Best day/time to attend show

[Dave13]

Posted: 6/27/16 at 6:16pm

Sometimes, I really don't care if the lead actors are in or not. Other times, I am only seeing the show for a specific lead/star.

Are there really any days that leads/stars are likely to miss a show other than maybe Wednesday and Saturday with 2 shows? Of course, there is always a risk when attending a show that any actor maybe out. Certainly being sick can never be predicted, but just wondering if a star is going to take off a show, which day is more likely to be it

Updated On: 6/27/16 at 06:16 PM

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 6/27/16 at 6:36pm

Good question and who really knows. From my experience, Sunday performances have been the ones I have seen leads take off the most

[Anakela]

Posted: 6/27/16 at 6:53pm

semi-related question, I've heard both of these recently and I'm wondering if either is actually thought to be more true:

- you should try and see the first show of the week (ie: Tuesday, if Monday is dark) because that's when an actor's voice is best/rested/freshest/etc.

- you should try and see a show towards the end of the week, because the voice during the 6th/7th/8th show of the week will be better (more relaxed/not as 'tight', or something?) than it is at the start of the week

Curious if one of these is accepted truth.

[ZellMorrowsPledge]

Posted: 6/27/16 at 7:16pm

This is just me personally, but every Sunday matinee I've been to there have been little to no understudies on.

[Dave13]

Posted: 6/27/16 at 7:18pm

yankeefan7 said: "Good question and who really knows. From my experience, Sunday performances have been the ones I have seen leads take off the most

 

"

 

I think Sundays are a good day to take off, since most will have Monday off as well.  

 

[ebontoyan]

Posted: 6/27/16 at 7:19pm

I think Fri/Sat evening shows are the best times to see the stars of the show (well I usually arrive Fri AM/leave Mon AM for my NYC visits they have been the best days for me!)

[MarkBearSF]

Posted: 6/27/16 at 7:35pm

Thursday nights are historically considered the best nights for a performance. Not from an absence point of view, but that the audience is often considered the most attentive and the casts are theoretically more rested in a single show day. 

For shows in which some of the cast work fewer than eight shows, yes, Friday and Saturday evenings are most likely to have the star performers. 

Updated On: 6/27/16 at 07:35 PM

[Tkristop]

Posted: 6/27/16 at 8:56pm

Great question.  I wonder also if holiday weekends are good or bad...supposed to see Hamilton this Sunday and Waitress Tuesday.  I figured there will be some who want two days off in a row?  Any one have thoughts or experiences with holidays?  Fingers crossed to see most of the OBC, but I do think Leslie will be out because he is performing in Philly on the 4th.  But I will not whine no matter who I see---first time to see Hamilton and I feel lucky just for having the opportunity!  Now if Jessie is not on that might be a different story...ha!  

Updated On: 6/28/16 at 08:56 PM

[Dave13]

Posted: 6/27/16 at 11:16pm

PThespian said: "I have to tell you, having stuffed understudy inserts into programs for over twenty years now there are definitely some interesting things to note on this topic. 

1.) Each individual show has a "trend" towards which days more understudies go on, but the trend differs from show to show. 

2.) A lot depends on what the performance schedule is. 

Shows that are dark on Mon usually (again this varies from show to show) have few people out on Sun and more people out on Tues in my experience. 

I think they probably do Sun because it tends to be a matinee/they finish early, and they know they have the next day off. 

A lot of people take Tues off because it gives them a 2 1/2 day break. 

3.) It depends on whether the show is more physically demanding (ie Cats) or vocally demanding (ie Phantom). 

4.) It depends on the size of the part. 

5.) It depends on individual actors' preferences. Work a show for a few weeks, and you can practically put money on who is going to be out when. 

 

"

Interesting.  Not surprising.  So stay away from Sunday and Tuesday shows. I am sure personal commitments play a role into days off as well.  

[BroadwayMomma]

Posted: 6/28/16 at 12:02am

When we were in NYC last week, we didn't see a single show without an understudy in it.  On Tuesday night, we saw The Color Purple and Danielle Brooks was out.  On Wednesday afternoon, we saw School of Rock and Alex Brightman was out (even though it was a one-show day).  On Wednesday evening, we saw Hamilton and Daveed Diggs was out (that one really hurt). Thursday evening we were supposed to see She Loves Me, but the theater emailed and said that both Laura Benanti and Jane Krakowski were going to be out so we opted for a refund. I'm wondering if actors are out more after the Tony Awards -- or maybe we just had bad luck. 

[Anakela]

Posted: 6/28/16 at 12:43am

On Tuesday night, we saw The Color Purple and Danielle Brooks was out. 

if this was Tue the 21st that was a planned out. I was there that night, and my friend was told when she bought tix that Danielle wouldn't be in. 

But so speaking of planned outs, though (sorry for jacking this thread), she's also not going to be in on July 9th, which I know because of this:

https://twitter.com/thedanieb/status/746909058687451136

and I'm giving a little bit of a side-eye to this "I'm going to be out that day. Exchange your ticket." tweet. 

[ChiTheaterFan]

Posted: 6/28/16 at 1:12am

PThespian said: "I have to tell you, having stuffed understudy inserts into programs for over twenty years now there are definitely some interesting things to note on this topic. 

1.) Each individual show has a "trend" towards which days more understudies go on, but the trend differs from show to show. 

2.) A lot depends on what the performance schedule is. 

Shows that are dark on Mon usually (again this varies from show to show) have few people out on Sun and more people out on Tues in my experience. 

I think they probably do Sun because it tends to be a matinee/they finish early, and they know they have the next day off. 

A lot of people take Tues off because it gives them a 2 1/2 day break. 

3.) It depends on whether the show is more physically demanding (ie Cats) or vocally demanding (ie Phantom). 

4.) It depends on the size of the part. 

5.) It depends on individual actors' preferences. Work a show for a few weeks, and you can practically put money on who is going to be out when. 

 

"

I can tell you are a lawyer by all the "it depends...." :)

[MarkBearSF]

Posted: 6/28/16 at 1:50am

re: the post-Tony absences.

As far of time of year - by far, the best time to see shows is May. All the spring shows will have opened, and during Tony voting time, there should be no scheduled absences and all nominated actors will be performing unless at death's door.

Personally, for my trips, since I pack all possible slots with shows, I make it a point to schedule my least-preferred show for my arrival day, since flights from the west coast typically arrive around 4:00 or so, without delays. Also, I sometimes find "dark" plays disconcerting in the afternoon, so for 2 show days, I'll tend to schedule lighter musical fare for matinees.

[rcwr]

Posted: 6/28/16 at 2:31am

Tkristop said: I do think Leslie will be out because he is performing in Boston on the 4th.

 

I got excited about that for a minute (I'm in Boston) but google says it's Philadelphia.

 

[Tkristop]

Posted: 6/28/16 at 7:58am

So sorry to get your hopes up...I edited the post!  I got my POPS mixed up.  

[Tkristop]

Posted: 6/28/16 at 8:04am

This makes perfect sense to me that May is the best time.  That has been my experience.  I have only had one or two understudies over the years, and many/most of my NYC trips have been in May.  

[BroadwayMomma]

Posted: 6/28/16 at 10:25am

This was our first trip in June.  Our prior two trips took place during spring break (April), and we never had an issue.  I'll stick to April and May for future trips.  Thanks for the input!

[dissimilate]

Posted: 6/28/16 at 10:54am

Agree with MarkBearSF – I also specifically picked May for my trip to ensure seeing as many of the cast as possible. I saw something like 14 performances and only once was there a principal out (Sierra Boggess for School of Rock on a Tuesday night).

I generally try to reserve Thursday nights for my most anticipated shows, though, as the audience is really more attentive. I dislike matinees because I’ve had terrible luck with them – principals being out or technical difficulties.

[rcwr]

Posted: 6/28/16 at 2:54pm

Tkristop, no worries! I'm still glad to know because I'll look for Philly footage now. Maybe some will be online at some point.

[LarryD2]

Posted: 6/28/16 at 3:08pm

Tuesday evening is usually the best. It's the first performance of the week for most shows, meaning that the actors have (theoretically) had a full day off and change, and should be rejuvenated. It's also usually one of the quieter nights, with few tourists and few commuters. The available seats are usually very good and the audiences usually are, too.