How much does a minimal set affect your ability to follow along with a show's storyline?

CurtisTaylorJr2 said: "This is something that I started thinking about last night after I attended a small touring show called North The Musical that has a very minimal set up. During intermission I heard someone saying it was hard to follow the story with just one set (their words not mine). I didn't have any trouble following along and never have had an issue comprehending a show with a minimalist set up, but I wanted to see some other opinions on this."

I love to look at gorgeous sets as much as the next person, but a gorgeous set does not make a bad show better...it just gives you something to look at and to distract you from the badness. Depending on the work, a minimal set can make it easier to follow along, because you are not distracted. That was certainly the case with A Doll's House two seasons ago. I loved the elaborate set for the original production of Sunset Blvd, and I have every expectation that I will love the Lloyd version it does transfer. Two reasons: it sounds like they have cut out the silly parts of the original production and it sounds like you are made to focus on the core material.

I do think that a minimalist production that is badly directed or acted may be the worst combination possible. The production is bad and you don't have sets to distract you from the badness.

Since the set is just one component of a whole production, the presence or absence of one just creates a more intensive focus on other elements. If the material and performances are strong (any Lloyd production I’ve seen), then a minimal set is effective

I enjoyed both of Doyle’s Sweeney and Color Purple but I won’t lie, I didn’t understand a lot of the plot of Sweeney and I hadn’t realized how much time had passed in Color Purple that by the end she’s way older.