Sometimes You Need to Stand Up

The standing ovation, an audience response that some performers write about in their autobiographies as being a defining moment in their career, has become almost commonplace. More often than not, an audience in some cases seems to almost feel an obligation to stand after a performance. There was a time, however, when this was rare indeed.

One of the first shows I saw, as a youngster, was "Gypsy," starring the legendary Ethel Merman. She was deservedly a legend and at the curtain call received cheers and prolonged applause for more than 10 minutes, but no standing ovation.

I saw Barbra Streisand on Broadway in "Funny Girl" and again - no standing ovation.

Performances at the Met didn't warrant standing ovations although they starred some of the most celebrated names in the world of opera.

The first standing ovation I witnessed was in the summer of 1976 at the North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly, Mass. Ginger Rogers, then in her latter 60s, was doing a nightclub act with four dancers who were young enough to be her sons. Following an amazing 18-minute dance routine in which she recreated dances she had performed on screen with Fred Astaire, the audience rose as one, cheering and applauding her exhausting but flawless routine as well as acknowledging a legendary career. I thought I was part of history, never having experienced anything like it before.

In the past 35 years, it has become more and more commonplace to stand and it has lost some of its lustre. No longer do performers talk about how honored they feel after receiving a standing ovation for a performance that today, is often lip-synched.

In the early years of the 1980s when I was frankly a bit "long in the tooth" to be playing the title role in "Peter Pan" in Springfield, Mass, I received a standing ovation from a Saturday matinee audience.

While playing the role it had become very evident to me why women more often than not play the part of Peter. The "Flying by Foy" equipment used to hoist the character into the air and create an illusion of flying, is NOT designed to comfortably accommodate the male anatomy. Perhaps my audience realized how well I was hiding my discomfort while flapping my arms and crowing.

The subject of standing ovations struck me again on Saturday evening as I sat in watching and listening to the Granite State Symphony Orchestra (GSSO) perform an amazing concert - possibly the best symphony concert I have ever attended.

I've seen such esteemed conductors as Eugene Ormandy, Andre Kostelanetz, Arthur Fiedler, James Levine, and many others during my lifetime. However, GSSO Conductor and the exceptional musicians that performed Saturday evening, created an extraordinary musical event in Concord.

At its conclusion, the audience rose to a person, and cheers and cries of "Bravo" filled the Audi. Even audience members impaired by age and ailments joined in the resounding ovation because they knew they were in the presence of something very special.

As I was leaving, I heard one elderly woman compare the exhiliration of the evening to a roller coaster ride she'd taken in her youth at Coney Island.

Concord is fortunate to have the GSSO and in the weeks ahead, residents will be fortunate enough to have many opportunities to experience all the city has to offer. These range from the renowned Songweavers who will be performing their annual concert to the who will be presenting Agatha Christie's famous mystery, "The Mousetrap." There is also an array of other opportunities locally to enjoy music, theatre, sports, comedy and all that this vibrant city has to offer.

I am again reminded of a song I wrote as a youngster back in 1965 in honor of the city's Bicentennial celebration. I guess because I was a child they didn't take it seriously when I brought it to and didn't want to use it but the sentiment remains sincere and accurate:

"By the river's sunny shore, sits the city we adore, Concord, Concord,  you have conquered me ..."