play to the gallery

Cultural  

1. To direct a performance toward less sophisticated tastes; by extension, to attempt to gain approval by crude or obvious means: “The cast of the play was a decidedly mixed bag of youthful method actors and old hams who played to the gallery.”

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play to the gallery Idioms  

1. Appeal to spectators for maximum approval, as in He peppers his speeches with humor and wisecracks about his opponent, clearly playing to the gallery. In this term gallery refers to the cheapest seats in a British theater and hence the least sophisticated audience. [Late 1800s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

play to the gallery

Potential candidates have seized the chance to raise their profiles, woo supporters and play to the gallery while professing loyalty to their leader.

From New York Times ● Oct. 7, 2015

Carver's condemnation of Newcastle's players may make for compelling viewing and listening, demonstrate searing honesty and play to the gallery of fans, some of whom called the players "cowards" as they boarded the team coach.

From BBC ● May 2, 2015

But he too knows how to play to the gallery.

From Reuters ● Jul. 3, 2013

Richard's enduring appeal lies in how Shakespeare has him play to the gallery – and makes the audience complicit in his determination to "prove a villain".

From The Guardian ● Feb. 21, 2013

He anticipated the scene at the palace, George fuming and charging "play to the gallery," the Queen in tears, the King threatening to banish us from Dresden.

From Secret Memoirs: The Story of Louise, Crown Princess by Henry W. (Henry William) Fischer