Standing ovations after Electricity

dancingboy
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Standing ovations after Electricity

Post by dancingboy »

I will continue to disagree with Go Home Billy. Never having been to a Pop concert I am afraid I don't know what people do there,but if you follow football and your centre forward scores a great goal,maybe the winning goal, a minute from the end of the game surely you don't just sit there and politely applaud? You're on your feet cheering like mad. Ovations can be earned during several parts of the show and bearing in mind we are talking about praising 12/13 year old boys,who on most nights are quite sensational, what is wrong with showing that appreciation whenever it is deserved.


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patc
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Re: July 2011 Reviews - London

Post by patc »

dancingboy wrote:One point I disagree on- if you feel that a performance merits a standing ovation then don't worry about anyone else just do it!! In the Dress Circle I am often the first person to stand up. ''Just be yourself''.
Well, I am "being myself". It's in my nature to consider "everyone else". You can't just go into a theatre and do what you like without thinking about how it affects others. There is enough of that in cinemas which I never go to anymore for that very reason. Like "Go home Billy" I have stood after Electricity on occasions in the past and most likely will do so again but probably only on special occasions as mentioned earlier.

On the other hand at the end of the show when Billy runs down the aisle and back on stage I'll always be on my feet for the simple reason that Billy is the most demanding role ever created for the stage and the few who are talented enough to pull it off deserve nothing less.

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Re: Standing ovations after Electricity

Post by patc »

And this is the relevant part of my Review that precedes all of the previous comments..

Which brings me nicely to Electricity. I have a dilemma here. At the end of every Electricity I always want to jump up and give Billy a standing ovation for what I have just seen. The problem is that I also feel that standing up is depriving the patrons sitting behind me of the view of Billy's supreme triumphant moment and the smiles that usually follow. Consequently, I generally don't stand except on special occasions like the birthday shows, first and last nights. At this afternoon's show there was virtually two rows of enthralled youngsters sitting behind and, much as I wanted to stand for Josh's incredible and probably best-ever Electricity, I didn't. I wanted all these youngsters to see what happens when a boy of roughly their age adds dedication and hard work to extraordinary talent. I can't recall a longer session of applause after an Electricity. To put it succinctly, the crowd went bananas. It went on for absolutely ages and good ol' Josh lapped it up, every second of it with a smile that would have melted the Rock of Gibraltar. It was another of those golden, golden moments we get at Billy.

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Finale
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Re: Standing ovations after Electricity

Post by Finale »

My view on this matter is that I am mostly against the standing in Electricity. I agree with patc and Go Home Billy in that I feel conscious about the people behind me; I don't want to spoil their experience. In addition to this, I feel that standing should be reserved to the last number / bows.

I get the impression that the standing after Electricity is becoming a given for some groups of people; something that must be done without fail. Surely one should only stand in the theatre when a performance has gone the extra-mile? It shouldn't necessarily be done just for the sake of it.

Don't take this post to be a concluding point; I am not representing the whole site team here as I'm sure each member of our team has a different viewpoint on this. This was just my personal opinion.
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ERinVA
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Re: Standing ovations after Electricity

Post by ERinVA »

In general, I tend to feel that people have succumbed to "Ovation Inflation," especially here in America. It has been a long time since I went to any theatrical or opera performance where there was no standing ovation at the end, and usually I think this is a case of doing it because that is what has become the norm and not necessarily because the performance merited it. So far, at least, it hasn't progressed to the point of people standing in the middle of a show.

I do stand for each and every Billy at the end of the show because I sincerely believe that any kid that can do what that kid has done for approximately three hours more than deserves a standing ovation, but I don't think that a performance of "Electricity" alone should be the cause of a standing ovation, no matter how good it is. Yes, it's intended to show off a Billy's special dance skills, but as others have said, to me it seems rather rude to stand up in front of other audience members in the middle of a show, and in my opinion, it dilutes the ovation at the end.
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Re: Standing ovations after Electricity

Post by Todd »

I would agree that standing at the end of "Electricity" should probably only be done under special circumstances, such as a Billy's final show. Otherwise, if it happens routinely, then the standing ovation begins to lose its meaning of being done for something extra special.

Every so often, you see something in the theater where you can feel an energy building in the audience where everyone senses that what they're seeing is above and beyond what they expected. I'll always remember David Alvarez's first show in New York where his performance of "Electricity" was given with such precision and energy - concluding with a fist pump and a "yeah !" - that the whole audience rose spontaneously to give him a standing ovation. Sometimes you just know that what you're seeing is something out of the ordinary, and you can often feel that the audience as a whole senses it too.
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Re: Standing ovations after Electricity

Post by dancingboy »

As I was the one who opened up this hornet's nest regarding whether 'to stand or not to stand', let me make one thing quite clear.''I don't want any trouble''.

If we go back to the beginning I simply picked up on one point of a terrific review from Patc of last Thursday's matinee performance at the VPT. Having read his review again I can now appreciate his reluctance to stand after Electricity since he was in front of a group of schoolchildren. Therefore, my choice of words, ''don't worry about anyone else'' was probably inappropriate and I am sorry for that.

However, I still maintain that if you feel that the performance of Dream Ballet or Electricity merits it then there is nothing wrong in standing to give an ovation. As I said in a post yesterday, we are talking here of 12/13 year old boys (in London anyway) who perform sensationally night after night and deserve all the plaudits they receive,so why not stand to applaud at appropriate times?
The interpretation of the music and timing during Electricity from one of the Billy's in particular is quite astounding and generally just blows me away,so I shall continue to stand to applaud when I think it is warranted,but I shall try to take into account who is sitting behind me in future.


The reason why some people do not stand (in London) is probably because of the old British 'stiff upper lip' nature whereby it was considered not right to show one's feelings, but ''what is wrong with expressing yourself''? Of course,everyone is entitled to his or her opinion on this matter and having discussions like this help to make the world go round. I have only been a member of the Forum for about six weeks and am also a novice when it comes to seeing BETM (just over 20 viewings),but like you all I LOVE IT,so,heh,don't let's fall out.

Regards, dancingboy.
accessmenj
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Re: Standing ovations after Electricity

Post by accessmenj »

You only have to watch The State of The Union speech in front of the US Congress in order to see how standing O's dilute the power of the honor if used too frequently. Having said that, it's not the end of the world if the person behind you has to stand up.
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Re: Standing ovations after Electricity

Post by Finale »

dancingboy wrote:As I was the one who opened up this hornet's nest regarding whether 'to stand or not to stand', let me make one thing quite clear.''I don't want any trouble''...I have only been a member of the Forum for about six weeks and am also a novice when it comes to seeing BETM (just over 20 viewings),but like you all I LOVE IT,so,heh,don't let's fall out.
Nothing wrong with what you've posted - it is a healthy debate! :D I think at the moment it seems that everyone is against your opinion BUT I'm sure other members share your views...in fact there must be plenty as there are plenty who stand after Electricity.
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Re: Standing ovations after Electricity

Post by johnnyc »

Finale wrote:BUT I'm sure other members share your views...in fact there must be plenty as there are plenty who stand after Electricity.
I was once the only audience member who stood and applauded Michael Dameski after he performed Electricity at a performance in Cleveland. It just seemed the thing to do at the time. Michael can have that effect on people. :D
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