Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close Lesson Plan

What happens during Oskar's Hamlet performance? How does he want to react, and how does he actually react?

Oskar's family and new friends from his expeditions come to watch him during his Hamlet performances, but only his grandmother comes for every show. She is controlled for the first show, but begins to act strangely at subsequent performances—loudly laughing, clapping, and crying at all the wrong places. Backstage, Jimmy Snyder does a cruel imitation of Oskar's grandma for the other kids, and they all laugh. Oskar laughs along with them, because they don't know she's his grandma and he doesn't want to reveal it. Inside, he wishes he could hide her away somewhere...