Repeat Visits To Shows- Page 2

[vanbrig]

Posted: 2/22/19 at 11:58am

With the vast majority of shows I've attended over the years, I've only seen them once. It makes my Broadway trips more special, and I have a pretty good memory so don't usually don't feel the need to catch it again. On rare occasion, if it's a show I REALLY enjoyed or one I would like to take a family member to see, I'll catch the tour. I can only think of a couple shows I enjoy enough to watch over and over again. For one of those, I have seen it several times over the years, and for the other one, I totally would have if it had remained open. 

I do have a couple people in my personal life who spend tons of money seeing the same shows over and over again. It's their money and they enjoy it, so good for them. The only way it would concern me is if either of them were depressed and going into debt buying tickets as a desperate form of escapism, which I'm sure isn't the case. 

Updated On: 2/22/19 at 11:58 AM

[Dave13]

Posted: 2/23/19 at 10:44pm

I visit NYC about twice per year. When I am in town, I usually see 6-8 shows. If I like a show, I will usually see it at least twice with the original cast. After that, it’s unlikely I will see it again unless I catch it on tour.

Shows like Wicked, I have seen numerous times on tour as it is hard not to go when there is Broadway talent in town.

Phantom, I will seen multiple times on Broadway as it is a long running classic and is the only show that offers a Thursday matinee.

I don’t have a problem with fanatics as long as they don’t interrupt my enjoyment of the show. While it is hard to get accurate statistics, I suspect there is a fairly large percentage of the audience for long running shows that will see it multiple times.

I have heard many people over the years brag about seeing a show 100s or even 1000s of times. Some will brag they have seen every Elphaba, Phantom or other popular roles. If you have the money and enjoy it, so be it. There are worse addictions out there.

Updated On: 2/23/19 at 10:44 PM

[Sho-Tunes-R-Us]

Posted: 2/23/19 at 11:47pm

I often see shows at least twice because I'm a group leader for a theatre-going group (a hobby I organized back in 1975 in San Francisco).  I'm often comped into opening night and then attend with my group (paid admission).  Since tours of mega-shows usually return to SF I do end up seeing the shows multiple times.  Now and then I reach my limit (Rent, Cats and Mamma Mia come to mind), but usually soldier on and see multiple productions.  Now that I'm retired I also visit NYC once or twice a year to see shows, but not necessarily the hottest tickets.  I also skew heavily to musicals, but do enjoy straight plays also.  Don't really have any shows that I obsess over.  

[swingmode]

Posted: 2/24/19 at 7:22am

I'm all for repeat visits to shows. I think some shows it takes a few times to truly get the full experience of the show. And I think it encourages rich discussion. There are a couple shows I'd love to see twice, and there are other shows I've been two four or five times.

I do think it's interesting to see how times have changed in terms of what people consider a lot. For older shows, I feel like a lot of people have seen them around ~10 times over a span of many years.

Then there's newer shows that get quite a following. Like Spongebob, which I never saw myself, but I often saw people on the boards who went more than 10 times in its limited engagement. Or Harry Potter, where I've seen people on twitter who have gone more than 100 times! 

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 2/24/19 at 10:39am

To each their own but I don't live in NYC so whenever I am there I want to see a show I have never seen before and rarely have I seen a show more than once. I personally don't get people who see a show many times but it is their money and their time so who am I to say what they should do.

Updated On: 2/24/19 at 10:39 AM

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 2/24/19 at 11:30am

I've seen all the Sher LCT revivals three or four times. The music from these shows were hammered into my brain from when I was a toddler whose mother always had the OBC albums playing on the HiFi. I'm at an age now where, if I do see any of these classics again, they can't match the quality of the recent revivals. And they aren't going to be releasing the DVD in six months.

Another reason for seeing a show more than once, at least for me, is that I often miss a lot of what is going on the first time if I'm not familiar with it. I enjoyed The Band's Visit the first time I saw it, and knew it was a work of great quality, but when I got home and did some reading, I found a lot of significant actions that had gone right past me. Seeing it again I was able to take it all in.

Updated On: 2/24/19 at 11:30 AM

[Kelley10]

Posted: 2/24/19 at 2:51pm

I've seen THE BOOK OF MORMON 27 times. I paid full price 3 times and won the lottery 24 times. I live close to the theatre so it's nothing for me to go down for the drawing. There's only about 3 times where the show was off which was usually the fault of various understudies for the Elder Cunningham role I've seen. BOM isn't my favorite show, but it's a damn fine one and a fun, funny night at the theatre. Just hearing the audience react to it is worth it. 

[Lot666]

Posted: 2/25/19 at 12:06pm

I've lost count of how many time I've seen Phantom. In the "Hannibal" scene alone, there is so much going on that one can't possibly take it all in at once.

Updated On: 2/25/19 at 12:06 PM

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 2/25/19 at 12:45pm

The show I’ve seen the most times is:

Wicked - Five times (all on tour).

Hamilton - Three times (once on Broadway, twice in Chicago)

I have a few shows I’ve seen twice:

Rent (twice on tour)
Avenue Q (once on tour, once in college production)
American Idiot (twice on Broadway)
The Book of Mormon (once on Broadway, once on tour)
Fiddler on the Roof (once on tour, once off-Broadway)
Kinky Boots (twice on Broadway)
Hello, Dolly (twice on Broadway)
The Band’s Visit (twice on Broadway)
Dear Evan Hansen (twice on Broadway)

[rpvee]

Posted: 2/25/19 at 1:08pm

OlBlueEyes said: "I enjoyed The Band's Visit the first time I saw it, and knewit was a work of great quality, but when I got home and did some reading, I found a lot of significant actions that had gone right past me. Seeing it again I was able to take it all in."

That’s the show I’ve seen the most by far (35 times and counting), and I’m still noticing subtle details here and there. There’s so much to it. What actions had you missed the first time?

[Um Kulthum]

Posted: 2/27/19 at 11:14pm

rpvee said: "That’s the show I’ve seen the most by far (35 times and counting), and I’m still noticing subtle details here and there. There’s so much to it. What actions had you missed the first time?"

35 times, wow! (imagine that was said in Avrum's voice, haha) If I lived in NYC I might see this show so often... But I have been able to go a few times, and one thing I'm glad I caught on the second go-round was how, during "Omar Sharif" there's a point where everyone else in the background of the restaurant starts dancing in their chairs the way Dina is doing. It's so pretty!

[Lauren2]

Posted: 2/28/19 at 2:53am

Is there a number when people start to get concerned about someone seeing it to much? I feel from reading these messages that the shows people have seen 20-35 times have been over many years or many decades. Like what’s a number that’s concerning for someone seeing one show multiple times over maybe 6 months or a year?

[LuPita2]

Posted: 2/28/19 at 3:39am

If you enjoy something, it brings you happiness, and you are respectful in the theater, there is never a reason to be "concerned".  People watch the same movies hundreds of times, it's just a more expensive habit and if you can afford it. TREAT YO SELF!

[stoptheworld38]

Posted: 3/2/19 at 11:32pm

If I lived closer to NYC and had enough money I would see Come From Away MANY times. Just saying.

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 3/3/19 at 12:27am

Um Kulthum said: "rpvee said: "That’s the show I’ve seen the most by far (35 times and counting), and I’m still noticing subtle details here and there. There’s so much to it. What actions had you missed the first time?"

35 times, wow! (imagine that was said in Avrum's voice, haha) If I lived in NYC I might see this show so often... But I have been able to go a few times, and one thing I'm glad I caught on the second go-round was how, during "Omar Sharif" there's a point where everyone else in the background of the restaurant starts dancing in their chairs the way Dina is doing. It's so pretty!"

I picked up the program when I saw it again last month. I learned little things that made me appreciate TBV even more. Makes me wish I could see it again before it closes. Maybe it will tour through OKC or Tulsa although both have already announced their 19/20 seasons and TBV isn’t included so not feeling helpful. I do travel a lot for work so who knows, maybe our paths will cross somewhere on the road.