The Underrated Thread

[sing_dance_love]

Posted: 12/28/08 at 3:22am

I know there've been posts about the individual topics, but I had just been thinking about underrated shows and had the idea for the thread. I'd do overrated, but I figured it'd be nice to have more of a positive thread. :)

Most Underrated Recent Broadway Actor: Aaron Lazar. (He was so wonderful in Piazza.)
Most Underrated All-Time Broadway Actor: hmm. not sure.

Most Underrated Recent Broadway Actress: Lisa Brescia
Most Underrated All-Time Broadway Actress: Michele Lee

Most Underrated Recent Musical Score: (Dramatic)- The Woman In White; (Comedic)- Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Most Underrated All-Time Musical Score: Baby. (In the sense that because the book is so bad, the show is forgotten and not often produced so people don't know about it. But that score is pure gold in my opinion)

Most Underrated Recent Broadway Show: Legally Blonde, Side Show, Steel Pier
Most Underrated All-Time Broadway Show: Sweet Charity


And I'm using "All-Time" loosely. Clearly, I don't think Baby has the best score in the history of theater. I just wanted to include recent shows/performers and ones from the past.

Feel free to add more categories (Directors, Composers, Scenic Design... etc.) if you have opinions on them and to explain your choices if you want, I'd love to hear what everyone thinks. :)

[dramarama2]

Posted: 12/28/08 at 3:40am

This thread is overrated.

[Gypsy9]

Posted: 12/28/08 at 3:47am

SWEET CHARITY was not an under-rated show. This musical, starring the beloved Gwen Verdon, received 2 rave reviews, 3 favorable reviews and only 1 unfavorable review from the NY daily newspapers. The show was helped tremendously by Bob Fosse as the director and choreographer and he won the Tony for Best Choreographer. SWEET CHARITY ran for 608 performances and recouped its investment. Today 608 performances does not seem like much, but in the 1960's it was considered to be a moderate success.

[Gobstopper]

Posted: 12/28/08 at 1:33pm

The Secret Garden is an underrated musical, in my opinion. A lot of people seem to have forgotten it, but it has a gorgeous score.

I think Ellen Greene is a very underrated actress. She managed to make Audrey such a sympathetic character and played the role with such sincerity.

[GlindatheGood22]

Posted: 12/28/08 at 1:39pm

I always thought Ragtime was grossly underrated. The score is practically perfect.

Edit: Forgot to mention Grey Gardens. If ever a show closed too soon, it's that one.

Updated On: 12/28/08 at 01:39 PM

[AndAllThatJazz22]

Posted: 12/28/08 at 1:47pm

.

Updated On: 10/3/09 at 01:47 PM

[Smaxie]

Posted: 12/28/08 at 2:07pm

Unless Leigh Ann was pinching your arm or kicking your shins at the time, it was Laura Benanti who made you cry listening to "Little Lamb".

[Brave Sir Robin2]

Posted: 12/28/08 at 2:35pm

Underrated Scores: Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid. Alan Menken is a genius!

Underrated Shows: Ragtime. A great show that just had some financial problems. Probably would still be running today.

[esparza 333]

Posted: 12/28/08 at 3:02pm

LOL Smaxie


I have to agree with Grey Gardens.

[brandontwin2]

Posted: 12/28/08 at 3:14pm

I agree with Lisa Brescia! I love her!!! I also think Haven Burton was very underrated in Legally Blonde.

I agree that Ragtime is one of the most underrated shows. Updated On: 12/28/08 at 03:14 PM

[TheatreFreak05]

Posted: 12/28/08 at 3:18pm

I totally agree with The Secret Garden. Fantastic score!

[CSonBroadway]

Posted: 12/28/08 at 3:20pm

Legally Blonde also has an underrated score. I think So Much Better is a great song

[SoFarAway]

Posted: 12/28/08 at 3:34pm

I think Katie Rose Clarke is absolutely fantastic and definitely underrated.

[bwaygirl211]

Posted: 12/28/08 at 4:53pm

I feel Jennifer Laura Thompson is very underrated as a performer. She was unbelievable in Wicked, and I personally feel one of the few actresses that brought some realness to the role. Young Frankenstein is also an underrated show. Despite it closing, it still has had a great cast, energy, and the show itself is very good. Critics gave it terrible reviews, and it really wasn't that bad.

[Sondheim_Geek]

Posted: 12/28/08 at 5:28pm

I'll just do recent because I don't want to think that much:

Most Underrated Recent Broadway Actor: Brian d'Arcy James

Most Underrated Recent Broadway Actress: Megan McGinnis/Brynn O'Malley

Most Underrated Recent Musical Score(Dramatic): Parade

Most Underrated Recent Musical Score(Comedic): Bat Boy

Most Underrated Recent Broadway Show: Side Show

Most Underrated Recent Off-Broadway Show: A New Brain

[Schmerg_The_Impaler]

Posted: 12/28/08 at 8:04pm

Definitely agree with Aaron Lazar, Ragtime, and to some extent, Legally Blonde. I also feel like Little Mermaid's score is underrated-- the score is lovely, despite the weirdness with the production. The music break in "One Step Closer" alone is enough to make my heart do a somersault everytime I hear it.

Also, Rob Hunt is a really underrated Javert-- I don't really know anything else about his performance history, but he is up there with my favourite Javerts, and I don't see him getting nearly enough appreciation for it!

[AndAllThatJazz22]

Posted: 12/28/08 at 9:42pm

.

Updated On: 10/3/09 at 09:42 PM

[ashley0139]

Posted: 12/28/08 at 10:00pm

I don't think Legally Blonde is underrated. In fact, I think it's overrated. But whatever.

Sondheim_Geek - thank you for mentioning Megan McGinnis! I officially love you. She has been one of my favorites for years, but no one ever mentions her.

For performers I'll also add Megan Sikora and Erin Davie.

And Grey Gardens, yes, yes, yes.

[philly03]

Posted: 12/28/08 at 10:20pm

Woman in White is certainly in my top list for many things that are underrated, especially score. The production as a whole was overshadowed by Andrew Lloyd Webber being Andrew Lloyd Webber and sickness which is also a shame!

Let's not forget that Woman in White was practically the first major production (with obvious help from Jane Eyre ~ The Musical if I'm not mistaken) to depend almost entirely on projection-scenic backdrops, in which it was bashed and the recent SUNDAY inthe PARK with GEORGE got almost entirely praised upon for them(which was more than deserving!).

And I too feel that LB is underrated...many people over look it (I certainly did until I finally saw it!) and shouldn't!

McGinnis and Jill Paice are so underrated! Maybe with a new Paice project she won't be,...but still many people didn't "recognize" her for her work in WiW or Curtains! She's a terrific performer though so I'm sure I'll be changing my words one day :)! And McGinnis was just so sadly underlooked with the Les Mis revival but she was a great Eponine!

[fairygodmother]

Posted: 12/29/08 at 6:13am

Yes yes yes to Batboy! One of the only cast recordings that made me repeatedly laugh out loud before I'd seen it on stage - Spamalot being another. This was killed by a terrible venue in the West End, which made me very sad - plus bad direction imho. But the show is great - apart from Children, Children, which made me want to claw my ears out...

[CSonBroadway]

Posted: 12/29/08 at 9:25am

ashley0139-

How is Legally Blonde overrated? Just because it's not a "serious" musical?

[logan0215]

Posted: 12/29/08 at 9:55am

When I think I think "under-appreciated" and some of my favorite understudies come to mind whom could carry a show on their own:

Patti Cohenour
Maureen Moore
Lisa Brescia

And seriously? The Woman in White? I would say that the score was one of the worst things about that show. I went to see it specifically for Brescia. I only have "All For Laura," "All For Laura (reprise)," & "Finale" on my pod because the rest of the score is a steaming pile of ****. "I Hope You Like It Here" and its many variations made me want to claw my eyes out.

EDIT:

Little Women was an underrated show with a great score.

Updated On: 12/29/08 at 09:55 AM

[sing_dance_love]

Posted: 12/29/08 at 1:15pm

I LOVE The Woman In White's score. I just find it to be really beautiful. So we'll just have to disagree there.

But I couldn't agree more about Brescia. Not to overlook the astounding work done by Maria Friedman in the show, but Lisa Brescia was captivating. And I'm obsessed with her voice.

And I agree with you about Little Women. Over time, and repeat cast album listenings, its slowly become one of my favorites.

[iamchanging9]

Posted: 10/2/09 at 8:51am

bumping this, but i do believe if the woman in white hadn't closed maria friedman would have definitely won the tony.

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 10/2/09 at 10:15am

^Or at least nominated... I think it's ridiculous that Chita Rivera was nominated for her revue performance, while Friedman was completely overlooked. I don't know why no one really points that out.