There’s a little New Year’s Eve tradition that has become cult in Germany and I’d love to share it with you.
It’s a little, 10 minute TV sketch called “Dinner For One” or sometimes also “The 90th Birthday”.
Dinner For One was recorded in 1963 for Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) and features Freddie Frinton as Butler James and May Warden as Miss Sophie.
On NYE, this sketch is repeated every few minutes on the telly. Basically, if you’re German, you’ll watch it at least once during the night’s festivities.
Basically, that means everyone is quiet as soon as the lights dim and the curtain rises. There’s no clapping when your favourite actor comes on stage or when he/she nailed that soliloquy. There’s only applause for the interval and applause and (if the play warrants) standing ovations at the end.
In live shows, you get some heckling but in most improv shows that’s a good thing.
There are instances in which shouting, commenting and heckling are the norm, for example in a football stadium. Imagine the atmosphere, if fans only clapped at half-time.
Now imagine what it would be like if Shakespeare fans were a bit more like football supporters…
Study. Read. Write. 