Deserving less of a standing ovation? “It has become a habit”

Artist Eric de Jong, better known as Spinface, also regularly receives standing ovations. “If they don’t stand up once, they will be noticed,” says de Jong. “A bad performance also gets a standing ovation. People think it’s true, but I don’t have to.”

He notes that it is really a Dutch phenomenon. “We also play a lot in Belgium, where standing ovations are rare.” But Belgium isn’t the only country where standards are rising and filmmakers don’t have to count on an “undeserved” standing ovation.

“In America it is customary to stand alone if a performance is very good,” says cultural blogger and critic Marco Dreger. “When it’s bad some people don’t clap there. You really have to work for it.”

Standing ovations influence Dreger’s work as a reviewer. “I can no longer tell the room whether a performance is good or not. People stand up at almost every performance and are given standing ovations. It no longer depends on the value of the performance, whether something is good or not.” “People see it as something to go along with.”

Value for your money

According to Dreger, for some people, standing ovations are a coping mechanism for the money they’ve already spent on the show. “Everything is so expensive that people save so much to go to the theater,” the video blogger continues. “Then you really want to do really well, so to make yourself feel good, just stand up. But what do you do next time, if you really like it?”

However, the exceptionally good performance still manages to set itself apart. “At the premiere of Aida, the protagonist sang a song with a strong pass in the middle of the performance. And she received an open rag: a standing ovation during the performance. So I could see that the audience was really excited,” says Dreger.