Do you watch a musical or listen to the CD first?

[kasim]

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]

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.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 6/7/06 at 4:17pm

I 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]

Posted: 6/7/06 at 4:19pm

If 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]

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]

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]

Posted: 6/7/06 at 4:24pm

I 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.

[bundy5000]

Posted: 6/7/06 at 4:27pm

I 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.

[Caroline-Q-or-TBoo]

Posted: 6/7/06 at 4:29pm

I 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...

[SeptemberKel]

Posted: 6/7/06 at 4:45pm

I 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.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 6/7/06 at 5:05pm

A 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).

[Luckydave14]

Posted: 6/7/06 at 5:07pm

I 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]

Posted: 6/7/06 at 5:07pm

I 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]

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!

[EponineAmneris]

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.

Updated On: 6/7/06 at 05:22 PM

[broadwaybelter]

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]

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.

[circusliz]

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.

[Broadwayluva]

Posted: 6/7/06 at 5:30pm

Personally, 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]

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.

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 6/7/06 at 6:45pm

I 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...

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 6/7/06 at 6:48pm

I 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.

[WickedGeek28]

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.

[kate2]

Posted: 6/7/06 at 7:17pm

I like to see the show first and if I'm going crazy to hear the songs again, I buy the CD.

[Broadwayluva]

Posted: 6/7/06 at 7:44pm

hence 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.