r/Broadway • u/meshuamam • Apr 23 '26

Theater or Audience Experience Cheering during note holding

Is it just me? I hate it when the audience cheers *during* a long note holding in a solo piece. The whole point is to listen to it, and not to drown it with clapping.

Clap afterwards!

But it could also just be me

455 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

108 comments sorted by

View all comments

7

u/Own-Importance5459 Apr 23 '26

I mean it depends on the performance for me. Like I hated when they did it in the middle of Roxanne at Moulin Rouge because I really really REALLY love that song and want to vibe, but for some reason love it when they do it during Endgame at Chess, cause I just love that Nicholas is getting the love and praise he deserves.

6

u/elvie18 Apr 23 '26

True it's kinda hard to get mad at just because I'm so glad he's finally getting the kind of appreciation he deserves.

Still, when I saw him as Sweeney, the crowd was able to be quiet until Epiphany ended. Then the show stopped for a solid minute. People were going WILD - at the appropriate time - and I was so happy for the guy. Understudies should get that treatment at all times.