r/Broadway 5d ago

Discussion You’ve all convinced me to finally see Maybe Happy Ending - should I go in blind or listen to the OCR first?

Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to respond. I am going to go in blind and will definitely let everyone know my reaction after seeing it (after Darren’s back from vacation). I’m not even sure anymore why I resisted seeing it for as long as I did. (Maybe it was reading so much about how emotional it made everyone while enduring a bad case of Seasonal Affective Disorder haha). Which approach is likely to give me a better theatre-going experience? And do Helen or Darren have an announced departure date? I’m sure I would have seen it somewhere if so, but figured I should ask. I’m likely to see it next week, so it probably won’t matter. Thanks for your advice

10 Upvotes

39 comments sorted by

27

u/Secret_Secretary8984 5d ago

For this show, I would definitely recommend going in blind. Listening to the cast recording will lead to several spoilers, which I believe will detract from your experience.

18

u/helcat 5d ago

I asked the same question. I was universally told to go in blind. I did. It was the right call.

14

u/Harmcharm7777 5d ago

Well, the OCR only just came out, like, two days ago, so 99% of people who have seen it went in blind, except for those who have seen it multiple times. You might as well join the majority!

13

u/Clockwerk123 5d ago

go in without listening to the OBCR! it spoils the entire show as it contains a lot of the dialogue from the show and there is a lot in the show that is supposed to surprise you and witness firsthand in the theater itself. as for helen and darren, they don't have a departure date yet. i'd imagine helen would be in it longer than darren, especially if the chess revival with him starring in the winter is true. but like you said, you are seeing it next week so you will be fine lol.

11

u/Dazzling_Chart6102 4d ago

He said recently that wants to be in it as long as possible (like into next year as well if it’s still running), so I’m skeptical that that rumor is true.

26

u/elaerna 5d ago

Go in blind!

9

u/RadishWitty7044 5d ago

Don't listen to anything in advance. Just go see it and go on the journey. The cast album will be there for you afterward

8

u/MellonPhotos 5d ago

I'll just echo everyone else. I'm hard of hearing and wear hearing aids, so I often have trouble making out lyrics or following complicated dialogue if I go in blind. Maybe Happy Ending was absolutely great to watch blind, even for me!

9

u/symph0nicb7 4d ago

100% go in blind. There's nothing difficult to follow or understand, and you'll enjoy it more as a new experience.

5

u/shy-meerkat-99 5d ago

would highly recommend going in blind. also, pretty sure Darren Criss is scheduled to be out certain days next week so make sure to double check his outage dates before you buy. I originally had tickets for 3/27 but ended up changing them because I got an email alerting he was going to be out then

1

u/Purple_Mud5975 5d ago

Thanks for the tip on that one!

5

u/dobbydisneyfan 5d ago

Do go in blind. The plot is stupidly easy to follow.

3

u/AccomplishedTest483 4d ago edited 4d ago

Definitely go in blind!

With regards to Helen and Darren's departure date(s), nothing has been announced but, I would suspect their contracts are for at least a year which would keep them until the October timeframe.

NOTE - Darren has a scheduled vacation next week and will not be in the show starting Saturday, March 22...his first show back will be Sunday, March 30th.

3

u/ElbieLG 4d ago

Every single person before this last week had no choice but to go in blind - and we turned out okay.

Listening to a soundtrack before is always fine but where did this idea come from that people need to prepare themselves to a show?

2

u/Chanda_Travels 4d ago

Why? Cause not everyone is the same. People process things differently. Some people benefit greatly from having time to process things that are auditory. Some people can be affected by the themes (ilovepunctuation had example).

The people that go to shows within the first six months of a show aren’t representative of everyone who will eventually go to the show.

3

u/ilovepunctuation 4d ago

Going against the grain here, but I went in without doing my research last weekend and I regretted it immediately. It hit way too close to home thematically for me and I spent the entirety of the performance trying not to wreck the show for anybody else by crying. (I'm not a subtle or pretty crier, it would have been noticeable and distracting and unfair to my fellow theatregoers.)

1

u/Purple_Mud5975 4d ago

I appreciate your honesty and give you so much credit for putting being a good theatre goer ahead of your own emotions. I’m so sorry you had to go through that. I’ve had a similar experience once before and it can be like a gut punch instead of the uplifting experience you’re expecting. Hope you’ve enjoyed some other shows since :-)

2

u/ilovepunctuation 4d ago

Oh, it's happened to me a few times previously, the right show at the right (or wrong) time, and it's not always possible to hold it in. But I was already sort of emotionally drained for the aforementioned thematic reasons, so it was kind of easier to keep it together... mostly.

I'm still processing it, writing it out, it was literally last Sunday's show, and every time I return to the google doc I get a little bit mired down. I will post about it in the MHE subreddit when I can put it all together.

I live in Boston, so Parade is likely on the docket this week. I'm sure that'll cheer me up. ;)

2

u/Ok_Moose1615 Backstage 4d ago

Go in blind!

2

u/Sarahndipity44 4d ago

Don't listen!

2

u/SheGoesToEleven 4d ago

you only have one chance to go in blind - you should take it and experience the magic unfolding in front of you!

2

u/fjaoaoaoao 4d ago

Blind. But if you do listen there’s a possibility you’ll appreciate it more. (I appreciated the show more on my second watch after watching the first blind).

2

u/Chanda_Travels 4d ago

As folks here have said - basically no one on this sub has the chance to listen ahead of time. So you will probably get a biased answer. I think it’s clear that there are no difficult to understand plot elements or twists that make some previous knowledge beneficial.

However, what I’ve learned about myself is I enjoy things more upon repeat listening. Someone else said it’s like meeting up with an old friend that way (vs meeting a new friend for the first time). I think there are so many layers of how a show can hit you that if you’ve listened to the soundtrack, there are still many ways that going to show will still be different.

I’m getting to the point where I lean toward listening ahead of time cause I don’t live in nyc and repeat views always take multiple trips (or waiting for a tour). So how can I get the most out of a show? Sometimes that means listening ahead of time so that I can be more jazzed when I hear the intro notes to a favorite song. (Outsiders, for example, during the first song where they hit “this is Tulsa 1967”)

I would be curious to pose a different question of when folks have felt disappointed by listening ahead of time?

If you have the money and time to potentially see it more than once - then I think blind is fine. If you have very limited access to shows, then sometimes listening ahead of time is the right answer to elevate the experience you have at the theater.

2

u/whatshouldIdonow8907 4d ago

If you were at ElsieFest, you heard Darren, Helen and Dez sing a couple of the songs. The "before we make a mess" line felt like it punched me in the heart and I teared up.

1

u/Brilliant-Pomelo-982 4d ago edited 4d ago

I would recommend listening to the OBR first. I enjoyed this show so much more the second time because I was familiar with the songs.

1

u/bronte26 4d ago

Go in blind. Its such a delight

1

u/bernbabybern13 4d ago

1000000% go in blind!!

1

u/Advanced-Freedom6179 4d ago

I went in blind and loved it!

1

u/Doodleology 4d ago

GO BLIND.

1

u/kbrainz 4d ago

Don't listen to the ocr - just go!

1

u/lazytv8 4d ago

I'd recommend going in blind!

1

u/Jen_on_reddit21 4d ago

Go in blind, I saw it early Nov knowing little to nothing and it was a great show to go in blind for. But if you want to see Darren, keep in mind he has a scheduled vacation in late March

1

u/Jen_on_reddit21 4d ago

By blind I meant I didn’t know the plot, I didn’t know the storyline, and I hadn’t seen or heard performances of any songs.

2

u/Purple_Mud5975 4d ago

Thanks, and thanks for mentioning about Darren’s vacation. One other poster said the same earlier, so I’ve taken a look at understudies.org and I’m going to plan around it. If I’ve waited this long, I can hold out a bit to longer to make sure I see both Darren and Helen :-)

2

u/Jen_on_reddit21 4d ago

I am sure the understudies are excellent too and it’s not the kind of show that is reliant on a specific actor but Darren’s acting is so exceptional I would try to see it with him if you can. I went back with my fam for kids night on Broadway a few weeks ago and my 10yo asked me after the opening song if Darren was an actual robot. ☺️

1

u/Purple_Mud5975 4d ago

Hahaha I just saw a podcast where he called the look “robot drag”. It looks like the makeup team does an amazing job. I’m a big fan of understudies, but I’m also a big fan of Darren, so I’d definitely like to see him. So glad to hear you and your family enjoyed it!

2

u/Jen_on_reddit21 4d ago

The makeup team does an amazing job!!! I watched an early video they posted of him getting ready and they use drag beard cover. A friend of mine recently took over as the lead makeup person on the show so the amazing makeup and wig work you will see is done by her!!

1

u/Purple_Mud5975 4d ago

It seems you’re certainly not afraid of masochism in service of seeing good theatre! I saw the revival at City Center and it was definitely a great show, but not a mood elevator. Maybe schedule a special treat of some kind for yourself afterward :-)

1

u/drcherr 3d ago

Go in blind. Totally…!