Peanut gallery
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2009) |
A peanut gallery was, in the days of vaudeville, a nickname for the cheapest (and ostensibly rowdiest) seats in the theater, which was all too willing [in the view of the performer] to heckle the performer. The the least expensive snack served at the theater would often be peanuts, which the patrons would sometimes throw at the performers on stage to show their disapproval. The phrases "no comments from the peanut gallery" or "quiet in the peanut gallery" are extensions of the name, meaning the great unwashed should defer to their betters.
In the late 1940s the Howdy Doody show adopted the name to represent its audience of 40 children.
In recent times, the term has taken on new meanings with the advent of social networks and online chat rooms. "Peanut gallery" may also refer to a social network audience that passively observes a syndicated web feed or chat room.
Related terms
 | This section may contain information not important or relevant to the article's subject. (September 2010) |
In Europe
- In Europe, the claque at many opera houses and theatres were an organized group who would cheer performances hysterically or boo and cat-call, depending on the outcome of financial negotiations between their leader and the lead performers' agents.
- Similar seats in British theatres are often called "the gods" because of the seats' higher elevation (e.g., "We've got seats in the gods for the play tonight").
- Similar seats in Spanish and French theatres were called "el paraíso" and "le paradis" respectively (from which came the title of the movie Les Enfants du Paradis) because of the seats' higher elevation. Another common name was "el gallinero" and "le poulailler" respectively (the henhouse) because the population of the section was very noisy.
In North America
- In the US and Canada, especially at sporting events and concerts, the more elevated seats are often referred to as "the nosebleeds", alluding to the altitude. In politics, it represents people in the visitor galleries heckling politicians and their guests on the legislative floor.
- The orange-colored seats in the upper decks of Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh were often referred to by local patrons as "Peanut Heaven".
In South America
- Similar to "peanut gallery", Brazilian football coach Luis Felipe Scolari called Palmeiras' complaining audience that sat in the closest seats "Turma do Amendoim" ("Peanut gang"). The supporters accepted the nickname, and use it to date.[1][2]
References
External links
 | This theatre-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |