They Booed Last Night

When I was in high school, the drama club put on the play ‘The Children’s Hour.’ If you’re not familiar, it’s a play about a little girl who was a real BRAT.  She killed people and was generally a real demon. The play was outstanding. The girl who played the lead was excellent. However, when it was time to take bows, she was booed off the stage! Now, I understood at that moment, that they were not booing her performance, they were booing the character that she played. She ran off the stage in tears.

I was reminded of this last night when I went to see the play ‘Waitress.’ The guy that plays her husband was a real jerk. He mistreated her and had a real misogynist view of the world. When the play was over and he took his bow, several people in the audience booed. Again, not because of his acting, but because of his character.

I don’t know if this is written anywhere…and I don’t know if this is just an example of folks who don’t know how theater works. When an actor does an outstanding job of the character her or she plays, it is normal to give an ovation, a powerful, positive ovation. When an actor gets booed, at their level of sensitivity, it often might not be a good sign. Tell them later. Stay after and tell them that you booed the character they played, not them as an actor.

I hope that the actor on stage last night, as well as that young girl from my high school, appreciate that what they did then and what they do now is outstanding and that they are being booed for all the right reasons.