What a difference a crowd makes

We kicked off week 2 of Sweeney last night and while the show went very well (it gets better every performance) the crowd was really off. Lines that got huge laughs fell flat; numbers that have elicited thunderous applause were met with polite clapping; and the end bows of our stars only received moderate congratulations (minus the ovation as well).

I’ve played many, many shows over many, many years, and I’ve certainly seen my share of audience responses; however, this was the first time I can recall having a crowd’s tepid response to what I know is a stellar show leave me feeling doubtful about what we were doing. Was it me/us?

Thankfully it wasn’t until after the show that the real lack of appreciation doldrums kicked in, but we noticed things were peculiar at intermission. Was it the sound? The Thursday-ness of the night? The performers? The 3 day break? All of these things were swimming around amongst the orchestra as well as some of the cast.

In the end, I think it was your typical Thursday crowd, who, thinking only of tomorrow’s upcoming workday and the quickly approaching morning alarm, were unable to really throw themselves into a night at the theatre. That still doesn’t make me feel great about the icky feeling afterwards.

We’ll have to see if next week’s Thursday crowd is any different.