About.com's 100 Best/50 Worst Musicals Ever

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 3/11/15 at 12:35am

WORST
http://theater.about.com/od/musicals/fl/The-50-Worst-Musicals-Ever.htm

Jekyll & Hyde
Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark
101 Dalmatians
?Happy Days
Oh! Calcutta!
Come Fly Away
Lestat
Something's Afoot
Evil Dead: The Musical
9 to 5
The Addams Family
Baby It's You
Rocky
Ghost
Starlight Express
Side Show
Roza
Bare
The Blue Flower
The Pirate Queen
The Boy From Oz
Carrie
Dirty Dancing
Moby Dick
LoveMusik
Eating Raoul
Frankenstein
Tarzan
Glory Days
Mamma Mia
Into the Light
Kristina
Vanities
Young Frankenstein
Lysistrata Jones
Mary Poppins
Victor/Victoria
Irma la Douce
Mutiny
A Night With Janice Joplin
The People in the Picture
Scandalous
The King of Hearts
Sister Act
Wonderland
Soul Doctor
A Tale of Two Cities
The Tin Pan Alley Rag
Freckleface Strawberry
Motown - The Musical

BEST
http://theater.about.com/od/musicals/fl/The-100-Best-Musicals-of-All-Time.htm

Gypsy
My Fair Lady
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Fiddler on the Roof
Guys and Dolls
Oklahoma!
Cabaret
West Side Story
The Music Man
A Chorus Line
Chicago
The Fantasticks
Carousel
Company
Show Boat
The King and I
Little Shop of Horrors
Sunday in the Park With George
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
A Little Night Music
She Loves Me
Nine
Follies
Falsettos
Ragtime
Porgy and Bess
Kiss Me, Kate
On the Town
Into the Woods
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
Urinetown
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Wicked
Rent
South Pacific
1776
Hair
Hello, Dolly!
La Cage aux Folles
110 in the Shade
The Producers
Lady in the Dark
City of Angels
Dreamgirls
Avenue Q
The Book of Mormon
Evita
42nd Street
Brigadoon
The Cradle Will Rock
Once on This Island
Adding Machine
Les Miserables
Bat Boy
The Pajama Game
The Sound of Music
Hairspray
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Fun Home
Jesus Christ Superstar
Violet
The Phantom of the Opera
Assassins
A Man of No Importance
You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
Ain't Misbehavin’
Anything Goes
Wonderful Town
The Light in the Piazza
The Drowsy Chaperone
The Full Monty
Damn Yankees
Romance/Romance
The Secret Garden
Pippin
Kiss of the Spider Woman
Finian's Rainbow
Once
Pal Joey
Annie Get Your Gun
Pacific Overtures
On Your Toes
Candide
Annie
Sweet Charity
Beauty and the Beast
Matilda
Camelot
Mame
Of Thee I Sing
Bye Bye Birdie
Man of La Mancha
Floyd Collins
Grey Gardens
A Day in Hollywood, A Night in the Ukraine
A New Brain
Caroline, or Change
Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk
The Scottsboro Boys

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 3/11/15 at 12:39am

That's an odd list. I'd hardly put EVIL DEAD, ROCKY, SIDE SHOW, THE BLUE FLOWER, THE PIRATE QUEEN, VICTOR/VICTORIA or THE BOY FROM OZ in the "Worst Musicals Ever" list. Especially since any list like that that doesn't include BKLYN is hardly complete.

Updated On: 3/11/15 at 12:39 AM

[beilis32]

Posted: 3/11/15 at 12:46am

Just makes me happy to think of all the ones I love and all the others I want to see!

[Fantod]

Posted: 3/11/15 at 1:23am

I fail to see why Mary Poppins or Irma La Douce are on the worst list.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 3/11/15 at 1:26am

Because Mary Poppins is AWFUL.

[broadwaysfguy]

Posted: 3/11/15 at 1:34am

the writer for about is Chris caggiano, a bona fide musical theatre lover and bad ass expert who teaches musical theatre at boston conservatory.

I really love his writing and have learned a LOT about musical theatre from his own blog:
http://www.everythingmusicals.com/

He has turned me onto lots of incredible songs ive never heard before, and some great musicals Id never heard of before

In a world where most theatre writers and critics are bitter negative twisted and
sad, Chris is a beacon of light. The only other person I'd put in or near his category is Scott Miller who runs new line in st louis and has written some great books

psyched to see Chris with a big vehicle to share his passion for and wisdom about musicals

go Chris!

[seahag2]

Posted: 3/11/15 at 1:36am

Bat Boy and Charlie Brown? Don't get me wrong, they're fine but i would have never categorized them as one of the best

[broadwaysfguy]

Posted: 3/11/15 at 1:38am

Here's Chris from abouts next 100 top musicals for those who are saddened their favorite didnt make his top 100, yours is probably on this list

Im just glad there are 200 good musicals out there...more for me to go see!!!!

Its really F$*%ing hard to make a good musical, based on what comes out every year...

Here are 100 musicals, in alphabetical order, that didn't make it onto my list of the 100 best, for a variety of reasons. But, who knows, they might end up on the list some day. Depending on my mood.

A Catered Affair
A Connecticut Yankee
Aida
Allegro
Applause
As Thousands Cheer
Babes in Arms
Baby
Barnum
Bells Are Ringing
Big River
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson
Bloomer Girl
Call Me Madam
Carmen Jones
Cats
Chess
Dames at Sea
Fanny
Fiorello
Flower Drum Song
Funny Girl
Gentelmen Prefer Blondes
Grease
Hello, Again
High Button Shoes
High Spirits
House of Flowers
I Do, I Do
I Love My Wife
Irma la Douce
Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcouat
Kismet
Knickerbocker Holiday
Li'l Abner
Little Mary Sunshine
Little Me
Lost in the Stars
Love Life
Mack and Mabel
Me and My Girl
Merrily We Roll Along
Miss Saigon
My Favorite Year
Newsies
No Strings
No, No, Nanette
Oliver
On a Clear Day You Can See Forever
Once
On the 20th Century
Once Upon a Mattress
One Touch of Venus
Parade
Passing Strange
Passion
Peter Pan
Pins and Needles
Plain and Fancy
Porgy and Bess
Promises, Promises
Robert and Elizabeth
Roberta
Rose Marie
Song and Dance
Spring Awakening
Steel Pier
Stop the World, I Want to Get Off
Street Scene
Strike Up the Band
Sunset Boulevard
The Apple Tree
The Band Wangon
The Boy Friend
The Boys From Syracuse
The Desert Song
The Golden Apple
The Grass Harp
The Kid
The Lion King
The Mikado
The Most Happy Fella
The New Moon
The Pirates of Penzance
The Red Will
The Rink
The Rocky Horror Show
The Student Prince
The Threepenny Opera
The Unsinkable Molly Brown
The Wild Party (LaChiusa)
The Wild Party (Lippa)
They're Playing Our Song
tick, tick...BOOM!
Titanic
Tommy
Where's Charley?
Woman of the Year
Working
Xanadu
Yank
Zorba

[broadwaysfguy]

Posted: 3/11/15 at 1:42am

well Ive seen live productions of 35 of About's top 100...much to do!

Ill bet SOMEONE on this board has seen 75 or more of the 100

announce yourself so we may revel in your musical experiences......

[jv92]

Posted: 3/11/15 at 3:03am

Oh, come on! LOVEMUSIK doesn't deserve to be on that list.

VICTOR/VICTORIA, absolutely.

[brdway411]

Posted: 3/11/15 at 5:02am

Best and worst lists combined I have seen 70. And many of those multiple times.

[Charley Kringas Inc]

Posted: 3/11/15 at 5:09am

I am arriving in this thread for the specific purpose of staunchly defending Carrie.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 3/11/15 at 6:06am

On a quick count I've seen 60 of his top 100, in some carnations - not all on bway.

It's just a list, one person's opinion.

[Buddy Plummer2]

Posted: 3/11/15 at 7:54am

I'm up to 66, though granted, there's a few of them that I've only seen done non-professionally

[tazber]

Posted: 3/11/15 at 8:08am

the writer for about is Chris caggiano, a bona fide musical theatre lover and bad ass expert who teaches musical theatre at boston conservatory.


Mr. Caggiano is well known to many of us here at BWW.

Updated On: 3/11/15 at 08:08 AM

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 3/11/15 at 8:40am

I think shows like "The Capeman", "Good Vibrations" and "Lennon" were worse than anything on this list.

[After Eight]

Posted: 3/11/15 at 8:56am

I just perused his list of the 50 worst musicals ever. It's such a bad joke I won't even bother looking at his other one.

EVER, he says? Ever must be shorter for him than for anyone else since he doesn't go back all that far. And he puts Irma La Douce there? Why, because he may have seen the botched Encores production of it?

If only people learned to keep their ignorance to themselves! But that would require both self-awareness and humility, both in short supply nowadays, I'm afraid.

[broadwayboy223]

Posted: 3/11/15 at 9:30am

Only one I really hate on the bad list is Starlight Express. Glad someone else thinks its terrible.

[tazber]

Posted: 3/11/15 at 9:53am

His flop list made up of too many recent flops.

Where's

Kelly
In My Life
Brklyn
Prettybelle
Ain't Broadway Grand?
Nick & Nora
Rockabye Hamlet
Metro
Got Tu Go Disco

And about 200 more that should have made the list over some of the ones he chose.

[philly03]

Posted: 3/11/15 at 9:57am

I figured there would be some Jekyll & Hyde hate but the NUMBER 1 worst musical ever?! Over 101 Dalmations and Happy Days!?

I also love how it completely detracts from his comments:
"Bad musicals are very different from great musicals, aside from the obvious quality factor. Great musicals tend to stick around. They receive revivals and national tours and regional productions, and there are generally more opportunities to see the truly great musicals. "

Jekyll and Hyde is top 50 longest runs on Broadway, has had two national tours in the past 2 years --one is running right now-- (3 other full production national tours, and a concert tour) and a Broadway revival; not to mention its been done around the world. Call it an artistic mess, but I'm not so sure how that fits the criteria for "worst musical."

Updated On: 3/11/15 at 09:57 AM

[madbrian]

Posted: 3/11/15 at 10:01am

The fact that the "best" list has Wicked ranked higher than 1776 makes me question its credibility.

[Elfuhbuh]

Posted: 3/11/15 at 10:13am

I know it's fun to hate on Wildhorn, but does Jekyll & Hyde really deserve to be considered number one of the worst?

Updated On: 3/11/15 at 10:13 AM

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 3/11/15 at 10:17am

That writer's really sexy. I hear he did a performance in some sort of get up one time.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 3/11/15 at 10:28am

Will the REAL Chris Caggiano please stand up?!

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 3/11/15 at 10:30am

This list is crap.

Ever indeed.