Bad Shows You Missed But Wanted To See- Page 2

[IronMan]

Posted: 1/7/16 at 3:36pm

I've seen many of the shows listed here (Thou Shalt Not, Bobbi Boland, Big, The Blonde in the Thunderbird, etc...) and their only redeeming value is being able to tell stories about the horror.

I'm still mad that I chose "Chess" over the first preview of "Carrie."  Who knew? 

Updated On: 1/7/16 at 03:36 PM

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 1/7/16 at 3:44pm

I found this doing a search prompted by WoaT's list. The OBC of "Raggedy Ann" (Ragdolly).

Wow, no wonder this was a flop! I missed it, but the husband saw it and it is his #1 most hated night in the theater.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeYxFjgOwfM

And don't mind A8, he didn't want to discuss this topic, as usual he just wants to knock other shows that aren't "Mary, Mary".

[ChildofEarth]

Posted: 1/7/16 at 4:33pm

Sheedy in Hedwig.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 1/7/16 at 5:21pm

After a knockout opening number, Legs went downhill Damn quick. His score was weak when it should have been strong. He was as unbelievable as a gangster as you would expect.

Updated On: 1/7/16 at 05:21 PM

[JBroadway]

Posted: 1/7/16 at 5:56pm

I would have liked to see Lord of the Rings. I love the score, and supposedly it was quite the visual spectacle. I would also have like to determine for myself exactly how much of a disaster the book was (and perhaps have a few laughs at its expense between those beautiful songs). They announced that it would go on a world tour in 2015, and never announced anything to contrary, but clearly that didn't pan out. 

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 1/7/16 at 6:12pm

Of those listed by Trace, I saw the following:

 

Thou

Big

Lestat

Spiderman 2

Dear

Roman

Molly

Sarava

Platinum

1600

 

[mc1227]

Posted: 1/7/16 at 6:59pm

I wish I had seen Scandalous, Taboo and Urban Cowboy.

Updated On: 1/7/16 at 06:59 PM

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 1/7/16 at 7:09pm

Saw Scandalous

 

It was OK. Not great but OK. Carmello was the best thing about it.

Updated On: 1/7/16 at 07:09 PM

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 1/7/16 at 7:33pm

Not sure I want to see any show that I would consider bad.  As for shows others consider bad, that's every show that's ever played, hit or flop.  

[NYadgal]

Posted: 1/7/16 at 7:46pm

Gigi.  

[Brave Sir Robin2]

Posted: 1/8/16 at 2:01am

Brooklyn. That cast recording is a guilty pleasure of mine.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 1/8/16 at 11:14am

PianoMann said: "Two recent shows come to mind:

 

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown to see the stellar cast perform what has become one of my favorite scores of the last decade.

 

The Anarchist to see Patti LuPone and Debra Winger perform a new work by Mamet.  It's been a very rough few years to be a Mamet fan..."

 

The Anarchist was a total bore. It could have easily been a 10 minute scene in a much more comprehensive piece but instead was just a bloated 90 minutes of nothing.

[@z5]

Posted: 1/8/16 at 11:42am

I did and still wish I got to see "Holler if ya hear me"

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 1/8/16 at 11:59am

The Anarcist was worse than having your fingernails torn out while standing on a bed of hot coals.

[newintown]

Posted: 1/8/16 at 12:29pm

Most bad shows are just boring-bad; the hilariously-bad shows are rare gems. Among the latter I count rarities like Dance of the Vampires, The Blonde in the Thunderbird, and Prymate. Parts of Scandalous and Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public are in there, too, but only scattered parts.

 

Most others go in the boring-bad category (Lestat, Wonderland, Thou Shalt Not, It Shoulda Been You, Gigi, etc.).

 

And then there are flops that I didn't think were bad at all, but just didn't find enough approval to run: Grind, Play On!, The Scottsboro Boys, etc.

[PianoMann]

Posted: 1/8/16 at 12:47pm

AEA AGMA SM and Mr. Roxy, did you find The Anarchist worse than China Doll, if you happened to see it?

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 1/8/16 at 12:49pm

Even if we wanted to pay the insane prices for China, seeing the Anarcist would have stopped us from even going near it.

[illiniparkie]

Posted: 1/8/16 at 3:07pm

Some shows that didn't last long in New York that I wish I had spent the money to see (particularly since I believe a couple previewed here in Chicago):

 

Big Fish (there are some beautiful songs on the album)

The Addams Family

Young Frankenstein

Updated On: 1/8/16 at 03:07 PM

[mattyp4]

Posted: 1/8/16 at 3:19pm

I wish I had seen Dance of the Vampires.  My friend even invited me to go as soon as they posted a closing notice.  I wish I had the sense to say yes that night.  But it was also like, $40-50, which was too rich for my blood back then!  Ugh.  Big regrets....still.

 

I saw a handful of the shows mentioned earlier in the thread:

 

The Anarchist was dreadfully BORING.  Probably the most boring show I ever saw.  And really short, which was weird.  It wasn't camp-bad, just really boring-bad.  Bad-bad.

 

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown was a good effort & had a good score, but it was too busy, IMO.  Granted I saw it in an early preview but it seems like they still couldn't figure things out before it closed.  I wouldn't categorize it as a "bad show" though.

 

Taboo had flaws but the score was so good-- still one of my favorites.  I scrounged up the $50 or so to see that but it was actually the night they posted a closing notice, unbeknownst to me.  They started late & then halfway through the first act I realized that wasn't Boy George as Leigh Bowery-- he apparently left after news broke that the show was closing & his understudy went on at the last minute, so there was no notice in the lobby or in the Playbill.  Still annoyed at that, but I though the show was actually pretty good.  Definitely got a bad rap in the press.

 

And The Blonde in the Thunderbird was probably the single greatest night I had at the theater EVER.  I had so much fun.... b/c it was SO, SO BAD.  Like, GOOD camp-bad!  Exactly what I wanted!  I still talk about it to this day.  Nothing has come close to out-camping it.

[mattyp4]

Posted: 1/8/16 at 3:24pm

illiniparkie said: "Some shows that didn't last long in New York that I wish I had spent the money to see (particularly since I believe a couple previewed here in Chicago):

 

Big Fish (there are some beautiful songs on the album)

The Addams Family

Young Frankenstein"

 

 

Big Fish was really boring.  I didn't even love the score that much.  I just found it dull & forgettable.  And Young Frankenstein was a cash-grab-- an obvious attempt to mimic the success of The Producers.  But nothing really "worked" on stage.  It had a great cast but everything paled in comparison to The Producers.

 

I missed The Addams Family. 

[mattyp4]

Posted: 1/8/16 at 3:29pm

newintown said: "Most bad shows are just boring-bad; the hilariously-bad shows are rare gems. Among the latter I count rarities like Dance of the Vampires, The Blonde in the Thunderbird, and Prymate. Parts of Scandalous and Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public are in there, too, but only scattered parts.

 

Most others go in the boring-bad category (Lestat, Wonderland, Thou Shalt Not, It Shoulda Been You, Gigi, etc.).

 

And then there are flops that I didn't think were bad at all, but just didn't find enough approval to run: Grind, Play On!, The Scottsboro Boys, etc."

 

 

newintown, I actually missed your post before posting mine but you are spot on!  Most "bad" shows are just that-- bad.  The ones people talk about as wishing they had seen (probably what spawned this thread) are usually the camp-bad shows... and they are a much rarer breed!

 

(I kind of wish I saw Prymate too.)   

 

[skies]

Posted: 1/8/16 at 3:44pm

There are shows that are "bad" as in you can see why they are telegraphed as total commercial flops and their weaknesses stand out even among their relative strengths to an alarming degree.

"The Visit" I would lump in that category. 

The other type that seems just plain  bad; I would have loved to have had a West End ticket for the original run of " Love never dies".

[KathyNYC2]

Posted: 1/8/16 at 4:00pm

mattyp4 said: "illiniparkie said: "Some shows that didn't last long in New York that I wish I had spent the money to see (particularly since I believe a couple previewed here in Chicago):

Big Fish (there are some beautiful songs on the album)

The Addams Family

Young Frankenstein"

"

 

The Addams Family survived close to 2 years in NY. (Well over 20 months). What do you consider "didn't last long"?

 

[mattyp4]

Posted: 1/8/16 at 4:08pm

KathyNYC2 said: "The Addams Family survived close to 2 years in NY. (Well over 20 months). What do you consider "didn't last long"?"

 

I don't know.  Ask illiniparkie.  He/she is the one who made that comment.  Not me.

 

[illiniparkie]

Posted: 1/8/16 at 4:35pm

I didn't realize The Addams Family lasted that long.  Sorry.  Although I have heard it described as a "bad" show.