do matinees have less energy?

[Zeitoujo]

Posted: 6/28/07 at 11:19pm

i've heard from a few people that performers save their energy at matinees for the evening performances. Is this true? The best example I can think of is JLY in JB.

Thanks.

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 6/28/07 at 11:20pm

Well, as JLY doesn't go on for the matinees, I would say he is saving energy.

[Zeitoujo]

Posted: 6/28/07 at 11:20pm

i've heard though that the evening shows have much more energy and the performers try much harder and stuff. i was wondering if this was so.

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 6/28/07 at 11:20pm

I don't find that to be true on either side. As an audience member, I don't notice it. As a performer, I try to give my best energy to ALL of my performances.

Also, I don't think JLY does matinees anymore.

[Revolutionary]

Posted: 6/28/07 at 11:24pm

I think it's sort of the other way around. In my experience with shows that I've seen multiple times, evening performances on a matinee day have tended to be less energetic and enthusiastic than they had been on a non-matinee day. Only a couple times has it been really noticeable though.

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 6/28/07 at 11:29pm

From my experience, it's harder for me to be energetic at a matinee right away, but once it starts, I've been fine.

[BroadwayEnthusiast2]

Posted: 6/28/07 at 11:38pm

It is a Broadway actor's job to be their best at every performance, whether there are 100 people in the audience or it's a matinee. That is what makes their jobs so hard.

[SDav 10495]

Posted: 6/28/07 at 11:46pm

I haven't seen much noticeable lack of energy from the actorss between matinee and evening shows. I have, however, found that matinee audiences aren't always as energetic as evening audiences (I originally thought that's what this topic was about). Something about being during the day I guess...more likely to have people just wandering in for a spur-of-the-moment show who might not be 100% into it...who knows.

[Jellylorum]

Posted: 6/28/07 at 11:57pm

I noticed that the audience is less energetic during matinees (that could be because less people attend them than evening performances), but I don't see any difference in the actors' performances.

[roseaddams]

Posted: 6/28/07 at 11:58pm

When I've done two-show days, I usually find that the matinee is less energetic -- but that's because for me doing the show the first time and not messing up boosts my enthusiasm, so the second time it's a lot more bright and enthusiastic. And I find that it's easier for me to sing later in the day when I've been active doing things, an advantage not given at a matinee. As much as I try to give the best performance possible every time, I think the odds are stacked more in favor of an evening than a matinee performance.

[popular_elphie]

Posted: 6/29/07 at 12:00am

JLY does not do matinees anymore.

I've always felt that the evening shows are the better ones. Maybe I just have screwed logic, but I feel that the actors know what they've got left to give, and didn't push it as far as they could during the matinee to "save" it for the night show. Know what I mean?

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/29/07 at 12:00am

I was at the matinee of GREY GARDENS Wednesday and could tell a noticable difference in Ebersole's performance. She really looked like she would rather be any place else but up on that stage that afternoon. Funny thing is though, she was still better than anyone else on Broadway right now. She truly is amazing.

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 6/29/07 at 12:00am

Rose...definitely agree with you on the voice thing, which is because at matinees, your cords are not as 'awake' as they are in the evening.

[tinkerbell30]

Posted: 7/7/07 at 10:40pm

As a theater performer for the last 30 years I can tell you it can go either way. Sometimes you can be tired from the show the night before and not completely awake for the matinee and you have warm ups every day or evening to wake up your voice but if you have 2 shows in one day you have to try to conserve a little so both audiences get the same quality performance especially if you are ill. Also, I have found in my experience that if the crowd is minimal and doesn't seem into it that brings your energy down as well and just like the rest of us they probably don't always want to go to work either but they do because they love being onstage and they need the money. I have for the most part over the years experienced that the cast knows it doesn't matter what time the show is. Both audiences are paying often times overpriced fees for these tickets and they deserve a high energy good performance whether it is a matinee or evening and try to do thier best. I know I do. Nurse Janet McGregor South Pacific North Providence RI

[BroadwayBoy2]

Posted: 7/7/07 at 11:07pm

I thought that matinees lacked energy also, until I saw Curtains on a sunday Mat. and I was blown away atr the energy on that stage. It was one of the most energetic show I had seen, and I surpassed the dull Mary Poppins I saw the night before.

[sabrelady]

Posted: 7/7/07 at 11:34pm

I really think it depends on the material and the performer(s) I still remember a friend telling me about seeing Shirley Valentine in a matinee and Pauline Collins was performing and he could literally "see" her holding back- saving herself for the evening.
As a performer he understood the rigours of a one person show but as an audience he was furiou$.

[another_reprise]

Posted: 7/7/07 at 11:58pm

I agree about the audience being less energetic during matinees. I went to the Avenue Q matinee back in March I and thought the cast gave 110%, but the audience really wasn't that into it. During curtain calls I was all ready to do the standing ovation for the final bow, but no one else in the theater stood up. I was in the front row (yay for lotteries :) ) and would have loved to stand and applaud the cast were it not for the fact that I would be face to face w/ someone's crotch, which is just a little too awkward for me, especially when I would be the only one standing.
Anyways...
Matinees always seem to be a little bit more casual than evening performances for audiences IMO. I think there's something about dressing up and going to Broadway for a "night out" that helps put people in the mood to see a show. Going at night and seeing the marquis and Times Square lit up, and eating at a fancy restaurant is all part of the experience, well, from a tourists' perspective anyway.

[Phantom2]

Posted: 7/8/07 at 10:49am

Dead audiences suck. Clapping helps boost energy. Who wants to see a performance when everyone is on autopilot.

[WickedGeek28]

Posted: 7/8/07 at 11:35am

Also, I don't think JLY does matinees anymore.

Did he ever?!

[yankees1253]

Posted: 7/8/07 at 11:53am

yeah he did matinees but he will again after the summer season is over. I have been to matinees like spamalot,wicked, aida...they had so much energy. but i have been to tarzan for an evening show n a matinee.....i enjoyed 100x so much better. Wedding singer laked energy for the matinee....but i loved matt salivadar, and rihard h blake though..they gave so much energy. I agree evening shows are better.

[The Boy From Ohio]

Posted: 7/8/07 at 12:06pm

It seems the fault would go to the audience. IMO. Matinees are full of old season tix holders that have little to no clue what they are even seeing. I'm not an actor, but don't the performers draw some energy from the crowd? It would be hard for me to be energized when people are in and out, talking, and unwrapping candy/food etc. Maybe in NYC it is different.

[KChenowethfan]

Posted: 7/8/07 at 12:36pm

I was recently at a matinee performance of Mrs. Packard at the Kennedy Center. The actors were giving 110% and the play was brilliant (despite reviews, although it does need some more work) but the majority of the audience was literally sleeping through the whole performance. I could hear snoring and I was in the front row. It was awful. I felt bad for the actors who were giving a truly emotional, full out performance.

[Gypsy9]

Posted: 7/8/07 at 12:38pm

I saw THE COLOR PURPLE at a Wednesday matinee in December and the energy level of the cast was tremendous. The audience was very attentive and respecful. It was a great theatregoing experience for me.

Years ago I remember going to a Wednesday matinee of SAIL AWAY with Elaine Stritch and the audience was noisy and in-attentive. I remember saying to the two elderly ladies behind me, "I'm sorry, but the actors on stage are making so much noise that I can hardly hear you." That shut them up for awhile.

I generally prefer to go to evening performances because I feel that there is a better chance of having attentive audiences and a higher level of energy from the cast. THE COLOR PURPLE experience was a pleasant exception.

[bially082]

Posted: 7/8/07 at 12:55pm

The Color Purple cast never, ever has a low energy show. Someone back there, whether it be the stage manager, or who ever keeps the gears turning, keeps that show running in tip top condition at every single show.

[Dover]

Posted: 7/8/07 at 11:21pm

I think it differs for each person. I don't think there are many people who LIKE two-show days, but there are definitely people who like one performance more than the other. I'm not a morning person and I find that I have to struggle to to concentrate at a matinee. In the evening I'm more physically tired but my brain works better. But I know people who feel the other way and are awake at the matinee and ready for bed by the evening show. I use coffee and/or Red Bull to make up the difference so the audience can still see a good show.