Posted: 8/7/19 at 5:53pm
GavestonPS said: "One of the most thrilling theater experiences I ever had was a matinee of FOLLIES in 1971. Yes, the matinee ladies were shuffling their shopping bags, but more importantly, they were talking about having seenEthel Shutta in THE ZIEGFELD FOLLIES of 1919!
Each principal got at least two entrance applauses--when she entered and when she paraded with her sash during "Beautiful Girls".
I saw the show again the following year with a more mixed evening audience. The show itself was just as good, but the audience didn't compare to that first adventure into the future/past with the matinee ladies of 1971.
All of which is to say, "It depends." If you are seeing something difficult and less immediately accessible--I'm thinking THE BAND'S VISIT might be such a case--then you should expect to contend with a matinee audience of people exhausted from shopping and lunch. But if you attend something that touches an older audience, a matinee might be ideal."
I shared your great experience at Follies, which was fascinating for me, as I had never heard of some of the performers, including Fifi... and Ethel Shutta. That was not at a matinee, however, as -- especially in those days -- most audiences sat on their hands. In those days, the audience composition was much more skewed to older blue haired ladies. But, per your TBV comments, the issue is usually with the audience, not those on stage.
