Standing ovations after Electricity

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PaulWilly
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Re: Standing ovations after Electricity

Post by PaulWilly »

From a great London BETM review in early 2005 on Standing Ovations (a bit more in general terms):
"...Standing Ovations: It's hard to imagine Les Misérables ever ending with an audience
sitting passively in its seats. Similarly, Billy Elliot - The Musical all but brings with it the roars
of approval with which it is greeted nightly. Who amongst us wouldn't want to acknowledge
the tireless efforts of a barely pubescent star who has spent three hours knocking himself out
to sing, act and dance his way into an audience's affections?
..."
“It is a great show that people do come and see. Because it's not
just a show for adults, or just for children, or just for people that
like theatre, I'd say for everyone, and it's got so much emotion
behind it. Because who ever comes and sees it, feels the story -
so I think: it's brilliant!" (GM)
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BEtourfan
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Re: Standing ovations after Electricity

Post by BEtourfan »

johnnyc wrote:
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
I agree completely. While all the Billys are terrific, Michael's rendition of Electricity was absolutely amazing.
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paul30003
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Re: Standing ovations after Electricity

Post by paul30003 »

I was seated on B15 on 23rd June, and I stood after Ryans electricity. It was an outstanding performance and the standing ovation was greatly received as I got a great beaming smile from him. In my opinion, if the performance is a cut above the rest then why not. Also angry dance got a standing ovation as well. Ryan was on absolutely top form on that evening and the standing ovations where justified in my opinion.
“The dance is over, the applause subsided

but the joy and feeling will stay with you forever.”


W. M. Tory
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burtond
Michael
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Re: Standing ovations after Electricity

Post by burtond »

!!!
Nothing at all wrong with a standing ovation at any point in the show. The Kids are encouraged by this visible response.
An ex-Regular and someone who was Passionate about the show but who has now found the rest of the WEST END.
KeefyM
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Re: Standing ovations after Electricity

Post by KeefyM »

Following on from the 'standing ovations for Electricity debate in the London Reviews thread'.

First off all I would like to do a bit of claryifing myself in that those of us who stand regularly for Electricity, do not stand for every single Electricity performance and only stand if we feel it is justified and worth it and we do not always stand in groups as we are not always sitting together, so the posts about ' groups of people or regulars standing together and blocking people's views are rubbish, although obviously sometimes we are going to be sitting together as like most regulars we try and get the cheap £19.50 B row seats.

For example, this week, I didn’t stand for Dean’s Electricity on Tuesday or Adam’s on Wednesday but I did for Josh on Thursday evening because it was worth it and an excellent performance from him (also because after standing in the bloody rain in the day queue at 8am on Thursday morning, Josh's performance made my standing in the day queue worth it, and therefore the lad deserved a reward for a great performance by giving him a standing ovation, because as has been said before the kids are encouraged by this verbal response (and some of us know that for a fact because the kids and parents have told us themselves). More on that later. (I should say that Dean’s and Adam’s performances were not any less worthy of a standing ovation, and I even apologised to Dean on my Facebook review of his Tuesday show for not standing, as that is the other problem with standing ovations and the reason I do not do it all the time, as at times you do feel like a right prat if it is only a few of you standing, especially in a lacklustre, unresponsive audience).
Anyway, it wasn't just a few regulars and those that are guilty of standing most of the time for Electricity as quite a lot of people, stood up for Josh's Electricity on Thursday in the Stalls and Dress Circle, and dancingboy’s point in his Josh review was that Josh appreciated the regulars standing and rewarding his performance, because dancingboy, like me and others knows Josh appreciates us standing because Josh himself along with his parents have told us a few times at the Stage Door that he/they appreciate the standing ovations after Electricity when we have had the opportunity to talk to them.
I even heard someone asking Josh at the Stage Door on Thursday, "did you get a standing ovation after your Electricity ?" to which Josh rather delightedly replied 'yes, quite a lot of people'.

Personally, I tend not to stand for every Electricity and neither do the group of 2 or 3 people referred to in the Review thread or above posts (I like how some people have suddenly disassociated themselves as being a regular with other regulars – which funnily enough seems to reflect the ‘them and us culture’ that has appeared at the VP recently between certain forum members, which seems to stem from this ‘debate’ over Electricity standing ovations and certain people including a friend of mine who may be too far forward when standing for Electricity, but I have moaned at him as well, but that isn’t going to change as it didn’t work for me and people just need to move on).

The theory that the groups/certain people standing for Electricity only started a few years ago and is a new 'phenomenon' is nonsense as I have been coming to the show for a few times a week for 6 and a half years (with a slight break in 2007 apart from first/last nights) including the very first preview show in March 2005 and loads of people have always stood up at the front in the amount of shows I have seen quite a few times a week during the last six years, and not based on only coming to the show one day a week on a Thursday or Saturday. Those of us that are at the show 3-4 times a week do have a better idea of what goes on and see plenty standing ovations every week from audience members at the front, who arent regulars or forum members.

BTW, there have so there have been quite a lot of 1500 people/full house standing ovations on normal nights in the last few months, so they are not just reserved for last nights. Those of us that go regularly, see these often because we are there 3-4 times a week not just once a week on a Thursday or Saturday. There have even been a few full house standing ovations recently after Electricity on a normal Monday and Tuesday evening for a Ryan and Josh Electricity. Also, I have been studying the VP audience since the original post about the Electricity standing ovations and have noticed that when regulars stand it encourages others to stand as well and there are at least one or two people, who aren’t regulars or forum members who stand and applaud after Electricity in every performance whether they are sitting in the front or not.

I have already had a rant about this on Facebook as it annoyed me so much as I’m sorry but I am certainly in the dancingboy, burtond, Paul and others camp and think we should stand after Electricity if it is well deserved and not just stand on last nights.
As I said, I personally won’t stand if there are kids sitting behind me, but really for most of the time I couldn’t give a hoot who is sitting behind me and couldn’t care less if I’m blocking someone’s view or if they have paid more for a seat (oh what a shame - life is unfair). If that is bad manners and makes me arrogant, then so be it, even though I behave in the theatre and was brought up to respect and behave in the Theatre. Myself, dancingboy, Paul, Dave and others are certainly not going to bow to peer pressure from other Forum members or be dictated to by other Forum members when our behaviour is perfectly acceptable by standing up compared to the hellish behaviour of people talking, eating, on mobile phones, loudly translating etc, which is bad manners and unacceptable behaviour in Theatre – not standing up to give a bloody ovation to a 12/13 year old lad, who as said above really appreciates it.

Maybe those who think that standing up during the show/after Electricity is wrong/bad manners, would like to tell my parents when they are at the VP next week (who are in their 60’s and will be standing after all the Electricity’s they see next week, which will be 4 shows and they will be sitting at the front apart from one night in mid stalls (where they will also stand).
So are my parents rude as well then for standing ?, even though they and I know how to behave in a Theatre, especially since bad behaviour in Theatre’s is one of my mums pet hates and my parents made sure that from my first Theatre show at the age of 5 I knew how to behave in a Theatre and wasn’t one of these fidgety annoying kids with bad manners, because they taught me how to behave and reward people for their efforts with standing ovations whether during a show or at the end.

Were Scott’s parents and family rude for standing up right at the front in the day seats and B16-22 during Scott’s last 4 shows before his final show ?. Maybe those who object to standing ovations after Electricity would like to tell the Billy parents not to stand, and see how you get on (because there are a couple of dads who would have no hesitation in giving you a quick ‘two word’ response) and those of us that regularly talk to the parents and have great relationships with the parents, Ballet Girl mums at the VP and via Facebook including having drinks with parents and families at the interval and after shows, and a few of the front of house staff after the show, know for a fact that the parents and kids like the standing ovations after Electricity, because the parents have told us so, front of house staff have told us, production staff have told us and most importantly, quite a few Billys themselves including one only last week, told us.

So there you go, hard evidence from the parents and Billys themselves that they like and approve of the standing ovations after Electricity and makes the bad manners to stand argument redundant.

Some of us have been privileged enough to have had afternoons in restaurants or pubs with some Billys and their parents and the Billys themselves have told us they love getting a standing ovation from the regulars with one Billy even telling us that one of the current Billys is always disappointed when he doesn’t get any standing ovation. In fact, we know from parents that some of the kids look forward to doing a Wednesday evening because they know they will get a guaranteed standing ovation after Electricity from Spencer. Also, a few Billy parents have said recently after shows at the Stage Door “I hope you regulars stood for his Electricity as he loves it”, including two parents this week.

I won’t quote them by name but quite a few previous and current Billy parents especially the mums have said that not standing after Electricity is ‘silly’ and they don’t get why ‘anyone wouldn’t want to stand for the boys'. They certainly do not think it is rude and bad manners.

So is there two rules here then, i.e. is it bad manners for Forum members/regulars to stand but it is ok then for the Billy, Michael, Debbie etc parents to stand up in the A row Day Seats or B row and block those sitting behind. Is it bad manners from the friends of Musical Directors Mark and Chris who on two occasions this week alone stood up in the B row production seats and B18-24 and blocked the view of kids sitting behind. Is it bad manners from Billy parents Denise and Kayla who stand up everytime in the B row seats after their sons Electricity performances. Is it bad manners from the 4 Ballet Girl mums who were sitting in B17-20 and stood up this Wednesday evening at the end of Adam’s Electricity and all the Ballet Girl mums who have stood up in B Row or the A Row day seats in the past, and everytime they are at the show.
I take it then, it was bad manners from Stephen Daldry and Damian Jackson a few months ago when they were sitting in stalls B row production seats in the middle aisle at a normal show to stand up after Electricity and block the peoples views behind them who never stood up, or is that ok because they are all associated with the show?. Maybe people would like to tell key members of the production team who regularly sit in B Row during normal shows, not to stand up and see how you get on.
Should the members of Ryan’s family who had the entire B row production seats two months ago along with most of the day seats not stand up because it was at the front and therefore rude and bad manners because it blocked the view of those sitting behind, especially since it was three rows of school kids behind.

Is there a rule for staff/parents and a rule for regular fans then ?, because standing up for Electricity (BTW, I would like to clarify again – not for every performance) is simply not bad manners and not rude and not breaking Forum rules and is certainly not unacceptable behaviour compared to the proper unacceptable behaviour that goes on (i.e. mobile phone morons, people constantly eating, talking and people like dutch Eric for instance – yet nobody seems worried about him or going to do anything about him).

It take it is also bad manners from the people who stand up during other shows we go to see regularly such as Priscilla, Wicked, Love Never Dies, Phantom, Rock of Ages, yet ironically it is us who don’t stand up at those shows. Maybe there is the same debate on the Priscilla Forum about those in the front row there who constantly stand up during the show (which is a lot more than once during a key musical number).
Also I take it then, that going on the ‘theory of standing up during a show is bad manners’, that I will have to tell the members of my two studio audiences on Children in Need night who are sitting in the cheap seats at the front (since they are blocked by Cameras and Crew) that they will not be allowed to stand for the celebs because it will ‘block the view of those sitting in the dearer seats behind’.

I am at Billy tonight along with a few other Forum members and regulars and I’m sitting in the front and fully intend to give whoever is Billy, a standing ovation after Electricity if it is well deserved, which it probably will be.

I have various friends coming from all over the world next week for Dean’s last night and they will be seeing the show for most of the week and they fully intend to stand for all Electricity performances that they see as they are also of the attitude that the Billys do deserve an ovation after Electricity and if that makes me and my friends arrogant buggers in some peoples book, then so be it, because, a) I couldn’t give a hoot what anyone thinks about me, never have done and certainly don’t intend to now, and I certainly won’t be dictated to by anyone, especially seeing a Theatre show and being told I’m rude or it is bad manners to give an ovation during the show. b) I didn’t get to be a senior executive in television by the age of 30 by being Mr Nice Guy all the time, and not p***ing a few people off along the way, with my arrogance a great tool helping me in my career rather than a hindrance and c) I certainly know how to behave in Theatre as I’m always moaning about the proper bad manners from audiences, especially at the VP, and having a rant about the bad manners from audiences in my reviews, and d) I also used to work in Theatre including the first 6 months of the recent Drury Lane production of Oliver and the kids all loved when they got standing ovations after their performances including quite a few after Oliver’s ‘Where is Love’ which is early on in the show, and yet again I know this for a fact because the kids themselves told me as did their parents.

So once again, hard evidence that they appreciate it and they (the parents, cast, crew) didn’t think it was bad manners and neither did the vast majority of our audience feedback on Oliver.

Giving a standing ovation to a 12/13 year old during the show is not in mine and most peoples book bad manners, (most of whom won’t comment on here because they are scared to and not as ‘telling it like it is or controversial as me’). But everyone is entitled to their opinion and I respect the views of others. We stand a few times – not ALL THE TIME as has been suggested. I’m sorry to say you are fighting a losing battle as we will continue to stand and support the kids and come to the show especially when we know for a fact and there is hard evidence and proof from the Billys and parents themselves that they like the standing ovations after Electricity, especially as one Billy and a few parents put it recently “we love when the regulars stand as it encourages other audience members to stand as well’.

BTW, I told this story at the BBC yesterday about people not giving standing ovations to kids during Theatre shows – didn’t mention it was Billy or any names, only as general story, but I told the story in a conference room yesterday to all 290 members of my Children in Need production team and when I told them people wouldn’t stand for kids in shows, the room erupted with shocked sighs and people asking, “why wouldn’t anyone stand for kids”, and “can’t believe anyone wouldn’t stand for children in theatre,?”, “that is bloody ridiculous”, "what the f***ing hell is wrong with giving a standing ovation during a Theatre show ?", along with many other similar comments. Which I thought was rather appropriate coming from the members of the production team since most of them worked in Theatre before television and know the Theatre business and how audiences should react/respond – and not one of them thought that standing during a show was wrong or bad manners.

Oh and what about Spencer standing up for every single Electricity performance every week, including each night when he does a Billython ?. 14 shows in a row he done recently and he stood up on every single one of them after Electricity, so is that bad manners from Spencer, or is Spencer allowed to get away with it because people thinks he is ‘not with it’ and all the kids and parents know him.
Bad manners standing up and applauding a 12/13 year old boy after a great dance routine ?, I have never heard such nonsense in all my life. Thank god when I go to Broadway it will be the last night and a special night, so it will be ‘ok’ to stand.

Funnily enough, a few of my Billy friends have told me that they have been spoken too at the VP after standing for Electricity. Funnily enough, no one has lectured me outside the VP when I have gave a standing ovation in a normal show after Electricity, I wonder if it is because even though you know I stand, you know what my response will be and for those that don’t, let’s just say, anyone ever tells me to sit down at the VP or any other Theatre show will face the ‘wrath of keefy’ and be met with a quick ‘two word’ response.

Personally, I think this whole standing ovation Electricity nonsense should just be forgotten about and everyone can have their opinion on it and we should just move on and all enjoy the show and the talent of the cast young and old. Also because in all honesty, I have never heard such a daft argument in my life. And people wonder why I turned down the Company Manager and a Producer job on Matilda.

So I have put my two pennies worth in, apologies Pat and Brian, I respect you and your opinions and knowledge of Billy, but this ‘only standing for Electricity on special nights otherwise it is bad manners’, really annoys me (hence this post) (and obviously annoys me in the same way that regulars standing for most Electricity’s annoys you, so fair play).

Because it annoys me and the few comments from people in the London Reviews thread really had my blood boiling, then I had to say something because I’m in the opposite camp and I will personally continue to stand if I think a performance is worth it, and I certainly will stand like everyone else on special nights, but won’t stand (as usual) for every normal night performance and certainly won’t stand if there are kids sitting behind me.
I stand because I know from personally speaking to the kids and the parents, that the Billys love the Electricity ovations and I don’t see what the problem is with rewarding a 12/13 year old lad who has worked his arse off, by giving a standing ovation during a show – something I was taught to do, something I have always done in my 30 years of going to the Theatre and something I will continue to do in my next 30 years and beyond going to the Theatre.

Cheers
Keith (aka Mr Angry).
:D
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burtond
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Re: Standing ovations after Electricity

Post by burtond »

Well Im with you 200% on this topic keefy. Furthermore, after such a dissertation of a rant (which I support wholeheartidy -not that I think many on this forum could give a toss about that) you are excused from trying to find the time to write your detailed reviews from performances later this week if that becomes a problem for you - just put your energies in the next most important project, Children in Need. BTW, still willing to shift cables!
An ex-Regular and someone who was Passionate about the show but who has now found the rest of the WEST END.
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Baloo_nl
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Re: Standing ovations after Electricity

Post by Baloo_nl »

Today during the matinee there were at least 1/3 of the people in the stalls who gave a syanding ovation and a big applause after Electricity.

I for one was one of them, as this was one of the best I have seen, the ammount of energy Dean projected did justify it. However I will only do a standing ovation if justified.

At the end of the show there hasn't been one where I did not rise to my feet because they always deserved it and it is a way to say thank you and well done.

My 12 pesetas worth ;)

Patrick
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Yorkie
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Re: Standing ovations after Electricity

Post by Yorkie »

Sadly it has been a few weeks since I had the good fortune to be at the VPT (my credit card is seriously broken :( ) but I remember that after Adam's Electricity on a Saturday evening a good 40% of the stalls stood up to thank him (yes, a SO is thanking the performer). The annoying Spanish family in front of me (middle aged mum, dad, son of about 13) beat me to it. I was sat in J20 so there was no problem with obstructing the view of anybody in a more expensive seat!

I've struggled with my own internal feelings on doing a SO - I'm a bit shy and don't like to stand out (which is a little difficult as I'm a fair match for Mr Burton) so generally I don't but sometimes I get swept away by the emotion of it all and join in. Also, if I'm being honest, I don't want to upset anybody else by blocking their view. But I've now seen the error of my ways. Keefy, your in depth and passionate response has convinced me. If I'm the only one to do it in that particular show then sod it. I'll be standing more.

I do think that the cheap seats are to blame for all this though. Being on row B gives you a feeling of actually being in the show - you feel (and I know it isn't real) that you have a connection with the cast. I can't tell you the number of shows where I #thought# I made eye contact with Genevieve and gave her a little smile. Maybe from half way back it is just a show, but from the front row it is much more than that.

Looking at this audience reaction, perhaps the new trend should be a SO for Express!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbJdoTQCcvg
MRS WILKINSON IS A RIGHT COW!
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burtond
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Re: Standing ovations after Electricity

Post by burtond »

Yorkie wrote:(which is a little difficult as I'm a fair match for Mr Burton)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbJdoTQCcvg
Cheeky Yorkie ! :D
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Re: Standing ovations after Electricity

Post by dancingboy »

Just a quick note on this subject following the Saturday evening show. Ryan's performance overall as Billy was as good as anything you will ever see. His street dance version of Electricity was so good that hundreds in the audience felt it good enough to give a standing ovation, which went on and on and on. From my seat it certainly looked as though Ryan said 'Thank you'. He appreciated us just as much as we appreciated him. That, surely, is what it is all about.
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