We arrived at the theatre fairly early, so there was a lot of talking going on amongst the people that would eventually make up the audience. When we got into the theater, the energy of the crowd was pretty high, even for the older people. There was even a girl next to us that was singing random songs. The theatre filled up pretty quickly, and then the show started.
Throughout the show, the audience remained really into it. Even my dad was pretty into, which is a victory for theatre. The audience clapped along when they were prompted to clap, and even sometimes when they weren’t. This type of response didn’t really surprise me that much, as other shows I’ve gone to have had people who clap along and participate when prompted.
What did surprise me, however, was intermission. First, it surprised me because I’d never seen anything like that before. Second, I was surprised by how many people just jumped right on up and went onstage and interacted.
Free juice aside, it was a really cool experience. I mostly played a passive role, choosing to observe rather than participate, but it was still fun to watch. In my opinion, the best part was watching the reactions of the smaller kids as the interacted with the cast. It was cute how they got all excited about getting autographs and giving hugs. I guess it just seemed different to me because I’d never seen anything quite like it before.
After everyone was full of juice and intermission was over, the second half of the play proceeded pretty much the same as the first half did. The audience was still really into the show and they were still clapping along and enjoying themselves.
When the show ended, there wasn’t a butt left in any of the seats, as everyone was giving a standing ovation.
As fast as the theatre filled up, it cleared. I did hear some people talking about trying to see the cast in the lobby afterward, and the overall mood of the crowd was pretty upbeat.
My parents and I discussed the play both while leaving the News Journal Center and at Popeye’s afterward for dinner. My dad liked it a lot¾ again, a victory for theatre¾ and said that it was really funny. My mom also liked it, telling us how she used to have to sing some of the same songs when she was in catholic private school. Personally, I’m not a really super religious person or anything, but I still understood the context of the play and really enjoyed it. Overall, it was a really good experience.
Using what I learned from Chapter 2 in the textbook, I feel that some of the audience traditions and conventions were broken through this production. For example, the audience got to clap and participate a little, instead of having to remain stoic and passive throughout the play. Also, these “rules” were broken when the audience was allowed to come onstage and have juice during intermission, which is something that usually doesn’t happen. But the whole thing worked really well and, I would say, enhanced the whole experience.
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