Seeing a Show Twice- Does It Ruin the Magic?

[JustABroadwaybaby2]

Posted: 6/16/06 at 8:44pm

Hi.
I recently saw Spelling Bee. It was my second time going, and I already knew all the lyrics. It sort of killed my "I'm at a Broadway Show and I only paid 50 or so bucks for it" buzz.
The only thing that felt new to me, besides the audience, was Logainne's jokes.
When I saw it, there were no cast changes except for Panch, so even if it was different, I didn't feel like it was so.
I was wondering, does it kill your buzz if you see a show over and over, and you know all the lyrics and stuff?
Does it depend on the cast itself? The improv?
edited for spelling stuff.

Updated On: 6/16/06 at 08:44 PM

[rosekwbp]

Posted: 6/16/06 at 8:50pm

I saw Gypsy twice and it was even more magical the second time.

[mijofly19]

Posted: 6/16/06 at 8:54pm

Absolutely not. I've seen shows like Spelling Bee, Hairspray, Sweeney, and many others multiple times, and they never get old. Even when its the same cast, and you know all the jokes/lyrics, theres always something new that you can pick up. A lot of times I'll just concentrate on one actor to see their acting choices, faces, movements, etc. (Especially in a show like Spelling Bee where they're so close.)

[GirlforTartaglia]

Posted: 6/16/06 at 8:56pm

I think it depends on how you're going into the show..When I saw Threepenny Opera, I was completely a blank slate. Afterwards I was INCREDIBLY impressed and upon my second time viewing it, I had a greater appreciation for the art of the show and was able to see things (staging, plot, whatever) in new lights and I saw things that I missed the first time around. I find that humorous shows, such as Avenue Q, tend to lose their magic because of slated jokes which are funny only so many times after you hear them. I'm guessing it's easier to see Spelling Bee a lot because it's more improvisational. Also, I believe that longer shows take you longer to lose their magical effects. I've seen Rent thrice, and it still hasn't lost it's magic. Thus, I believe it's how badly you want to see the show, how much you love it, which will determine if the magic is "lost"..although still, the magic isn't fully lost

[eatlasagna]

Posted: 6/16/06 at 9:03pm

for me... seeing a comedy is where the magic is "ruined" the second time around... maybe it's because you know it's coming and you're expecting it whereas the first time it just comes out of nowhere... the Producers was one for me that I can think of... dramas are more magical for me all times i see it... RENT, Phantom, Les Mis, Miss Saigon... those are shows i always watch when i get a chance i've never been ruined by it... i think a good deal also has to do with the fact that almost every time i watch a show it's with a different cast and that cast brings something different than the previous... but all in all... i think it depends on the show sometimes...

[WickedGeek28]

Posted: 6/16/06 at 9:04pm

Nope. Saw Wicked 7 times and still enjoy it.

Saw WIW multiple times and loved it more.

Saw Lion King a couple of times and still enjoyed it.

[EponineAmneris]

Posted: 6/16/06 at 9:08pm

I have seen all of my top ten favorite musicals more than 3 times on average. It only makes me love them more

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 6/16/06 at 9:10pm

Seen POTO 7 times and I love it more and more.

It all depends on the show, IMO. Shows like POTO, Les Miz, and Rent are shows that can be seen hundreds of times and there is always something different about it because the characters are able to go on more journeys than those in shows like Avenue Q.

[singingshowgirl]

Posted: 6/16/06 at 9:12pm

It really depends.

i saw beauty and the best for the first time with the obc....when i saw it the second time, it was 7 years later, so the magic was totally still there (especially because i was seeing it with someone who had never seen it before). I then saw it with that same person only a year later. While, we still loved the show, it definitely wasn't as AMAZING and a spectacle to see the different dishes and crazy costumes. We still had a great time, but we weren't fascinated in the same way.

I've been wondering the same thing with Drowsy Chaperone. That show was the love of my life, but it was soooo unexpected, I'm curious to see how I'd like it when i do know what kind of crazy unexpected things would happen. i still think i'd love it, but in a different way....because there are some movies and lines that i laugh at no matter how many more times i see them.

[chrrymn]

Posted: 6/16/06 at 9:23pm

I've seen Sweeney 5 times, 4 times in just one week. haha. That Wed, Fri & TWICE Sat. But I love every aspect of the show. And there's something new to catch every time. Donna Lynne Champlin told me herself that even she is still catching new things. ...and I'm going back to NYC in about 5 weeks, no doubt I'll be seeing Sweeney Todd again.

But I can understand where comedies might get old.

[best we know x]

Posted: 6/16/06 at 11:00pm

I've seen Wicked 3 times, but the first time was in previews in October '03, and then the second time was JLT's last in May '05. The last time was March of this year. I've seen pretty much completely different casts each time, so it's a lot of fun for me. I've also seen Dirty Rotten Scoundrels twice, and it was no less funny the second time around (although some of the jokes, like *spoiler* the Bush joke in "All About Ruprecht", were not as funny when they lacked the surprise factor). I also saw the revival of Fiddler twice...once with Alfred Molina as Tevye and Randy Graff as Golde, and once with Harvey Fierstein and Andrea Martin. I have to say I loved it so much more the second time around.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 6/16/06 at 11:04pm

Only show I've seen ten thousand times is JCS; I am a bit sick of it but that may be because my dad made me listen to the recording everyday last summer (it's the only musical he likes.)

I saw Miss Saigon twice and was even more touched the second time because I was prepared for it and able to observe and absorb more.

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 6/16/06 at 11:12pm

Not at all for me. That's something I love about theatre. There's no way you can ever see the same performance twice, even if it's the exact same cast and the exact same production. No matter how many times you watch a movie, you're watching the same movie. That's not true of live theatre.

[C is for Company]

Posted: 6/16/06 at 11:12pm

I saw Sweeney Todd 6 times without the slightest regret. A show like that I think allows for that continual attention. Half the shows I have seen, I have gone back to multiple times (for reference, check my profile and you can observe the trend).
On occasion it may be a let down, my first time at Spelling Bee was more magical thatn the 2nd, but Chicago I hated the first time when I saw it when I was 15 and stupid (oh and Melanie was Roxie). 3 years later, I fully appreciate Broadway and went back to see it twice in under 2 weeks. It is circumstances like that that really make me happy, seeing the change and being able to come back to something with such love for it.

[liotte]

Posted: 6/16/06 at 11:24pm

Nope, I love seeing shows over and over.
If you watch your favorite movie repeatedly, it's the exact same thing. Theater is live and changes every single show.

My favorites shows, I have seen 20, 30, 40+ times and will continue going back.

[gustof777]

Posted: 6/16/06 at 11:51pm

As said...I think it really depends...on the show. But as far as spelling bee I know exactly where you're coming from. I knew the entire cast recording by heart and I loved to watch there Tony performance and while I really liked the show...I didn't love as much as I thought as I would and I think that's because I knew almost everything that was coming except a few of the definitions and whatnots...still really enjoyable but yeah theres a beauty of going in knowing nothing.

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 6/16/06 at 11:59pm

Sweeney gets better every time I go.

[aspiringactress]

Posted: 6/16/06 at 11:59pm

Shows like Sweeney Todd are constantly changing. The entire cast is so focused on developing their characters instead of 'freezing' them because the show's been out for a while. Doyle also gives notes rather frequently. I've seen it quite a few times so far, and there is always more to see. For example, the last time I was there, there was something new at the end of the show between Donna Lynne Champlin and Manoel Felciano. It was very subtle, and I probably wouldn't have caught it had it ben my first viewing of the show.

[theatregrl0456]

Posted: 6/17/06 at 12:24am

i don't mind seeing shows more then once, i always end up picking up on new stuff, even if it is with the same cast

[WiiCKED x3]

Posted: 6/17/06 at 7:55am

I saw DRS 3 times, i'm not sure if I could see it again. After the seccond time you already know the jokes and what's going to happen next. I loved it the seccond time.

But I still love the show. A lot.

I also saw Wicked twice, it was amazing the seccond time.
Updated On: 6/17/06 at 07:55 AM

[James2]

Posted: 6/17/06 at 9:03am

The first time I saw Spamalot (July 2005, Hank Azaria was on vacation, and Tim Curry was out that day), I thought it was good, not great, and that Dirty Rotten Scoundrels probably should have gotten the Tony instead.

The second time I saw it (Jan. 2006, Hank Azaria back in the cast, and Simon Russell Beale & Lauren Kennedy had joined the cast), I absolutely loved it! Everyting went like clockwork, and I cannot imagine anybody being a better King Arthur than Mr. Beale.

[Greekmusicalfan]

Posted: 6/17/06 at 10:16am

I have to agree that it depends on the show and your mood ! I really enjoyed Les Mis and Miss Saigon all 3 times that I saw them, I loved RENT both times, but by the third time of Phantom I fell momentarily asleep, though I love the show !

[sally1112]

Posted: 6/17/06 at 10:20am

I have to see a show multiple times. The first time I am so freaked out that I am seeing it that it all overwhlems me. The second (or hopefully 3rd and 4th) time I try to enjoy it more. I relax and let the art and beauty take over for me.

[sO_aMaZinGly_giFTed]

Posted: 6/17/06 at 10:23am

Well, it depends... I've seen Mamma Mia! like 25-30 times and its still my favorite show, I don't get sick of it && it's still funny.
&& I've seen Wicked like 5 times but I liked it better the 5th time becuase it was Eden Espinosa.

SO I THINK it depends...

[broadwaybaby77]

Posted: 6/17/06 at 10:28am

I disagree with some of the things I've read so far. Most people have been mentioning that comedies are less magical the second time around, but my experiences have not led me to believe that.

I've seen Avenue Q 6 times now, and I still laugh at the same jokes and sight gags. Similarly, I saw Spelling Bee a second time and it was still just as fresh and funny as it was a year ago.

I agree that most dramatic musicals are good to see again and again, though.