[michele61]

I am really interested in how many of you have seen the same show many times over and how many times? For example, my sister saw Rent over 20 times, but I think people have been more times than that. If you have seen a show loads of times, can you tell me what the show was and why you want to go back so many times? Isn't it expensive?
Michele61

[theatrebabe]

I've seen Footloose about 20 times, Boogie Nights 1 and 2 about 40, and Hot Flush about 10. With some shows it is because we know people in them and with others it is because you begin to form friendships with either the cast or other "regulars". also you pick up on all the little "ad libs" ect, but basically you start off just by really enjoying the show and wanting to see it again because you have "missed"something, then you get involved, and then you are hooked. And yes it gets expensive but with luck you can shop around for special deals.






quote name='michele61' date='Jul 12 2007, 07:04 PM' post='13600']
I am really interested in how many of you have seen the same show many times over and how many times? For example, my sister saw Rent over 20 times, but I think people have been more times than that. If you have seen a show loads of times, can you tell me what the show was and why you want to go back so many times? Isn't it expensive?
Michele61
[/quote]

[Matthew Winn]

How many times I see a show varies, depending on the quality of the show. If I know someone in a show I'm likely to see it more often than if I don't. Sometimes I'll see a really bad show more than one that is mediocre; a case in point is the disastrous 2002 production of Cabaret at Chichester, where I knew someone in the cast and spent around £400 going to see her three times because I felt the production was so utterly horrible that she needed the support more than I needed the money. (That show was so awful it was two years before I could set foot in Chichester again. Even a train crash on the way home couldn't distract me from how dreadful it was.)

To give you a vague idea, my ten all-time favourite musical productions account for 149 theatre trips. For me it's not so much a matter of how many times as how often: I settle on a regular frequency and stick with it until the show closes or a cast change makes me lose interest.

I'd like to turn your original question around. Why shouldn't people see shows many times? There seems to be this general idea that the correct number of times to see something in the theatre is exactly once. I grant you that the overwhelming majority of people see each production one time only, but then these are people who go to the theatre a dozen or so times in their entire lives. For people who go to the theatre twenty five, fifty or a hundred times a year, why should they not see something several times? I've been to the theatre five times so far this month. I know people who haven't been to the theatre five times, ever. Why should my theatregoing be judged by what they think of as normal?

I used to know someone who went to Lanzarote for his holiday. Every year. Why not, if he and his family enjoyed it? Think how many people you know who do the same thing multiple times because they enjoy doing it, such as taking a holiday to a destination they've visited before. How many books have you read more than once? How many DVDs do you own so you can watch films or programmes over and over again? How many times have you eaten your favourite meal? Why should theatre be treated as a special case, where there's something funny about people if they do something they enjoy and want to do it again? Would it not be stranger to deny yourself the chance to do something you enjoy because you've set a self-imposed limit of one time per show?

[Vicky]

For the same reasons above...

I've seen:

Saturday Night Fever (west end 2004-2006 and UK tour 05/06) = 72 times
Footloose (UK tour 06, West end 06, and UK Tour 07) = 34 times (this includes 2 shows next saturday for closing of the tour)
Fame (UK Tour 07 and West end 07) = 23 times (this includes tomorrow on the tour, 2 shows for closing (tour) in a few weeks and 1 show for closing in london)

Those are my main ones that I have seen the most

[wickedgrin]

Well while I would agree with Matthew in that people have the right to spend their money as they wish and if they want to see the same show over and over that is fine. However, this does encouraage the long runners eg Phantom etc at the expense of something new like the Drowsy Chaperone. If Matthew goes to the theatre alot (as I do) then a few repeats are fine as he and I are seeing new stuff as well. What I do think is shame is the folk who go to the theatre less often (possibly becasue they complain about the prices ) but only go and see say Wicked 10 times or more.

[M George]

Well while I would agree with Matthew in that people have the right to spend their money as they wish and if they want to see the same show over and over that is fine. However, this does encouraage the long runners eg Phantom etc at the expense of something new like the Drowsy Chaperone. If Matthew goes to the theatre alot (as I do) then a few repeats are fine as he and I are seeing new stuff as well. What I do think is shame is the folk who go to the theatre less often (possibly becasue they complain about the prices ) but only go and see say Wicked 10 times or more.

But that's their choice. If they like 'Wicked' and want to see it over and over again, then what's the problem. Does it matter if it encourages the long runners? Yes, it's a shame that something like Drowsy closed early but I don't think it closed because of the long runners.

[M George]

I've seen Phantom 12 times simply because I think it's bloody marvellous and I find it deeply moving.
Miss Saigon I saw 6 times for same reason as Phantom
Les Mis - 4
Blood Brothers - 6 times I think because it's bloody funny and great entertainment.
Hate to admit it but I've seen 'Fame' numerous times - it's good fun!

I see shows over again if I enjoy them. If I don't enjoy them I don't generally see them again unless it's a different production. For example, a few years ago I went to see a touring production of 'South Pacific' in Manchester and it was completely rubbish. Hpwever, as the new touring production is a different company I going to go and give it a second chance. However, I saw Rent in London and out on tour and thought it was pants both times so there is no chance I will see it again.

It also depends on how long they run. I've seen productions on short runs out in the regions that I would love to see again but can't because they're only on for 4 to 6 weeks or so.

[Matthew Winn]

Well while I would agree with Matthew in that people have the right to spend their money as they wish and if they want to see the same show over and over that is fine. However, this does encourage the long runners eg Phantom etc at the expense of something new like the Drowsy Chaperone.

I'm not convinced that repeat theatregoers make that much of a difference. Hardly anyone goes to see a show more than once. If you averaged up the number of times people see each show across the entire theatregoing population of the UK the result would be so close to 1 as to be barely distinguishable.

Assuming Phantom plays to 1100 people a night, 100 fans going once a month make up only 1 part in 382 of the audience: only 0.26%. If there were 1000 fans going once a month they'd provide only a little over a fortieth of the show's income. As regular theatregoers we tend to overestimate our importance. Even the woman who saw Blood Brothers 1000 times in its first ten years contributed less than the box office takes in a single day.

[Orchestrator]

I'm not convinced that repeat theatregoers make that much of a difference. Hardly anyone goes to see a show more than once. If you averaged up the number of times people see each show across the entire theatregoing population of the UK the result would be so close to 1 as to be barely distinguishable.

Assuming Phantom plays to 1100 people a night, 100 fans going once a month make up only 1 part in 382 of the audience: only 0.26%. If there were 1000 fans going once a month they'd provide only a little over a fortieth of the show's income. As regular theatregoers we tend to overestimate our importance. Even the woman who saw Blood Brothers 1000 times in its first ten years contributed less than the box office takes in a single day.

My (affluent) brother and his wife are occasional theatre-goers, but because they thought their children enjoyed Starlight Express they went more than several times, and I think took a whole class of schoolfriends on one occasion. It was like going to McDonalds for them. I accept your statistical analysis above, Matthew, but wondered if families and larger groups on repeat trips might make a slight difference.

[Matthew Winn]

My (affluent) brother and his wife are occasional theatre-goers, but because they thought their children enjoyed Starlight Express they went more than several times,

The way you say "they thought" it sounds like the children would rather see something else but were dragged to Starlight Express whether they wanted to see it or not. "We don't care if you want to see Die Fledermaus. You're going to see Starlight Express, dammit!"