How much should I know before seeing shows? How should I "study"?

[theatered100]

Posted: 3/20/17 at 4:04am

I really appreciate the message board here. I am visiting NYC in early May and am wondering if somebody could give me some advice for the shows on my list. First time posting myself, so please bare with me if I am not doing it very well.

(1) How should I be prepared for these shows, if I should, taking into account that I am not a native speaker of English? (e.g., see the movie, read the book, listening to the cast recording, official study guide on Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 website, or any other ideas?) I don't mean to be too studious, but I would like to get most out of them when I see live.

(2) Please let me know if you thought any of the shows on my list was hard to follow or required strong understanding of the storyline to enjoy, so that I can be particularly prepared.

Dear Evan Hansen

Hello Dolly!

Anastasia

Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812

Come From Away

Groundhog Day

Amelie

War Paint

Charlie & Chocolate Factory

About myself: I lived in English-speaking countries for 3+ years and graduated from an English speaking university. I have been seeing shows around the world for 20 years (since I was 10) and have seen shows in English many times. In terms of storyline, the level of my understanding of the last season's shows turned out to be: Fun Home 90% (watched the Tony performance 100+ times in advance), She Loves Me 90% (no study), The Color Purple 50% (read summaries from movie reviews), Bright Star 75% (no study), Hamilton 75% (listened to the cast recording 100+ times in advance), Waitress 75% (read summaries from movie reviews). I don't mind missing a few details at all as long as the score and/or performances are strong and enjoyable. (The Color Purple was actually the most memorable among these for Cynthia Erivo's 'I'm Here' alone.)

I look forward to any replies.

Updated On: 3/20/17 at 04:04 AM

[dramamama611]

Posted: 3/20/17 at 5:45am

The only one that jumps out at me is Great Comet.  It's nearly 100% sung thru, and some of that is quite speedy. Also, since it's immersive, it might be a little overwhelming if you are also concerned with some language difficulties. 

 

Other than that, I don't think you'd need more than, perhaps a short summary to five you a point of reference.

 

Have a wonderful trip. And your post was perfect...fully explained why you were seeking advice - better then most first time posters!

[Rainah]

Posted: 3/20/17 at 7:54am

Personally I like to study a lot, especially for shows like Hamilton or Great Comet that are sung through. I don't have great auditory processing skills so knowing what I'm going to hear allows me to understand it while still focusing on the show itself. I've done shows blind and loved them (Matilda) but I've also disliked them (Pippin). In the end, if I'm paying that much money to travel to NYC and get a ticket I want to be sure I like what I'm seeing.

And on that note - Amelie has been criticized a lot for having a boring score, and a lot of people are leery about Chocolate Factory.Great Comet, Come From Away, and Dear Even Hansen are going to be the frontrunners for a tony award so I would research the three and see which you like best, they're all spectacular shows. 

Amelie and Anastasia benefits a lot from knowing the movie, but I know people who've seen it without and still liked it.
Great Comet requires some study, especially glancing over the family tree so you know who's related to who. I had zero problems following along but I know people found it confusing.
Come From Away you should be fine without, it's one big Intro To Newfie Culture so they explain most things. There are strong accents in the show though, if that affects your comprehension you'd do well to listen to the soundtrack ahead of time.

[Wick3]

Posted: 3/20/17 at 8:45am

This is the main reason why I watch a show through rush or SRO first. I love to study but at he same time I prefer to watch new musicals without knowing anything about them first. After I see the show for the first time, if I didn't understand a part of sequence then I'd do some research on it. A few months later, I'd buy a discounted ticket or full price or maybe rush again depending on how much I like the show. I guess this is one of the pros of living in nyc.

out of all the shows you listed, I agree that doing some research on the Great Comet of 1812 will help you understand the show more. Good luck and I hope you enjoy your visit!

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 3/20/17 at 8:46am

I agree with studying a bit for Great Comet. And about your detailed REASONS for your questions. Thanks!

I'd also suggest listening to the cast recording (not soundtrack) of Come From Away maybe a few times first. It's not that it's complicated, but it is very fast and much of it is in the particular regional Gander accent, which may cause you a bit of pause at first.

Have a great time!

[Lot666]

Posted: 3/20/17 at 10:48am

The first real musical I ever saw was a touring production of Phantom of the Opera. I'd seen advertisements for it and thought it looked interesting, but I left the theatre afterwards thinking, "What the heck was that?". I quickly learned that, in order for me to enjoy complex musicals (i.e., through-sung musicals with intricate vocal performances that may involve multiple people singing at once, and not always the same words), I needed to at least understand the basic plot elements beforehand. If possible, hearing a cast recording in advance is also extremely helpful.

In my experience, the lyrics in shows with predominantly orchestral scores (e.g., Phantom, Les Miserables) can be more difficult to understand because the instrumental accompaniment is often fuller and voices are often more layered. By contrast, shows with simpler scores played by fewer instruments and with fewer people singing at once (e.g., Falsettos, Dear Evan Hansen) are easier to understand and therefore benefit less from advanced preparation.

Of the shows you mentioned, The Great Comet is probably the most difficult to keep up with. I saw it with only a very basic explanation of the plot beforehand and I did find myself struggling. The cast is quite large and many scenes involve numerous people singing and performing in different areas of the theatre at the same time (it does not use a traditional proscenium stage). In my opinion, the instrumentation is often loud and frenetic and the vocals are largely buried in it. If you want to see this show, I highly recommend listening to the cast recording in advance.

Updated On: 3/20/17 at 10:48 AM

[theatered100]

Posted: 3/20/17 at 11:30am

Thank you all for your valuable advice. Sounds like everybody agrees that I should definitely study a bit about Great Comet. I will read their study guide and will listen to the cast recording to familiarize myself with the lyrics! Thanks dramamama611 for letting me know it's fast and thanks Lot666 for warning me that many people will be singing at the same time! I'm glad I asked early because I have about a month to prepare!

To Rainah and LizzieCurry, thanks for making me aware of the accent issue with Come From Away. I will get the cast recording of this show in advance as well! (I am actually very excited about Come From Away, having seen some promotional videos and Jenn Collela singing 'Me and the Sky'.)

To Rainah, I will be sure to see Anastasia movie. Thank you also for your notes on Amelie and Chocolate Factory. I actually have to eliminate one show from my list, which will be either Groundhog Day, Amelie, or War Paint. I haven't purchased tickets to these shows, and hopefully, I can decide when all reviews are out. (Chocolate Factory is on my list because they perform on Sunday evening.)

To Wick 3, I agree with you that it's nice to watch new musicals without knowing anything about them first. I usually do the same for shows I know that I can come back to see again. I wish I could stay in NYC longer.... I envy you!

I am aware that some of the shows on my list are still in preview, so if anybody has anything to add later, I would appreciate further comments, but thank you again for all your advice. I can't wait to be in NYC!

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 3/20/17 at 11:36am

I know the whole score of Sunset BLVD and I think that made the show even more amazing for me. But sometimes I go see shows that I don't know anything about, and I really love them too. You shouldn't miss Sunset by the way!

[nonstopmachine]

Posted: 3/20/17 at 3:04pm

Do not miss Sunset Boulevard and Miss Saigon. IMO. 

[Megsamegatron]

Posted: 3/20/17 at 4:16pm

These are the one's I've seen and anything I did to prepare :

Dear Evan Hansen - I didn't do anything and I think that was a better experience for this show.

Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 - Similar to what you said, I read the study guide and had the Playbill page with the family tree open when I got lost.

Come From Away - Before the show I explored downstairs, which they had information about the events in the musical which I found helpful. There were parts that I got lost at even though they explained the "Newfoundland" lingo.

Amelie - I didn't see the movie before and I loved this production. It's pretty straight forward to not have to research.

War Paint - I did a quick (5 minutes) look at who Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein were on their Wikipedia pages since it was based on real people. Not necessary but liked knowing their companies before the show.
 

I hope you have so much fun seeing some great shows!

[theatered100]

Posted: 3/21/17 at 5:37pm

Thank your very much for further advice and recommendations.

To Megsamegatron, thank you for sharing your experiences. I was actually tempted to learn everything about Dear Evan Hansen, but I am glad I didn't. I can't wait to see it! Also, finding out about about Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein sounds very helpful for War Paint! I often 'wikipedia' shows themselves, but you are right! I should actually 'wikipedia' the people in the shows!

To muscle23ftl and nonstopmachine, thanks for mentioning Sunset Boulevard and Miss Saigon.

I was hoping to squeeze Sunset in my list. Glenn Close with the 40-piece orchestra is something very special, although I did not particularly like an overseas production of Sunset I saw several years ago in terms of story. Out of curiosity, if you could only make two out of Groundhog Day, Amelie, War Paint, and Sunset Boulevard, which two would you pick? There are just too many shows that seem all great!

[broadwaygirl10]

Posted: 3/21/17 at 9:39pm

I like to read the wikipedia summary of act 1 so that way I have a basis of all the exposition and everything is set up and such. DO NOT MISS GREAT COMET. It is one of the best if not the best shows  I've ever seen so. Also, I'd give the cast album a couple of listens through :)

[Lot666]

Posted: 3/22/17 at 8:47am

theatered100 said: "...if you could only make two out of Groundhog Day, Amelie, War Paint, and Sunset Boulevard, which two would you pick? There are just too many shows that seem all great!"

I would say definitely Sunset Boulevard. As for your second option, I've not seen any of the other three shows so far. Tim Minchin wrote the score and lyrics for Matilda The Musical (which I thought was brilliant), so I'm drawn to Groundhog Day simply by my affinity for his work. The concept of War Paint sounds interesting and it features two musical theatre legends. Amelie is the least appealing of the lot, to me. That said, all three of these shows are currently in previews and garnering mixed reviews; the comments on Groundhog Day are have been particularly polarized.

[Big Apple2]

Posted: 3/22/17 at 10:47am

Thanks for the many insights in this thread.  I also do read the synopsis on Wikipedia before going to the shows especially those with a complex plot.  Looks like I'll be listening to the Great Comet soundtrack before seeing it in May.

[theatered100]

Posted: 4/2/17 at 7:40am

I am sorry that I have not written for a while.

Thank you so much for all your insights. I am very excited that I will be seeing lots of shows next month, and thanks to your advice, I feel like I can be well prepared for them!

Thanks!

[MarkBearSF]

Posted: 4/2/17 at 8:51am

If possible I always try to listen to a cast recording at least once or twice before attending. (Realize that in these cases, it's in the background - usually while I'm in the shower or the car, so I'm not playing intense attention, especially to the lyric details). I find a little bit of exposure to the music helps me enjoy it more when I first hear it in person. 

For most shows, I stop there; even if I'm enjoying it and want to listen more. However for some more difficult or dense shows - The Great Comet is an excellent example, as is Hamilton. In these cases, I'll listen a few more times and play closer attention to get a sense of the characters and the thrust of the major songs. (The performance fills in the many blanks, and typically corrects whatever misinterpretations I may have inferred from the listening alone)

I'm planning on including The Great Comet study guide on my flight to NY.

Updated On: 4/2/17 at 08:51 AM

[theatered100]

Posted: 5/10/17 at 7:21am

I am the first poster of this thread. I came back from my NY trip and just wanted to let everyone who provided advice here know that I had a great time!

Thank you so much!

Updated On: 5/10/17 at 07:21 AM

[ken8631]

Posted: 5/10/17 at 7:57am

You were able to see all 9 shows?  Impressive!  Which did u like/did't care for?

[theatered100]

Posted: 5/10/17 at 9:37am

To ken8631, yes I saw 9 shows, although some of the shows on my previous list were removed and others were added.

I am not a good reviewer, but here are my thoughts.

LIKED:

Come From Away - Loved it! I enjoyed every second of it. It definitely moved me and I have been listening to the cast album endlessly. I can't really explain what made me like this show so much, but I was relating to all the characters. They were not cool but so ordinary and lovable!

Dear Evan Hansen - Ben Platt was amazing! The show itself, I thought, was a bit dark and did not moved me as much as I expected, but it highlighted a number of social issues today.

Groundhog Day - I am so glad that I saw this one. I had a really good, fun time. Andy Karl was fantastic and I also liked the staging and the music.

Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 - Wow! I almost forgot that I was in a theater. The entire theater was the show! Thanks to the advice here, I felt very prepared and had no trouble following the story, so I was able to fully focus on the unique theatrical experience. Thanks again for all your advice.

Hello Dolly! - The entire theater was full of energy and joy. Bette Midler was great, as everyone says, but I also thought the ensemble was fabulous!

Lightning Thief (off-broadway) - I was not expecting much from this one, but I enjoyed it. It was not as sophisticated as most broadway shows, but the cast was great and communicated very well with the audience in the small theater. I am even thinking about getting the cast recording!

Sweeney Todd (off-broadway) - Fantastic immersive theater experience. Shouldn't be missed!

OK:

Anastasia - I enjoyed 'Journey to the Past' and projection. The rest was... passable.

Miss Saigon - I cannot be fair with this one. I rushed and had a very obstructed view. Happy that I got to see Eva and Jon Jon, though.

Updated On: 5/10/17 at 09:37 AM

[iholland95]

Posted: 5/10/17 at 5:58pm

Before seeing any broadway show, what I typically do is make sure I have a basic understand of the plot. I also try to listen to the soundtrack before I see the show so I'm familiar with the music. 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 5/10/17 at 6:45pm

Theatered100 -- I'm so glad you enjoyed so many of your shows and had a great time....thanks for checking in!