When a laughing audience member competes with the show

[chanel]

This story might hit home with a lot of people who've sat near this type of person.

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/dailymusto/2012/06/jurassic_park_s.php

[doodlenyc]

Sounds like half the crowd at "Title of Show".

[DEClarke]

That's awesome!

[ZoeTheGoat]

Hahahaha Hahahaha and Hahaha

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

I think is about a former roommate of mine.

[aasjb4ever]

I don’t get it. I do that all the time, and I’ve only been hit over the head with a plastic show cup 13 times. It’s barely caused minipal brain damlage.

[Ed_Mottershead]

What really annoys me is when someone obviously connected with the production laughs when the jokes aren't landing. I remember when the now-defunct Tony Randall group was doing A Little Hotel on the Side (can't remember the exact name), a man with a very raucous laugh would laugh loudly whenever the actors were straining to get a laugh and it just wasn't funny. It didn't work -- the audience remained silent and the cast was met with almost total silence at the curtain call. Also, in the early days of television when shows were done live before an actual audience, people were hired to be professional laughers -- there was one very audible woman whose laughter was unmistakable and who was constantly on I Love Lucy.

[temms]

doodlenyc wins!

[GlindatheGood22]

A few weeks ago at Streetcar a guy sitting a row or two behind me had a very loud, obnoxious laugh. Whenever he employed it there would be a prolonged break for the bout of laughter in response to his ridiculous laugh.

[givesmevoice]

^ That reminds me of the guy sitting somewhere in the gallery the second time I saw Gypsy at City Center. He laughed about 5 seconds after everyone else AND sounded like Bert Lahr. Needless to say, there would be laughter after 5 second delay Bert Lahr laughed at a joke.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Wasn't that I Love Lucy laugher on a laugh track that was used to augment the studio audience? I think she can be heard on The Flintstones, too.

[artscallion]

I had one of these next to me at the Doyle Sweeney Todd. Now there were lots of moments of humor in that production. But this women laughed at EVERYTHING.

[Bwaydide92]

I think an audience member has the right to laugh at whatever they want to (even if it's at the production) as long as they aren't stopping you from being able to hear what's going on on stage. They paid to see the show and have whatever experience they so desired. It might be annoying, but you can't tell them how to enjoy the show.

[henrikegerman]

Special Tourette's performances might be the solution.

Now that you are all guffawing madly (as if!), I'm only half joking.

[LizzieCurry]

I'd be all for that. The Lion King did that one for kids with autism -- if there were a night where it was totally okay for someone with bad tics to go enjoy something they love without being yelled at for it, then someone should do it!

[GavestonPS]

I'm afraid Broadwaydide92 is right. As long as someone is genuinely responding to the show (or at least giving that appearance), there isn't much we can do. One of the pitfalls of live theater, I fear.

A few years ago I had a guy in front of me complain that I clapped too loudly after musical numbers. Not at inappropriate times, mind you, just too loudly. I had really never though about volume control and applause, but I tried to clap more softly.

That still didn't satisfy him so he went to the house staff and complained. Needless to say, they looked at him like he had lost his mind.

And I'm still wondering what it was about my clapping that stood out in a house of 800+ people...

[henrikegerman]

I'd rather have one person genuinely enjoying themselves to an absurd extent, than what we usually get on Broadway: an entire audience perfunctorily standing up at the final curtain whether they loved the show or not (including people who have no other choice because they'd rather see the curtain call than the asses rising in front of them).

[GavestonPS]

I don't know what to do about perfunctory standing ovations, henrik. I'm afraid that ship has sailed!

In my experience, however, they seem to be less common outside of New York. And I remember the days when a standing ovation on Broadway was a rare event.

[ArtMan]

I can't believe someone had the b..ls to tell you, you were clapping too hard. People really kill me. Laughing doesn't bother me, but it's really getting annoying from all the woo girls and boys.

[My Oh My]

My brother-in-law. Holy sweet Jesus, he'd make my sister and I utterly embarrassed to be next to him.

Oh, he'd do nothing out of the ordinary, just laugh.

But he has a deep, SHOUTING laugh and he follows it with hitting his knees with his fists repeatedly and giggling like a child. I'm NOT joking.

He's Cuban.

[dramamama611]

My daughter's laugh is a stand out. NOT in a good way. It's too loud, it's too piercing -- truly annoying and sometimes painful. But it's her laugh, I'd hate anyone suggesting it wasn't genuine.

[GavestonPS]

Please don't correct your daughter, dmama. I don't care whom she annoys; there's not so much laughter in the world that we can afford to lose any.

[orangeskittles]

An actor I know told me after a performance once that there was someone in the front row who had a laugh like Elmo. The whole cast was teetering on the edge of breaking character as they imagined Elmo at a Pinter play.

[dramamama611]

Who said anything about 'correcting' her? It's her laugh, she's in control.

[SNAFU]

Phyllis, are you talking about the I Love Lucy "Uhh Oh!" and "Oh NO!" Lady?

[GavestonPS]

Who said anything about 'correcting' her? It's her laugh, she's in control.

You didn't. I knew you wouldn't. I just chose a colorful way of applauding her enthusiasm.