Disappointing Broadway show(s) of this decade?

[BroadwayRox3588]

Posted: 2/2/18 at 8:48am

What, in your opinion, has been the most disappointing show/run of this decade? In terms of quality (you thought you'd like the show more than you did), or in terms of the actual run (you thought the show would do better than it did)?

For me, in terms of quality: I know some will disagree with me here, but Groundhog Day. It definitely had its charms, but I just expected so much more out of this show.

In terms of the actual run: The 2014 Side Show revival. Maybe I was just being naïve, but with the amount of hype this production was getting, I thought it would be a major Tony contender in its season. Also, I was lucky enough to see it, and I thought the production was just magnificent. Definitely one of the highlights of that season, for me. And it made Erin Davie and Emily Padgett both two of my favorite performers now.

So what are yours?

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 2/2/18 at 9:09am

In terms of quality...

Amelie - Easily the WORST thing I have ever seen on Broadway. What should have been a charming and quirky show was just a hot mess in every single way.

Anastasia - I was expecting so much more. The creative team made major missteps with the adaptation and design elements.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Just like with Anastasia, I was expecting so much more, and the creative team REALLY missed the mark.

Shuffle Along - This had so much potential, but it just fell VERY flat.

In terms of the actual run...

American Psycho - I found this show to be absolutely brilliant on every level. I was surprised that it struggled to find an audience.

Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 - I thought this show was truly spectacular and one of a kind. If it were not for the casting controversy, I think this show would have run a lot longer.

ROCKY - Yes the book and score were not the great, but I thought the spectacle and "wow" factors would keep this open longer.

 

 

[greenifyme2]

Posted: 2/2/18 at 9:15am

You choose Groundhog Day to pick on Groundhog Day? Shame. Every party has a pooper I guess.

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 2/2/18 at 9:20am

In terms of quality, I’d say An American in Paris. Don’t get me wrong it has gorgeous dance sequences, but the book scenes are a chore to get through. As for length of run, that would be Fun Home. A best musical winner barely making it over a year. It deserved a longer run, I thought.

[BroadwayRox3588]

Posted: 2/2/18 at 9:58am

greenifyme2 said: "You choose Groundhog Day to pick on Groundhog Day? Shame. Every party has a pooper I guess."

I know, I'm sorry lol. I just wanted to love it more than I did.

[Lot666]

Posted: 2/2/18 at 10:01am

In terms of the show's quality, I expected much more from War Paint. Even its vaunted stars couldn't hold my attention (or keep me awake).

(Dis)honorable Mention: Anastasia. 

EDIT: How could I have forgotten Spider Man: Turn off the Dark? Of course, in truth, I went into that show with very low expectations, so I guess one could argue that it didn't disappoint.

In terms of the show's run, I expected a much longer life for Groundhog Day. I thought the music, lyrics, sets, choreography, and all-around storytelling were brilliant. Had it not opened in such a crowded season, I like to hope that it would have fared much better.

Honorable Mentions: American Psycho, Sunday in the Park with George, and Sunset Boulevard (I know the last two were set as limited runs from the start, but I was hoping for extensions - maybe with Betty Buckley taking over for Glenn Close in Sunset).

Updated On: 2/2/18 at 10:01 AM

[BroadwayRox3588]

Posted: 2/2/18 at 10:01am

Call_me_jorge said: "In terms of quality, I’d say An American in Paris. Don’t get me wrong it has gorgeous dance sequences, but the book scenes are a chore to get through. As for length of run, that would be Fun Home. A best musical winner barely making it over a year. It deserved a longer run, I thought."

I completely agree on AAIP, especially during the first act.

[jbird5]

Posted: 2/2/18 at 10:19am

Can only speak for this half of the decade, but Charlie sets a pretty high(low) standard. I left AAIP at intermission so I give it an incomplete. I blew off Amelie and didn’t see Tuck, that might show up on some lists.

As for run: AP, Comet - but I think it’s days were numbered regardless- and most of all Spring Awakening.

As for plays, Therese Raquin was maybe the worst due to expectations. Old Times was a major what were they thinking? The Cherry Orchard actually had some redeeming moments. As for run, everything but TPTGW.

[quizking101]

Posted: 2/2/18 at 10:47am

ANASTASIA is a tick in the disappointment column for me, mostly because it felt unnecessarily long and almost sung-through, like a Russian Les Mis...

SHUFFLE ALONG was a hit in every way during the first act, but then the second act proceeded to tear it all down in a messy and unfocused fashion that just left a terrible taste in my mouth by the end.

ON YOUR FEET, I think, was a misfire in the fact that they overestimated the material they had to create a Gloria Estefan biomusical. If it was just a concert and dance-style revue with brief vignettes, it would have been much more effective. But 45 minutes spent on a bus crash? Shiiiiiiiiiiiittt,

 

[David10086]

Posted: 2/2/18 at 11:03am

My big disappointment was in 2010 - which some may see as the beginning of this decade, or the end of the last decade - so I'm sticking with it! LOL

It was the revival of 'A Little Night Music'. I saw the production with Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch - and the complaint does not fall on their shoulders at all. (It was my first time seeing Peters on stage, and I was awe-struck by her performance...looking forward to 'Dolly'!).

It was the dreary sets, costumes, lighting, and awkward staging.This is a musical which deserved the best of the best to match the performances of Stritch and Peters, in all it's glory. Instead we got a skeletal washed out production. 

[whatacharacter]

Posted: 2/2/18 at 11:04am

I agree that American Psycho was brilliantly staged, cast, and written, and was disappointed it didn't get more of a chance.

As for actual disappointments in shows:

Cats revival:  This show is weird and non-sensical, but millions loved it for years, and at the time it was like nothing that had ever been seen before.  This was a missed opportunity to reinvent/modernize this, love it or hate it, piece of music theatre history for today's audience.  Leona who?

Cabaret revival:  Again this show was revolutionary in it's last revival.  It was lazy to just bring it back as is.

Bullets Over Broadway:  Just not good at all.  It made me mad that I was wasting my time watching it.  I don't even know why, but no other musical has had that effect on me.  And then the freakin bananas at the end?  Really?  Bananas?!

Spiderman Version 2.0:  I saw the original Taymor vision of this production in the third or fourth week of previews.  While there were some things that make you go hmmmmm, it was thoroughly entertaining and exciting to watch.  Though it may have been a little off center from the comics and movies, it was unapologetic and the performers were selling it.  The score was also exciting, especially Arachne's songs which, while lyrically tongue in cheek, rocked the theatre.  Then somebody somewhere decided it all needed to change and they took a show that made you think and challenged what you knew of spiderman, and cut it all up and squished into the cookie cutter that critics said it should be...  those same critics still bashed it and rightfully so.  Many of the remaining pieces, without Taymor's complete vision, just seemed trivial or odd...  and the life was sucked out of it.

 

And finally... though off-broadway, Carrie was a disaster.  Why did they not embrace the camp of this piece???  The new songs were soul-less, and those without knowledge of the original score would not have been surprised that it had flopped.  I would love to see the original score come back to broadway, set in the 80's (not ancient greece), with a director and choreographer who see it for what it is and don't try to make it into something it isn't.  The push back of the split between the intensity of Carrie/Margaret material and the kitsch of the rest of the score, to me, magnified that the White's were truly outsiders, and the worlds don't collide musically until the destruction.  Brilliant if you ask me.  

  

 

[BroadwayAndSports]

Posted: 2/2/18 at 2:51pm

DISAPPOINTING SHOWS...

Shuffle Along: So much potential with that cast, but it was a nothingburger. 

Natasha, Pierre, and The Great Comet of 1812: Outside of the immersive part, I really didn't think this was a good musical. The story was all over the place and the music was mostly just singing about what they were doing. I was hoping for more based on the hype.

 

DISAPPOINTING RUNS...

Bandstand: Powerful story but funny and enjoyable, and overall really well-done. Still upset this didn't find an audience.

Groundhog Day: Andy Karl was a stud, really good balance of heavy and funny, but had high running costs.

 

[Ben_Platt_Out]

Posted: 2/2/18 at 3:05pm

The Promises, Promises revival.  

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 2/2/18 at 3:18pm

Most of my picks are the exact INVERSE of the choices above.

THE GREAT  COMET gets my vote for biggest artistic disappointment. Atrocious writing and amateurish staging that was way too delighted with itself. We couldn't wait for it to end.

(Conversely, we thought GROUNDHOG DAY was a triumph of writing and staging over what could have been dreary repetitive material. We thought it was superb.)

THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY gets my vote for biggest box-office disappointment. A small cast, a simple set, and the most beautiful score then on Broadway should have ensured a much longer run.

 

 

[MadonnaMusical]

Posted: 2/2/18 at 3:26pm

Catch me if you can

Rocky

Bronx Tale

Leap of Faith

[BroadwayAndSports]

Posted: 2/2/18 at 3:48pm

Someone in a Tree2 said: "Most of my picks are the exact INVERSE of the choices above.

THE GREAT COMET gets my vote for biggest artistic disappointment. Atrocious writing and amateurish staging that was way too delighted with itself. We couldn't wait for it to end.

(Conversely,we thought GROUNDHOG DAY was a triumph of writing and staging over what could have been dreary repetitive material. We thought it was superb.)

THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY getsmy vote for biggest box-office disappointment. A small cast, a simple set, and the most beautiful score then on Broadway should have ensured a much longer run.



"

I really agree with your first two. The Great Comet had really poor writing that made it super dull. Groundhog Day took a repetitive story but made each day fresh.  

[dmwnc1959]

Posted: 2/2/18 at 5:49pm

Someone in a Tree2 said: "Most of my picks are the exact INVERSE of the choices above.

THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY gets my vote for biggest box-office disappointment. A small cast, a simple set, and the most beautiful score then on Broadway should have ensured a much longer run."

This one often shows up on people’s “favorite flops list”, the tour running less than a year and hitting only 17 cities. I’m truly glad I got to see this one, and treasure the cast-signed window card I own from the tour (which was very different than the Broadway window card) that I wouldn’t have obtained had it not been from tips by some great folks here. 

 

Updated On: 2/2/18 at 05:49 PM

[Jarethan]

Posted: 2/2/18 at 6:24pm

For me, a disappointing show has to have had promise in the first place,either because of the creatives,the cast, the ambition,etc.  For that reason, some of the shows listed would never appear on a disappointed list(vs. a didn't like list, because I didn't expect much,e.g., Anastasia, Bullets, Rocky, Charlie.

In terms of real disappointments, I would cite:

-- Fun Home...expecting so much, bored the entire time;

-- Catch Me If You Can...what a waste of so many talented people's time 

-- Promises, Promises revival.  Miscast Chenoweth, seemed smutty in a way that it did not seem in its original production.   Very disappointed.

-- Spiderman...JulieTaymor, Bono...disaster

-- A Doll's House, Part 2...great concept, well acted.  Just not enough meat to me.  Needed a play, not a playlet.

-- Follies Revival...I did not hate it.  I just concluded that the Follies of my youth was a one-shot deal, with its weaknesses, e.g.,the script, masked by all the excellence everything else.  

--Once.  Actually enjoyed this for the first time at a tiny theater in Sarasota, Fl.  I have concluded that the (whatever the name of the theatre it was in -- I think of it as the Royale,shoot me -- was just too large for the show(and I was pretty close).

-- The Front Page.  I have loved other productions, so I will blame the director.  It remained still-born until Nathan Lane arrived 2/3 of the way through the show.

[Mildred Plotka]

Posted: 2/2/18 at 7:14pm

Anastasia. Big fan of Ahrens & Flaherty and McNally, but it felt like they were all sleepwalking through it. The news songs failed to match the songs from the film. There’s even a poor man’s “Streets of Dublin”. And the staging, with those overused screens, looked like a theme park show to me. The entire thing get like t was created to please people who hate live theatre. There was no inventiveness to be found. I also found the actress playing Anastasia (who I liked in Carrie) to be dull and generic. I’m sure it will have a healthy run. I just wish more artistry and uniqueness was present.

In terms of disappointing runs, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson and The Scottsborro Boys were the biggest heartbreakers for me. Two of my favorite theatrical experiences. Sad more audiences didn’t see them. Real works of art.

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 2/2/18 at 8:23pm

QUALITY: 

Anastasia is definitely the most disappointing one I can think of. Despite a killer performance by Christy Altomare, the production and material could have been adapted a million better ways.

Other recent-ish ones that that come to mind: War Paint, Amélie (not so much disappointing as just straight-up terrible), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (same comment as Amélie), Shuffle Along, Finding Neverland, the 2014 Side Show revival, and the 2012 Evita revival.

RUN:

Last season alone, Groundhog Day and The Great Comet. Both were swallowed whole by a far inferior show during awards season.

Also, Honeymoon in Vegas, Catch Me If You Can, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, The Bridges of Madison County, and Hedwig and the Angry Inch (even though we got more than we asked for in the first place).

[MadonnaMusical]

Posted: 2/2/18 at 9:28pm

David10086 said: "My big disappointment was in 2010 - which some may see as the beginning of this decade, or the end of the last decade - so I'm sticking with it! LOL

It was the revival of 'A Little Night Music'. I saw the production with Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch - and the complaint does not fall on their shoulders at all. (It was my first time seeing Peters on stage, and I was awe-struck by her performance...looking forward to 'Dolly'!).

It was the dreary sets, costumes, lighting, and awkward staging.This is a musical which deserved the best of the best to match the performances of Stritch and Peters, in all it's glory. Instead we got a skeletal washed out production."

Could not disagree more. Saw this 5 times. It was truly remarkable. 

[MadonnaMusical]

Posted: 2/2/18 at 9:31pm

This thread is disappointing.

[binau]

Posted: 2/2/18 at 9:38pm

I LOVED the A Little Night Music revival - having seen a more 'lavish' production with a full-size orchestra and staging a few years after I terribly, terribly missed the intimacy of seeing the show at the Walter Kerr. We also had two very interesting casts (Zeta-Jones + Lansbury and Bernadette + Stritch). I don't think the casting was as perfect as the Follies revival for some of the supporting roles, and I must admit watching Stritch in the role was one of the most interesting but uncomfortable theatre experiences in my life (dropping lines, singing at a snails pace, not really attempting much character). But overall, I miss it.

I couldn't agree more at the Anastasia criticism. The show felt like it went for a million years but felt like the lead role's character was cardboard thin/shallow. It was just bizarre. I don't blame the actress - she just didn't have the material to work with (in terms of quality at least - what is so strange is she has a lot of stage time and music to sing. But to no effect). 

 

[Rainah]

Posted: 2/3/18 at 12:14am

in terms of reception/length of run, Comet. It truly wasn't the controversy that closed the show, the public just did not embrace it as much as it really deserved and they couldn't find their audience. 

[theater_tech]

Posted: 2/3/18 at 2:16am

Rainah said: "in terms of reception/length of run, Comet. It truly wasn't the controversy that closed the show, the public just did not embrace it as much as it really deserved and they couldn't find their audience."

Yes, this is true, but it would not have ended that early if the controversy did not happen. Most importantly, it would not have ended the way it had, in a midst of a pointless controversy, to inflate some SJW's egos on twitter, that overshadowed the creative and original piece that it was. And for that, everyone involved in that production (and those who loved it) deserved much better. 

Also, to answer this thread's question:

SPIDERMAN, SPIDERMAN
DOES WHATEVER A SPIDER CAN
SPIN A WEB ANY SIZE
CATCHES THIEVES JUST LIKE FLIES
LOOK OUT, HERE COMES THE SPIDERMAN