How much, is too much?

The more I've seen I find that I get less excited about the prospect of seeing different shows than i used to, but still get the same buzz when I see something I really love.

Interesting question. I did pull back a bit over the summer - I had got into the habit of "everything at the NT, everything at the Donmar, everything at the Almeida...." and I realised I was seeing too much stuff that I really wasn't enjoying and that I hadn't been looking forward to just to say I'd seen it. I was doing 2 or 3 shows a week, now I try to plan for only one a week but reserve the right to book for another show but only on positive word of mouth (usually from here!) rather than on the basis of playwright, actor or venue.

I think it is possible to get a bit jaded - as ptwest says above, the good can still be astounding, but too much stuff which is "just OK" can definitely dull the passion. Hubby and I are planning a two-month holiday next year to celebrate our joint retirement, so it will be interesting to see how absence from London theatre for that time affects me. And retirement is going to require a move to cheaper seats and/or fewer shows, so maybe there are fewer shows in my future than my past...

I don't see as much theatre as some of you guys. For me (as I've said on other threads), it has to be something or someone that I really want to see. It's also a day out (I try to go for Saturday matinees) or part of a weekend if it's in London. The main constraint for London is the need to book 12 weeks in advance (for the cheapie train tickets). The cinema relays have made it a lot easier to see good theatre from Stratford and London, and should my ability to pay for/travel to either be curtailed, I can always rely on my trusty Unlimited card for cheaper tickets and the best seat in the house!

Having said that, there was one performance I was determined to see.... Benedict C playing Hamlet at the Barbican. A year's wait just for the tickets to go on sale, only to miss out because I had to take Mum to the hospital on that day and they vanished like cakes at a kids' party! Months later, I saw a message here saying there were some returns, so I managed to bag a £10 back-row-in-the-gods seat, booked the train and an overnight stay.... and then... I got a recall after a scan, requiring further tests, so everything was up in the air again! That was one theatre visit I really appreciated because it was so hard won.

I moved to NYC five years ago and this past July was the first time I went a month without seeing any theatre at all. It was a rather nice break.

I love going to the theatre but I think going every week is a bit excessive, there are plenty of activities that you can do like see a film, go to the museums/galleries, drinks with friends etc there are some months where I don't go to the theatres and other times my month is solely theatre for 2 or 3 weeks

Being a foreigner, I can only travel to London 3-4 times a year to see stuff. This mostly prevents me from revisiting shows even I want to, because I rather use the time to see new things.

While I'm sore that I sometimes miss things I'm keen on, I also don't want to add more London trips. Like right now, I'd give an arm and a leg to see Groundhog Day, Children of Eden and Allegro, but I've held off and just accept that I can't see every show I want to see.

I ALSO want to spend vacation time and money on regular vacation stuff, be that relaxing on a sunny beach somewhere, exploring a new town or country or a city trip to other interesting big cities. I know of some German "musical tourists" who spend 10-15 days in London and cram about 20 shows if not more into their trips, which is something I wouldn't do either. I feel that after 4-5 shows my brain is starting to overload and I rather want every show to feel special and not congeal into a huge blur of things.

Since I see 3-4 shows on each trip, I think that would even out to about one show per month plus a few other shows on this side of the channel. Right now I've been going through a drought since my last London trip in July. I will be seeing a ballet next month and an opera but my next musical won't be till late October and my next London trip in November. Such is life.

If I lived in London, I might go more often but I don't think I could do more than 2-3 shows per month.

I definitely feel the same as some of you. I used to go REALLY infrequently (5-6 times a year, 1-2 of those being west end shows) but now I go at least once a week, frequently more often than that. It does often feel like I'm waiting for something amazing to come along, whereas I used to get excited over everything. However, I don't think becoming more critical is a bad thing at all. If going ever started to feel like a chore I don't know what I'd do.

If I go more than 5-6 weeks without seeing anything live I get quite grumpy (just ask my work colleagues) but that does include concerts so not just theatre. Over a year I probably average once or twice a week. If I ever find I don't get that feeling of excitement as the lights go down then I'll know it's too much! That said I am more choosy these days simply because of the cost of tickets so if something has little appeal I won't go just in case I like it the way I used to do.

I guess you haven't watched many dark and harrowing plays then! 

While I do love a good musical, I do think it's good to see something that's not going to have a happy ending and maybe makes you think about the subject matter and that applies to film and television not just theatre. 

I've seen a couple of dark showd in my time, it always depends what I am feeling. The theme doesn't always matter. Just being in a theatre, having people make believe for you, is magical!

I got to the bit where you wheel and deal to get the cheapest tickets possible, so you show your... and my heart missed a beat! 

It was where the line broke in your original post... 

I moved to London after university specifically to go to the theatre, so I'd be doing myself a disservice (particularly with these living expenses...) if I didn't go often. The main problem with working in a hospital is the irregularly long hours and preponderance of nights and weekends.

BUT I've just done a calculation on my time since moving here, and I've seen a production of something every 10.7 days on average. My average ticket price is around £25 as well, which I think is pretty good.