Terry Teachout, who's not horrified by the classic Broadway audience habit of giving random ovations to stars simply for showing up (a bad habit that Met audiences, mostly content to clap their hands even for the most mediocre performances, have duly co-opted), argues in the Wall Street Journal that:
When in doubt, wait—then let ’er rip. You’ll be glad you did.
In short, it's theater- and opera-going as buildup of gaseous appreciation; criticism as flatulence.
