Going to theatre alone?- Page 3
Going to theatre alone?
#50Going to theatre alone?
Posted: 3/22/16 at 1:03am
I live a very short distance from Philadelphia so when tours are in town nine times out of ten, I will end up going alone. Most of my friends live in or around the city, so unless it's a show they really want to see or features someone they really want to see in it to warrant a trek down to Philly, I attend most of those shows solo (or sometimes with my aunt and/or the rare local friend). I do agree with the poster from earlier who mentioned you tend to get better seating as a single - I had wonderful seats for both performances of The Sound of Music in Philly being a single.
When it comes to seeing shows in the city, as I mentioned in my previous post, I prefer to attend to shows with someone but I am more than fine also seeing things solo. I do miss the intermission chat and post show discussion, but as someone else mentioned you can easily discuss things with the folks around you and/or at stage door.
"Anybody that goes to the theater, I think we’re all misfits, so we ended up on stage or in the audience.” --- Patti LuPone.
#51Going to theatre alone?
Posted: 3/22/16 at 1:03am
I love to attend theatre with friends however there are times I want to go alome. 2 shows that come to mind are Caroline or Change amd The Normal Heart. Two shows I knew I wanted to take in and just think about it and not immediately talk about. The last FOLLIES revival was another. I had been wanting to see that show onstage for years and just wanted to see and enjoy it by myself. And I did! With Normal Heart I knew I needed to see it by myself and glad I did. I left the theater, walked across the street and collapsed against the metal fence and cried my eyes out. If I feel I may be emotionally moved, I like to go alome.
Just give the world Love.
#52Going to theatre alone?
Posted: 3/22/16 at 2:49am
Going alone ??
Favk-----I want the WHOLE THEATRE to myself !
Movies---alone, as I always want to sit against the far wall with no one around me.
Theatre--alone. Aisle, so only one person next to me but never knee touching close [weeeel-it did happen once and we dated for over a year so going alone occasionally has its advantages].
StephieElise
Featured Actor Joined: 11/12/12
#53Going to theatre alone?
Posted: 3/22/16 at 5:18am
I've never actually gone to the theatre alone, but I can definitely understand why people prefer it. I'm lucky that my mum, sister (usually) and I all love the theatre, I know their schedules so can plan ahead and book great seats, I usually pay so the budget is up to me and we have the same pre and post theatre routine. I've had other people come with us a couple of times and found it rather stressful and annoying! I think if I didn't go with my immediate family I'd rather go alone.
Dave19
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/23/11
#54Going to theatre alone?
Posted: 3/22/16 at 8:49am
I love it, the whole experience is much more intense. Not distracted by chit chator having to wonder if the other person likes it as much as you do, etc.
#55Going to theatre alone?
Posted: 3/22/16 at 8:53am
So glad to know that I'm not alone in this! Last time I went to Wicked with a friend, her phone rang right before "For Good," even though I told her beforehand to turn it ALL THE WAY OFF... Sigh...
#56Going to theatre alone?
Posted: 3/22/16 at 9:08am
I guess I'm in the minority with this opinion, but I don't like going to theater alone. Sure I do it occasionally, but mostly I go with my friends. Of course there's the aspect of intermission and post-show discussions, but there's another thing too and that's the way seeing a single unique performance can bond two (or more) people together in intangible ways.
I think of this off-Broadway bizarro campfest called Archbishop Supreme Tartuffe starring Andre De Shields that I saw with one of my good friends about seven years ago that to this day we are flabbergasted by what occurred on that stage! I could sit down with anyone of you for two hours to try and explain what it was like to be in that audience, but it wouldn't do any good. You had to have been there. Even if you were at a different performance it wouldn't be the same, especially since audience participation was involved, making the experience all the more unique. My friend and I are forever bonded over this experience, as well as the 30 other people in the audience that day. That's one of the great mystical powers of the theater and why the ephemeral quality of a performance is so alluring.
When you see shows with the same friends (a spouse, family, etc) over the course of a year, five year or multiple decades the bond between you becomes something very special indeed.
Marie: Don't be in such a hurry about that pretty little chippy in Frisco.
Tony: Eh, she's a no chip!
#57Going to theatre alone?
Posted: 3/22/16 at 9:33am
I don't mind going to the theater alone at all. In college I often went by myself as I was 45 minutes from Manhattan and either couldn't coordinate my schedule with others or was already in the city for different reason and decided to stay and grab a rush ticket. Now that I am back home in MA, it takes more planning to go to a show. Occasionally I will take the bus in (Megabus now goes out of my city, which is very convenient) and I am very picky about who I see shows with. After a few bad experiences I now stick exclusively to my parents and two or three friends! Otherwise I am content to go alone!
#58Going to theatre alone?
Posted: 3/22/16 at 11:29am
I have yet to find a theatre companion that enjoys it as much as I do (perhaps my daughter does) so I really like to go alone. Last time I was in NYC I was with a girlfriend. We went to see Curious Incident (she dozed off), Spring Awakenings (fidgety), Something Rotten (she loved) and Hamilton, where we didn't sit together but we were just a row and a couple of seats away. I was so enthralled by the performance that I didn't take much notice of her reactions, but when it was over, as I wiped the tears from my eyes, she came up to me and said "that was the longest most painful thing I've ever sat through"..... 
so, yeah.... I vowed to myself to only go on my own unless I'm absolutely certain that my companion does indeed love theatre, especially musicals.
The upside to being solo is that you can score amazing seats, you get to people watch during intermission and you tend to strike up conversations with your row buddies. I've met a lot of really great people and received great reviews on shows that I haven't seen yet. There's a whole community out there:
How long are you here for and how many shows are you seeing??....
Those peeps are my soulmates!
I'm going in June solo and can't wait!!
VintageSnarker
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/30/15
#59Going to theatre alone?
Posted: 3/22/16 at 2:29pm
Another plus to going with friends is that they can be a buffer between you and people who might be distracting.
Klg3
Swing Joined: 3/22/16
#60Going to theatre alone?
Posted: 3/22/16 at 3:02pm
Anybody going to Hamilton alone or planning trying to get Cancellation ticket solo. Send me a PM, if interested in splitting Linesitter cost or interested splitting the time
whatacharacter
Leading Actor Joined: 8/19/05
#61Going to theatre alone?
Posted: 3/23/16 at 8:07am
I saw Urinetown alone with a TKTS ticket and ended up sitting right next to Toby Maguire (Spiderman). Nice guy.
#62Going to theatre alone?
Posted: 3/23/16 at 7:35pm
Jay Lerner-Z said: "Gaveston, is it so inconceivable that some people might prefer to go alone? I know I do!
If your Asperger's diagnosis is accurate, your Lonely Hearts Club idea would likely be hell for us too, but thanks!
"
You're welcome, Jay. No, it's not inconceivable, since we've had umpteen threads with people complaining about the enormous burden posed by the existence of other human beings, including even gripes about people applauding after individual numbers because it "takes the viewer out of the show".
And as I said, I see nothing wrong with attending a show alone.
But when posters insist they ONLY want to attend alone because they don't want anyone talking to them before, during intermission, or afterwards, I think they are confusing the theater with reading a novel. The latter is a solitary, individual experience, but the former is communal, practically by definition.
BwayinVan
Broadway Star Joined: 1/24/14
#63Going to theatre alone?
Posted: 3/24/16 at 2:39am
I usually make my annual trip to NYC alone. It's my time, and lets me do exactly what I want. The reality is that I don't have many friends who love the theatre as much as I do and are willing to spend money on it. Those who do go to the theatre only really know the mainstream big tours that come through town. Every time I've seen a show on broadway I end up chatting with the people I'm sitting next to. For me, I don't go alone because I don't want to be disturbed. I go alone because the theatre is what I enjoy and I've seen some amazing shows, from amazing seats.
#64Going to theatre alone?
Posted: 3/24/16 at 2:57am
I had a very good comp.seat to the ballet one night and a 'God' sat in the single seat next to me.
Being a smart arse I said 'Who do you know to get such a good seat'?
'I'm the altermate [male] lead dancer and just watching the performance tonight'
I didn't say another word.
Should be called NoLips not SweetLips but slowly learning.
StageStar2468
Chorus Member Joined: 7/18/12
#65Going to theatre alone?
Posted: 3/24/16 at 10:11amI don't mind either way. If I go alone its typically easier because I have total control over the cost, way I want the tickets obtained (rush , lottery, box office, etc.), and the show itself. I also don't have to spend the entire shownworrying whether the other person likes it. However, if I find a good person to accompany me, going with someone else is fun because of the intermission and post show conversations, and getting to share the fun experience with someone else.
mailhandler777
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/15/15
#66Going to theatre alone?
Posted: 3/24/16 at 1:38pm
I prefer to go alone. Don't have to worry if someone else is enjoying themselves. Plus I typically sit in the cheaper seats up in the balcony and my friends are seat snobs that like to sit up close and those seats are expensive.
Hi, I'm Val. Formerly DefyGravity777(I believe)
Eliza2
Broadway Star Joined: 1/7/16
#67Going to theatre alone?
Posted: 3/25/16 at 2:26pm
I go alone primarily because, as a few others have mentioned, I live far away and when I take a trip I am cramming in as many shows as I can. None of my friends want to do that. And now I've gotten used to it and really enjoy it.
However, this summer on my next trip I'd like to catch a solo show at Birdland. I've never done that before. I know you are seated at tables, so how does that work? Has anyone ever attended one of these at Birdland, 54 Below, etc, by yourself, and how did that go?
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