Are theatre "previews" as good as the "proper" shows?

kiwi_fruit

I've never been to a west end "preview" show, but thinking of booking one show as it suits our time greatly and is a bit cheaper than the ones after official press release date.. Date I have in my my mind actually is only 3 days since the start of the previews. Are there any drawbacks? Wondering what are your opinions, is the standard lower than normally?

jfdi

I've done LOADS of previews over the years - mainly coz of the price!

Occasionally they'll forget their lines / dance routine etc - but it has never taken away from my enjoyment of the show. I'd recommend them whenever possible - at least you should get to see the main 'names' and not the understudies!

alanrowell

The only risk I've found is that you are booking blind and it can be terrible - even if it's got lots of big names.

dander

Sometimes the show will change a little bit during the previews - bits that don't work in front of the audience might get cut before the opening night, but performance standard is good - better in fact than you sometimes get a long way into a run because everyone is still fresh and excited by the show.
The only I've very occasionally had is sometimes at the early previews the proper programmes aren't ready yet - so if you're a big souvenir buyer, you might want to bear that in mind. But otherwise - definitely go for it!

Ilovecubbage

I`ve been to previews,The quality should be same. I think they are better than normal viewings as sometimes they do make a slip up. Usually they are so good to make it into somethin funny so you enjoy it more.

minerva_windsong

I agree with everyone else - there may be a few mistakes, but if you go in there expecting it not to be perfect you'll probably enjoy it. I'd say go for it.

Which show is it, if you don't mind my asking?

alanrowell

In some ways previews feel more personal and intimate. You get the feeling that the performers are listening to you just as much as they are performing. In some shows I've been to you'd get the performers actually interacting with the audience especially when something isn't working well

froggy27_2

Sorry to ask but how do you find out about Previews? are they just on sale via tickets office as normal? and are they normally a bit cheaper? thanks for the info in advance.

kiwi_fruit

Thanks all for your opinions, I decided to go for it:) Will make it as a Christmas present for OH. Quite curious now to compare a preview with a proper show. The show in question is The wizard of Oz which starts in February.

froggy27, I don't know whether all shows have previews that are availbale to general public and wheter you can buy them from a box office but in my case yes, they're for sale on online websites along with the tickets for shows after official opening night. They also cost £10 less. Previews for The wizard of Oz run for almost about 20 days.