Before XANADU opened....

I was just looking at the posts on these boards before XANADU opened. There were plently of people just giddy and tickled and excited about the show. But there was SO much negative stuff too! Mind you, I LOVE XANADU...but not everyone did. Here is what they wrote on these boards:

folkyboy May 11, 11:03 AM _i'm actually kind of more optimistic about it than some of you. i know it won't last but i don't see it closing within a month, either. i told my friend last night it'll close at the end of the summer. i say September. __there's NO WAY it's gonna survive the summer slumps and they'll "keep it hangin' on" until some other show wants to boot it out.

inlovewithjerryherman May 10, 01:16 AM _does anyone else feel like kerry butler is miscast?

Marquise May 10, 12:34 AM _I'm losing my faith in quality musical theater if garbage like this keeps being produced.

Trish2 May 9, 11:58 PM _I wouldnt even accept a free ticket to that dreck.

Michael Bennett May 9, 11:56 PM _I think it looks pretty awful and boring to boot.

rish2 May 9, 11:43 PM _OH MY GOD YOU GUYS, but this looks just awful ! What producer in their right mind would show those horrendous clips ? Its looks like dancing school recital choreogrpahy, or worse. Poor Dan Knetches (sp) is not looking like a very promising big time choreographer at all

jv92 Apr 21, 11:18 PM _The difference between Hairspray and Xanadu is that Hairspray is good and Xanadu isn't or won't be. Wasn't the movie enough? ... (more...)

MungoGypsy8232 Apr 21, 04:03 PM _Wow, this show is already off to a bad start with the CAST page!

Rathnait62 Apr 21, 12:26 PM _Talk about the LAST show you'd want to be onstage for. Yikes.

WSS2 Apr 13, 05:58 PM _So why are people already hateing this show?

FOAnatic Mar 19, 07:04 PM _Well, it's going to open...it's how long it stays open that's the thing. There's no out-of-town tryout so it will preview in NY and have an official opening night. If it get's universally panned...it might be the biggest flop yet.

Michael Bennett Mar 19, 07:00 PM _I'm not convinced its ever going to actually open. They have absolutely no reserve in their raised capital. That means if the show gets terrible reviews it will literally close the next day. Thats a very big risk.

allofmylife Mar 3, 01:05 AM This literally reminds me of the day I discovered my beloved high school beauty queen had become a crack whore.

I love Kerry Butler. Love her. Adore her.
I loathe and despise the movie "Xanadu" and the dead horse it was dragged in on, with every fibre of my being.
I hate people badmouthing shows before they open, but I am using up my "get out of naysayer jail" card to suggest this is an enormous white elephant in the making and it's going to drag my favorite (well, next to Sutton Foster) star down with it.

Well, the show sounded awful when it was first announced.
No one knew anything about it, and it seemed a bizarre choice for a new musical.

But even now with its strong fan base, it is far from being a mega hit and could very well close as a flop.

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So you've seen very little this season then.

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Updated On: 5/6/09 at 07:39 PM

Updated On: 5/6/09 at 07:41 PM

I totally forgot, that you're not supposed to post anything on these message boards.
If I like something, I get bashed for saying so here. If I don't like something, I get bashed for saying so here. Wow. You guys have some big chips on them shoulders!

Oh, I did mention in my first post that there were PLENTY of good ones!!!!

thanks bertandrew2, but if you had actually taken my comment in context, you would have seen that it referred to the fact that the website cast list was WACK and completely off! so, um yeah?

sorry mungo. just join the clan on here who dont like me.

While people may not think Xanadu is great, I still think back to the musical "The Drowsy Chaperone" and the line that says "It may not me a perfect show....but it does what a musical is suppose to do...it takes you to another world, and it gives a tune to carry with you in your head when you're feeling blue..." That to me places Xanadu in that category. But then again, to each his own.

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I love this thread, and I think you are totally right.

Xanadu, when it opened, was great good fun.

After sitting through "In the Heights", "Xanadu" is brilliant.

I'm just saying.

I think the thread is a valid discussion. I mean, it seems like many musicals get discussed on here way prior to opening based on a lot of specualtion and hearsay. Often new musicals get skewered and even destroyed by some folks on the boards. I see nothing wrong with revisiting an old thread and re-examining current thoughts, shifts, or even continued distaste for a show. I think it can be a thoughful dialogue. There might be people who are mean or spew venom who might not want their old posts dug up, but for those with thoughtful comments, I think it is a nice discussion.

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I think his point was more that this isn't just the case for Xanadu-

judgmental comments are made before many broadway shows open and only time will tell if and how they will change broadway