Bad or odd set designs- Page 3

[GeorgeandDot]

Posted: 9/1/18 at 12:15pm

This production of Carousel is pretty hideous, especially that final scene. It's totally amateurish.

I'd like to give a shoutout to another Jack O'Brien show, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which had a remarkably hideous set design.

I also really didn't like the set designs for the low class neighborhoods in this My Fair Lady revival. They just didn't work and looked really ugly next to the rest of the set, which was lush and beautiful.

Also, Getting the Band Back Together and Summer are hideously designed as well.

By the way, I saw the original Merrily as well and it really was a hot mess, but I still kind of loved every second of it. I could see some really good stuff shimmering underneath the crap. The high school concept made sense, but was poorly executed.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 9/1/18 at 12:59pm

I also thought the My Fair Lady set was kind of ugly and cramped. I don't like when you have to see the stage hands come out to move a set piece. 

And Carousel was all around pretty hideous. 

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 9/1/18 at 1:16pm

I think Pretty Woman's set is horrible. Two locations that could have been opulent, lush, and expensive–Rodeo Drive and Edward's penthouse—are each comprised of 2 or 3 set elements that look like they cost $11 altogether.

[funhamilton_rent]

Posted: 9/1/18 at 1:27pm

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the set, or lack thereof, of the Falsettos revival. Loved the show, but the set was just not it...

 

[YvanEhtNioj]

Posted: 9/1/18 at 1:36pm

I'm in the minority, but I actually don't think there's anything wrong with Summer's set. 

But the worst I've seen in recent years was Charlie & The Chocolate Factory. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 9/1/18 at 2:15pm

Falsettos was downright hideous. Probably the worst thing I've seen on a Broadway stage.

I thought Summer was great. I just think that's the wrong theater for it. But I liked all the trap doors and I loved the giant disco ball.

[GeorgeandDot]

Posted: 9/1/18 at 2:39pm

Falsettos didn't have an aesthetically pleasing set design, but it did service the show extremely well.

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 9/1/18 at 2:56pm

The Amelie set. And we can’t forget mention how disappointing the frozen set is.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 9/1/18 at 3:21pm

How did it serve the show? It literally was just some hanging drapes. and some bad cutouts. I've seen better sets at a community theater. 

[SomethingPeculiar]

Posted: 9/1/18 at 3:29pm

The recent revival of ON THE TOWN had no business being in the massive Lyric. That summer stock set needed to be rethought to look like Tony Walton’s Guys & Dolls or Santo Loquasto’s Dolly. The production probably would have been better in the Schoenfeld or Music Box (with a sacrifice of 15 in the orchestra instead of 30).

I thought David Korins' designs for WAR PAINT and DEAR EVAN HANSEN were hideous. The latter is functional and the projections work for the show, though.


Two counter-arguments:
— FALSETTOS was a good enough production that the set worked, even if it felt like regional theatre. At least Lapine tried to do something interesting instead of restaging the original.
— If CAROUSEL had been a better overall production, nobody would have cared about the set. The set is not a work of genius, but it serves the show and wasn't distracting like On the Town.

Updated On: 9/1/18 at 03:29 PM

[Elegance101]

Posted: 9/1/18 at 3:34pm

I loved the Falsettos set and how the actors were in charge of moving the blocks. I liked how the set got physically more realistic as it went on. I also liked Amelie's set.

A show that I thought was overall dreadful was the recent revival of The Cherry Orchard. The set was interesting at points, but I thought it wasn't totally cohesive and some of the sets were plain ugly.

I like the physical set of Anastasia, but I agree that the projections weren't great. I don't think that's a show that makes sense to have projections, honestly. It would've worked more with a physical, very lush set. Speaking of projections, I actually think the Mean Girls set works for what that show is, but I originally thought from a picture that there was a second level that actors could walk on and I kind of wish there was. I might have made certain pictures more dynamic and it could've been used interestingly.

Agreed that specific parts of the My Fair Lady set weren't amazing, but the biggest thing that bothered me was how much I could see backstage. I wasn't even that far over from the center and I would constantly see fully into the wings.

[HogansHero]

Posted: 9/1/18 at 3:40pm

what's bad and odd to me is that so many people have taken the topic of "bad or odd" designs and morphed it into a discussion of their own personal taste (which is all that ugly can possibly be) as if they are incapable of participating in an intelligent discussion. That said, there have also been some astute observations in this revivified thread.

[South Fl Marc]

Posted: 9/1/18 at 4:14pm

One of the ugliest designs on Broadway has the be the ill conceived production of "On a Clear Day ..." It literally gave me headache looking at it.

 

[Impossible2]

Posted: 9/1/18 at 4:38pm

M Butterfly - While I didn't mind the look of the panels, seriously they could've screw a few handles on the back of them so we didn't have to see the hands of the people who moved them about?

Charlie - Once they hit the factory, hideous!

Carousel - Very frustrating. You could see what they were going for, but they missed the mark every time.

 

 

[NievesG]

Posted: 9/1/18 at 6:03pm

Carousel was not impressive, and it looked like one of the stars was falling apart in the non-moving set at the front of the stage with the ropes...

Also, I don't know if anyone mentioned Saint Joan from last season - yikes. And the costume design was really shocking. The bishop's vestments looked slapped together from felt purchased from Michaels. It was really distracting but luckily Rashad was a light in all of that.

[Sondheimite]

Posted: 9/1/18 at 8:30pm

The recent revival of Carousel looks like they ran out of money and rented a community theatres set.  But the community theatre accidently sent them half the set to Carousel and half the set to Peter and the Starcatchers. 

 

[Elegance101]

Posted: 9/1/18 at 10:26pm

HogansHero said: "what's bad and odd to me is that so many people have taken the topic of "bad or odd" designs and morphed it into a discussion of their own personal taste (which is all that ugly can possibly be) as if they are incapable of participating in an intelligent discussion. That said, there have also been some astute observations in this revivified thread."

This topic is entirely subjective. It's completely up to personal taste. What are you talking about?

Updated On: 9/1/18 at 10:26 PM

[imklepcyk]

Posted: 9/1/18 at 10:58pm

The hello Dolly revival was the worst. The set was so bland and looked like a community production.

[Solipsist234]

Posted: 9/1/18 at 11:49pm

imklepcyk said: "The hello Dolly revival was the worst. The set was so bland and looked like a community production."

Get ready to get a lot of hate for this comment!

[Solipsist234]

Posted: 9/1/18 at 11:51pm

Elegance101 said: "HogansHero said: "what's bad and odd to me is that so many people have taken the topic of "bad or odd" designs and morphed it into a discussion of their own personal taste (which is all that ugly can possibly be) as if they are incapable of participating in an intelligent discussion. That said, there have also been some astute observations in this revivified thread."

Thistopic is entirely subjective. It's completely up to personal taste. What are you talking about?"

It really doesn't matter, considering he didn't even mention any example that would fit with this thread. He just felt like lecturing like he always does!

[imklepcyk]

Posted: 9/1/18 at 11:52pm

Solipsist234 said: "imklepcyk said: "The hello Dolly revival was the worst. The set was so bland and looked like a community production."

Get ready to get a lot of hate for this comment!"

Lol, it's sarcasm! I loved the Dolly set!

[HogansHero]

Posted: 9/2/18 at 12:18am

Elegance101 said: "HogansHero said: "what's bad and odd to me is that so many people have taken the topic of "bad or odd" designs and morphed it into a discussion of their own personal taste (which is all that ugly can possibly be) as if they are incapable of participating in an intelligent discussion. That said, there have also been some astute observations in this revivified thread."

Thistopic is entirely subjective. It's completely up to personal taste. What are you talking about?"

The original question was not about subjective/personal taste; it was about designs that are objectively "bad" or "odd." Yet as happens in almost every thread seeking an intelligent conversation about a subject, things around here quickly deteriorate into the subjective. There can be an intelligent discussion of sets that work in the context of shows, that are appropriate to the show, that parallel the show's sensibility, etc. There can also be valid comments about the quality of a set. And there were some good posts along these lines. But what we then get here are a bunch of comments that a set is "ugly," "horrible," "the worst," etc. just as we regularly get folks just telling us they don't like a show instead of saying something intelligent about it. Who cares? That's not the foundation of an intelligent discussion; it's just someone's ego thinking we care what they think. Imagine for a moment you are a design student and your professors evaluated your project as "ugly." 

 

[Solipsist234]

Posted: 9/2/18 at 12:38am

imklepcyk said: "Solipsist234 said: "imklepcyk said: "The hello Dolly revival was the worst. The set was so bland and looked like a community production."

Get ready to get a lot of hate for this comment!"

Lol, it's sarcasm! I loved the Dolly set!"

Oh, my mistake! Sorry about that... 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 9/2/18 at 12:41am

I think DEH's is awful. It worked for 2nd Stage where there were limitations with space, but on Broadway, nope. The same 2 set pieces rolled on and off, and the band up on a tier? Boring. I'd love to have seen how this show would have been designed if it knew it was going to Broadway. But I find it so boring in it's current look. But no one seems to care. 

[seanmcdonagh121]

Posted: 9/2/18 at 12:46am

I never understood the Finding Neverland set. Honestly I thought it was hideous. The Pretty Woman set is also quite disappointing. This may also be controversial but excluding a beautiful proscenium, I felt like the set for Spongebob was only ever ‘70%’ of the way there... it just lacked something.