To The Guardian
When did the standing ovation become de rigueur in British theatre? Where once it was the volume and duration of the applause that marked the exceptional from the ordinary, it now seems that even modest performances have half the theatre on its feet whooping for more. If we are to mimic the audiences of La Scala et al, I reserve the right to boo.
Tom Challenor, London

In Washington DC there could scarcely have been a public performance of anything in the last twenty years that has not ended with a standing ovation. It starts with a relative (one suspects) of one of the performers leaping to his feet.  He is followed by the person behind him, who now cannot see the stage. This starts a ripple effect that continues until the whole audience is standing.  You feel a right curmudgeon if you don’t.

I once attended a meeting the Community Outreach Managers of the major American orchestras. One person, at lunch, told me, tongue in cheek, “My orchestra is lucky. We are able to get up at a reasonable time, are in Washington DC by lunchtime.  We rehearse, play, receive our standing ovation, and are home not too late in the evening”.

Epicurus, were he alive, would not approve.  If everyone gets an ecstatic reception then it is impossible to tell who is good and who is better. He would be all in favor of booing occasionally, “pour encourager les autres”.