Go into show blind or music memorized? — Page 2

Depends. With an intensely lyric-heavy score like Hamilton or Pacific Overtures, I find that knowing the score is a huge advantage especially if like those two shows, the score is sung-through.

If it's a more old-fashioined kind of book show with very different kind of lyrics, I'd prefer to go blind. A Bock and Harnick type show for instance, in which the songs are contained within book scenes and the lyrics and throughline of them is transparent at first hearing. Of course, I grew up listening to those scores long before I saw those shows, but...

Also regret going into Great Comet completely blind. Only song I knew was Dust and Ashes. The first time I saw it, I truly didn't understand what was going on and was so bored. It was their Tonys performance that made me really listen to the cast album and want to go back again. Now I know every word and ended up seeing the show like 12 times before it closed. Funny how it makes such a difference to know the score! Man I miss that show.

I prefer to hear the music beforehand if possible. I have some hearing loss from growing up performing in large symphonic orchestras that make it so I just don't easily understand certain frequencies of sound. It's not bad enough to require an assisted listening device and sometimes I can be fine going in without hearing it first. I can get by tilting my head this way or that or trying to put together context clues from what I do understand. You never know how the show is going to be mixed or where the speakers are, so if I can hear the music or read the book before going, I'm guaranteed to have a better time.

Going in blind, with the music entirely memorized or somewhere in between is really just a personal preference and there's no use in arguing which is best. I prefer going in blind, because I enjoy the element of surprise and wow-factor of hearing the music for the first time. I also find that when I hear some songs without the visual aspect for the first time, I'm not so keen on them, but when I get the full effect I tend to actually really enjoy them and listen to them again later.

I will agree with others who said that sometimes going in blind you can't catch the full lyrics or sung storytelling that occurs. This was especially true when I saw Hamilton and Phantom and both shows I sat front row and could see the actors spitting, but during several songs it was difficult to follow along completely.

For me it depends on the show - I had many totally different experiences. I saw Hamilton very early in the run, just a few days after it opened, and I didn't know anything about it - I was blown away because I didn't know what to expect in the slightest. I did the same for Great Comet and was rather puzzled. I didn't get anything of the story or the concept. Same with Hedwig, when I saw it first I didn't understand two thirds of the lyrics, which made it VERY hard to follow the story.

Listening to the recording can help, at least a song or two, to get the vibe of the show, but I'd recommend only listening to a recording if it's the actual one of the production you're gonna see. I remember a regional production of She Loves Me, I listened to the 2016 OBC beforehand and was very disappointed in the actual show cause they changed many of the orchestrations I had already fallen in love with.

On the other hand I once saw a regional production of Bare, not knowing anything about it, and I thought it was okay, until I listened to the original recording and realised how TERRIBLE the production actually was - I was glad I didn't listen to it beforehand, I would have been far more disappointing.

So yeah, there are two sides to everything.