SIT DOWN, NO NO!

Everyone agrees that "diva" is an overused word. This theater critic from Sign On San Diego thinks that standing ovations are doled out way too easily nowadays. I tend to agree, but since I'm often seeing friends' shows, I've actually leapt up and started a few in an attempt to be supportive. And I have to admit, a few time, I've risen at a stinker just totry to rectify the embarassing situation which has just unfolded for two hours. Maybe we should be more discerning...

An excerpt of FOR A SHOW THAT'S TRULY WORTH IT, PLEASE RISE by Anne Marie Walsh:

Fast-forward 10 years to 1986 at San Francisco's Curran Theatre. This particular evening, another husband to my left rose vociferously to his feet to lead the cheering for his wife, Carol Channing.

The show was “Legends,” a dog of a piece if ever there was one, and this audience at the Curran Theatre rose far more reluctantly, though eventually lemming-like at his lead to cheer and clap. Their ovation was surely not for the play, or even the performances, but was a nostalgic salute to the stars – Channing and her sublimely different foil, Mary Martin.

Whether kicked off by adoring husbands savvy about star-power and the box office, or by fans merely eager to express their enthusiasm, the standing ovation once was a mark of the audience's discernment. And why not? Artists who give lifetimes to refining their craft and who offer unusually good performances sometimes deserve a special, vigorous and standing response.

But the standing has become so standard in San Diego that it's meaningless.

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