Greater appreciation over subsequent viewings

[Pootie2]

Posted: 9/18/14 at 11:04pm

What productions have you seen where you didn't like it or felt "meh" upon first viewing, but in another viewing or two it noticeably grew on you? And why did that happen (noticing missed details, understanding something better, etc.)?

Not including main/understudy comparisons, speaking mainly about "properly" presented (as the director intended) productions, and assuming the cast performance quality was fairly stable across one's multiple viewings.

I'm curious because the probability of going back to see something again that you felt was "meh" first time around is probably slim, but it does happen (like the spouse dragging you out or something).

[Broadwaydreaming]

Posted: 9/18/14 at 11:24pm

A second viewing is always better if I really really like the show. If not, kind of just seems like a waste of money. If I found it meh the first time, chances are I will find it meh again. The fist time I go to see a musical, it's a bit of an anxious experience since I'm trying to take in everything. The second time, I know what to expect and tend to tune into the details a bit more. If I did walk into a show with a negative opinion, and walked out with a more positive view of the show, I'm sure I would find it beneficial to see it again. I find myself doing this more with movies than shows.

[ggersten]

Posted: 9/18/14 at 11:50pm

I was bored, confused and disconnected the first time I saw Les Miserables and Phantom of the Opera (both in sit downs in San Francisco). It was the 10th Anniversary Concert of Les Miserables that got me to appreciate the show. While not my favorite, it's not a "no." Similarly, the Phantom 25th got me much more connected to the show. Although I still don't know whether I would give it another try on stage.

[JRybka]

Posted: 9/19/14 at 9:14am

Phantom. I saw it when I was a youngun and then saw it again about a year ago and really got the love and understanding of the way it is. It is not my top 5 but I enjoyed it more.

And with Chicago-- I have seen it now probably six times on Broadway and each viewing I find something new about it to love and appreciate it more with the story and the dancing.

[brucebossa]

Posted: 9/19/14 at 10:23am

I saw the original SWEENEY TODD in previews... and I liked it but it was WAY different than any Broadway musical was at that time. I went back and loved it more - and then again - 7 times.

Also, I did not like ONCE when it was downtown. Just didn't click with it. I went back when Arthur Darvill was in it on Broadway and I then saw the charms of the show and the great direction. It still isn't one of my favorites, but I went from not liking it at all to liking it and appreciating it.

[KathyNYC2]

Posted: 9/19/14 at 10:27am

Matilda for sure. I pretty much was unimpressed when I first saw it - from the rear balcony where I couldn't see or hear much...and didn't get the appeal.

I have seen it a number of times again with close up better seats, understanding the words, knowing the music, etc..and I have appreciated what I missed first time out.

There are still things that I am not crazy about in the show and I still detest what they have done with the character of Michael, the brother. But I do love the magic in parts of the show that I missed first time out.

Updated On: 9/19/14 at 10:27 AM

[Pootie2]

Posted: 9/19/14 at 8:00pm

Thanks guys-

*ggersten* "It was the 10th Anniversary Concert of Les Miserables that got me to appreciate the show. While not my favorite, it's not a 'no.' Similarly, the Phantom 25th got me much more connected to the show. Although I still don't know whether I would give it another try on stage."

Not sure about Phantom 25th, but LM:TAC in concert format doesn't encapsulate an actual theatrical experience, so I guess in your case, better understanding and clarity of enunciation through close-up recordings may have helped change your mind? This might tie into the "location" aspect...


*brucebossa* "Also, I did not like ONCE when it was downtown. Just didn't click with it. I went back when Arthur Darvill was in it on Broadway and I then saw the charms of the show and the great direction. It still isn't one of my favorites, but I went from not liking it at all to liking it and appreciating it."

Thanks, this is a perfect example of coming out the first time "meh" but liking it later, which is an interesting turn to take. Was it because of a different performer's interpretation, or just other details that you noticed that allowed something to finally click? (I didn't want to take into account understudies per se because their exposure for comparison is so random.)


*KathyNYC2* Sounds like "location, location, location" is a big factor in appreciating a theatrical production. Makes sense, but also unfortunate for both production and patron when the latter is stuck in an odd spot.

[Showface]

Posted: 9/19/14 at 10:47pm

Into the Woods...at first I only liked the Bernadette scenes (I didn't even bother watch the full thing), but now it is my favorite musical!

[Phantom4ever]

Posted: 9/19/14 at 11:22pm

Les Miserables. Saw the tour in 8th grade and sat there with my program open counting down the number of songs that were left. It was painfully boring. I saw the tour again as a senior and I enjoy parts of it, but still thought it was generally boring. Then I visited New York and saw it on Broadway and fell in love with it.

Chicago. Saw the tour back in the late 90's and thought it was dull. I didn't get it. I refused to see it again for years. When Usher played Flynn for a few weeks in 2006, I decided to check it out again. As soon as the cast hit that opening pose for "All that Jazz" with one leg arched to the side, I was hooked. I started seeing the show again and again, and now it's one of my favorites.

Kinky Boots. Saw the pre-Broadway tryout. It was ok. Saw it on Broadway. Not bad. Saw it a 3rd time on Broadway----and somehow the lyrics and music just spoke to me and the message of the show crashed over me and it deeply affected me and connected to me.

Newsies. Saw the show twice on Broadway and it was just ok. I saw it a 3rd time right before it closed and I found myself getting caught on certain melodies. I bought the OBCR and now I love the music and I'm so bummed it closed.

Phantom of the Opera, incidentally, is one show from childhood that I liked every as an elementary school-aged child. I loved the haunting aspect of the show and how it was kind of a ghost story.

[Pootie2]

Posted: 9/20/14 at 7:14am

Showface - Interesting; why did that happen?

Phantom4ever - Great examples, and it seems Kinky Boots actually gave you an epiphany. Though I gotta ask, with that many multiple viewings of shows that started out only meh/okay, why did you keep seeing so many? Even cheap Broadway tickets aren't as cheap as a non-matinee film...

[Showface]

Posted: 9/20/14 at 7:22am

Well, you see I was going through a Bernadette phase. I looked up concert vids of her and everything. The thought of her playing a Witch intrigued me...I also heard raves of it online (and a quick reference on Smash).

So, I looked up the YouTube videos of her "Rap" and the "Lament". Then, I watched it on Netflix, really mainly just skipping to the Bernadette parts. I thought it was good, but I never thought it was amazing.

Later, I decided to watch the full thing and I absolutely fell in love. I understand the book, the lyrics, everything (and I'm still learning). And now with the movie coming out, I've become obsessed!

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 9/20/14 at 11:46am

WICKED falls into this category for us. We saw the OBC when the show opened-- fans of Kristen and Idina, please forgive us-- but the show simply didn't land. We were bugged by the confusing second act, bugged by the wimpy excuse for flying that ended Act I, bugged by the lack of goosebumps throughout.

Fast forward a couple of years to the sit-down company at the Pantages in LA. I can't even tell you who the stars were, but the whole show delighted us, entertained us, and gave us all the chills we had hoped for the first time around. A rare instance of us becoming big fans of the show after discounting it as poperatic drivel the first time out.

[KathyNYC2]

Posted: 9/20/14 at 12:20pm

"Though I gotta ask, with that many multiple viewings of shows that started out only meh/okay, why did you keep seeing so many? Even cheap Broadway tickets aren't as cheap as a non-matinee film... "

Ok, you didn't ask me specifically, but it applies to me so I'll bite. With Matilda for me, first I thought if so many people loved it, I must be missing something..so I figured I would try again. Then enough people said to listen to the lyrics and music before - so you are not bogged down trying to understand what was being said (which was a huge problem for me the first time).

Also I have been pretty lucky with the Matilda lottery = and it's only $27...and for lottery seats, they are usually pretty amazing. I would rather spend $27 on live theater than spend $15 on a film that's going to wind up on my TV in just a few months for free. I live close by so if I don't win, it's not a big deal.

Primarily though, I like to see different actors. Matilda has so many Matilda's and various cast members. Every show is a little different. And if I didn't go back, I would have missed the amazing Ripley Sobo, who was worth every penny of the revisit...as are/were Christopher Sieber and some of the other Matildas, Newtildas & Tinytildas...and other cast members.

It's not the only show I see more than once..but recently, I think it's the only show that I didn't start out liking that I returned to. I don't think it's a perfect show, I have parts I don't like at all - but the parts I do like are why I return.

[Pootie2]

Posted: 9/20/14 at 12:23pm

Thanks, KathyNYC2. Very enlightening. :)


@ Someone in a Tree2 -
Yes, very rare, which is why I'm intrigued by how/why people even go about seeing something "meh" a second time or even more. But I only recently discovered that Broadway patrons tend to watch live shows more than once anyway; the whole subculture/economy/art form is interesting to me. (I haven't been able to experience a live theater show...yet?)

Updated On: 9/20/14 at 12:23 PM

[Phantom4ever]

Posted: 9/20/14 at 12:51pm

Polite, I saw those shows again because friends would ask me to go with them. I figured the shows weren't so bad so I went

[Pootie2]

Posted: 9/20/14 at 1:06pm

"Polite, I saw those shows again because friends would ask me to go with them. I figured the shows weren't so bad so I went"

I suspected as much. Thanks!

[Charley Kringas Inc]

Posted: 9/20/14 at 4:46pm

I've never lived anywhere that allowed me to actually see shows, let alone repeatedly, so the depth of my musical appreciation has always been first and foremost through cast albums. Some albums that took me a while to warm up to:

Merrily We Roll Along - Entering musicals via the cast album has the major downside of losing context, both emotional and textual, and especially with Merrily I was totally, totally lost. What the hell was going on? Who are these people? What? Huh? The music sort of floated over me and while I sorta enjoyed some parts, particularly the white-hot meltdown of Franklin Shepard Inc, the rest was a confusing blur. After I did some research I approached it again and suddenly it all made sense, which seems to happen a lot. Once I understand some key thing, everything falls into place (for some reason, with Merrily, it was the idea of it being a high school show).

Evita - Boy, did this one take a while. I've never been a big fan of ALW, and every time I gave the album a shot I'd tune out after about fifteen minutes (I still don't care much for "Oh What A Circus"). But then, last year, while taking the midnight bus over the Grapevine back from LA after seeing Einstein on the Beach, I put it on and fell into a doe, which, in a weird way, was a great way to hear it. Now and then I'd sort of wake up and think, wow, this is really interesting stuff, and then I'd conk out again. I vividly remember waking up just in time for the end of Lament, and suddenly I understood the entire album. The next day I had it on repeat from dawn till dusk.

Sunday In The Park With George - Now, this one I had the video of, and I still didn't quite get it. The music was abrasive, the second act seemed totally unconnected and almost unnecessary, and I didn't really get the point of the two Sundays, which were pretty but apparently pointless. I had the cast album, too, and I found I kept listening to Hot Up Here - I really liked the high-concept idea of the song. After a few listens, I sort of got used to the musical style, and then I went back and rewatched it and suddenly - again, there's the suddenly - it all made sense. Suddenly the music was knock-over spectacular, suddenly I was tearing up all over the place, suddenly the second act not only made sense but was twice as good as the first. Boy, talk about a payoff.