Seeing a show in previews

[EponineAmneris]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 8:37am

Despite the fact that I have been a Broadway fan all my life and have seen LOTS of shows on Broadway and on tour and been to opening and closing nights... I have never had the opportunity to see a show while it's still in previews. I am going to see LES MIZ October 27th. How different will it be?

I mean I know they'll have PLAYBILLS and since it's LES MIZ, they may have the programs, shirts, CDs ect already. Most shows wouldn't, right?

How do shows normally handle previews? Can you stagedoor? What can I expect?

[snazzier]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 9:04am

Yes, you can stagedoor at previews. The thing about previews is that the show will be different almost every night, especially if it's a new show. The director can make whatever changes he or she wants until they're satisfied. That's when the show is frozen. So what you see in previews may be a bit different than what they open with.

[madbrian]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 9:10am

I've seen many shows in previews, and while changes are still possible, most would not be that noticeable. The number and type of changes are often determined by the length of the out-of-town run. The merchandise will DEFINITELY be there to be purchased, and you can stage door.

[snazzier]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 9:12am

Ooh, yeah, I just had Tarzan in mind when I was writing this. Absolutely no idea why I did. But Tarzan changed a lot when it was in previews.
Since Les Mis' script is already set in stone, there is not much that will be changed about this show in particular.

[EponineAmneris]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 9:15am

Thank you, snazzier and madbrian Very kind of you to reply.

I have seen LES MIZ many times on Broadway and on tour, so I am looking forward to seeing it with this cast. Since I have the show memorized, I am going to try and catch all the "new things" ... Although from what I understand, they don't plan to change much. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, tight?

Nice to know we can stagedoor. I would LOVE to meet Aaron Lazar and Alex

[Unknown User]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 9:18am

Did you think the performers didn't leave the theatre during previews? Why wouldn't you be able to stage door?

[EponineAmneris]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 9:24am

I was honestly thinking about etiquette and wanted to be sure they still treated that aspect the same. I didn't want to step on toes or be in the way

Thanks for all your help, guys!

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 9:28am

I don't like to see a show in previews. One time, we were at the half price ticket booth and Lestat and The Wedding Singer were both listed. They were still in previews. I said to my folks, "Forget it, it'll just be different when it opens. They're always fixing it." Plus I don't like seeing shows withouth having the cast recording first. Didn't make much of a difference when it came to Lestat. And I'm seeing The Wedding Singer in a few weeks.

[mikem]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 12:36pm

One thing about stagedooring in previews that MIGHT be different is if the director is giving them a lot of notes or if rehearsals are very intense, the actors may either come out really late or potentially not at all (either because they don't have time after the matinee or because they're just too tired to do the stage door thing). As has been mentioned before, Les Miserables is unlikely to have marked changes from recent productions, so the rehearsal process might be less taxing than for some other shows.

[AshleyBrownFan123]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 12:41pm

Does anyone know what time would be good to stage door if you don't see that show?

[Just_John]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 12:46pm

Umm well find out how long the show is and go that amount of time after the performance begins.

Also, are they going to record Les Mis with this new cast??

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 1:22pm

FYI -- while there may be changes at times for new shows during early previews (though it's rare for MAJOR changes to occur; usually just minor tinkering) remember that shows have to be frozen and in the absolute final unchangeable form roughly a week or so before opening night. Critics previews are held during the last week of previews before the opening (critics don't go to openings) and typically the creative team wants to give the cast a chance to settle into the final version of the show at least a day or two before the critics start arriving. Basically if you go to any preview roughly 7 - 10 or so days before opening night, you'll see pretty much the same show that will be performed on opening night.

[sabrelady]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 2:24pm

I actually like to try to get the last preview before the opening night. The show is 99% frozen, the cast have settled in but without the pressure of opening night. AND sometimes you can still get a sl.preview discount. I did that w DRS and there was no problem stagedooring either. But that's just me.

[WonderBoy]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 3:45pm

I really enjoy seeing shows in previews to see the changes (if any) that occur.

[RentHead2]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 4:46pm

I personally like going during previews because its a raw look at the show before the changes. I especially liked Dirty Rotten during previews, they really have made a couple of key changes in the show. I am going to try and catch Chorus Line in previews as well...hope its good. Crossing my fingers...

[ZONEACE]

Posted: 7/24/06 at 4:51pm

early previews can be vastly different from the final product. As a for instance, i saw the second (or third, i can't remember right now) preview of the Current production of Sweeney, and then didn't see it again until about 5 weeks ago, and the number of differences was astounding, beyond the fact that there was a curtain, the staging had been altered dramatically.