Anticipated Shows That Failed to Live Up to Expectations — Page 2

Chess was a hit in London but when it came to Broadway,book and music changes were made which caused it to be a flop..It even had a healthy box office advance

Lazarus.

Someone in a Tree2 said: "The new FIDDLER revival pops into mind first and foremost."

It definitely lived up to my expectations, so it's subjective. I'm sorry you were disappointed. We've yet to see if it will be a commercial success.

Back in the Jurassic Period, publisher Random House used to sell hardback librettos of hit musicals. The books they couldn't sell were donated to libraries (including those at high schools), so my high school library was a pretty good indication of the shows that failed to meet expectations in the 1960s.

Titles I remember:

BAKER STREET

IT'S A BIRD, IT'S A PLANE, IT'S SUPERMAN

DO I HEAR A WALTZ?

NO STRINGS

FADE OUT, FADE IN*

* FADE OUT, FADE IN was initially a monster hit, outgrossing DOLLY! and FUNNY GIRL; but it closed quickly after its star, Carol Burnett, left prematurely. The Comden and Green libretto is hysterical, but so tailored to Burnett's talents I'm not surprised the show couldn't run without her.

All except Baker had strong scores and I saw Baker & Superman .Seeing Encores Waltz in July.Superman was a head scratcher. It got really good reviews but, for whatever reason, never caught on.

Someone in a Tree2 said: "The new FIDDLER revival pops into mind first and foremost."

The new revival of Fiddler on the Roof was well received by critics.

I've said it once, and I'll say it again. I'm not talking about your own expectations, I'm talking about expectations set by a lot of people that ended up being disappointed with the end results.

What about "Far From Heaven"? Top notch creative team and cast. But no one really seemed to care and it didn't really go anywhere.

Not that I mean to single out the Brits, but: 1)Wolf Hall and 2)Coram Boy.

Updated On: 1/2/16 at 08:43 AM

The biggest in my experience of following the theatre. I saw most of these and enjoyed them quite a bit, in honesty, though they were disappointments compared to the advanced expectations.

On a Clear Day...in its day, had incredible buzz, charged 20% more than any other show opened, had columnists quoting clever lyrics before it even opened. Lasted as long as it did only because it had a huge advance

Dear World...was expected to be a monster hit. Limped into NYC from Boston. Ran about 4 months. Surprisingly, I loved 80% of it, but the Boston version was much better. Also, one of the worst title songs ever. Maybe a fun song out of context, but awful in the context.

Mack and Mabel...all the element to be a smash hit but the actual story, which was a real downer. Mabel dies of an overdose in a musical with Keystone cops???

Merrily We Roll Along...expectations were so high and the result was so awful that few initially realized how great the score was. Harold Prince's concept didn't work. The cast wore tee shirts explaining who they were, e.g., producer, and you couldn't see them past the fifth or sixth row.

Mr. President...Irving Berlin's last show...huge advance, high expectations. DOA. Only Nanette Fabray survived the critical bashing...and not a very good song in the show.

Ballroom...Michael Bennett's first show after A Chorus Line to make it to B'way.

Some shoes had large advances because of the stars, not the creators, so I don't see them in the same light: Jennie, Breakfast at Tiffany's / Holly Golightly, Illya Darling, Wildcat.

Some created high expectation, not because of the creators or the stars, and I don't count them very seriously either. This would include Baker Street, Smile (Marvin Hamlish gotta lot of mileage out of the A Chorus Line score, which was the weakest part of the show), Merlin.

Finally, some because they were big hits in London, including Starlight Express and Chess, and did not transfer well. I loved both in London and they didn't work here, the former because there was no theatre suitable for what could have been a fun show; the latter because Trevor Nunn took a flawed show and ruined it.

Mack and Mabel. It is basically true so what should have been done - have a happy ending?

Agree 're Chorus Line score. Chicago's was 100% better

Disagree re Dear World title song. One of the best things of the score and show.

Illya was ok but Melina was the real reason to see it.

Baker's staging was the best part of it. A better score might have saved it. The actors tried but nothing they could do.

Updated On: 1/1/16 at 06:52 PM

Far From Heaven was a fantastic movie; but a dull musical. I can't imagine any production will save it.

Regarding Bonnie and Clyde -- it reflects Broadway as popularity Contest

Broadway Critics hate anything Wildhorne

Broadway Critics love Bartlett Sher even when he delivers a mediocre revival (Fiddler on the Roof)

Sher can do no wrong; Wildhorne can do no right.

As I'm sure I've posted before, I've seen MACK AND MABEL with a happy ending. The year after it bombed in New York, it was chosen to open the renovated THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS in Miami Beach. Ron Link (choreographer of CABARET, director of APPLAUSE) had an idea of how to rescue it.

First, he cast Tommy Tune in one of the supporting roles and gave him most of the Lisa Kirk numbers. This worked beautifully and Tommy--then only known for his Tony-winning role in SEESAW--was a great audience favorite. More importantly, Link let Mabel's death scene play out and had Mack say something like "What's the good of being in show business if you can't change life?" Then Link replayed the overture and staged a brilliant, all-out dance version of Mack and Mabel's' happily-ever-after lives if only she had lived longer. It was up and fun and colorful and ironic and chilling and sent the audience out humming the score. It wasn't Sondheim, but visually it was damn near close to Loveland.

We sold a lot of tickets for several weeks of previews in Fort Lauderdale and then for a week's run in Miami Beach (at that time a substantial run for a 3,000-seat house). The star was Lucie Arnaz, an excellent Mabel.

AND STILL THE SHOW DIDN'T REALLY WORK. The problem is that Mack and Mabel go their separate ways at the end of Act I. Act II as written, revised for Miami Beach (and revised again for Reprise! LA in the early 2000s) is nothing but a series of contrivances aimed at getting the two leads back in the same room, even while their careers take them farther and farther apart.

For example, there was one scene where Mac ran into Mabel accidentally on a dock. She was sailing to England or somewhere. "What are you doing out here?", Mack asked. "I'm looking for my little red suitcase", replied Mabel. The little red suitcase was never mentioned again. Lucie and the rest of the cast used to joke about what was in the little red suitcase, where did she leave it and why can't she find it again? All questions the audience was asking as well, no doubt, while Lucie sang "Time Heals Everything".

Yes, Mack invents the Keystone Kops and that's one production number. But Mabel actually has the more interesting life, including a scandalous murder which may or may not have involved her. But the show has told us from the beginning that (a) it is about the both of them; and (b) it is told from Mack's point of view (Robert Preston being much the bigger star). If the only problem were the sad ending, you could end the plot before then; but that would leave your star couple apart and the spectators unsatisfied.

It's not that Mabel dies per se. It's that real life didn't give her and Mack a second act to match their first. And the second act they got isn't a Jerry Herman-type show. It's no wonder nobody has been able to make the show work, even though so many of us think it has Herman's best score.

Updated On: 1/1/16 at 07:30 PM