Of all the nights to go to a show, the first preview is my favorite. The energy in the room is high, and whatever surprises the performance holds won’t yet have been spoiled by reviews written by people like me.

Sure, the audience will be packed with friends of the company, as biased in favor as the opening-night crowd. But others will be there out of curiosity, hungry to experience the production as soon as they can. I’m one of those.

The performances might not be all the way there. Technical elements may well be rough. There’s a good chance the script will change before opening night. But whatever ails a show, there is still — theoretically, anyway — time to fix it. To me, that feels hopeful. And dynamic.

Habitual theatergoers, like journalists, are voyeurs: We wouldn’t do what we do if we didn’t like to watch. And at those early previews, there are a lot of artists in sight. It’s not just the cast and musicians sharing the space with the audience, the way they do once the show has opened. It’s the playwright, the director, the designers, maybe a gaggle of producers, all of them in the house.