Theatre Bores #6

Being an occasional series in which conversations overheard in Her Majesty's Theatre, East Creech, are disseminated to the general public for their wider education.

Her Majesty's Theatre, East Creech

Type 6: The [Over-]Seasoned Habitué:

Well I saw it again last week for I think the fourth or fifth time and I’m not saying it wasn’t good because it was. In fact my friends who hadn’t seen it before thought it was great but you know, I kind of knew it wasn’t really - at least not as good as it was when I first saw it - which admittedly was just exceptional. It felt like, you know, for some of the actors the light had gone out of their eyes and they were like why am I still doing this. Like “I’m a bit bored” perhaps. You know just not on it like they were when they were fresh and it was all new and they were still excited about it. Definitely the eyes thast gave it away.

Veteran amateur critic Valentine Kurtin-Downe

Now don’t get me wrong, I am not saying it was awful. It really wasn’t. And, you know,  maybe I saw things others didn’t or maybe couldn’t see. I mean, I’ve been on stage myself of course and I know I’m not your average theatre goer, so I am more - you know - critical perhaps or maybe just more insightful. Not on a bad way of course, but I do kind of see things from a different perspective and that’s probably why, good as it was and great as other people thought it still was, it wasn’t quite as good as it could have been. I think when you've seen a show several times as I have and know how good a show it can be, if it’s not quite there then it’s not quite there. Not that everyone would say the same thing, but then they probably haven’t seen it at its best as I have or have my eye for these things; so they just don’t know how great it was at first and maybe could still be if perhaps everyone on stage wasn’t just a little bit jaded, perhaps a little bit too familiar, maybe even a bit complacent.

And that’s a shame because when I first saw it, well, it was really, really good and as I say, though it was still good for most people, it wasn’t as good as it was in the early runs. But that’s theatre for you and not everyone comes to it with the same experience or expectations.

For some theatre-goers it's not all about the play.

So should you go to see it? Well, yes I think you probably should because you would probably still enjoy it; but all I’m saying is that if you’ve already seen it, as I have, then maybe don't bother - not because it’s bad, it’s absolutely not - as I say in many ways it’s actually still very good - but just not as good as it was. And that’s disappointing; to me at least. I mean, back then it was great - fantastic in fact, but now? Well, not so much.

Now did I tell you about a show I was in a couple of years back when….