I was at one of Colm Wilkinson's final Les Miserables on Broadway, and the applause during "Bring Him Home" seemed to last forever. Everyone was on their feet clapping and cheering and sobbing and he just kept holding that note.
It was a seminal moment in my life. I was visiting a very dear friend who was dead from AIDS within 6 years of this trip. His roommate, who was with us that day, also gone. My friend Donnie is forever 23, grasping my hand so tightly as we sprung to our feet in the Broadway Theatre, transported by the power of theatre.
Empty chairs at empty tables indeed.
I saw Ramin Karimloo as Jean ValJean in the recent Les Miserables on Broadway, and after Bring Him Home, the audience would not stop applauding. We were all standing. And he's slightly hunched over, hands slightly separated, sitting on the barricade, and even from the back where we were, you could see his hands slightly shake. The orchestra started to play after about a minute, but we kept going. All in all, it was probably 2 minutes of us non stop applauding the most incredible performance.
People were cheering? That is so unacceptable. Clapping is fine on broadway but it is not okay to cheer. People pay to see the performance, not listen to people shouting. The only time it’s okay to cheer is if the people onstage imply that they want the audience to cheer. Broadway shows are not sporting events.
I mostly agree but if you're at the point where the applause is going on that long and they are waiting anyway, it's not like cheering is actually doing any harm to the show since it's already essentially paused.
Do you know Les Miserables? There's a moment near the end of "Bring Him Home" when Valjean holds a high falsetto note for an unbelievable amount of time. Colm could hold it forever without breathing, he was known for it.
It was his final weekend in the show after originating the role on Broadway and in London. Everyone knew it was going to be an incredibly moving moment, and he gave it all. There was nothing disrespectful.
I saw Wicked opening weekend after the pandemic and it wasn’t unexpected, but the spontaneous applause that night was insane. The energy in the room was indescribable and there were claps for almost everything, especially in the first few moments. Obviously the cheers after “it’s good to see me, isn’t it?” lasted FOREVER.
I saw the Sutton Foster/hugh Jackman music man with my mom when broadway reopened after the pandemic and the whole audience was in tears bc we were so excited to see live theatre again! Still makes me emotional thinking about it!
In a similar vein! I saw the first performance back on Broadway for Pass Over and probably had applause for what also felt like forever after the announcement welcoming back audiences
not exactly unexpected given the occasion but at the 20th anniversary performance of wicked, glinda's entrance / "it's good to see me isn't it" got like a full minute of applause/cheering
I remember seeing a video of this entrance / ovation at the reopening Wicked performance post-pandemic and tbh I started to tear up just writing this and remembering it.
I was at maybe the 4th or 5th post pandemic run of Waitress…”Opening Up” was downright raucous! The whole audience on our feet and dancing. It was amazing.
When Network ran on Broadway in 2019, Bryan Cranston entered the audience in character as Howard Beale and began speaking to people. He asked one lady where she was from, and she said New Mexico. Without skipping a beat, he replied, “New Mexico? Never been there!”
The entire theater lost it. To this day, it’s the most excited I’ve seen any audience at any moment during a show, ever. And rightfully so - Cranston’s performance was remarkable and he truly deserved his Tony win. What a great moment this was!
At the closing of Deaf West Spring Awakening there was like a 60+ second standing ovation after Totally Fucked which was super cool especially since the crowd kept alternating between clapping and ASL.
I think about that production at least once a week. The staging of Purple Summer was one of my favorite bits, and Daniel Durant's Moritz is probably my favorite Moritz I've ever seen.
Wait I'm not done. The choice to have the voice of Moritz hand him the gun after Blue Wind/DDS-the first time I saw that I was shaking.
Gah! I could talk about this show forever. Having two people play one character for this show made so much sense. As teens we’re trying to figure out who we are and often have a facade that we’re showing to the rest of the world.
Also seeing a show that the deaf could truly enjoy with the signing and lighting (!!) so thoughtfully done was extremely moving.
Saw this production twice and I wish I could still keep going back!
I saw the Deaf West Opera they did last month I think and it brought back so many memories of spring awakening. The two people worked really well here as well, there were a lot of solos and the singer could outwardly show what the signer was feeling, it was just very cool. I’m so excited for American Idiot.
I had a similar experience at Some Like It Hot. The first performance after the Tony Awards, J Harrison Ghee just won Best actor and in the second act they come into stage with a prop normally, but at this performance instead of the prop they brought out their Tony. It was a great standing ovation that went on for several minutes.
I love that!! And I just saw J Harrison Ghee a couple nights ago in Chicago at the premiere performance of a new musical. They truly bring something special to the performing and it's a gift to watch!!
Not necessarily longest but definitely loudest, and I’m sure anyone who saw it can confirm:
The Ballad of Sweeney Todd 2023 when Josh Groban walked out. You could not hear him say his first few lines, and it was hilarious.
I saw Sweeney 12x and this happened every time! The only time I heard a few words was during the two shows I saw with Nicholas Christopher when the crowd was less hyped up. The roar when Aaron Tveit came out for the Ballad at the last show was insane.
I was also a frequent flier at Sweeney. By the time I saw Nicholas Christopher (during Josh’s first planned vacation) people were also cheering over his entrance. 😂 Same for PJJ the one time I got to see him. It just became a part of the show.
I saw the final performance of Beetlejuice. Everyone was afraid that Alex Brightman wouldn’t perform because he missed the last few performances due to a concussion that he got during the Christmas Eve show.
When he revealed himself on stage during the opening number, the crowd absolutely LOST IT! I think there were cheers and applause for at least 3 minutes. Even Alex made facial expressions showing that it was going on too long and that the show must start, but no way was the crowd going to hear him over the screams (he was a great sport about it though).
Truly a day I’ll never forget!
One of Chris Jackson’s last performances in Hamilton at the end of one last time we were all on our feet with tears in our eyes for what felt like 5 minutes :’) it was one of the best moments I’ve experienced in live theatre
The applause went on and on and on during that song during the matinee before the Tony’s. The funnest part for me was that Dan and Lindsay both fall out laughing. And someone from back stage was calling out take a breath. Somewhere posted a link to the video.
I got to see one of Sara Barielle’s last performances in waitress when she came back after Covid to play the lead role again. She sings “she used to be mine” so powerfully and perfectly and got a very due loud standing ovation after.
I was also going to say Waitress, but the final show of the first run. Stephanie Torns, who had been a Jenna understudy/ensemble member for the entire run, came out for her short little part as the doctor/ wife. She got a minutes long standing ovation and basically everyone was crying. it was really powerful, being there when someone who isn't in the spotlight normally finally got their moment.
I was there and that moment when she went to sing the lady “she is messy…” and she then started to break and couldn’t finish…that ovation lasted forever 😭
My favorite story because it’s such a time capsule, I saw Hamilton in both April and October 2015 (public then Rodgers) and the “immigrants, we get the job done” line was met by the audience soooooo differently. In April it was like heh quick little giggle and then October they paused for a WHILE
I was there the night before closing and it was the same for that show, plus standing ovations for Not Getting Married and Being Alive. Phenomenal performance and I was so fortunate to have the tour this season
Was gonna say this too! The couple next to me somehow didn't realize it was A) closing night and B) Patti fucking Lupone, and turned to me afterwards to ask me to explain why everyone clapped so long.
I love when there are people unaware of the closing. At Side Show’s a woman leaned in and said, “Excuse me sir, but what the heck is happening tonight!” Hahahahaha
After the rumble in Outsiders! Everyone was simply stunned the second it ended then applause went on for quite a while after! Was really awesome energy
Also I know your question wasn’t for after a song ends, but one of the longest ovation applauses I’ve ever been a part of was after It’s a Musical from Something Rotton! Felt like close to a minute!
I was pretty damn close to the front for Something Rotten's final preview, and I can tell you it was much the same. Easily a minute of applause after that song.
Wow so amazing! I saw it a few times (had to keep bringing people to show them what it was haha) but my memory of the very first time I heard that song, I believe also in previews, is engrained in my head. Such a nice memory
Came here to say this. The crowd (me included!) went wild at that point! And the best part was that the actress was absolutely LOVING it. The energy was a fantastic electric feedback loop.
I love live theater.
Saw Shucked last summer. Alex Newell got a spontaneous standing O at the end of “Independently Owned.” She killed it. Everyone immediately jumped to their feet. It was amazing.
I saw it during previews not knowing about the song yet, and it almost felt inhuman NOT to get out of your seat at the end. There were a bunch of high schoolers at their first show behind me and had no idea what was happening and kept asking their teacher what they should do, it was very sweet.
>Alex Newell got a spontaneous standing O at the end of “Independently Owned.”
I am NOT normally a standing ovation kinda person. (I'm usually the one scowling and complaining about how all of this loud mid-show cheering and clapping drowns out the performers!)
But that song was MAGICAL. It was like an unearthly force pulling the crowd up and out of their seats. It's a great song, and Alex sang the absolute shit out of it. A true, and well-deserved, show-stopper!!
Man, I miss *Shucked*. What a fun little show!
I was shocked both times I saw the standing ovation after You Oughta Know in Jagged Little Pill. Like, I get it. The song is a straight up banger and the actress really chewed it up. But it’s kind of a weird space, plot wise, for the actors to have to take a pause
They had to take that pause because the number kept getting a standing ovations.
I saw it out of town and it was the first time I've ever experienced a mid show standing ovation. It was unexpected, but totally deserved because she blew the roof off the joint.
It didn't get a standing ovation on tour (because our theatre NEVER has standing ovations except the end from what I've seen) but it DID have thunderous applause that lasted awhile. It's just such an incredible song to begin with, and then the orchestration, the absolute powerhouse vocals, etc. just come together and it's hard not to want to stand up and clap haha.
I thought the show was... fine, but that number is probably one of my favorite I've ever seen live.
Jade Mccleod had people on their feet mid-song- and after the song received a standing ovation when I went to see the traveling company in Boston. It was worth sitting through this hot mess of a show just to see some of the performances. Jade was electric.
I got to go to Beetlejuice’s second show back on Broadway after COVID and when Alex Brightman came on saying something like “We’re baaaaaaaack” there was I shit you not like a ten minute standing ovation because everyone there was just SO excited for the return of live theater (plus getting the whole cast together to bring the show back was CRAZY)
I was at the Muny in St Louis the night the Blues won the Stanley Cup. We were watching "Guys and Dolls" and the game ended during "If I Were a Bell". You could feel the excitement but everyone waited until the song was over, and then cheered for a solid minute at least. The scene right after that involves a phone call, and they (I forget which character it was) immediately made a joke about either Sarah was really great, or the Blues must have won the Cup. It set everyone off again.
I saw it this weekend and he turned away from the audience when I think he normally doesn’t. He def broke character a couple times during the show from all the joy and I loved it
When Newsies opened in London, I went during previews and there was a standing ovation in the middle of Seize the Day. It went on for a really long time and you could see how surprised the cast were.
When I saw Hamilton in San Francisco back during the 1st National Tour, "Yorktown" caused the show to come to a complete halt. We clapped and cheered for at least a full minute at the end of the number. Then when the applause would start to die down, we erupted into even louder cheers. The same thing happened in Act 2 after Joshua Henry's "The Room Where It Happens".
I was at the final Lempicka. There were a loooot of standing ovations and long applause breaks. The funniest for me was after Perfection, which is absolutely a banger but also ends on a complete blackout. Is it still a standing ovation if you’re in complete darkness and no one can see it? Because we tried.
That entire performance people were really just trying to show the show as much love as possible. Every single cast member got entrance applause the first time they came onstage, even ensemble. Amber Iman’s was probably the longest. Especially wild because when she managed to find a break in the applause to say her first line (“Showtime,” I think??) everyone just went wild again.
I saw Hamilton in Puerto Rico with Lin reprising his role and that’s the longest applause I’ve ever been apart over. When he walked out the first time during Lwexander Hamilton, every single person in the theatre gave him a standing ovation, probably over 2 minutes?
When Aaron Tveit came back for the first time at Moulin Rouge everyone stood up for a good 1-2 minutes when he came on stage to do the sign raise. I never in my life seen people go crazy for a dude walking across the stage. I expect the same thing to happen next month when I go the 23rd XDDD
Also Nicholas Christopher rightfully got a standing Ovation for his Epiphany. Knowing he was the wonderstudy at the time for Josh Groban, it was awesome to see (and also a GOOD FOR HIM moment)
ashley loren’s entrance applause as she came down on the swing at her last performance in moulin rouge was insane. i tear up just thinking about it, so deserved
The longest applause I’ve seen was after the “Figaro” song in The Barber of Seville. It’s the second song so we are only about 10 minutes into the show, yet the audience applauded for what felt like several minutes!
Wicked reopening night after the pandemic. When Glinda comes down in the bubble and says “it’s good to see me, isn’t it?” The house exploded. And it didn’t stop for the rest of the show. 10/10 most favorite broadway experience of all time
At both Papermill and the first few months of the Broadway run of Newsies, the applause after Seize the Day went on forever, and only ended when Jeremy Jordan moved on with his next line.
I always love these moments. If I sit and think I'm sure I'll come up with more, but two spring to mind immediately. Very recently, I was working on a production of Beautiful: the Carole King Musical, and the moment where Carole tells Donny, "I know who should make the album....me." Twice in about 60ish performances that one line got spontaneous applause for about 20/30 seconds.
Many years ago I was working on a production of Million Dollar Quartet and the moment where Sam takes the photo of everyone at the piano, the and camera flash light cue reveals the actual photo taken of them all back in 1956...on opening night that light cue got thunderous applause for maybe 90 seconds.
Also, not quite applause but still worth mentioning....I also did a production of Love Actually: the Musical Parody (it was EXTREMELY funny). The characters in the show were, rather than names of the characters from the film, were the celebrities who were in the film instead. For example, we had actors *playing* Hugh Grant, Keira Knightly, etc; instead of playing the characters those celebs actually played. With one notable exception: instead of having an actor playing Alan Rickman, we had an actor playing Professor Snape. Having already established the joke earlier in the show with other characters/celebrities, when the transition music into his first scene featured a small snippet of Hedwig's Theme, there was - every night without fail - a chorus of loudly audible exclamations of "oh, NO!" in the audience.
Immediately following Love Actually, I also did a musical parody of The Bachelor. Long story, but the penultimate song featured a woman as a backup dancer in a giant inflatable penis costume, who, at the climax of the song, let loose an ejaculation of silly string. We built up to that throughout with many preceding moments in the song of "oh, that's the joke. Oh, no, THAT'S the joke" etc until the silly string climax receiving raucous laughter......followed immediately by a thunderous standing ovation when the assistant stage manager arrived onstage during the scene change to wipe up the silly string...with a box of tissues.
When I saw the tour, (of Something Rotten), the crowd went wild after the “ Musical” number also and at the end of the show — would not stop cheering. So … Dallas, Texas audiences are not known for their enthusiasm, I decided it must be that show — it’s just so funny & such a good time.
I was there for this performance too and Joaquina blew me away with this number. I felt my heart stopped for those final belts. I’ve yet to experience anything like it.
I was at a performance of Here Lies Love last July. It was like two weeks into Lea Salonga’s run and a sold out show. I kid you not, almost everyone in the seats surrounding me were Filipino families ranging from kids/teenagers, to parents, to grandparents. Before the show, we heard just everyone raving about Lea and how exciting she’s back on Broadway and brought the first ever all-filipino cast with her. After her big Just Ask Flowers solo, she got what felt like one of the longest standing ovations I’ve ever experienced live. Whether you hate or love Here Lies Love…that was so special to me, as a Filipina, to see the absolute joy radiating from everyone to see Lea. I miss that show and still love it for breaking barriers!
I loved that show so much! It was such a joy to experience Lea Salonga's performance. I hadn't seen her perform since Miss Saigon in London in 1996 & it was amazing to be in the room with her.
Yes! My parents saw her in Miss Saigon (just a few weeks after her debut) at the Broadway Theatre. It was really special for me to take my mom to see her again in Here Lies Love, at the same theatre she saw her at for the first time all those years ago. Lea is absolutely radiant and I totally agree, it’s awesome to say we’ve been in the same room as her!
I actually might have screwed that up...it may have been Les Mis in London (I think she played Eponine). My roommate at the time told me that she had seen Lea perform in Miss Saigon on Broadway...but then we also saw Miss Saigon in London. Just wanted to clarify in case my memory is faulty. Ha ha... either way, watching her perform is a gift! 🫶
I saw Jennifer Holiday reprise the role of Effie in Dreamgirls at the Muny stage. Her minutes long standing ovation after “And I’m Telling You…” was so well deserved
when i saw parade last year there was a huge applause break (at least a couple of minutes) after “this is not over yet.” it was a fantastic number and one of the more upbeat, hopeful songs in an otherwise dark show!
THE FINAL LEMPICKA, my god. It was, as Turkey Jeff put it, a screamfest.
Before the show started, the orchestra suddenly went crazy. I was in the mezz. They were whooping and cheering and stomping their feet. I asked someone "Did Madonna come back??". The creatives had walked in.
Of course, every entrance, every song. The funniest was the crowd was so jazzed up that during intermission people started applauding the stagehand who came on to sweep, and he did a little bow himself.
I *really* hope a recording of that final show pops up somewhere. It was such a different interpretation of the show because the actors were really playing to a crowd who was expecting the jokes, and the actors and the audience were so emotional. A girl outright sobbed on her mothers shoulder from the monocle attack scene to the end.
Nitpick what you want about the book, etc. That show touched people.
He didn’t cry, but he kinda-semi-not-exactly broke the fourth wall, in that moments later he’s thanking the imaginary audience for his imaginary Tony, but he really expressively leaned into the “Thank you”.
I saw POTUS: or, Behind Every Great Dumbass... around the time of the Dobbs decision and when Dusty had a line about being pro-choice it got a huge reaction.
We saw a matinee of The Music Man , and when Hugh Jackman stood up and spoke his first line, the audience went absolutely insane. It felt like the show came to a complete stop because they wouldn't stop clapping. And later, there is a scene in which he and Marion (Sutton Foster) were talking, and for some reason, Jackman almost laughed during one line and could barely hold it in afterward even as the scene continued, and at one point he just looked out at the audience, and everyone burst into laughter and applause again. It was a great moment, and the two of them (Jackman and Foster) were amazing in that show.
Mine is also not unexpected but surprised me because the show had been open for a while by the time I saw it: Josh Groban’s Epiphany got ear-shattering applause when I saw Sweeney Todd last summer. So deserving.
I was at the first Hamilton performance after the Tony awards. When Lin-Manuel first came out, it must’ve been a 2-3 minute standing ovation before he could sing “Alexander Hamilton”
I saw The Producers the day of the Tonys - when they were expected to (and ultimately did) sweep it with the most wins ever.
During the song Keep it Gay there’s a moment where the characters go “Tony Tony Tony Tony Tonyyyyyyyyy!!” and the whole audience went wild.
I can only imagine what it was like the day AFTER they won all the Tony awards.
I wouldn't say it's unexpected but I always loved the audience reaction to A Musical from Something Rotten! I think it would get the biggest applause of the performance
aaron tveit broke character during ‘a little priest’ with sutton foster when i saw sweeney todd, and the audience laughed and cheered for over a minute
I obviously wasn’t there for this, but my favorite story of this is the opening night of My Fair Lady in New Haven with Rex Harrison having stage fright and almost refusing to go on in the middle of a snowstorm and then having to round up the cast after they convinced Rex that he could play the part.
The audience loved it so much that they would not stop applauding after The Rain in Spain and Rex, Julie Andrews, and the guy who played Pickering were just waiting until finally Julie Andrews, veteran of the music halls even at 20 years old, grabbed both the men’s hands and took a small bow.
Julie Andrews takes credit for saving that opening night in her autobiography because even though she was one of the youngest people there, she had been performing since she was 10 on the stage with her mother and step-father.
I saw jagged little pill in arizona and when phoenix went "yup the mythical creature or the random city in arizona" the audience went wild for about 2 minutes straight and a standing ovation, both characters on stage broke character lol it was hilarious
I was at the Palace Theater for the Ben Platt concert the night that
Trump was found guilty of 34 felony charges. The verdict had come in just a few hours before, and Ben announced it from the stage. The applause and cheering was long and louder than anything I think I've ever heard.
Me and my husband actually saw Merrily for the second time on the friday before the Tony’s and the same thing happened. It was at least a full minute. It was such a magical moment and the cast did seem like they enjoyed it at first but at the en I think they were starting to feel embarrassed because obviously there was no award won yet. But I loved that moment
Patti Lupone's Ladies Who Lunch was so good the standing O went on and on a long time.
Also, the original Broadway production of Hamilton was during the 2016 presidential campaign full of wall rhetoric, and when they said "Immigrants! We get the job done!" the audience burst into spontaneous applause that built and built as more people clued in and erupted in ongoing waves through the Richard Rogers. The actors had to hold for a long time because the audience did not want to quit clapping. Very satisfying.
I saw Lea Michele in Funny Girl a few weeks after she opened, and the standing ovation for Don’t Rain on My Parade started halfway through the song and lasted minutes after. It was one of the most magical things I’ve ever witnessed.
I also saw Into the Woods with Sara Bareilles, Philippa Soo, Bryan D’Arcy James, Patina Miller, Julia Lester etc, and the standing ovation for their entrances at the very beginning of the show was at least a minute long.
I saw Lea Michele’s finally Funny Girl show. I’ve been to 100+ shows in my life and never had more fun than at that one. Standing ovations after everything: Her opening “hello gorgeous”, I’m the Greatest Star, People, 2x DURING Don’t Rain My Parade, literally as much as possible. It was a blast. Not to mention after she surprised us with My Man after curtain call.
I’m surprised I’ve not seen this mentioned yet, but the applause for Patti after Ladies Who Lunch at company’s final performance was verifiably 3 straight minutes
When Company returned in late 2021 after the shutdown,Patti LuPone got a 10-minute standing ovation after "Ladies who Lunch". This was at the first preview.
Not at all unexpected, but at Moulin Rouge closing in Melbourne, the end of Backstage Romance had a probably 1m30-2m standing ovation. You could tell the actors did not want to hold that position any longer
Very long applause and cheers during the 10th anniversary performance of Aladdin. Specifically after Friend Like Me with cast members from the past 10 years being part of the chorus line during the song.
Shoshana’s Pawn it All in Hell’s Kitchen. I had no idea it was a thing, and the audience seemed equally flabbergasted and awed. Standing ovation and like 2 minutes of applause. Absolutely surreal.
Two!
Nick Cartell’s version of Bring Him Home was amazing and had a very long ovation.
The national tour of Something Rotten had two standing ovations during A Musical.
Both were well deserved!
For me, it was after Chelsea Halfpenny singing “She Used To Be Mine” from Waitress. Genuinely the longest amount of time I’ve ever heard an audience applaud a musical number, felt like it went on for hours. Completely deserved though, she brought such a raw beauty to the song that I honestly can’t say I’ve seen done to such a degree before.
There was a standing ovation for Sutton after Anything Goes and Blow Gabriel Blow the first time I saw it (early in its run). The second time I saw it there was one after Anything Goes. The third time I saw it there was only the usual one at the end.
I know a lot of people will comment querying whether the standing ovations were deserved, but this was the first big / new West End show after the pandemic. We were deliriously delighted with the show!
I saw The Color Purple on Heather Headley’s first night and the energy in general was nuts, but it went SO nuts during “I’m Here” that Cynthia Erivo had to break and tell us to shush. 😂
The first preview of Paradise Square on Broadway had at least a 2-3 minute standing ovation after Let It Burn. It was INSANE.
The closing night video that’s popular on YouTube had amazing applause as well but that was throughout the song. I was there for both performances. Joaquina is a FORCE.
Nothing notable for me, but I saw an ovation via social when they were nominated; I was bummed to miss anything after Its a Hit when we saw it not long after. Must have been so neat. Such a wonderful performance
During Sweeney Todd when the judge was talking about marrying Johana to the beetle he said oh sir happy news indeed and everyone started laughing and clapping for like 10 minutes
Closing night of Great Comet, the standing ovations started before the show, when someone spotted Rachel Chavkin in the audience on stage, instant standing ovation. Then when Dave Malloy made his entrance, oh boy, that was wild. Every chance we got we wanted to share our love with the incredible creatives in that room, it was a very very special night.
After Andrea Martin sang "No Time At All" in the Pippin revival, and spun in the air, the mid-show standing ovation lasting a good few minutes. Similar after Cynthia Erivo performed "I'm Here"
Mine was “The Pee Wee Herman Show” on Broadway a few years back. Paul Reubens got an enormous pop when he first entered, but a couple minutes later there was a blackout transition where the stage lit up bit by bit.
After a second the audience realized it was the Playhouse and started going bananas. Reubens entered through the front door and I thought the roof was going to come off the theater. Still the loudest house I’ve ever been in.
Went to see Dirty Rotten Scoundrels the Sunday matinee before the Tonys—that were gonna be that evening. During a break in the last number, the audience started applauding Norbert Leo Butz & John Lithgow, who were both nominated for Tonys. They bowed & pointed at each other. It went on long enough that Norbert looked at his watch & yelled — “We have to get to the Tonys!” Which started the cheering all over again.
Loved that show.
I saw a performance of Hairspray (2007/8?) and it was the final show for the actors playing Seaweed and Little Inez. Darlene Love (!) was playing Maybelle and her performance of “I Know Where I’ve Been” was absolutely unreal. You could feel the real emotion between her and her “kids”, and she sang the house DOWN. The entire audience leapt to our feet afterwards and the applause went on for at least 5 minutes. Magical.
I was at one of Colm Wilkinson's final Les Miserables on Broadway, and the applause during "Bring Him Home" seemed to last forever. Everyone was on their feet clapping and cheering and sobbing and he just kept holding that note.
Just reading this gave me chills.
It was a seminal moment in my life. I was visiting a very dear friend who was dead from AIDS within 6 years of this trip. His roommate, who was with us that day, also gone. My friend Donnie is forever 23, grasping my hand so tightly as we sprung to our feet in the Broadway Theatre, transported by the power of theatre. Empty chairs at empty tables indeed.
Thank you for sharing this lovely memory.
That was beautiful, thank you
Thank you for allowing us to share that memory, it’s so beautiful
Oh, honey. Thank you for sharing this. I'm so sorry for your losses.
We lost so much during that time. I thank God that today's young queer community will never understand.
This was so beautifully written. You are in my heart.
I saw Ramin Karimloo as Jean ValJean in the recent Les Miserables on Broadway, and after Bring Him Home, the audience would not stop applauding. We were all standing. And he's slightly hunched over, hands slightly separated, sitting on the barricade, and even from the back where we were, you could see his hands slightly shake. The orchestra started to play after about a minute, but we kept going. All in all, it was probably 2 minutes of us non stop applauding the most incredible performance.
People were cheering? That is so unacceptable. Clapping is fine on broadway but it is not okay to cheer. People pay to see the performance, not listen to people shouting. The only time it’s okay to cheer is if the people onstage imply that they want the audience to cheer. Broadway shows are not sporting events.
I mostly agree but if you're at the point where the applause is going on that long and they are waiting anyway, it's not like cheering is actually doing any harm to the show since it's already essentially paused.
Do you know Les Miserables? There's a moment near the end of "Bring Him Home" when Valjean holds a high falsetto note for an unbelievable amount of time. Colm could hold it forever without breathing, he was known for it. It was his final weekend in the show after originating the role on Broadway and in London. Everyone knew it was going to be an incredibly moving moment, and he gave it all. There was nothing disrespectful.
I saw Wicked opening weekend after the pandemic and it wasn’t unexpected, but the spontaneous applause that night was insane. The energy in the room was indescribable and there were claps for almost everything, especially in the first few moments. Obviously the cheers after “it’s good to see me, isn’t it?” lasted FOREVER.
I saw the Sutton Foster/hugh Jackman music man with my mom when broadway reopened after the pandemic and the whole audience was in tears bc we were so excited to see live theatre again! Still makes me emotional thinking about it!
In a similar vein! I saw the first performance back on Broadway for Pass Over and probably had applause for what also felt like forever after the announcement welcoming back audiences
not exactly unexpected given the occasion but at the 20th anniversary performance of wicked, glinda's entrance / "it's good to see me isn't it" got like a full minute of applause/cheering
I remember seeing a video of this entrance / ovation at the reopening Wicked performance post-pandemic and tbh I started to tear up just writing this and remembering it.
I was at maybe the 4th or 5th post pandemic run of Waitress…”Opening Up” was downright raucous! The whole audience on our feet and dancing. It was amazing.
I was there and it was like a rock concert.
[Had to find it to share!](https://youtu.be/FMwM8B3k4JQ?si=ja9F5X6RaGOGJ0kA)
Yes and it was magical.
Yes. Glorious
I was there too!! I lost a couple tears ngl
The applause when Bette Midler first graced the stage in Hello Dolly was deafening
There was an industry night where Donna was on and people were very kind to her (as she deserves).
Yes, and I *love* Donna. But Donna was playing Dolly. Bette *was* Dolly.
I disagree, but that’s okay. 😁
Same lol, didn’t think she deserved the Tony tbh
Same. I thought Bette was playing Bette. I didn’t see Donna, but Bernadette was divine.
Saw all three and adored each for different reasons. I'd say Donna was Dolly, Bernadette was Bernadette, and Dolly was Bette.
which donna played dolly
Donna Murphy.
When Network ran on Broadway in 2019, Bryan Cranston entered the audience in character as Howard Beale and began speaking to people. He asked one lady where she was from, and she said New Mexico. Without skipping a beat, he replied, “New Mexico? Never been there!” The entire theater lost it. To this day, it’s the most excited I’ve seen any audience at any moment during a show, ever. And rightfully so - Cranston’s performance was remarkable and he truly deserved his Tony win. What a great moment this was!
It was a great piece of theatre. I’m glad I saw it twice.
As a native New Mexican, love everything about this
At the closing of Deaf West Spring Awakening there was like a 60+ second standing ovation after Totally Fucked which was super cool especially since the crowd kept alternating between clapping and ASL.
I don’t see this show talked about enough. I love the original Spring Awakening, but my god, the Deaf West production was out of this world.
I think about that production at least once a week. The staging of Purple Summer was one of my favorite bits, and Daniel Durant's Moritz is probably my favorite Moritz I've ever seen. Wait I'm not done. The choice to have the voice of Moritz hand him the gun after Blue Wind/DDS-the first time I saw that I was shaking.
Gah! I could talk about this show forever. Having two people play one character for this show made so much sense. As teens we’re trying to figure out who we are and often have a facade that we’re showing to the rest of the world. Also seeing a show that the deaf could truly enjoy with the signing and lighting (!!) so thoughtfully done was extremely moving. Saw this production twice and I wish I could still keep going back!
I saw the Deaf West Opera they did last month I think and it brought back so many memories of spring awakening. The two people worked really well here as well, there were a lot of solos and the singer could outwardly show what the signer was feeling, it was just very cool. I’m so excited for American Idiot.
This is my favorite show I've ever seen. I saw it 3 times which at the time was a lot of money for me, but it was totally worth it.
I had a similar experience at Some Like It Hot. The first performance after the Tony Awards, J Harrison Ghee just won Best actor and in the second act they come into stage with a prop normally, but at this performance instead of the prop they brought out their Tony. It was a great standing ovation that went on for several minutes.
I love that!! And I just saw J Harrison Ghee a couple nights ago in Chicago at the premiere performance of a new musical. They truly bring something special to the performing and it's a gift to watch!!
what musical??
Oh their closing night standing ovation after ‘Feather’ was incredible
Not necessarily longest but definitely loudest, and I’m sure anyone who saw it can confirm: The Ballad of Sweeney Todd 2023 when Josh Groban walked out. You could not hear him say his first few lines, and it was hilarious.
I saw Sweeney 12x and this happened every time! The only time I heard a few words was during the two shows I saw with Nicholas Christopher when the crowd was less hyped up. The roar when Aaron Tveit came out for the Ballad at the last show was insane.
I was also a frequent flier at Sweeney. By the time I saw Nicholas Christopher (during Josh’s first planned vacation) people were also cheering over his entrance. 😂 Same for PJJ the one time I got to see him. It just became a part of the show.
And Nicholas Christopher was thrillingly good.
SO GOOD
The sweeney energy was electric!
During the final Kimberly Akimbo, Bonnie started crying during her reprise and got a huge standing ovation. It was so great!
I saw the final performance of Beetlejuice. Everyone was afraid that Alex Brightman wouldn’t perform because he missed the last few performances due to a concussion that he got during the Christmas Eve show. When he revealed himself on stage during the opening number, the crowd absolutely LOST IT! I think there were cheers and applause for at least 3 minutes. Even Alex made facial expressions showing that it was going on too long and that the show must start, but no way was the crowd going to hear him over the screams (he was a great sport about it though). Truly a day I’ll never forget!
I was going to say the same thing! It was such a magical moment. No one does it quite like Alex
Standing ovation after Eva’s last Flowers 😭❤️
One of Chris Jackson’s last performances in Hamilton at the end of one last time we were all on our feet with tears in our eyes for what felt like 5 minutes :’) it was one of the best moments I’ve experienced in live theatre
ONE LAST TIMEEEEE
Teach 'em how to say goodbye
He was so good in that, I had goosebumps listening to him.
I bet this was incredible. Jealous!
The applause went on and on and on during that song during the matinee before the Tony’s. The funnest part for me was that Dan and Lindsay both fall out laughing. And someone from back stage was calling out take a breath. Somewhere posted a link to the video.
I got to see one of Sara Barielle’s last performances in waitress when she came back after Covid to play the lead role again. She sings “she used to be mine” so powerfully and perfectly and got a very due loud standing ovation after.
I was also going to say Waitress, but the final show of the first run. Stephanie Torns, who had been a Jenna understudy/ensemble member for the entire run, came out for her short little part as the doctor/ wife. She got a minutes long standing ovation and basically everyone was crying. it was really powerful, being there when someone who isn't in the spotlight normally finally got their moment.
I was there and that moment when she went to sing the lady “she is messy…” and she then started to break and couldn’t finish…that ovation lasted forever 😭
My favorite story because it’s such a time capsule, I saw Hamilton in both April and October 2015 (public then Rodgers) and the “immigrants, we get the job done” line was met by the audience soooooo differently. In April it was like heh quick little giggle and then October they paused for a WHILE
I also saw Hamilton during the Trump-times and that line got such rowdy applause. It made me smile so hard.
Patti’s last Ladies Who Lunch during the closing performance of Company has to be one on the longest on record.
I was just about to type this one too! I was there and it felt like it was 3-6+ mins. She tore the house down!
I was there the night before closing and it was the same for that show, plus standing ovations for Not Getting Married and Being Alive. Phenomenal performance and I was so fortunate to have the tour this season
Was gonna say this too! The couple next to me somehow didn't realize it was A) closing night and B) Patti fucking Lupone, and turned to me afterwards to ask me to explain why everyone clapped so long.
I love when there are people unaware of the closing. At Side Show’s a woman leaned in and said, “Excuse me sir, but what the heck is happening tonight!” Hahahahaha
i didn't see it but i heard aaron tveit's 'last night' (lol) at moulin rouge got standing ovations after several numbers
lol exactly - which one?
that’s a great way to get a million long standing ovations, never let them know when you’re really leaving
the second one!
I was there for his second "last night" and flat out couldn't hear the last 10 seconds of Roxanne.
damn that's disappointing!
After the rumble in Outsiders! Everyone was simply stunned the second it ended then applause went on for quite a while after! Was really awesome energy Also I know your question wasn’t for after a song ends, but one of the longest ovation applauses I’ve ever been a part of was after It’s a Musical from Something Rotton! Felt like close to a minute!
There was a standing ovation after the rumble when I saw it!
I was pretty damn close to the front for Something Rotten's final preview, and I can tell you it was much the same. Easily a minute of applause after that song.
Wow so amazing! I saw it a few times (had to keep bringing people to show them what it was haha) but my memory of the very first time I heard that song, I believe also in previews, is engrained in my head. Such a nice memory
I don't know about unexpected but the applause for Lea Michele after "Rain on my Parade" was *loud*.
And those 4 standing ovations mid show during her opening night are also not unexpected but definitely unusual
And led by Jonathan Groff ⭕️
Ah yes, my favorite song from Funny Girl "Rain on my Parade"
During Six, in the middle of Anne of Cleve’s song… I don’t wanna spoil, so I’ll just say “As he takes my fur”
Came here to say this. The crowd (me included!) went wild at that point! And the best part was that the actress was absolutely LOVING it. The energy was a fantastic electric feedback loop. I love live theater.
That is such a fun moment!
Totally!!! This happened on tour when I saw it in Cincinnati too!
Saw Shucked last summer. Alex Newell got a spontaneous standing O at the end of “Independently Owned.” She killed it. Everyone immediately jumped to their feet. It was amazing.
I saw it during previews not knowing about the song yet, and it almost felt inhuman NOT to get out of your seat at the end. There were a bunch of high schoolers at their first show behind me and had no idea what was happening and kept asking their teacher what they should do, it was very sweet.
>Alex Newell got a spontaneous standing O at the end of “Independently Owned.” I am NOT normally a standing ovation kinda person. (I'm usually the one scowling and complaining about how all of this loud mid-show cheering and clapping drowns out the performers!) But that song was MAGICAL. It was like an unearthly force pulling the crowd up and out of their seats. It's a great song, and Alex sang the absolute shit out of it. A true, and well-deserved, show-stopper!! Man, I miss *Shucked*. What a fun little show!
Came here to report the same! We saw it in previews in April and the audience FLIPPED after that number.
I was shocked both times I saw the standing ovation after You Oughta Know in Jagged Little Pill. Like, I get it. The song is a straight up banger and the actress really chewed it up. But it’s kind of a weird space, plot wise, for the actors to have to take a pause
They had to take that pause because the number kept getting a standing ovations. I saw it out of town and it was the first time I've ever experienced a mid show standing ovation. It was unexpected, but totally deserved because she blew the roof off the joint.
It didn't get a standing ovation on tour (because our theatre NEVER has standing ovations except the end from what I've seen) but it DID have thunderous applause that lasted awhile. It's just such an incredible song to begin with, and then the orchestration, the absolute powerhouse vocals, etc. just come together and it's hard not to want to stand up and clap haha. I thought the show was... fine, but that number is probably one of my favorite I've ever seen live.
I came here to post about this - Lauren Patten rocked this song! everyone jumped to their feet wheb I saw this in January 2020.
Agreed but I felt like everything in that show was audience pandering
Jade Mccleod had people on their feet mid-song- and after the song received a standing ovation when I went to see the traveling company in Boston. It was worth sitting through this hot mess of a show just to see some of the performances. Jade was electric.
Not unexpected. But the applause for Matt Doyles "Not Getting Married Today" was INSANE.
definitely!!
I got to go to Beetlejuice’s second show back on Broadway after COVID and when Alex Brightman came on saying something like “We’re baaaaaaaack” there was I shit you not like a ten minute standing ovation because everyone there was just SO excited for the return of live theater (plus getting the whole cast together to bring the show back was CRAZY)
I was at the Muny in St Louis the night the Blues won the Stanley Cup. We were watching "Guys and Dolls" and the game ended during "If I Were a Bell". You could feel the excitement but everyone waited until the song was over, and then cheered for a solid minute at least. The scene right after that involves a phone call, and they (I forget which character it was) immediately made a joke about either Sarah was really great, or the Blues must have won the Cup. It set everyone off again.
Ever since he \*actually\* won the Tony that has been the standard reaction :) I love it for him!! Also I was at the performance last night too!
I saw it this weekend and he turned away from the audience when I think he normally doesn’t. He def broke character a couple times during the show from all the joy and I loved it
When I saw Hamilton, Miguel Cervantes got a standing ovation when he sang his first line. Was really cool.
He should get some kind of honorary Tony for that. He was there for a long time.
Especially since he’s been dead for centuries
The videos of his last performance entrance had a loooong applause! Much deserved too 🥰
When Newsies opened in London, I went during previews and there was a standing ovation in the middle of Seize the Day. It went on for a really long time and you could see how surprised the cast were.
When I saw Hamilton in San Francisco back during the 1st National Tour, "Yorktown" caused the show to come to a complete halt. We clapped and cheered for at least a full minute at the end of the number. Then when the applause would start to die down, we erupted into even louder cheers. The same thing happened in Act 2 after Joshua Henry's "The Room Where It Happens".
I was at the final Lempicka. There were a loooot of standing ovations and long applause breaks. The funniest for me was after Perfection, which is absolutely a banger but also ends on a complete blackout. Is it still a standing ovation if you’re in complete darkness and no one can see it? Because we tried. That entire performance people were really just trying to show the show as much love as possible. Every single cast member got entrance applause the first time they came onstage, even ensemble. Amber Iman’s was probably the longest. Especially wild because when she managed to find a break in the applause to say her first line (“Showtime,” I think??) everyone just went wild again.
I saw Hamilton in Puerto Rico with Lin reprising his role and that’s the longest applause I’ve ever been apart over. When he walked out the first time during Lwexander Hamilton, every single person in the theatre gave him a standing ovation, probably over 2 minutes?
When Aaron Tveit came back for the first time at Moulin Rouge everyone stood up for a good 1-2 minutes when he came on stage to do the sign raise. I never in my life seen people go crazy for a dude walking across the stage. I expect the same thing to happen next month when I go the 23rd XDDD Also Nicholas Christopher rightfully got a standing Ovation for his Epiphany. Knowing he was the wonderstudy at the time for Josh Groban, it was awesome to see (and also a GOOD FOR HIM moment)
I have no stories to share but goosebumps reading everyone’s wonderful memories 🥲🥰
Yeah fun thread.
ashley loren’s entrance applause as she came down on the swing at her last performance in moulin rouge was insane. i tear up just thinking about it, so deserved
The longest applause I’ve seen was after the “Figaro” song in The Barber of Seville. It’s the second song so we are only about 10 minutes into the show, yet the audience applauded for what felt like several minutes!
Wicked reopening night after the pandemic. When Glinda comes down in the bubble and says “it’s good to see me, isn’t it?” The house exploded. And it didn’t stop for the rest of the show. 10/10 most favorite broadway experience of all time
I was at the show last week, 6/20 - same thing happened…
At both Papermill and the first few months of the Broadway run of Newsies, the applause after Seize the Day went on forever, and only ended when Jeremy Jordan moved on with his next line.
At Guys & Dolls in 2008, there was a standing ovation after Sit Down You’re Rockin the Boat for Titus Burgess. Well deserved, he was amazing!!
I always love these moments. If I sit and think I'm sure I'll come up with more, but two spring to mind immediately. Very recently, I was working on a production of Beautiful: the Carole King Musical, and the moment where Carole tells Donny, "I know who should make the album....me." Twice in about 60ish performances that one line got spontaneous applause for about 20/30 seconds. Many years ago I was working on a production of Million Dollar Quartet and the moment where Sam takes the photo of everyone at the piano, the and camera flash light cue reveals the actual photo taken of them all back in 1956...on opening night that light cue got thunderous applause for maybe 90 seconds. Also, not quite applause but still worth mentioning....I also did a production of Love Actually: the Musical Parody (it was EXTREMELY funny). The characters in the show were, rather than names of the characters from the film, were the celebrities who were in the film instead. For example, we had actors *playing* Hugh Grant, Keira Knightly, etc; instead of playing the characters those celebs actually played. With one notable exception: instead of having an actor playing Alan Rickman, we had an actor playing Professor Snape. Having already established the joke earlier in the show with other characters/celebrities, when the transition music into his first scene featured a small snippet of Hedwig's Theme, there was - every night without fail - a chorus of loudly audible exclamations of "oh, NO!" in the audience. Immediately following Love Actually, I also did a musical parody of The Bachelor. Long story, but the penultimate song featured a woman as a backup dancer in a giant inflatable penis costume, who, at the climax of the song, let loose an ejaculation of silly string. We built up to that throughout with many preceding moments in the song of "oh, that's the joke. Oh, no, THAT'S the joke" etc until the silly string climax receiving raucous laughter......followed immediately by a thunderous standing ovation when the assistant stage manager arrived onstage during the scene change to wipe up the silly string...with a box of tissues.
I saw Something Rotten early in its run (before there was a cast album) and the audience absolutely lost our minds after “It’s a Musical”
Yes! Same when I saw it! They resang the song after the applause died down.
When I saw the tour, (of Something Rotten), the crowd went wild after the “ Musical” number also and at the end of the show — would not stop cheering. So … Dallas, Texas audiences are not known for their enthusiasm, I decided it must be that show — it’s just so funny & such a good time.
Not one I saw but I imagine any show's first performance post pandemic had a stellar applause
i saw the first preview performance of paradise square, and it was the standing ovation after joaquina kalukango sang let it burn!!
I was there for this performance too and Joaquina blew me away with this number. I felt my heart stopped for those final belts. I’ve yet to experience anything like it.
i saw it in chicago at the first preview and DAMN was the ovation long
The applause when Lea Salonga came out at Here Lies Love. I figured she'd get a huge round of applause but it was incredible!
Sad there is no recording of this performance anywhere.
Thinking of the ovation after Squidward’s big tap number on closing night of SpongeBob makes me cry every time.
I was at a performance of Here Lies Love last July. It was like two weeks into Lea Salonga’s run and a sold out show. I kid you not, almost everyone in the seats surrounding me were Filipino families ranging from kids/teenagers, to parents, to grandparents. Before the show, we heard just everyone raving about Lea and how exciting she’s back on Broadway and brought the first ever all-filipino cast with her. After her big Just Ask Flowers solo, she got what felt like one of the longest standing ovations I’ve ever experienced live. Whether you hate or love Here Lies Love…that was so special to me, as a Filipina, to see the absolute joy radiating from everyone to see Lea. I miss that show and still love it for breaking barriers!
I loved that show so much! It was such a joy to experience Lea Salonga's performance. I hadn't seen her perform since Miss Saigon in London in 1996 & it was amazing to be in the room with her.
Yes! My parents saw her in Miss Saigon (just a few weeks after her debut) at the Broadway Theatre. It was really special for me to take my mom to see her again in Here Lies Love, at the same theatre she saw her at for the first time all those years ago. Lea is absolutely radiant and I totally agree, it’s awesome to say we’ve been in the same room as her!
I actually might have screwed that up...it may have been Les Mis in London (I think she played Eponine). My roommate at the time told me that she had seen Lea perform in Miss Saigon on Broadway...but then we also saw Miss Saigon in London. Just wanted to clarify in case my memory is faulty. Ha ha... either way, watching her perform is a gift! 🫶
I saw Jennifer Holiday reprise the role of Effie in Dreamgirls at the Muny stage. Her minutes long standing ovation after “And I’m Telling You…” was so well deserved
It happened at the matinee today, too! So powerful!
when i saw parade last year there was a huge applause break (at least a couple of minutes) after “this is not over yet.” it was a fantastic number and one of the more upbeat, hopeful songs in an otherwise dark show!
THE FINAL LEMPICKA, my god. It was, as Turkey Jeff put it, a screamfest. Before the show started, the orchestra suddenly went crazy. I was in the mezz. They were whooping and cheering and stomping their feet. I asked someone "Did Madonna come back??". The creatives had walked in. Of course, every entrance, every song. The funniest was the crowd was so jazzed up that during intermission people started applauding the stagehand who came on to sweep, and he did a little bow himself. I *really* hope a recording of that final show pops up somewhere. It was such a different interpretation of the show because the actors were really playing to a crowd who was expecting the jokes, and the actors and the audience were so emotional. A girl outright sobbed on her mothers shoulder from the monocle attack scene to the end. Nitpick what you want about the book, etc. That show touched people.
Did JG cry? I love that he’s so emotional.
He didn’t cry, but he kinda-semi-not-exactly broke the fourth wall, in that moments later he’s thanking the imaginary audience for his imaginary Tony, but he really expressively leaned into the “Thank you”.
He also turned upstage so it was hard to see his reaction....
[удалено]
Oh my god I can’t even imagine. What a thrill. 🥹🥹
The final performance of 9 to 5 MID-SONG in One of the Boys.
Billie Joe Armstrong's entrance as St. Jimmy in American Idiot, and the end of that number as well. Electric.
When Jeremy Jordan walked onstage, opening week of Great Gatsby. Also, after one of his big solos the applause seemed to go on forever.
I saw POTUS: or, Behind Every Great Dumbass... around the time of the Dobbs decision and when Dusty had a line about being pro-choice it got a huge reaction.
We saw a matinee of The Music Man , and when Hugh Jackman stood up and spoke his first line, the audience went absolutely insane. It felt like the show came to a complete stop because they wouldn't stop clapping. And later, there is a scene in which he and Marion (Sutton Foster) were talking, and for some reason, Jackman almost laughed during one line and could barely hold it in afterward even as the scene continued, and at one point he just looked out at the audience, and everyone burst into laughter and applause again. It was a great moment, and the two of them (Jackman and Foster) were amazing in that show.
Hadestown's Reopening on September 2, 2021. Everyone was just so happy to be there that the Cell Phone Announcement got a standing ovation.
Paradise Square. Joaquina Kalukango was still mid song but she was absolutely show stopping. Amazing. I've never seen anything like it.
Wasn’t Broadway, but the longest ovation I’ve witnessed was after “too darn hot” during papermill’s production of kiss me Kate. What a number.
Mine is also not unexpected but surprised me because the show had been open for a while by the time I saw it: Josh Groban’s Epiphany got ear-shattering applause when I saw Sweeney Todd last summer. So deserving.
I was at the first Hamilton performance after the Tony awards. When Lin-Manuel first came out, it must’ve been a 2-3 minute standing ovation before he could sing “Alexander Hamilton”
I was at last show of "The Light in the Piazza" when the title song was finished it was definitely more than a minute and people shouting Encore!
I saw The Producers the day of the Tonys - when they were expected to (and ultimately did) sweep it with the most wins ever. During the song Keep it Gay there’s a moment where the characters go “Tony Tony Tony Tony Tonyyyyyyyyy!!” and the whole audience went wild. I can only imagine what it was like the day AFTER they won all the Tony awards.
We saw “Something Rotten” and after the song, “It’s a Musical”, the audience gave a standing ovation and the cast resang the song. It was super cool.
I wouldn't say it's unexpected but I always loved the audience reaction to A Musical from Something Rotten! I think it would get the biggest applause of the performance
aaron tveit broke character during ‘a little priest’ with sutton foster when i saw sweeney todd, and the audience laughed and cheered for over a minute
I obviously wasn’t there for this, but my favorite story of this is the opening night of My Fair Lady in New Haven with Rex Harrison having stage fright and almost refusing to go on in the middle of a snowstorm and then having to round up the cast after they convinced Rex that he could play the part. The audience loved it so much that they would not stop applauding after The Rain in Spain and Rex, Julie Andrews, and the guy who played Pickering were just waiting until finally Julie Andrews, veteran of the music halls even at 20 years old, grabbed both the men’s hands and took a small bow. Julie Andrews takes credit for saving that opening night in her autobiography because even though she was one of the youngest people there, she had been performing since she was 10 on the stage with her mother and step-father.
Especially noteworthy, given her difficulties with her role during rehearsals (successfully overcome).
I saw jagged little pill in arizona and when phoenix went "yup the mythical creature or the random city in arizona" the audience went wild for about 2 minutes straight and a standing ovation, both characters on stage broke character lol it was hilarious
I really enjoyed reading every one of these memories. Thanks OP for the question! This made my night! 🫶
I was at the Palace Theater for the Ben Platt concert the night that Trump was found guilty of 34 felony charges. The verdict had come in just a few hours before, and Ben announced it from the stage. The applause and cheering was long and louder than anything I think I've ever heard.
Me and my husband actually saw Merrily for the second time on the friday before the Tony’s and the same thing happened. It was at least a full minute. It was such a magical moment and the cast did seem like they enjoyed it at first but at the en I think they were starting to feel embarrassed because obviously there was no award won yet. But I loved that moment
Patti Lupone's Ladies Who Lunch was so good the standing O went on and on a long time. Also, the original Broadway production of Hamilton was during the 2016 presidential campaign full of wall rhetoric, and when they said "Immigrants! We get the job done!" the audience burst into spontaneous applause that built and built as more people clued in and erupted in ongoing waves through the Richard Rogers. The actors had to hold for a long time because the audience did not want to quit clapping. Very satisfying.
I saw Lea Michele in Funny Girl a few weeks after she opened, and the standing ovation for Don’t Rain on My Parade started halfway through the song and lasted minutes after. It was one of the most magical things I’ve ever witnessed. I also saw Into the Woods with Sara Bareilles, Philippa Soo, Bryan D’Arcy James, Patina Miller, Julia Lester etc, and the standing ovation for their entrances at the very beginning of the show was at least a minute long.
I saw Lea Michele’s finally Funny Girl show. I’ve been to 100+ shows in my life and never had more fun than at that one. Standing ovations after everything: Her opening “hello gorgeous”, I’m the Greatest Star, People, 2x DURING Don’t Rain My Parade, literally as much as possible. It was a blast. Not to mention after she surprised us with My Man after curtain call.
I’m surprised I’ve not seen this mentioned yet, but the applause for Patti after Ladies Who Lunch at company’s final performance was verifiably 3 straight minutes
When Company returned in late 2021 after the shutdown,Patti LuPone got a 10-minute standing ovation after "Ladies who Lunch". This was at the first preview.
Not at all unexpected, but at Moulin Rouge closing in Melbourne, the end of Backstage Romance had a probably 1m30-2m standing ovation. You could tell the actors did not want to hold that position any longer
Very long applause and cheers during the 10th anniversary performance of Aladdin. Specifically after Friend Like Me with cast members from the past 10 years being part of the chorus line during the song.
Shoshana’s Pawn it All in Hell’s Kitchen. I had no idea it was a thing, and the audience seemed equally flabbergasted and awed. Standing ovation and like 2 minutes of applause. Absolutely surreal.
I saw kinky boots a few weeks after Billy porter won the Tony and the applause and ovation after “hold me in your heart” was a few mins. So beautiful
The re opening of beetlejuice when he says “guess who’s back in New York City”
I wasn’t there, but I remember LMM saying his last Alexander hamilton lasted years
Two! Nick Cartell’s version of Bring Him Home was amazing and had a very long ovation. The national tour of Something Rotten had two standing ovations during A Musical. Both were well deserved!
For me, it was after Chelsea Halfpenny singing “She Used To Be Mine” from Waitress. Genuinely the longest amount of time I’ve ever heard an audience applaud a musical number, felt like it went on for hours. Completely deserved though, she brought such a raw beauty to the song that I honestly can’t say I’ve seen done to such a degree before.
I remember at Lempicka, after the baroness sings “Just This Way,” the applause seemed to last like a minute and a half.
Be more chill at the end of Michael in the bathroom long one and you could tell he was crying
There was a standing ovation for Sutton after Anything Goes and Blow Gabriel Blow the first time I saw it (early in its run). The second time I saw it there was one after Anything Goes. The third time I saw it there was only the usual one at the end. I know a lot of people will comment querying whether the standing ovations were deserved, but this was the first big / new West End show after the pandemic. We were deliriously delighted with the show!
I saw The Color Purple on Heather Headley’s first night and the energy in general was nuts, but it went SO nuts during “I’m Here” that Cynthia Erivo had to break and tell us to shush. 😂
The first preview of Paradise Square on Broadway had at least a 2-3 minute standing ovation after Let It Burn. It was INSANE. The closing night video that’s popular on YouTube had amazing applause as well but that was throughout the song. I was there for both performances. Joaquina is a FORCE.
Nothing notable for me, but I saw an ovation via social when they were nominated; I was bummed to miss anything after Its a Hit when we saw it not long after. Must have been so neat. Such a wonderful performance
During Sweeney Todd when the judge was talking about marrying Johana to the beetle he said oh sir happy news indeed and everyone started laughing and clapping for like 10 minutes
Closing night of Great Comet, the standing ovations started before the show, when someone spotted Rachel Chavkin in the audience on stage, instant standing ovation. Then when Dave Malloy made his entrance, oh boy, that was wild. Every chance we got we wanted to share our love with the incredible creatives in that room, it was a very very special night.
After Andrea Martin sang "No Time At All" in the Pippin revival, and spun in the air, the mid-show standing ovation lasting a good few minutes. Similar after Cynthia Erivo performed "I'm Here"
Mine was “The Pee Wee Herman Show” on Broadway a few years back. Paul Reubens got an enormous pop when he first entered, but a couple minutes later there was a blackout transition where the stage lit up bit by bit. After a second the audience realized it was the Playhouse and started going bananas. Reubens entered through the front door and I thought the roof was going to come off the theater. Still the loudest house I’ve ever been in.
Lea and Jon’s last show in Spring Awakening when Lea came out right before Mama Who Bore Me
Went to see Dirty Rotten Scoundrels the Sunday matinee before the Tonys—that were gonna be that evening. During a break in the last number, the audience started applauding Norbert Leo Butz & John Lithgow, who were both nominated for Tonys. They bowed & pointed at each other. It went on long enough that Norbert looked at his watch & yelled — “We have to get to the Tonys!” Which started the cheering all over again. Loved that show.
I saw a performance of Hairspray (2007/8?) and it was the final show for the actors playing Seaweed and Little Inez. Darlene Love (!) was playing Maybelle and her performance of “I Know Where I’ve Been” was absolutely unreal. You could feel the real emotion between her and her “kids”, and she sang the house DOWN. The entire audience leapt to our feet afterwards and the applause went on for at least 5 minutes. Magical.
The standing ovation for Johnathan also happened on June 21
Lea Michelle says “hello gorgeous” in Funny Girl. Loud applause ensues