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Post by stagebyte on Aug 26, 2021 12:37:47 GMT
Ok so I’ll preface this by saying I have always stayed right through to the last note of a musical.
Whilst always irritated by it, last night the chatting over the overture and entracte and scramble for the door immediately after the curtain falls hit differently. My son made his debut as a musician in a professional show.
There would be no musical without the music so spare a thought for the pitiful applause the band get at the end of a show when they’ve worked their socks off. I doubt anyone on this board talks through the overture but keep those evil eyes and shushes for those who do ...
I of course clapped my hands off 😉 but there’s always room for a bit more band appreciation
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Post by alece10 on Aug 26, 2021 13:25:30 GMT
Agree totally.
I glare at people carry on talking during the overture and some overtures are iconic. I'm thinking Gypsy, 42nd Street.
I also stay until the end, partly to avoid the crush but also to hear the exit music and give the band a round of applause.
I think a classic example of this is 42nd Street. The exit music was wonderful and people used to come to the front, stand and peer into the orchestra pit. I was always sitting in the front row so could just lean over and watch them perform. There used to be a big crowd every evening and you could tell the orchestra really appreciated us watching and applauding at the end.
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Post by stagebyte on Aug 26, 2021 13:27:15 GMT
you could tell the orchestra really appreciated us watching and applauding at the end. They really do. |
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Post by ruby on Aug 26, 2021 13:56:53 GMT
I stay until the end and as far as I'm concerned, the show starts when the house lights go down so after that there is no talking.
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Post by stagebyte on Aug 26, 2021 14:28:54 GMT
I stay until the end and as far as I'm concerned, the show starts when the house lights go down so after that there is no talking. Same I only wish others wouldn’t use it as an excuse to up the volume of their conversation 😏 |
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Post by hulmeman on Aug 26, 2021 15:48:48 GMT
The curtain music is very much part of the show and deserves every bit of respect.
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Post by TallPaul on Aug 26, 2021 16:08:36 GMT
I think what helped with 42nd Street is the way Jae Alexander, or his deputy, rose from the pit and turned to face the audience. It would have been rude to continue talking after that!
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Post by marob on Aug 26, 2021 19:28:18 GMT
I hate this too, though I’m not confrontational enough to start shushing people. Though there were a few people last night at Anything Goes who could have done with someone telling them to shut up.
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Post by mkb on Aug 26, 2021 21:43:02 GMT
Ok so I’ll preface this by saying I have always stayed right through to the last note of a musical. Whilst always irritated by it, last night the chatting over the overture and entracte and scramble for the door immediately after the curtain falls hit differently. My son made his debut as a musician in a professional show. There would be no musical without the music so spare a thought for the pitiful applause the band get at the end of a show when they’ve worked their socks off. I doubt anyone on this board talks through the overture but keep those evil eyes and shushes for those who do ... I of course clapped my hands off 😉 but there’s always room for a bit more band appreciation I'm with you completely. I'd add: people who start clapping songs when there's still a few notes to be heard. Occasionally, it goes the other way, and an audience is so transfixed that there is a moment's silence after the final note has faded, before launching into rapturous applause. That can be quite magical. |
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Post by Stephen on Aug 26, 2021 22:10:50 GMT
I do love hanging around at the end of a show to listen to the playout. However if I'm seeing it on repeat there is also something lovely about walking out of the theatre and hearing it in the background. I remember leaving the Gielgud one night after company and hearing the final notes play as I walked up the street!
The band/orchestra are so often under appreciated. Even when I see shows with my mum who is a real thespian I often have to remind her of the live musicians in the pit. Still takes her by surprise sometimes! She also still thinks that it's magical that I watch the conductor after 7.30 and tap her leg exactly when the first note is played!
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Post by Peter on Aug 28, 2021 9:06:05 GMT
Agree completely, the musicians in the pit (or wherever an enterprising set designer might have stuck them!) are integral to my enjoyment of the show - as a band geek at heart I’ll often check out their credits, and the rest of the music department, before looking at the cast! I always stick around for the exit music and it’s great when others do the same - practically the whole theatre stayed put at the final performance of Ragtime at the Piccadilly to hear Chris Walker and the orchestra, and they seemed genuinely surprised by the massive (and well deserved) ovation they received at the end.
And yes, those who seem to treat an overture or entr’acte as a challenge to be shouted down rather than an instruction to STFU have a special circle in hell waiting for them…
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Post by craig on Aug 30, 2021 10:52:53 GMT
Talking through the overture really is the WORST. Theatres need ejector seats.
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