Given the scale of the spectacle and choreography, theatergoers prefer to sit farther away from the stage for large-cast musicals. 

And yet, this preference inhibits being able to hear one of my favorite musical traditions:  

Chorus Asides — of which the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre’s revival of Brigadoon is chock full. 

The vast majority of scripted dialogue in a conventional production is amplified through microphones. But to add verisimilitude to group scenes, certain directors will instruct random members of the ensemble to improvise spoken reactions to the central action. From most seats, these lines sound like realistically-incomprehensible chatter outside of earshot.

But these words can be crystal clear from the first few rows. And they’re often hilarious, a fleeting opportunity for the chorus to inject specific color into their unnamed characters. 

It’s almost like your average artist boasts more personal creativity than most shows allow them to showcase.

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Cinema’s version of a Chorus Aside are ADR adds in comedies. The camera doesn’t cut to the actor’s moving mouth, but the eagle-eared can decipher these “throwaway” lines at a lower volume in the sound mix, often among the funniest in the flick.