How important is merchandise to your theatre experience?- Page 2

[kdogg36]

Posted: 7/5/12 at 9:07pm

I'm not even sure why I do this. I have no real intention of ever displaying or selling them. I do have a vague idea that some day, when I'm old, I'll sit down with my partner and make a big ceremony out of pulling them all out and going through them, reliving all the great times we had together at the theatre.

It sounds to me like you know exactly what you're doing, and it's very beautiful.

I always buy the magnet, and am somewhat disappointed when they don't have one (only The Lyons fell into that category among Broadway shows I saw this year). Does anyone have any suggestions as to what to do when your refrigerator surface is full?

[GatorNY]

Posted: 7/5/12 at 9:35pm

I buy less now that I live in NYC. When we used to come up from DC, I'd often get a program. Now I almost never buy anything, unless I REALLY love something.

[redmustang]

Posted: 7/7/12 at 1:22am

Back in the 70's and 80's I used to buy souvenir programs. I still have them but almost never look at them. I save all my Playbills and buy magnets. Every now and then I'll drag out the Playbills. It's amazing what you forget over the years. Like - I always thought I saw Betty Buckley and Cleo Laine in The Mystery of Edwin Drood. My Playbill says it was Donna Murphy and Loretta Swit. It's funny how listening the the OBC a thousand times seems to become the show you think you saw. BTW, aren't OBC albums and CD's wonderful. Do you actors and singers who have recorded musicals down through the years - do you actually realize how magical you are? When I play Cats, I'm right there at the Winter Garden again. When I listen to Annie, I'm sitting front row center, when actually I was in the last row of the balcony the week it won the Tony. And when I play Hello, Dolly!, I'm right there, when really I was a sophomore in high school. This must sound really stupid. Sorry. It's late and I'm tired.

[loliveve]

Posted: 7/7/12 at 1:32am

It's not super important to me, but I like to get programs (when I'm not feeling too poor) so I can share part of my theatre experience with my mom, who I really hope to get to New York with me one day!

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 7/7/12 at 1:41am

I don't mind a few things. I rarely buy anything myself, although if I could afford it I'm sure I would buy the small collectable items more often. Posters, souvenir programs, magnets, key chains and t-shirts are pretty standard at this point. But, sometimes the merch booth is a little out of control, and the things they think of to sell are a little over the top. I sometimes wonder if that money wouldn't be better spent on other aspects of the production.

If the manufacturing of all that stuff (and the money lost when it isn't sold) is anywhere near covering the cost of a cast recording, and a production doesn't have one, I'd be a little bummed about that.

Updated On: 7/7/12 at 01:41 AM

[onedaymore]

Posted: 7/7/12 at 3:01am

The only thing I buy are posters, because I kinda collect them. Even then, if the poster is too big for my tastes or too overpriced, forget it. Sometimes shows have good merch, sometimes they just have a bunch of overpriced crap.

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 7/7/12 at 11:47am

Very rarely have bought merchandise but my daughters will pick up program for a show they really love. I have a hat and a few T-shirts from shows but they have been gifts bought by my family for me.

[NotAnotherSN]

Posted: 7/7/12 at 12:09pm

I'll buy T-shirts for shows that I love ([title of show] comes to mind with a particularly clever [t shirt]). More recently though, I have just waited for the Flea Market. It saves a ton of money and I have a much larger selection.

[uncageg]

Posted: 7/7/12 at 12:26pm

I used to buy t-shirts but I don't much anymore. I like extra large tees and a lot of the shows have those form fitting type shirts. So an extra large fits like a medium. Plus they are way too expensive. If a show has a nice cotton tee, I will buy it. I shifted my purchases to magnets. I now collect them for the fridge.

[Amalia Balash]

Posted: 7/7/12 at 1:30pm

I used to always buy mugs, tshirts, and programs. Now I only consistently buy mugs. Some programs are great and some just aren't worth the money, so I've gotten much more selective there. The quality of tshirts also varies a lot, so I've stopped buying them entirely.

During BCEFA collections I'll buy at least a signed Playbill.

During Spamalot, I bought more Python-related books than show-related stuff. I'll also buy CDs by cast members if they've impressed me during the show while I usually can find the OBCR available elsewhere at a better price than at the theatre. I wish more merchandise stands would have those kind of related materials available.

[uncageg]

Posted: 7/7/12 at 3:24pm

I never buy cds at the theate. Not even cds related to or by performers in a show. I wanted Adam Pascal's cd "Civilian" and bought it online for cheaper.

[ChildrenwillListen]

Posted: 7/7/12 at 4:21pm

It used to be extremely important recalling how much money I spent on Wicked and Legally Blonde merchandise. Now that I'm getting closer to my professional career, I've resorted to just buying the program and sometimes a cup. And the playbill is always a great momento as well.

[uncageg]

Posted: 7/7/12 at 4:31pm

I save all of my Playbills. I have 3 bankers boxes full in storage and some in storage in the family home basement from the 70's.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 7/7/12 at 4:39pm

If there is no magnet I immediately leave. I than go home and write an angry letter to Chuck Schumer

[fosca3]

Posted: 7/7/12 at 7:28pm

I have magnets and windowcards from my very favourite shows

(and a few mugs that are older)

The things I've loved lately (Richard III at BAM, Titus Andronicus at the Public, John Gabriel Borkman last year) don't have ANY merchandise, and I miss it -- I'd love to look at a magnet or windowcard and remember the show every time I see it

And, the 'art' for the shows' posters at the theatres is usually SO gorgeous

There weren't even magnets for SEMINAR when I saw it

I LOVE the 'logo' for the Alan Cumming MACBETH, and am already prepared to be disappointed on any merchandise

Off-Broadway never seems to have these things

Updated On: 7/7/12 at 07:28 PM

[dramamama611]

Posted: 7/8/12 at 12:32am

To the op: they had more merch stands than you thought necessary? I don't even understand that. (And I may have paraphrased your original statement.) With a theatre as large as that, I think its actually rather nice to make it easier for their customers.

As far as personally? I wait on two things: to make sure I LOVE the show, then to see if there is anything I love on the table. More often than not, I do not purchase anything. Heck, I don't even save Playbills.

I probably have more baseball hats than anything else, however.

Even my kids have different takes: when we go to NY (just returned from a 4 show mini-vaca), they are only permitted to pick something from ONE show we see. My daughter wants everything. My son, not so much -- in fact he ended up with a tshirt from John Pizzaria, go figure! (In all fairness, he loves it there and he does want to be a chef.)

This year, I think I bought two things, a hat from Peter and the Starcatcher and a tee from Once. I probably go to the theater close to 30 times a year, and I think that's all I got.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 7/8/12 at 12:44am

It just depends... I get employee discounts for the theatre I work at, so I bought shirts from West Side Story, South Pacific, Wicked (and the super cool track jacket), and American Idiot for the 2011-2012 Broadway season at the theatre. More than I have bought recently, but I LOVE show tee shirts. They are pretty much all I wear to work and they make up most of my wardrobe! I did stop buying souvenir programs awhile ago because the prices are ridiculous, and oftentimes they are not even of the touring cast. I do buy souvenir programs for most shows in NYC though. All together, I have about 20 show tee shirts.

[singalongsong2]

Posted: 7/8/12 at 2:54am

I always buy a program and keep my Playbill. If I really like the show, I will consider buying something else. I have a few shirts, magnets, windowcards, and keychains from my favorite shows.

[PlayItAgain]

Posted: 7/8/12 at 8:15am

Always annoying when Broadway shows have nothing, really Death of a Salesman your making a million a week and you can't even do just window cards and magnets? I mean even MTC sells Window Cards and scripts...

[quizking101]

Posted: 7/8/12 at 10:29am

I almost always buy a poster or program...Ive been leaning more towards posters as of late.

I love MTC's merchandise. It's relatively cheap, and also some combinations of merchandise get a discount (I remember buying the script and poster for VENUS IN FUR together and it costing $20 instead of $25 that it would separately)

[dramamama611]

Posted: 7/8/12 at 11:18am

The quantities that they need to purchase make it difficult to do with a limited run show. YES, I know some do anyway. The producers really don't care about momentos -- they care about their bottom line.

[GatorNY]

Posted: 7/8/12 at 12:01pm

There was going out of business sale at the last performance of Jesus Christ Superstar. I got the last hoodie in the house, a T shirt, and a program all for $35.00. Never bought that much from one show before.

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 7/8/12 at 12:45pm

When I first started attending Broadway shows I bought the souvenir programs for each show but as they got more expensive and slimmer with less text and fewer photos I stopped. I also stopped buying the window cards... when I moved recently I found a stack of them in my closet that hadn't been displayed in years.

Now the only items I take with me are playbills (usually a few extra - best copy goes into a playbill binder) and I usually already have the cast recordings. That's all I need..the rest lives in my memory.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 7/8/12 at 12:55pm

Oh, FrontRowCenter -- you silly old fashioned man! No one relies on MEMORIES anymore! (I hope you see my sarcasm in my writing.)

People (especially the young'uns) are more interested in DOCUMENTING their lives rather than living them. If they don't/can't post/fb/tweet/YouTube it, it didn't happen.

I'm with you, I like my actualy memories. (I must be showing my age!)

[Dollypop]

Posted: 7/8/12 at 1:41pm

I've never really bought any show merchandise. I didn't ever feel the urge. However, I DO cherish items from the shows that cast members have gifted me with. I've actually had some of them framed and they're hanging in my office.

Updated On: 7/8/12 at 01:41 PM