Why do we "turn" on the most popular shows?

[Jamie Hat]

Posted: 3/8/05 at 4:07pm

CATS took Broadway by storm. Remember all those silly ads of people walking out of the theatre saying how much they loved it? Or spouting that they saw it 7 times and are taking Uncle Ned next week? The hundred little girls parading around in whiskers and make-up?

Phantom was a massive crowd pleaser in the same way. Raves and crazy fans in masks.

These are just two of the mammoth shows that were incomparably huge (even still), and now people claim to HATE them.

Why this so called "turn" on these shows?

I also see this starting to happen with The Producers...

Comments?

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 3/8/05 at 4:09pm

Because we're snobs who have to feel intellectually superior to the "average" theatergoer. I'm guessing most of us were unpopular in school, due at least in part to our love of theater, and we see this (consciously or un-)as our revenge on our cruel schoolmates.

[Joshua488]

Posted: 3/8/05 at 4:19pm

Sounds about right.

[musicalfandukie]

Posted: 3/8/05 at 4:21pm

Rathnait62, LOL...to funny

Posted: 3/8/05 at 4:23pm

Maybe its because we hear about it so much... like I know people are turning on Wicked! I mean its everywhere... but Im a hapless Wicked-head so I cant hate my favorite show. I see it happening alittle bit to Rent.

[FranklinShepard-Inc.]

Posted: 3/8/05 at 4:23pm

Rathnait62 At last I feel understood!

[StickToPriest]

Posted: 3/8/05 at 4:23pm

Well, I've admitted before, and I have no reason to not admit again, that I'm a Sondheim snob and damn proud of it.

[KMF_NYC]

Posted: 3/8/05 at 4:27pm

I refuse to place myself in the same company as the "general public"...I have been called "uppity" and I guess it is true!

[bwaybaby891]

Posted: 3/8/05 at 4:41pm

I don't know why people on here turn against these shows. I'm not one of the people who hates popular shows (my fav show ever is wicked), but I also love other smaller shows. I have a hypothesis as to why people hate wicked, rent, cats, and other popuar shows but I want to know from the big franchise haters themselves. Why?

[FranklinShepard-Inc.]

Posted: 3/8/05 at 4:43pm

It is because theatre lovers always hope for the musical theatre to furtherly evolve and progress into something new. So shows whose only obvious aim appears to be to make money is very hard to love. Isn't it?

Edit: And unfortunately the majority of mankind doesn't think tou much about it and just walk into theatres with the best ads. Updated On: 3/8/05 at 04:43 PM

[umgeoboy]

Posted: 3/8/05 at 4:44pm

As for wicked, I'm not sure that people turned on the show. The show did not open to the best reviews and many people, including myself, did not like the show from the beginning. So, I'm not sure Wicked counts for the category of people "turning on," most of the people who do not like the show haven't since it's inception.

[ChrisLovesShows]

Posted: 3/8/05 at 4:45pm

I think Rath hit the nail on the head, but I can think of contributing reasons. Some of it might be the inevitable backlash that occurs when something becomes over-publicized and over-hyped. It happens to TV shows all the time. Remember when The Osbournes started on MTV and became so popular so quickly? After awhile you couldn’t look anywhere without seeing Ozzy and gang and it was overload—people just got sick of it. The Simpsons actually experienced a similar backlash early in its run. The other part is that the hype sets expectations so high for new viewers of the Broadway musical, movie, or TV show that many come away quite disappointed. These people’s complaints add to the backlash.

[ashley0139]

Posted: 3/8/05 at 4:48pm

People "turned" on Wicked because of the fans. Can't say I blame them...

[LetMeLeave]

Posted: 3/8/05 at 4:53pm

ashley0139, that's the stupidest reasoning I have ever heard.

[whatyouown223]

Posted: 3/8/05 at 4:54pm

No. It's not.

[umgeoboy]

Posted: 3/8/05 at 4:54pm

LetMeLeave read my post. People didn't like the show from the beginning. Add to that obnoxious fans and it makes people vocally dislike the Wicked.

[LetMeLeave]

Posted: 3/8/05 at 4:54pm

how is that not?! To stop loving something because other fans of the same thing bother you. That's stupid.

[umgeoboy]

Posted: 3/8/05 at 4:56pm

People didn't stop loving Wicked, most people who dislike it now disliked it from the beginning but because of the obssessed fans are now more vocal about disliking Wicked.

[ashley0139]

Posted: 3/8/05 at 4:57pm

Have you seen/heard the fans of the show? And thank you whatyouown.

Updated On: 3/8/05 at 04:57 PM

[LetMeLeave]

Posted: 3/8/05 at 4:57pm

I'll agree with that....but I will never agree that someone just stops loving a show because it's fans are annoying.

[ashley0139]

Posted: 3/8/05 at 4:59pm

It's not that they still don't like them. It's that they turn on them. Not the same thing, I don't think.

[LetMeLeave]

Posted: 3/8/05 at 5:04pm

if you could explain the distinction, that would be super.

[wildcat]

Posted: 3/8/05 at 5:05pm

I have to agree with the 'not up to expectations' theory. I always try to think for myself and not be swayed by other people's opinions, but I thought CATS was terribly disappointing with unexciting choreography and long dull stretches; I returned to LES MIS three times because I had friends in different productions of it and each time wished I'd stayed home to read the Classic Comic version of the book; I thought I was going to suffocate during PHANTOM, and from beginning to end of THE PRODUCERS all I could think was..."but it's just not as funny as the movie!" I adore musical theatre and can happily suspend my critical faculties if I'm entertained, but if a show bores me I find it hard to be enthusiastic no matter how big the publicity machine. I haven't seen THE LION KING yet because every single person I know who has seen it tells me that the magnificent opening number is the high point of the evening. So until someone pays the $100 to buy me a ticket, that's one I'm going to miss.

Posted: 3/8/05 at 5:08pm

For a number of reasons I guess, but Id say "we" arent the ones making those shows so popular to begin with. A show like Cats was real popular with tourists and not so much with the dedicated theater fan. I dont know if that happened over time or not, but it seems to be the case. We also like having new shows to see all the time so a show that stands for long periods of time limits the number of new shows that can open. Of course theres also the fact that HERE, we deal with repeated posts about shows that have just been talked to death.

[bially082]

Posted: 3/8/05 at 5:10pm

The backlash against The Producers needs to stop. They whavn't done anything to deserve a bad rap. So they're running happily for a long time! Congrats the them! I think people like seeing shows flop. It's more fun to talk about.