SATURDAY night at the Pavilion may have seen the death of musical theatre in this country.
Hooligans in the audience for The Wizard of Oz drowned out the music with clapping on every beat. I could see the yellow brick road but all I could hear was “CLAP-ow, CLAP-ow, CLAP-ow, CLAP-ow, CLAP-ow the CLAP-ow brick CLAP.”
If the conductor of the orchestra had stopped to say that he was quite capable of beating time on his own, thank you, he would have had the support of 80 per cent of the audience.
The minority were less than 20 per cent but they ruined the show for everyone else.
My apologies to the cast and performers for having walked out after 45 minutes. I just couldn’t stand the noise any longer.
It is easy to associate such clapping with Strictly Come Dancing but the blame is with those people who don’t see that what happens on a television programme is not acceptable in live theatre.
Perhaps the other performances of this show were not affected in the same way. My fear is that they were, along with many others across the country.
If so, this was the day the music died.
CHRIS DATE, Aylesbury Road, Boscombe
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel