Reviews - do they really sell tickets?

[Deleted]

Potentially a really naive question; but do reviews really sell tickets to the masses?

I read a 1 star review for Hand To God in the Metro today, and if anything it has made me really want to see the show! 

I wanted to hear what other people think. 

[Deleted]

I can't speak from the perspective of the average theatre-goer, only myself, but personally I would be surprised if they made *that* much difference. The vast majority of shows I see, I've booked them long before the reviewers get involved, and particularly in the case of Chichester or Stratford or things with particularly well-known and/or respected cast members, you sort of *have* to book a long way in advance. Sometimes I've come across a show quite late in the day that's being very well-received and I'll hurriedly see if I can slot it in, but that's almost always based on the word-of-mouth among my friends or trusted bloggers or on here (how many of us ended up seeing The Clockmaker's Daughter just because of fellow forumites, for instance?). I'll read the pro reviews but it's extremely rare that I'll act on them.

Mind you, there are always going to be people who say "I'll think about that one, but will wait for the reviews before booking", and I suppose in the cases of the people who don't have an outlet for theatre chat or knowledge of where to start with the blogs then it will be the pro reviews that decide them. I think reviews do sell some tickets, but in these dying days of print media I'm pretty sure they don't sell as many tickets as they historically have done. Also, I'm not *entirely* sure we have a UK equivalent of Ben Brantley, who I'm sure has been described as a critic who can make or break a show. Michael Billington is probably the biggest name in reviewing we have, but I don't think that means he's especially influential.

[Snciole]

I know I have regretted not booking shows based on what people here say, the current Complicite and The Gathered Leaves spring to mind. I booked People, Places and Things transfer purely based on word of mouth and reviews but most of the time I book because of actors, writers and directors as well as other minor factors like "Do I like the theatre/theatre space etc"

[Deleted]

"Can I get a ticket for £10 or less? Then bring it ON."

[jaqs]

A casual tourist looking for something to do tonight might be swayed by what they've read in the sundays or the star rating on timeout. In the way I look for a restaurant when going on holiday, sometime tripadvisor is overwhelming.

[Michael]

Professional reviews have no bearing on my booking behaviour. I usually trust my gut and am pretty successful in avoiding bad shows, as I enjoy the vast majority of shows I see.
That said: I do however trust the people on here (or the old board), so if something ends up getting hugely positive posts and I've avoided it since, I might change my mind.

[infofreako]

I pay little attention to reviews. Word of mouth is far more telling. I think its right though that less regular theatre goers may put more faith in traditional reviews

[Deleted]

Metro is a bad one to get a one star review in, given its wide reach, same for the Standard given that they are available free. If you want to get a bad review then it may as well be in The Times, with a much smaller reach and, for its internet version, behind a paywall.

[theatre-turtle]

I'll personally put a greater weight on word of mouth and views I've read on forums or my personal friends

[aksis]

Shows I really want to see I will book no matter what the reviews say.
I can be tempted though to go and see a show I was not planning to see based on reviews.
Reviews on uderstudies can trigger a second visit to a show when the person is om. Specially when the reviews are not positive.

[49thand8th]

Feb 17, 2016 12:28:16 GMT jaqs said:

A casual tourist looking for something to do tonight might be swayed by what they've read in the sundays or the star rating on timeout. In the way I look for a restaurant when going on holiday, sometime tripadvisor is overwhelming.

This is definitely the case. We all have friends who aren't as into theatre as we are, right? Who read or at least skim reviews to get an idea of what they might like to see?

[Deleted]

I think the comments about casual theatre goers vs us more dedicated followers of all things theatre are correct. The kind of theatre goer who goes a few times a year flicking through the Sundays or picking up the Standard/Metro might make them go. I know friends of my Mum's who tell her 'ooh I saw a brilliant review of so-in-so play you should go' to which she usually responds 'yes we've already booked' or 'wouldn't be wasting my money'

For me personally, occasionally something will have passed me by and a review will catch my eye and make me think about a show. Rarely will it make or break a decision to go an see something though.

[Phantom of London]

The reviews does affect some peoples behaviour, even on here I was surprised how many people bailed when Wonderland got bad reviews and then opted to get credits on their account instead.

The reviewers are just interested in power, just like in the day that the New York Times was. They want their poor 1 or 2 star reviews to get closing notices straight after the review comes out and the good 3/4 star reviews to have a healthy run and those 5 star reviews for it to run a very long time and tickets like gold dust, so much so you have to pay hefty premium tickets and with that extra money producer get, they take out hefty adverts in their publication with their pull quote sprawled across the top.

Just as well this doesn't work in reality, if it did The Book of Mormon would be long gone and Bend It Like Beckham wouldn't be posting closing notices and would instead be charging £100 - £200 a ticket.

If I listened to reviewers I would've missed so many great shows. Ghost and Love Story instantly spring to mind.

[Dawnstar]

I don't tend to rely on reviews for plays & musicals but I do sometimes for operas because productions are so variable & I do not generally like regietheater productions or those that insert a lot more violence then the original libretto - these are often one and the same. I will therefore either hold off booking, if it is somewhere like ENO where getting a ticket during the run is rarely a problem, or if necessary return a ticket if I discover upon reading reviews & seeing production pictures that the production is one that I am not going to be able to sit through, e.g. ENO's Turandot & the ROH's La Donna di Lago. I am currently waiting on reviews of wNO's new Nozze di Figaro before deciding if it's worth the 4 hours each way trip to Bristol to see it & Barbiere di Siviglia - having already had the Barbiere reviews it's not looking very promising so far.

[longinthetooth]

The classic case is Les Mis. Panned by the critics all those years ago, yet still going strong.

[Deleted]

I have read quite a lot of reviews on here and the previous board and bought tickets as a result. Some I've won, some I've lost... I booked Wonderland ages and ages ago, but after reading all the comments on here, which were then confirmed by most newspaper reviewers, I sold them back to the NT. So based on reviews, I sold my tickets!

[joem]

A bad review won't make me not go to something I want to see but a good review might maje me consider going to something low on my priority list. If nothing else reviews remind you something is on.

[DebbieDoesDouglas(Hodge)]

I'm so swayed by reviews. ?
If it gets bad reviews I won't go. ?If it gets good reviews I won't go.
?If I don't already have tickets by first preview then I have to wait until the reviews have faded??

[DebbieDoesDouglas(Hodge)]

Those questions marks are a vicious lie

[Michael]

Feb 18, 2016 0:35:31 GMT DebbieDoesDouglas(Hodge) said:

Those questions marks are a vicious lie

Then just use proper smilies and no smartphone proprietary ones  

[DebbieDoesDouglas(Hodge)]

All I wanna do in life is place inappropriately placed emjios
Why is theatre so cruel

[Deleted]

I think Dawnstar raises a good point there-sometimes reviews tell us the type of production we're getting, particularly pertinent with opera where the 'vision' of the creative team may well influence enjoyment of a piece (WNO I'm looking at you with your giant spiders...) similarly with Shakespeare, if a review tells me that, I don't know Hamlet is set in space and I've seen 3 Hamlets already that year, but damn if I wouldn't like to see it set in space, then I'll go. Wheras if it said it was a traditional dress production and I'd seen 2 already this year I might not bother.

Similarly for tours, if a review highlights major changes/reduction in set/bad casting I might think twice.

In general those things won't make or break something I was/wasn't interested in but for those 'on the fence' ones where you only have limited time and funds it can push a maybe into a no or a meh into a 'need to see this'

[alexandra]

I trust Susannah Clapp, Michael Billington and Lyn Gardner much more than people on here (apart from two or three)! Sorry. By which I only mean, I suppose, that their taste seems to accord more with mine.

[kathryn]

I agree you have to judge the taste of the reviewers in question.
If I know they're on the same wavelength as me and they rave about something then I will be tempted to book.

Sometimes a bad review from someone I know I normally disagree with will even tempt me!

But for the less-frequent theatre-goer I think what they look for is critical consensus and appeal to them. If a show gets across-the-board raves and doesn't appeal to a wide audience it'll still close after a short run. Popular appeal seems to trump the quality of reviews - just look at We Will Rock You.

[djdan14]

In the interval for Mrs Henderson Presents and the lady next to me turns to her friend and says she hates it and questions how the stage gave it 4 stars. So there is evidence that someone reads the reviews.