Wow, there are "fans', but this person is a "FAN". from Playbill.com (Note: She saw the show for the 675th time on Friday, November 6, 2015. Amazing story!
"Noel [Coward] and I were in Paris once. Adjoining rooms, of course. One night, I felt mischievous, so I knocked on Noel's door, and he asked, 'Who is it?' I lowered my voice and said 'Hotel detective. Have you got a gentleman in your room?' He answered, 'Just a minute, I'll ask him.'" (Beatrice Lillie)
I saw her in the front row last night. I didn't talk to her but she seemed like a nice lady, and it wasn't like she was one of those people who are obnoxious and tries to take the spotlight away from the show during the show. It's certainly not hurting anyone, so you go, lady!
(And apparently Roxy didn't actually click on the article.)
I'm always wary of articles like this about people who see shows several or several hundred times -- it seems to bring out the worst (or at least the not-great) even in other theatre fans. So what! You do theatre differently than someone else does, but in a non-interfering manner. OK. Great.
Personally, I can't fathom seeing a show I liked only once. Even shows I didn't love I saw twice, usually if I got a comp or rushed it, just to be sure I wasn't just having a bad day the first time.
"This thread reads like a series of White House memos." — Mister Matt
Mr Roxy said: "Even with discounts, this had to cost this person a healthy bit of money.
Perhaps she needs a hobby to fill the time. What does she do when the show eventually closes?
"
The article provided both a rough estimate of the amount of money this person has spent, as well as the persons gender. Both of which you seem to have missed.
Maybe read some source material before you comment on something and you'll be better informed
good for her! glad she has found something that makes her so happy in life!
they should give her a free ticket for the rest of the run on any day theres seats available.....
I'm a big fan of seeing shows multiple times
live theatre is different every time
so much is going on in many musicals a second watch gives you a chance to appreciate new aspects and deeper your appreciation for things you loved the first time around
first show i saw multiple times was Aida, could not get over heather headley and her performance
now i regularly see the OBC and then see the show on tour when it comes to sf, like with If/Then this tuesday (woo hoo) and ive grabbed a seat to see If/Then late in the SF run.
we outside the city dont have as many show choices as you in nyc, so its often better to see a great show or top cast twice than see a movie or other local entertainment.
I just don't understand the enjoyment in watching anything 675 times. Even my favorite movie of all time, which I have probably seen at least 200 times, I can't even try to watch anymore because I know all the lines and it gives me a headache to watch it (and I'm 23 years old, so getting stress headaches from a film isn't something I usually experience). But actually paying to see the same musical 675 times I just don't get.
"Contentment, it seems, simply happens. It appears accompanied by no bravos and no tears."
I never see the same production of a show more than once. The only exception I made was for R+H Cinderella after Judy Kaye joined the cast.
For me, despite theatre being live and in real-time, the magic can only be captured once for me. I know that several years ahead I'll go to a revival of something I already saw. But that'll be a different production entirely and come with its own memory. You know? Maybe this is just how my brain works.
"If life were only moments, then you'd never know you had one..."
I am an advocate of seeing great shows multiple times, but this really does seem incredibly crazy. I think if I saw my favorite musicals half as many times at that, they would their magic and wonder to me.
Before Doctor Zhivago, I'd never seen a production more than once. Since discovering more comps and discounts I've seen a couple of shows twice for various reasons and only one show three times. Like Lizzie I think it's sometimes nice to see things again if you were having an off night or there was something (bad audience behavior, etc.) putting you off. I also think it would be worth it to see shows for different performers so I get going back to The King and I or Wicked. But yeah, 675 is a lot and I personally don't think anything is comparable to the first time you experience a play and you don't know what's coming. I can enjoy subsequent viewings but the experience is different.
I would say 90% of the time I go back to a show I've already seen is because there's a new cast member I'm already a fan of, or I'm curious about. The other 10% might be because there's a friend in town who wants to see it and I like it enough to go back, or I'm just feeling spontaneous. And then sometimes (whatever percentage this might be), I work it into a vacation because it happens to be there when I'm considering going there anyway -- I've seen Jersey Boys in Melbourne and London, and Book of Mormon in London, for that reason. It's nice to see a variation on what you already know and like. The familiarity is comforting, but the differences make it more interesting.
I'm not going to pay the top price each time, the majority of the time, or even 25% of the time, but I'm motivated enough. And hey, to this lady, money isn't a problem, Jersey Boys makes her happy, and she's obviously made a connection with the people behind it. More power to her!
"This thread reads like a series of White House memos." — Mister Matt
She likes the show. It makes her happy. That's all that matters.
"Noel [Coward] and I were in Paris once. Adjoining rooms, of course. One night, I felt mischievous, so I knocked on Noel's door, and he asked, 'Who is it?' I lowered my voice and said 'Hotel detective. Have you got a gentleman in your room?' He answered, 'Just a minute, I'll ask him.'" (Beatrice Lillie)