Is it all right to applaud in between the movements of a symphony–or when an actor in a play does something that pleases you? I got a letter from a reader the other day who came to New York to see the Broadway revival of Waiting for Godot and was surprised when the audience applauded the entrances of Nathan Lane, Bill Irwin, and John Goodman. Was that inappropriate, given the fact that Godot is a famously dark and disturbing play about the existential dilemmas of humankind? Or should audiences be encouraged to respond more freely to what they see and hear on stage?
I gave some thought to blogging about these questions, but then it occurred to me to write a “Sightings” column for today’s Wall Street Journal in which I sound off on the problem–if it is one–of inappropriate applause. Pick up a copy of the Journal and see what I have to say.
UPDATE: Read the whole thing here.
Terry Teachout on the arts in New York City
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