Does listening to a cast recording before seeing a show take away from the experience of seeing it live?

Personally, I find that I enjoy shows more when I know a little of the score before hand. There is a certain thrill you get not knowing anything. I saw Piazza having not heard the score before hand or knowing really anything about it except that Matthew Morrison was in it and I loved it, but hated not knowing which song was coming next so I would be looking at the program from time to time.

I usually listen to at least some of the music before I see a show; however, I saw the second preview of Drowsy not knowing anything about it and I've enjoyed that show more than anything else I've seen.

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I like to listen to a recording once, to see if I like it, to see which songs I like, and then I'll go see the show. The shows that I have not enjoyed as much have been the shows that were scratched by the number of times I played them.

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I try to never listen to a cast recording before. One reason is yes it takes away from the show when I see it live. Another reason is that I have no Idea who is singing and why they are singing, nor can I imagine them singing...so I don't really like listening to it. After I see a show I usually always buy the cast recording of the show just because...well I don't know why...

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I always hate cast recordings when I first listen to them - then I see the show and love them. It's bizarre. So I've just learned not to listen to cast albums before I see shows, not because I think it will dampen my enjoyment of the show, but because the show will enhance my enjoyment of the cast recording.

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Keep in mind that the album is usually recorded in a studio, so the show will be different. They don't always put all the music on a recording, either. There could be dialogue between verses, too.

I can tell you that a show in a Broadway house sounds different from anywhere else. I have seen hundreds of shows on tour and Crazy for You at the Ordway Theatre in St. Paul was a completely different show from the one I saw on Broadway at the Shubert Theatre.

Be prepared to be dazzled. Everything you think will be wonderful when you listen to the CD, and the moments when you envision stage movement will sometimes surprise you, because it will be exactly like you imagined. Enjoy both Mary Poppins and Company. I saw MP in London twice. I'd see it again.

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I usually listen to a few songs on a cast recording before seeing a show so I'm somewhat familiar with the music, but I always like that aspect of surprise when seeing it live for the first time. Without seeing the show before listening to the recording, I find it so hard to envision what the staging's like. I always ended up focusing on how different it is from what I'd thought instead of the show itself.

It really depends on the show I think...Avenue Q might not be such a good idea to listen to, because there are so many jokes in the songs that might seem old if you've heard them already. I wore out my Jersey Boys CD before seeing the show, but that had no affect on my enjoyment of it, I loved every second.

And then there are some CDs that I just can't get into til I see the show, like Spelling Bee and Light in the Piazza, which I couldn't really listen to before I saw them and now I love both.

Growing up with non-theatre going parents (my first tour was "Mamma Mia!" my senior year of High School), I HAD to get the cast album if I wanted exposure, and some shows aside, it doesn't usually ruin me to have heard it first. And, in some cases, like most of Lippa's and JRB's scores, they make me actually LIKE them.

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I listened to the soundtrack of Spring Awakening before I saw it, and I think I enjoyed it more knowing the music beforehand..

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For me, I always enjoy shows more when I'm familiar with the music. The first time I saw Les Miz and Phantom (not at the same time), I was only vaguely familiar with the music. I enjoyed both shows immensely and began to listen CRs obsessively afterwards.

Some years pass and I get to see both shows again. This time, however, I bawl. The 2nd time I saw Les Miz, I have never cried so hard in my entire life. I was just flooded with emotion. In the years between viewings, I had grown really emotionally attached to and had a deeper understanding for the music.

That being said, if I'm ever seeing a show that I already know the music to, I always refuse to listen to it for about 1-2 weeks before hand to renew some freshness.

That's me

Personally the music will make or break a musical for me. So, if there is a cast recording available I will absolutely listen to it beforehand. I don't want to shell out 100 bucks for a show that I'm going to hate the music.