Better to know show or not when seeing it?

[SondheimFan23]

Posted: 1/30/11 at 7:34pm

I wanted to see different opinions on if you think it's more enjoyable to know the show you're seeing before you see it or not and be surprised.

[dragonlp86]

Posted: 1/30/11 at 7:37pm

The shows I've most enjoyed, to be honest, are those that I knew very little about going into them. It was kind of like seeing a movie for the first time, so everything (the drama, the twists, the gags) was completely new.

[HummingAlong]

Posted: 1/30/11 at 7:46pm

If I hear the score, I most often don't have patience to wait to see the show. (coming from a person who reads the last page of the novel first...) I'll typically have to read up on the show and figure out every last twist and turn that wasn't already apparent from the score. And then I always regret doing that.

I wish I had the discipline to wait and see a show before knowing anything about it. I always wonder what my experiences with certain shows would have been like had I gone in with a blank slate. Ugh...

[wickedfan11]

Posted: 1/30/11 at 7:54pm

I usually listen to the entire cast recording and read a detailed plot summary before seeing a show, and I usually regret it, like HummingAlong does. I saw South Pacific knowing only a few songs in the score and nothing about the plot, and I absolutely loved it! I plan on going in with a blank slate to several of the new shows this spring..

[littlegreen2]

Posted: 1/30/11 at 8:05pm

I think it depends on the show... Some shows have a larger impact if you do not know the plot or music before seeing it. Like Next to Normal - I knew the big plot twist before seeing it but I absolutely love seeing the audience react to the news. But then there are other shows that could be hard to follow if you weren't familiar with the plot beforehand. And some shows are more enjoyable if you immerse yourself in it prior to seeing it. It depends on the plot line of the show.
That being said, I almost always listen to the music before seeing a musical and read a play before seeing it. I do sometimes wonder how I would feel about certain shows if I didn't do that, but what can you do.

Updated On: 1/30/11 at 08:05 PM

[quizking101]

Posted: 1/30/11 at 8:08pm

It's definitely contingent on the show.

However, I like to listen to the score and get some background in the main plot themes, hence allowing me to know the show on a deeper, analytical level (NEXT TO NORMAL).

[Steve2]

Posted: 1/30/11 at 8:23pm

I prefer not to know anything about a show beforehand so that I can try to figure it out for myself. Then afterward I read everything I can.

[beach2732]

Posted: 1/30/11 at 8:33pm

A friend and I were actually discussing this the other day. For almost every show I've seen, I have, at the very least, heard the cast album beforehand. Now, would Spamalot have been funnier if I hadn't known all the jokes coming up? Probably. (It was still a fun show though!) When I went to see the Drowsy Chaperone, however, I knew absolutely nothing about the show (minus the performance on the Tony Awards), and it turned out to be a wonderful night at the theatre. It might seem that I'm leaning towards not knowing, but I have loved knowing on other occasions. I think it is neat when you can hear the difference between actors (or even between themselves from the cd) and can appreciate the different takes. It's funny that the show brought up by other posters has been Next to Normal because that is how our conversation started. We are all planning on seeing the tour when it comes close to us, and, while some people have listened to the cast album already, I have not. Is Next to Normal a show that warrants listening to before you go?

[dragonlp86]

Posted: 1/30/11 at 8:36pm

beach2732 - My personal suggestion would be, if you don't know the plot twists of 'Next to Normal' already, to not listen to the cast recording. I love the music of the show, but it is rather dependent on what's going on during the show to get the full effect. I didn't know the story when I first saw the show, and I believe it had more of an effect on me than if I'd familiarized myself with it beforehand.

[CockeyedOptimist2]

Posted: 1/30/11 at 8:37pm

Don't listen to Next to Normal before you see it. It might ruin a big reveal for you (on that note, don't look at one of the posts above which reveals it for you).

I didn't know much about N2N before going in and was so happy that I didn't have that moment ruined for me. I can't think of one show that I've seen that I wished I knew more about it before I had seen it. Does that make sense? I used to err on the side of not knowing much but a brief synopsis and who's involved and I like it better that way. I make it harder for myself by being so curious about a show that I want to hear the music and read the book if I won't be able to see a production of it in the near future. The only shows I've ever fallen in love with only by hearing the cast recordings and reading the books are Light in the Piazza and Ragtime.

[littlegreen2]

Posted: 1/30/11 at 8:38pm

As someone who has seen the show (Next to Normal) several times, I would suggest that you do not. I did, but I love hearing the stories and experiences of those who did not. Go into it blind, you will be blown away!

[CockeyedOptimist2]

Posted: 1/30/11 at 8:40pm

On that note, littlegreen2, I would suggest that you further edit your post above as it vaguely contains a spoiler.

[uncageg]

Posted: 1/31/11 at 1:34pm

I listened to N2N before seeing it and it didn't bother me. I did not care for it when I listened to it beforehand and still wasn't crazy about it aftwards. I will say that I did enjoy it a bit more in the theater.

If the cast recording has been out for a while be fore I see a show, I usually listen to it. However, I do prefer seeing a musical before the recording is available.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 1/31/11 at 2:11pm

Since I live in the San Francisco area, we tend to get the first few stops of a national tour -- if I find out something is coming here, I'll stop researching it, if I already have. It definitely helped with Next to Normal and In the Heights. I already knew some of the plot twists to both, but was glad that was about all I knew. Sometimes it's better to not know too much, otherwise your brain might swirl distractedly during the show. Or at least mine does!

[AwesomeDanny]

Posted: 1/31/11 at 5:22pm

I can enjoy shows that I know nothing about and that I know everything about. Living in Chicago, most shows I see are regional productions or national tours, so by that time, I've usually either listened to the cast recording or read the plot description. When I saw The Drowsy Chaperone, I walked in knowing nothing, and I fell in love with it. When I saw A Chorus Line, I knew every single line, but seeing it live is a whole different experience. Both ways work for me. If I like a show, I like it, regardless of what I already knew about it.

[beach2732]

Posted: 2/1/11 at 3:53pm

I'm convinced--I will not listen to Next to Normal before I see it! Thanks guys!

[TonyVincent]

Posted: 2/1/11 at 6:02pm

I like to HEAR a recording before I see a show, but not LISTEN to it. So I'll put it on while I'm exercising, driving, or something else. That way I become familiar with some of the melodic themes, progressions, etc., so they're more approachable when I see the show. I find if I hear a song I've heard before and enjoyed, hearing it live is more exciting, plus it frees me to listen more closely to the lyrics.

And, since I'm not listening too closely, I can't figure out the plot or any spoilers ahead of time.

[Jud Faginsky]

Posted: 2/1/11 at 7:11pm

I completely agree with Tony. I love the distinction between hearing and listening. I had heard the cast albums for both Next to Normal and In The Heights before I saw them. I was familiar with both on a general level, but I didn't know any of the plot elements at all. I loved both shows and I was glad that I did not know the really important things beforehand. Next to Normal is probably the best example of a show that you shouldn't know too much about. I had seen the Next to Normal song on the Tony Awards and was completely baffled. I'm glad I didn't really understand it going in.

[theaterkid1015]

Posted: 2/2/11 at 12:17am

I don't mind hearing or reading a show first. Plot details usually don't matter that much to me. However, I've started trying to avoid critics'/word of mouth reviews. It's a lot of fun to go in fresh.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 2/2/11 at 2:05am

This thread was running through my head tonight when I went to see the first preview of a new musical version of DANGEROUS BEAUTY. There’s been a little buzz around town about it, and I was excited to see it without knowing ANYTHING about it. And, no, I haven’t seen the film.

I left at intermission. I had no idea what was going on. I met a few friends, while heading out the door and they said the same thing to me…

“Oh, well if you haven’t seen the movie, then…”

Why should I have to see the movie first? The story should stand on its own.

So, I’m on the fence about this whole subject.

[dramarama3]

Posted: 2/2/11 at 4:30am

I think it's good to at least have bit of an idea at what you're getting into. Style, genre, music type, new or traditional etc. For some reason, I seem to read a lot more in terms of plot and samples of the score when I'm seeing a musical. I read very little, however, if it's a play. Often because I find that there's less to be found on plays (well, original ones) online.

[xerotheory7803]

Posted: 2/2/11 at 4:55am

I go into every show I see blind. I think any film or show should not require any pre-reading or knowledge to understand it, with exceptions for sequels, etc. Give me enough information to get me in the seat: who, what, when. I wait to see the show for the why and how.

[Cape Twirl of Doom]

Posted: 2/2/11 at 8:50am

It depends on the show really. If I am seeing a Shakespeare show, I usually try and read the synopsis in the Playbill before the show starts, otherwise it's easy to get lost and not realize who someone is/what their relationship is to another character.

For musicals I don't like to know any of the plot (beyond enough to know if I even want to see it of course), in fact I never even look at the song list in the Playbill before the show, as I don't want to spoil myself of what is coming in what order. However sometimes it helps to have heard some of the songs before. I like what Tony said re: hearing vs. listening. I have the BrowadwayWorld Radio playing in the background at work usually, so I may hear many songs (in random order) so I won't know anything re: plots but when then hearing them in a show it's usually more enjoyable if it's something that I recognize as having heard before.

[KylieS]

Posted: 2/2/11 at 2:42pm

Personally, I like to get the best of both worlds. That's why I don't familiarize myself with shows before I go, but to ensure that I don't miss any plot points, I keep my iPad in my lap through the show with a plot summary pulled up so I can read along.

[Mark_E]

Posted: 2/2/11 at 2:45pm

I must admit there is nothing like seeing a show for the first time knowing very little about it. I do listen to scores sometimes before seeing a show but it's because I live in the UK and so don't want to wait to hear all the new shows!

When I saw Gypsy in NYC with Patti Lupone I knew nothing about the show, not the music, the story or anything and by god was I blown away!