Do you watch a musical or listen to the CD first?
Do you watch a musical or listen to the CD first?
#0Do you watch a musical or listen to the CD first?
Posted: 6/7/06 at 4:14pm
Which one do you do?
And do you think listening to the CD first takes away from it?
I have heard some songs from Sweeney ... then saw it and loved it.
But avenue q i had heard the Cd many times ... and felt a bit jipped cause i knew when every funny song was coming up 
timote316
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/20/04
#1re: Do you watch a musical or listen to the CD first?
Posted: 6/7/06 at 4:17pm
I felt the same way about Q.
For me, I've done it both ways, and enjoyed a show equally. So, for me, it doesn't matter.
#2re: Do you watch a musical or listen to the CD first?
Posted: 6/7/06 at 4:17pmI see shows in previews (so the CD isn't out yet), but if I could, I would memorize every song before I entered the theater.
mijofly19
Broadway Star Joined: 6/14/05
#3re: Do you watch a musical or listen to the CD first?
Posted: 6/7/06 at 4:19pmIf the cast recording comes out before I've seen the show, I will listen to it. Many times I will have a hard time picking up the words if I haven't heard the music before, so I like to know what I'm listening to. I also like not having to concentrate on the music. That way, after I've seen the show, I can remember what was going on while they were singing.
OasisBroadway
Leading Actor Joined: 9/28/05
#4re: Do you watch a musical or listen to the CD first?
Posted: 6/7/06 at 4:20pm
I generally prefer to wait to listen to the CD until after I have seen a show. But sometimes I listen to a few of the songs to get a feel for the show without really getting too many details of the story. So I generally avoid listening to them from start to finish until after I have seen them. Unless I am expecting that I never will.
Funny that you mentioned Avenue Q, I had the same issue. The show was barely enjoyable to me because I had heard all of the jokes many, many times. I try to avoid that happening again.
MusicAndPassion
Broadway Star Joined: 9/14/05
#5re: Do you watch a musical or listen to the CD first?
Posted: 6/7/06 at 4:23pm
When I saw Wicked & Rent & Hairspray, I knew them all word by word. It does take away from the show. When I saw Chitty Chitty Bang Bang & Les Miserables I was taken away on a magical journey and I didn't regret a thing. I knew nothing about Les Miserables, and it was the best thing I've seen on stage. Ever.
I'm seeing Jersey Boys & The Drowsy Chaperone next month. I'm not gonna listen to The Drowsy Chaperone. I know Jersey Boys, but not all the songs help progress the story.
philcrosby
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/17/04
#6re: Do you watch a musical or listen to the CD first?
Posted: 6/7/06 at 4:24pmI have never lived in the NYC area, so I almost always listen to a CD of a new musical before I see the show. I actually find I appreciate the music more, and often "get" the lyrics better when I see it live. Thank god I had listened to RENT before I saw it on its first national tour, the sound was so bad, you could barely get 50% of the lyrics as a first-timer.
#7re: Do you watch a musical or listen to the CD first?
Posted: 6/7/06 at 4:27pmI prefer seeing the show before listening to the CD. Spamalot was not as funny as it could have been cause I knew almost all the songs.
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Broadway Schedule
December 5th- Hamilton, On Your Feet
December 19th- Noises Off, Edith Piaf Concert at Town Hall
#8re: Do you watch a musical or listen to the CD first?
Posted: 6/7/06 at 4:29pmI like to see a show before listening to it. But I like reading the play before I see a play, because I feel that you miss out on a lot...
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SeptemberKel
Featured Actor Joined: 8/20/04
#9re: Do you watch a musical or listen to the CD first?
Posted: 6/7/06 at 4:45pmI like to listen to the cast recording before I see the show, generally. Although, I absolutely agree about Avenue Q - I found myself quite bored because, by the time I saw the show, I had the CR practically memorized.
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#10re: Do you watch a musical or listen to the CD first?
Posted: 6/7/06 at 5:05pmA little of both. Sometimes I've heard the music first (i.e., Light in the Piazza). Like WAT, I've seen shows before a CD was available. There are also times, that I've heard the CDs, but never end up seeing the show. There are also times that I buy the CD, listen two it once and never play it again (i.e., Mamma Mia and The Producers).
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Luckydave14
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/25/04
#11re: Do you watch a musical or listen to the CD first?
Posted: 6/7/06 at 5:07pmI usually get the cast recording of any show around the day it comes out even if I haven't seen the show, but I usually won't listen to them. I like to see the show before I listen to the CD.
Luckydave14
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/25/04
#12re: Do you watch a musical or listen to the CD first?
Posted: 6/7/06 at 5:07pmI usually get the cast recording of any show around the day it comes out even if I haven't seen the show, but I usually won't listen to them. I like to see the show before I listen to the CD.
sally1112
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/13/04
#13re: Do you watch a musical or listen to the CD first?
Posted: 6/7/06 at 5:14pm
Ahhhh, this is the question we all strugle with!
I like to know some of the music, but I don't want to ruin the show. The compromise that I have been pleased with is to buy the cd, listen to the first half of the songs (or so) so that I can get a feel for the piece, but I don't listen to the second half until I see the show. Not unlike the warning that they give on the DRS cd.
Then after seeing the show, I listen to the entire cd, over and over again, until I go see the show for a second time!
#14re: Do you watch a musical or listen to the CD first?
Posted: 6/7/06 at 5:22pm
Sometimes I have gotten the CD before I see it simply because I want it and have heard great things and then get my chance to see it. Thetre have been a couple of cases where I have chosen to see a musical simply because so and so was in it and have fallen in love with it and gotten the CD afterward.
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Updated On: 6/7/06 at 05:22 PM
broadwaybelter
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/26/04
#15re: Do you watch a musical or listen to the CD first?
Posted: 6/7/06 at 5:24pm
i always get to see the show well after the CD is out, so yea as an appetizer, I do listen to the CD first 
shesamarshmallow
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/23/06
#16re: Do you watch a musical or listen to the CD first?
Posted: 6/7/06 at 5:25pm
If I know I'm seeing a show soon and I get the cast recording, I purposely don't listen to it - not because it would spoil my enjoyment of a show, but because I generally like the songs better once I've heard them in context.
However, since I don't live in New York, I mostly have listened to the cast albums before I know if I'll get to see a show or not.
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circusliz
Broadway Star Joined: 11/19/05
#17re: Do you watch a musical or listen to the CD first?
Posted: 6/7/06 at 5:28pm
As I don't live in NYC, I usually hear the music before I see the show. If I tried to see every show before I bought/listened to the CD, I'd never get to listen to anything.
I bought The Light in the Piazza right after the Tony's last year, becuase I was blown away by Kelli O'Hara's voice (and I usually don't like sopranos). I saw the show later that summer, and was very glad that I already knew the music. I was able to spend less energy focusing on understanding the story/lyrics, and more energy noticing the nuances of the performances and the relationships between the characters.
I am a little concerned about seeing Q this summer, for the same reason as mentioned above. I already know all the funny bits of the songs, and have seen the show thanks to some nice *footwear*, so I'm worried I'll end up disappointed.
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#18re: Do you watch a musical or listen to the CD first?
Posted: 6/7/06 at 5:30pmPersonally, I don't like it when people listen to the cd before seeing the show. My friends listened to the Wicked cd before seeing the show and that aggravated me. I have to say that I am so happy that I saw Wicked and didn't hear one lyric before I saw it! On the other hand, I did listen to Hairspray, Avenue Q and Rent before I saw the show and still absolutely loved the show. No matter what, nothing can beat hearing it performed live!
ashley0139
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/3/05
#19re: Do you watch a musical or listen to the CD first?
Posted: 6/7/06 at 5:52pm
Broadwayluva- how can you judge people for what they want to do? How in the world can that aggravate you? That doesn't make sense to me.
Many times I will have a hard time picking up the words if I haven't heard the music before, so I like to know what I'm listening to. I also like not having to concentrate on the music. That way, after I've seen the show, I can remember what was going on while they were singing.
I feel the EXACT same way. I feel that I can remember and enjoy the show more if I have heard the music first.
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neddyfrank2
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/23/05
#20re: Do you watch a musical or listen to the CD first?
Posted: 6/7/06 at 6:45pmI usually listen to the CD before I see the show, because if I hear the music and don't like it, I wouldn't want to see the show...
#21re: Do you watch a musical or listen to the CD first?
Posted: 6/7/06 at 6:48pmI like to see shows in previews, so I can't listen to the music. Sometimes if the show is already open I listen to the music first.
The choice may have been mistaken, The choosing was not... "Every day has the potential to be the greatest day of your life." - Lin-Manuel Miranda
#22re: Do you watch a musical or listen to the CD first?
Posted: 6/7/06 at 6:50pm
Depends. I'm often familiar with the music before hand, then fall in love with it after I see it. (a la Woman in White.)
Or it could be the opposite. I loved a few songs from Bklyn, then after I saw I never wanted to listen again, not because I hated it, but never wanted to go back.
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kate2
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/6/05
#23re: Do you watch a musical or listen to the CD first?
Posted: 6/7/06 at 7:17pmI like to see the show first and if I'm going crazy to hear the songs again, I buy the CD.
#24re: Do you watch a musical or listen to the CD first?
Posted: 6/7/06 at 7:44pmhence the word Personally, i said it aggravates me when people do that, but I said nothing about judging people. Whatever people want to do is their own choice. I was just voicing my own opinion and answer to this thread. Everyone's views on this topic might be a little different, what I said was my view.
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