Reviews vs. going into a show blind

I read reviews (both "professional" and on this board), but I always take them with a grain of salt. I disagree with critics too often to allow them to determine what I see, and there have been too many shows that I loved, but would've missed, if I'd given too much credence to what people wrote about them. My primary interest in reviews is to learn a bit about how a show "feels" and how it is staged.

I generally read the reviews as soon as they come out. Unless something is pretty much panned, I generally don't base a purchase on the reviews, for several reasons:

I have not infrequently disliked / been disappointed by shows that have gotten raves or, at least, very good reviews, e.g., hated CATS, City of Angels and Fun Home, disappointed by the original productions of Billy Elliott, A Chorus Line (which I saw at least three times in its first year, because of visitors wanting to see it) and Annie; and a decent number of classic musical revivals', e.g., last Kiss Me Kate revival.

I have thoroughly enjoyed a number of musicals which were not well reviewed or even panned. I have seen Finding Neverland 5 times, Cambridge, Broadway, and on tour, have recognized glaring deficiencies in each production, and have still loved them overall. Fifty years ago, I also loved Dear World, which I also knew had some serious flaws. The flaws, which resulted in the show receiving some real pans, did not keep me from loving parts of the show, as well as Angela Lansbury's performance...and etc.

There are some shows that have been critically acclaimed and huge hits that I have had no interest in seeing, sometimes based on the rave reviews. Passion is a musical that I never had any interest in seeing, based the story itself. I never liked the score to Rent, so I managed avoid it for more than a decade...and etc.

Bottom line: does the story sound interesting, have you liked previous works by the composer, director, et al, do you like the performers, do you want to see the work of new, unproven talents. If the answer to any of those questions is yes, go for it.

Updated On: 2/28/19 at 05:18 PM

I think reviews are a great way to find out about shows you might otherwise miss, which is why I'm sad when coverage of smaller theater companies and productions get cut. But usually, I read reviews because I'm interested in the variety of opinions around a certain work, not as a way to determine whether or not I want to see something.

I read reviews– that's often how I find out that a show exists– but like a previous poster said, take them with a grain of salt! Same with movies. That's because the regular reviewers in the papers I read are male and significantly older than me, so their tastes often differ. For a recent example, if I'd obeyed reviews, I'd have missed out on "Head Over Heels," which I *loved*.