Broadway "preview" - what does that mean?
 

A very basic question for you Fodors theater experts…what does it mean when a Broadway show is in previews? We will be in New York in early April, when “The Addams Family” is in previews. Looks like fun, tickets seem to be available and, most of all, it would be a blast to see Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth. But what’s the difference between a preview and a regular show? Would you recommend giving it a try? Unfortunately, we’ll be leaving town before the show officially “opens.”

Thanks much!

A preview means that the show hasn't officially opened yet, and the creative team is still fine-tuning and making changes (hopefully, improvements) in the show prior to its "official" opening.

Absolutely go if you'd like to see the show. Previews are in essence like dress rehearsals, where final details are being worked out and sometimes changes made. If you can go as close to the opening as possible, you're more likely to see the finished production. It means the critics will not have yet officially reviewed the show. These performances are often discounted although with those stars, maybe not.

Previews can vary from an almost finished show to one in which dialog and staging are still changing - and even some of the actors are still learning their parts (see a recent report on Mathew Broderick).

If it's in the couple of days before opening probably OK - but you won't have reviews to know if the show is good. Further in advance than that and it may be quite differnt from the final show.

While it's true that a preview is in advance of the formal opening night, almost all theatrical reviews occur during the preview period, usually on a designed night or perhaps two for a major show. I see previews all the time, and it's fine.

The only problem is that in some cases the main actors might skip preview performances, as happened many times with Roger Bart in Young Frankenstein a couple of years ago. I saw a preview of a Sondheim review a while back, and of course the main reason I went was to see Carol Burnett, who was absent. These things can happen in regular shows too, though.

Thanks, everyone -- exactly the kind of information I was looking for. We'd be seeing the preview about 6-7 days before opening night. I think we'll give it a try! Thanks again.