Cheapens the experience

I attended a theatrical production of sorts last night. It was a musical/comedy type thing that was pretty good in most places. I laughed at some parts. I thought some of their songs were really well done. I could’ve done without a few of the numbers, but they weren’t too bad. The last number they did ended up being patriotic in nature, a montage of patriotic songs. And they brought out two big American flags, which of course got everyone in the audience to stand up. I don’t mind standing for the flag. But while we were still standing, they finished their show, ensuring they got a standing ovation, kind of. It was normal sit-down clapping, but we just happened to be standing. There is a difference between the polite clapping people do at the end of just about any show, and the enthusiastic clapping that accompanies a genuine standing ovation. For me, it shows a lack of confidence in their show if they have to manipulate the audience into giving them a standing ovation. I wish I could go back and sit down before I started clapping. I’ll have to remember that the next time someone tries to manipulate me into giving them a standing ovation. It just cheapened the whole show in my view.