9 to 5 On Broadway, why did it flop?- Page 2

[Rumpelstiltskin]

Posted: 9/3/17 at 5:50pm

This is the type of show that does best on tour, because tour audiences tend to be more forgiving of book flaws that make a show insufrible on Broadway.  We saw it on a New York trip thanks to TKTS and I couldn't get past the plot points that annoyed me.  A year or two later it was part of our Broadway Across American subscription in Houston and I just let the fun take over.  I never thought about the ridiculous plot.  Two highlights:  Diana DeGarmo was a joy as Doralee, and Dolly Parton surprised everyone by joining the cast onstage to sing the title tune during the curtain calls.  

[darquegk]

Posted: 9/3/17 at 6:48pm

Parton wrote a fantastic song, "Drinkin' Stein" for the movie musical Rhinestone. Even Sylvester Stallone's strained singing couldn't ruin the song. She should have put it in this show- it worked better from the bittersweet female perspective she sang it from than the self-deprecating male perspective Stallone gave it.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 9/3/17 at 11:12pm

I think adaptions work best when you change around the source to suit the new medium - like Frozen is doing, etc. It's hard when you basically just pause the movie and put in a song - like  Young Frankenstein.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 9/4/17 at 9:20pm

Im a huge Dolly fan and a huge fan of the ladies, but the show was bloated. One of the hallmarks of a bloated show, and often a flop, is when there are elaborate set pieces for every scene. It says to me they want some spectacle to distract you from the lack of meat. Shine Like The Sun, had like three set changes and a car onstage for like 30 seconds. It was way too much. It's almost like saying, "dont listen to the music." 

I think the music is really nice and I think this show will fare better in stripped down regional and community theatres. Much like the original Color Purple felt bloated as well and fares been when refined. 

Also, the show could have been tinkered with and freshened up a bit, but it left no surprises to huge fans of the film. It was a literal carbon copy. 

I will say that Kathy Fitzgerald deserved a Tony nod. She stopped the show with Heart to Hart. She was inspired. 

[jessepp]

Posted: 9/4/17 at 11:33pm

The weed and fantasy sequence is so forced.  I think Andy Blankenbuehler's  transitions were the star of this show.