[Nosferatu777]

This is something I was talking about with friends the other day and thought I add something on here to hear a broader response. Personally the thing that usually makes my mind up to see something is the cast. Its got nothing to do with levels of fame or following as I often see shows with relative unknowns in them but I always look for a cast list first and then try to find out a bit about the actors (what else they've been in, etc). If the cast don't strike me as particularily interesting then I very rarely see a show regardless of how well received it is or reasonably priced.

[Mark_E]

Hmm, this is a difficult one for me as I try and see everything I can. By the end of the year I plan to have seen every musical currently running in the West End. However if I had to pick the biggest factor it would be the Cost/Special Offers. Would always go to a show if there was a good offer on regardless of the cast/content. I went to see Sunset Boulevard/Imagine this purely because I got £10 tickets.

For straight plays it is normally reviews/credibility, and this is what got me to see August: Osage County. Cost is also a major factor when seeing plays.

For return visits, a cast change is normally a major factor. I will be returning to La Cage in September for the 4th time purely to see John Barrowman as Albin.

[r.j.f.c]

I often use West End Live to decide which shows to see. If a show is really popular with the audience then I know it must be good.

I never go by reviews. I'd rather ask regular theatre goers, who pay to see shows, what they think.

[Helbrown]

Various reasons, and sometimes more than one:

The writer e.g. Sondheim's Saturday Night, A Little Night Music
Word of mouth e.g. Spring Awakening, Avenue Q
The Stars e.g. La Cage - don't like the show much but love Allam and Quast, Avenue Q (Danny Boys), Chicago (HAD to see Jerry Springer, a guilty crush ), Hairspray (Michael Ball)
Offers e.g. Legally Blonde - don't fancy the show but have a good offer
Love the film e.g. Priscilla, Calendar Girls
TV link up e.g. Joseph - wanted to see if Lee was as good as I thought he would be
Enjoy the show, have seen it in the past e.g. Les Mis, Chicago

I am a Friend of my local theatre and we get good touring/pre West End shows at discounted rates so I go to a lot of things I may not have bothered going to London for, e.g. Witches of Eastwick, Our House, God of Carnage.

[Matthew Winn]

For me it's almost always the cast, and like the OP it has nothing to do with fame. If a show doesn't publish full details of the company I probably won't consider seeing it at all.

It's a policy that has taken me to many productions that would never have appealed to me from their publicity alone, including almost all of the productions that have turned out to be my favourites.

[MrsDoyle]

Well there are a few people (Rickman, Spacey) that I'd go see whatever they were in but otherwise reviews usually spark my interest (not just professional ones but ones on here).

[Weez]

There are so many reasons that I really can't choose from that poll! I mean, let's just take the last ten things I've seen:

The Contingency Plan: Resilience - this was the second time, and I was going again because I enjoyed it so much the first time. The first time I saw it was because the synopsis sounded kinda interesting, and then my favourite actor got cast in it, so there was NO WAY I was going to miss it. So... Content + Cast.
The Eternal Not - the National Theatre sent me an email saying "I see you're coming to visit us; would you like to see a free play as well?". So... Special Offer.
All's Well That Ends Well - I fully intend to see all the Shakespeare plays, and I knew I could get a cheap ticket for this, not to mention I love the National. So... Playwright + Cost + Location.
Romeo and Juliet - my dad always wanted to go see a play at the Globe, and this was the one that best fit our joint schedule. By going with family, I don't have to pay for my ticket. Playwright + Cost + Location.
Hamlet - I support the Donmar West End season. The plays may have had a few "miss" moments, but the endeavour as a whole is to be applauded. Plus I love the Danes. Play + Director.
Priscilla Queen of the Desert - Miriam made me. Peer Pressure. Oh, I've always wanted to see it (it is based on my favourite film after all!), I just never got around to it before. XD Content.
The Winter's Tale - Simon Russell Beale + Shakespeare. Cast + Playwright.
The King and I - My favourite Rodgers & Hammerstein! Content.
The Cherry Orchard - Simon Russell Beale. Cast.
Zanna, Don't! - I just wanted to. Content + Word of Mouth.

Content's a no-brainer; if I know I like a play/musical (through having seen it before, read it, listened to the CD, etc), I'll want to go and see it. I've often been drawn by cast members, and I've been drawn by some fairly obscure cast members to some unexpectedly fantastic plays. Cost should be a HUGE factor for me. I don't like to pay more than £20 for a ticket unless I know it's going to be freakin' WORTH it, so that does knock some shows out of the running for me. But it's not as many as you might imagine, seeing as I have ways of making sure I rarely pay more than £20. Location, well, it depends what you mean by location. I'm not shy about hunting down fringe venues, but I am more likely to see something at the National, Globe, or Donmar Warehouse. I don't stick rigidly to the West End where everything's conveniently close together, but certain houses do produce more things relevant to my interests than others. Reviews? What about 'em? Occasionally I'll succumb to something if the word of mouth is good enough, but there's nothing recently I've been to see solely because of good reviews or word of mouth.

I'll go see a show because I like the show itself, but also if I like the playwright, composer, director, any actors, or even if it's just there. Sometimes I'll have an afternoon spare and enough money for a theatre ticket, and then I'll see whatever's available I haven't seen before. It's also not unheard of for me to go see something on a total WHIM!

I HATE being asked what makes me decide to see shows, because there ARE so many reasons. If you want to know what drew me to a particular show, then name it and I'll tell you what took me to that one. But if you want to know how I decide what to see in general, there's absolutely no way I can answer that for you.

[n9037]

I'm really struggling with this one.
Initially I went to see a show because I loved the score and songs that I already knew. (That happened with Phantom, Les Mis, Carousel, Light in the Piazza...) But the cast plays a huge part in my influence too. There are certain productions that I have seen because I'm interested in how certain actors will play the role. Particularly in reference to understudies, there's some great talent in some ensembles and I'm always happy to get the chance to see how the understudies portray the roles and nine times out of ten I've seen some wonderful performances.
And there are certain performers that I will see in absolutely anything because I love them and will support them regardless of any circumstances. And often end up going to see the same show several times over due to this love of the cast.

Actually, I'm gonna have to say that cast is probably the main factor for me. I'd never go by reviews, and would only really be tempted by special offers if I was already interested in seeing the show. For example, I know there are offers out there for shows such as Jersey Boys, Mamma Mia and WWRY, but I've not really got much interest in them so I don't take these offers. So yeh, I'm gonna have to say the cast.

[Alexandra]

I go mainly because of the director. That's apparently not an option.

[sanderling]

For me it's the show's content. Followed by its content, then its content followed by reviews/word-of-mouth and lastly the cast.

For example... I would have expected to go to see ALNM anyway based on my knowledge of the piece, and was even more persuaded by what I heard about it. But having been unexpectedly blown away by Hannah Waddingham's performance - I'd be unlikely to follow her if, say, she moved into Mama Mia in which I haven't the slightest interest. In fact its hard to think of anyone I'd go to see regardless of the production they were in. You only need to think of the inability of even Ruthie Henshall to lift Marguerite above the mediocre to see how you need to be a true fan before a performance can transcend the material.