Thoughts on . . . The Standing Ovation
The standing ovation. The value of a standing ovation to performers. The loss of the significance by its over-use. How long do you stand? When? Do you sit again during an encore? These have been written about ad nauseum, and here I am going to contribute just one more because, at its very heart, I think that if you can think about these questions before standing, you don’t stand.
I have seen more than my fair share of theatre, and I have stood during curtain calls that I would rather not have stood for. Only three times have I felt that I was physically incapable of staying in my seat: Venus in Fur at the Lyceum Theatre, The Normal Heart at the Golden Theatre, and the Cabaret revival (revival) at Studio 54. Venus in Fur was a brand new experience for me, one that affected my heart rate and my breathing, and something that visceral deserved standing. The Normal Heart is indescribable in its story, storytelling, and theatrical manipulation of your emotions. Cabaret was a note-perfect retelling of a show that I grew up with, so regardless of your personal opinion of the musical, I was out of my seat the second those lights went down.
So why have I stood otherwise? Maybe the show did not pull the standing ovation out of me, but a performer did. But while you wait for that lead to come take his bow, everyone else stands up and you can no longer see where you are in the line up. Up you go. Maybe it’s opening night, and if you are going to attend opening night and not stand, something truly egregious must have happened during the course of the play. Maybe you know there are friends and family of the cast around you, and you succumb to peer pressure. Yes, that’s a thing.
The moral of my story is that, while I have wasted a standing ovation or two, I am trying to change that. A true standing ovation should mean that if I were given a quick bathroom and snack break, I would be back in my seat in half an hour to see it all again. You can like something, you can love it, but you don’t necessarily have to stand up for it. The applause is just as loud and vibrant from your seat.
Opinion by Hannah Goldstein
Hannah is an MFA Candidate in Theatre Management & Producing at Columbia University. She has strong opinions about theatre and about every season in New York City.