This is when you can choose from a wide array of excellent views that you can actually afford, especially if you buy seats as soon as tickets go on sale. Do you know who else sees preview? Friends and family of the cast and crew, industry insiders and certain groups who help promote the show, such as concierges and ticket sellers. The atmosphere in this kind of house is almost always fun — people who are getting comped or cheap seats, and those who know people in the show, can be an excellent, supportive, less judgmental crowd that keeps the energy in the room high all night.
From a marketing sense this method should pay for itself, as it is going to be a show that relies on good word of mouth to generate bums on seats. The question should then be asked, who exactly is the preview for? This is often two fold — the first being for the actors and directors to work out moments onstage that are not working in order to fix them, as well as the tech team to work out and rehearse often complicated technical issues coordinating lights, sound, an orchestra, set pieces and so forth.
Obviously the more technically demanding the show, the harder this task is. How often are these opinions referenced and collated? What may seem clear to those close to the production may be opaque to those approaching it for the first time.
Narrative may be unclear, characters not portrayed the way they are intended and genuine loss of concentration are all fixable problems that previews can help iron out. Where previews are most important is in the case of new writing. New musicals, and even new plays rely on previews as a test run, and work is continually done throughout the process from every member of the production team to act on any problems and issues that might arise.
Every production has its own stories of previews and how they went on to shape the final production. The most prolific in recent years has to be the Julie Taymor led Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark which broke records for the longest preview period in history. In that time many cast members changed, some were injured and director Julie Taymor was dramatically fired from the production which she later went on to defend in court. The show changed almost every aspect of the production throughout this time, with the score by Bono and The Edge undergoing major re-writes as well as changes to the book and many of the special effects and flying sequences.
The delays in production were chronicled regularly in the New York and international press, resulting in critics taking matters into their own hands and breaking the usual conventions, reviewing the show before press night. The notion of "previews" -- a discounted run-through in front of a general audience, with an understanding on their part that the actors are granted latitude to feel out the contours of their roles -- often seems silly to audience members "What difference can it possibly make between a Friday preview and a Saturday opening?
Preview week is about nuance. For the creators, cast and crew, the seven performances will be a chance to fine-tune before the official opening night four days from now.
They will make changes during the day and try them out at night before an audience.? Improvements come from all corners during preview week. Stage manager Gail Luna perfects his cues -- the hundreds of orders he gives to the scenic, winch, sound and light teams at his command.?
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