Giving a Show a Second Chance

I HATED The Band's Visit the first time I saw it. However, when they had their flash winter sale, I made a return visit and enjoyed it much more the second time. I then saw the touring production. While my appreciation of the show deepened with each viewing, and I definitely no longer loathe it like I first did, it is still not one of my favorite shows.

Despite being a massive Sondheim fan, I was one of those who found the original production of Passion to be a mess, even laughing at some moments clearly not meant to evoke that reaction. I've now seen several productions, primarily in more intimate spaces, and it is among my favorite shows.

kwoc91 said: "I think I need to do this with A Strange Loop. When I saw it a few weeks ago I was so distracted by the awful sound mixing that I found myself completely unable to focus on the actual show."

Same thing happened to me! The sound was awful where I was

bwayphreak234 said: "I HATED The Band's Visit the first time I saw it. However, when they had their flash winter sale, I made a return visit and enjoyed it much more the second time. I then saw the touring production. While my appreciation of the show deepened with each viewing, and I definitely no longer loathe it like I first did, it is still not one of my favorite shows."



I was disappointed with the original production of PIPPIN. I thought the musical staging was splendid but the story was hollow.

Years later I gave it a second chance and found it was just as hollow.

hearthemsing22 said: "What’s a show where you heard the original concept and was like “no. Absolutely not” but your curiosity got the better of you, you saw the show and then that completely changed your mind?"

This exactly describes my experience with Xanadu. I had seen the movie once or twice and thought it was incredibly boring (some great songs aside), and I had no idea why anyone would want to make it into a Broadway show.

Who knew it would be such great fun, and that I'd see it three times during its Broadway run and a couple more times since then?

I also agree with JasonC3 about Passion, but in this case I was actually very excited going into it and was disappointed when I actually saw it. I don't blame the production; I was just too young, too unsophisticated as a musical lover, to appreciate it. When the CD came out I gave it another chance, and it quickly became one of my favorite scores (and still is almost 30 years later).

I didn't like SPRING AWAKENING when I first saw it at the Atlantic. Couldn't connect with the material, thought many of the performances were amateurish, and was put off my the self-consciously anachronistic staging. A friend dragged me kicking and screaming to it when it subsequently opened on Broadway. Everything clicked.

I saw a preview of Light in the Piazza, and though I liked the show enormously, I left thinking that “Dividing Day” was the only number that made a lasting impression. Of course, the recording of the ravishing score is among my favorites. Same happened with the same composer’s (Guettel) Floyd Collins. I can’t get through it without tearing up. Its I Want song and final famous closer, “How Glory Goes,” wreck me.

Updated On: 6/6/22 at 01:39 PM

I only saw the recording of the OBC Passion but I also hated it. Then I listened to the CSC cast recording and I finally got the appeal.

I couldn't get through one song of the off-Broadway Great Comet recording. But actually seeing it on stage on Broadway, it all worked and was less of an aggressive cacophony of noise. Plus, obviously there was more variety to the music.

I loved my Fair Lady to begin with, but I thought the recent Lauren Ambrose revival was misguided until Laura Benanti stepped in. With the other cast changes, I could finally see Sher's vision for an older, more feminist interpretation of Eliza.

TheQuibbler said: "I couldn’t seem to connect with the original production ofSpring Awakeningeven though I was smack dab in the right age demographic. I just found the whole thing silly and overblown. But the Deaf West production pretty much blew me away, erasing all the issues I had with the show. It was a thrilling evening of theater."

I agree 1000%!!! Felt exactly the same way about both productions!

I believe once is enough for most Broadway shows, so I have only seen a few shows twice or more.

If I had it my way, I would revisit a show if there were a lead understudy / understudies or replacements on that night that I would be DYING to see (not very often, in my world).

I definitely want to go see A Strange Loop again. I walked out of the theater feeling pretty lukewarm about it but listening to the cast album definitely deepened my appreciation for the show, so I think it would help to see it again now that I know what they're supposed to be saying.

I also agree that My Fair Lady with Lauren Ambrose felt just fine, but not as revolutionary as I expected, but Laura Benanti definitely changed the way I saw the character (and I think I enjoyed Harry Hadden-Paton's performance a lot more the second time around too). And recently seeing Chicago again with Pamela Anderson completely changed my outlook on the show (which I had originally seen in 2016). I might have also just matured more as a theatergoer, but I found all the songs more engaging and the entire throughline more interesting than before.

Though for a show where I didn't think it would interest me, Jersey Boys I only saw because I won the lottery but I really didn't expect to enjoy it much at all, and it is now probably the show I've seen the most. I was also very skeptical of Ivo van Hove's West Side Story but I found that revival completely exhilarating