Biggest disapointments or surprises...

[alterego]

Posted: 10/29/03 at 7:32am

What are the shows that you went along to with great expectations for ( you read the reviews, listened to the music, believed the publicity) and felt disapointed by?
In recent years I think I'd have to say RENT.

On the other hand a big surprise and pleasure turned out to be a play from a few years ago AN INSPECTOR CALLS.

How about you?

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 10/29/03 at 7:40am

I'm really bummed that I missed An Inspector Calls...heard it was great.

As far as the topic goes I would have to say the current revival of Little Shop. By now everyone knows how I felt about the show. However, my expectations were low before I saw it due to many of the online reviews. On the other other hand...I was expecting a lot from Sweet Smell of Succuss..and I got nothing.

[WOSQ]

Posted: 10/29/03 at 10:10am

Playwrights Horizon in spring of about 1990, a preview of a new musical by a pair who had written a success d'estime a couple years before that and a director who had been mostly a choreographer and a cast fairly unknown. No expectations.

At the end of the opening song, I leaned over to my companion and muttered the immortal, "My God. This is good."

Once on This Island

[lc1965]

Posted: 10/29/03 at 10:45am

Nine: thought I'd hate it & loved it. Biggest disappointment would be Retreat from Moscow; thought I'd love it, but didn't.

[robbiej]

Posted: 10/29/03 at 11:11am

MEDEA with Fiona Shaw. I was expecting a revelatory night in the theatre. I ended up with a headache.

Most surprising: I'd choose two different nights in the theatre. I was never a big fan of CABARET, but the opening night of the revival left me shattered. Number 2: After all that I heard about PARADE, I didn't expect much, but was completely enthralled and moved by that imperfect but still glorious musical.

[HotTicket]

Posted: 10/29/03 at 11:17am

My biggest surprise was Aida. I was prepared to hate it but I was just so entertained.
I was expecting to be thrilled by the revival of Oklahoma, but found it tedious.
Sweet Smell of Success is another disappointment.

[sheekala]

Posted: 10/29/03 at 11:22am

At current time I am suprised that there is no clean cut SMASH this season, and by that I mean a hit of HAIRSPRAY's level . Most of the audience faves are all on TKTS any night of the week, BFO is getting a good audience buzz, but it's all for Hugh. LSOH while a favorite of the youngin's is doing very flat business overall and both that and Taboo are not big group sales sellers, the biggest hit believe it or not within the community is shaping up to be Never Gonna Dance, they had an outstanding reaction at their group sales preview, people were committing big numbers...this season should be a big suprise when it finishes. And my happiest suprise/disapointment was seeing CARRIE as I loved the "good" stuff and HATED the bad.

[robbiej]

Posted: 10/29/03 at 11:32am

Speaking of TKTS, anyone wanna guess the availability of TABOO for tomorrow night? My interest is piqued!

[TheaterBaby]

Posted: 10/29/03 at 11:33am

I would say Rent, but I had a feeling before I saw it that I wasn't going to like it. Not that I went in hating it and refusing to find some good in it, but I just really didn't like it.
Urinetown was the surprise treat for me. When I got inside and saw how it was set up I was so afraid it was going to be Rent all over again. But I really enjoyed Urinetown, and I would definitely see it again.
Oklahoma was somewhat of a dissapointment. I didn't hate it, but I was a little mad that Andrea Martin was out that night, and I wasn't expecting it to be that long. It's a great story, it has nice music, and all of the actors were really good, but it was way too long.

[robyn525600]

Posted: 10/29/03 at 11:49am

Had high expectations and was disappointed:

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS
THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE

Had low expectations and was pleasantly surprised:
BAT BOY

[Peter]

Posted: 10/29/03 at 1:59pm

Disappointments...

Sweet Smell of Success....very talented team..poor show.
Thoroughly Modern Millie..charming in La Jolla..overblown and cartoonish on Broadway

Surprises

Side Show..so good I saw it three times in the week I was in NYC.
Camille Claudel this past summer. Linda Eder was fantastic as was the entire cast, Gabriel Barre's direction breathtaking at times, a solid book by Nan Knighton and some innovative choreography by Mark Dendy. And the biggest surprise may be Wildhorn's score..elegant, understated and hauntingly beautiful.

[ChristineDaae]

Posted: 10/29/03 at 4:26pm

I would have to say a dissapointment was Rent.

[DefyingGravity]

Posted: 10/29/03 at 4:30pm

My Dissapointment:
CHICAGO! i felt so dumb paying $100 for that show, my old high school did shows better than that!

[ShineOn]

Posted: 10/29/03 at 4:51pm

Peter, yay! Side Show lovin' is always welcome here!!!

(Should I be making a special Side Show Shill thread...? Oh, wait... six years and a siamese twin too late!)

[TxTwoStep]

Posted: 10/29/03 at 5:00pm

PETER was Eder's acting really good? or was the score just sung-through so her vocals carried the character? of all the positive things i've read about CAUDEL, yours is the only one that hasn't mentioned her acting being weak. Not being argumentative, just curious.

[Hank]

Posted: 10/29/03 at 5:02pm

My dissapointments: Chicago (I liked the movie much better) and The Who's Tommy.

Biggest surprize: by far, Thoroughly Modern Millie.
"I wasn't looking, look what I found!"

I sometimes like to go to T or TM online to check ticket avaiability for shows I already have tickets for. Never Gonna Dance seems to be doing very well. I'll be seeing NGD and Wicked next week and I have high expectations for both. I'll also be seeing Boy From Oz and maybe I'll be surprized by that one. Updated On: 10/29/03 at 05:02 PM

[InspectorJavert]

Posted: 10/29/03 at 5:02pm

i thought urban cowboy might have been a little worse than my expectations. as far as suprises go, man of la mancha was surprisingly good

[CJR]

Posted: 10/29/03 at 5:03pm

DefyingGravity, who'd you see in Chicago?

My biggest surprise was definitely Monica The Musical. Typically I've been pretty accurate with the other shows I've seen.

[bestofbroadway]

Posted: 10/29/03 at 5:05pm

Disappointment-
HAIRSPRAY. Spent hundreds of dollars for tickets during the opening week of the show. Not only was I disappointed, I came extremely close to throwing something at Marissa Jaret Winokur. What a horrible excuse for entertainment.

Updated On: 10/29/03 at 05:05 PM

[DefyingGravity]

Posted: 10/29/03 at 5:08pm

ready for a good laugh??? MELANIE GRIFFITH......she was a bitch afterwards and sucked...she needs to stick to cleaning house and taking care of her kids...Deirdre Goodwin made up for everything but i was just really dissapointed and the sets werent great, and either was the choreography...I love the movie tho!

[Unknown User]

Posted: 10/29/03 at 5:23pm

Lion King, although it was a great show it didn't live up to it's hype.

I saw AIDA and was blown away becuase it really didn't have hype. I think that's why I loved it so much.

I'm seeing Producers tonight, the biggest hyped show ever. here's to hoping.

[RobbO]

Posted: 10/29/03 at 5:23pm

disappointments:
nine - couldn't understand antonio at all and other than chita's big number, it did nothing for me.

hairspray - other than the final number and the appeal of harvey fierstein (that's a sentence i never thought i would utter), i thought it was irritating.

ragtime - just boring

phantom of the opera - also boring and the sound must have been off the night i saw it because i couldn't understand anything the performers were singing

surprises:
urban cowboy - i'm not a country music fan and i know the show had faults, but matt cavenaugh was just so damn sexy and the music and dance numbers were fun

take me out - went for the nudity stayed for the drama

the lion king - just loved the "endless nights" number the first time i heard it which made me love the show (in addition to the dramatic staging and awesome performances)

Updated On: 10/29/03 at 05:23 PM

[BrdwyThtr]

Posted: 10/29/03 at 5:37pm

For me, Hairspray. I went to the third preview having no knowledge of the show or movie, and left with it being in the top three of my favorite shows.

[StateOfJade]

Posted: 10/29/03 at 5:50pm

DEFINITLEY Gypsy. Also, I despised The Lion King. It just didn't do it for me.

[CJR]

Posted: 10/29/03 at 5:55pm

Awwwe DefyingGravity, you poor thing, Melanie Griffith was your first Roxie? I'm sorry to hear that! You should try seeing it again when there's a better cast!