the show, he jumped to his feet, applauding like mad.  Most of the rest of the audience looked at him like he was insane, but they applauded anyway.

To me, that’s perfectly fine.  So the kid loved it and the rest of them thought it was at least decent enough to stay through the end of the show.  I’m okay with that.  It gives me feedback, and it tells me something about what the audiences want.

Do me a favor.  Reserve your standing ovation for performances that truly deserve it.  Don’t do it because you think you’re supposed to.  It’s okay if you don’t like the show.