Most enthusiastic audience you have experienced?

[Call_me_jorge]

It’s gotta be my high school’s performance of Legally Blonde.
Professionally, probably the final performance of Parade at the writers theatre

[IlanaKeller]

Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp's first night back in "Rent."

[broadwaysfguy]

hamilton tour opening night in sf
crazy like a rock concert but quiet during the songs-everyone was just so elated to be there after so much build up and the cast delivered!

also closing eve of wicked sitdown in sept 2010
we loved having wicked for 18 mos and showed them the love closing night

[Dollypop]

Opening night of HELLO, DOLLY! in 1964
Closing night of that production in 1970.

Angela Lansbury's closing night of GYPSY

Patti LuPONE's closing in GYPSY

Bette Midler's 1st preview in DOLLY!

Bernadette's 1st preview in DOLLY!

[SmokeyLady]

Dollypop said: "Opening night of HELLO, DOLLY! in 1964
Closing night of that production in 1970.

Angela Lansbury's closing night of GYPSY

Patti LuPONE's closing in GYPSY

Bette Midler's 1st preview in DOLLY!

Bernadette's 1st preview in DOLLY!
"

Dollypop;  I am pretty sure you had said in another thread before this current revival had even opened that you first encountered Hello Dolly on tour.  And I think you had quite the story to tell about it.  Honey.. you have to keep track of the BS you put out there.

[mc1227]

I saw the next to last performance of Sunset Boulevard in the recent Broadway revival and I had never experienced such a dynamic audience response to such an incredibly dynamic performance by Glenn Close.  Extended standing ovations  after “just one look” and heads exploding after “as if we never said goodbye”. Both ovations lasted several minutes and at such a frenzied level.  I will never forget it for the rest of my life and nothing else coming close, not even the ovations for Bette in Dolly.  

[Valentina3]

In order -

Hamilton OBC. Still early months on Broadway when tickets were nigh impossible to get and buzz was mind blowing-ly intense. I was sitting next to my (then new) bf and it was his first Broadway show and he couldn't believe how fantastic everyone was.

Hedwig & The Angry Inch - Lena Hall's last night. There were tears. And drag queens. And then some. John Cameron Mitchell knows how to work his audience. I also literally ran from my previous show - The Visit starring legendary Chita Rivera (back to back 8pm, and 10pm shows) who got an extended 10 min standing ovation so my nerves were frayed and adrenaline was at an all time high all throughout those 2ish hours.

The Color Purple revival closing night - Hillary and Bill Clinton were in the audience as the opening act (I'm guessing) to hype up the crowd. It was WILD. My bf cried about 10 times. It was great, haha.

[grumpyoptimist]

BroadwayAndSports said: "Closing night of In The Heights was like nothing I could ever imagine. Still have the special Playbill!"

Agreed.  They had a substantial section of the theater reserved just for show alumni, all of them sporting miniature flags either of their ancestry or that of the characters they had portrayed in the show.  And they were LOUD, but not in an obnoxious way.  Still regularly go back to video of that curtain call, get chills every time.

Honorable mention: In The Heights in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  Even then Lin-Manuel was treated as a national hero/treasure, and watching a large part of the audience openly weeping because "their" story was being told onstage is something I'll never forget.  Reason it doesn't rate as top is at least 20% of the audience wasn't in their seats at the beginning of the second act, really damaging the beauty of "Sunrise"

[bwayphreak234]

Definitely Hello, Dolly! with Bette when I saw it the first weekend in previews.

[madbrian]

Usher’s opening night in Chicago.

The first audience appreciation performance of Book of Mormon, which was also Josh Gad’s last performance.

Dave Malloy in Great Comet.

Glenn Close in the revival of Sunset Boulevard.

[Sondheimite]

Seeing John Cameron Mitchell and Lena Hall during a 10pm "crate" show and a preview of Spongebob where the entire audience (including myself) was stoned and ready for the show of their lives

[thebookofwhizzer]

Definitely have not seen as many Broadway shows as most people here, but Sara Barellies in Waitress. Long rounds of applause during "What baking can do" (when she held out the long note) and as well during "She used to be mine". Coincidentally, the longest bathroom line I've ever had at show (the end of the line was at the top of the mezzanine!). 

[Deena Jones]

Patti LuPone's closing night of Gypsy

[Cryoutloud131]

The audience at the matinee the day before the closing of Great Comet. Pretty sure it was more enthusiastic on the last show but everyone clapped pretty much every time Dave Malloy did anything, standing ovation for Dust and Ashes and Balaga and everyone clapped and yelled and every time a song ended. By the end we were all sobbing.

[yankeefan7]

I will only mention the shows I actually attended. I would say the two shows would be "Newsies" and "Hamilton" The standing ovation and cheers after "King of NY" was amazing and the curtain call for "Hamilton" was incredible.

[kevinr]

I been to a lot of shows but would have to say the most enthusiastic audience I've ever been a part of was last June during "Sunset Blvd".  Lots of applause throughout, a few standing ovations, you could definitely feel the love & admiration for Glenn Close that night!

[stage-n-screen]

Follies in Concert. Then a distant second has to be Dear Evan Hansen (for clarity - at the Music Box, not at Second Stage) - it wasn't a noteworthy event performance (like an opening night or a farewell) - but the love for Ben Platt and the entire show outdid the audience response the night I saw Hamilton, which at that point I'd thought no regular performance could top.  

[Stage Door Sally]

Both times I saw Bette in Dolly the audience was electric from the gitgo.

[ellbellthomps]

Definitely Derek Klena at Anastasia curtain, teen girls go crazy. 

[carolinaguy]

The performance of Wicked that was supposed to be Idina's last. When she came out at the end in the red track suit, people lost their total minds. It was awesome.

Close second is Bette's Dolly. EVERYTHING drew huge ovations and you could tell it was like a catharsis for the audience.

[The Josh]

Final performance of Heathers off-broadway!

[Emmaloucbway]

Final performance of The Great Comet on Broadway!! I've been to many closings, but the audience that day was so incredible. I'll never forget the Balaga/Abduction sequence from that day!!

[Kathleen ONeill2]

Ben Platt's last performance in DEH- audience lost it when he came on stage, and proceeded to give a standing ovation for many of the big songs as well. The curtain call(s) were also great, everyone was crying and cheering and it was a wonderful way to see the show again.

[Blockhead24]

John Cameron Mitchell’s final performance in Hedwig. I knew when I saw all of that chalk art on the street it was going to be a special night.

Final performances of Heights and Hairspray

[beilis32]

In the revival of How to Succeed with Daniel Radcliffe, (my first Broadway show when I was in high school), he enters like he is a window washer and comes down from the ceiling. The audience went INSANE, to the point where I thought he wouldn't have to do anything else, and we all would have just kept cheering.
I saw a student matinee of the play Clybourne Park. The whole audience laughed at the jokes and reacted to all of the intense parts, in a way that I think would have been different if it were an audience of older people. It was awesome. By the way, that's such a good play, you should see if you ever get the chance.
A different sort of enthusiasm, but I saw a production of Othello in Pittsburgh, and at the part where he slaps Desdemona, the entire audience gasped very loudly, even though I'm sure a lot of them, including myself, knew what was going to happen. It was electric.
Finally, I was in a reading of a play called Golden Land. It dealt with very serious and topical subject matter, so the director made us take it very seriously and never told us that it was going to be funny or make anyone laugh. The audience was completely into it, and at one point, they laughed before I even got to the end of the joke, to the point where I had to stop for a second, and then laughed again when I got to the end. That whole performance was the biggest ego trip of my life!