Biggest upsets?

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Biggest upsets?

Posted: 3/18/18 at 8:58pm

It seemed almost everyone on this board had big hopes and dreams of the current Carousel revival to be revealed it had not gone the way we all envisioned, and not in a good way. Are there any other upsets that you can think of? Where the cast and crew were the best of broadway, but the production ended up falling flat?

My father (AIDS) My sister (AIDS) My uncle and my cousin and her best friend (AIDS, AIDS, AIDS) The gays and the straights And the white and the spades

Biggest upsets?

Posted: 3/18/18 at 9:00pm

The reaction to Women on the Verge comes to mind. I mean, the reputation of the show seemed to recover a little bit after substantial changes were made and the recording released. But that was a show everyone seemed to be SO excited for. A highly prestigious creative team, cast, subject matter - but people here responded to early previews like a lead balloon.

Give me claws and a hunch, just away from this bunch.

Biggest upsets?

Posted: 3/18/18 at 9:01pm

For me at least, Shuffle Along. I found it to be a horrendous evening at the theatre, despite the world-class names on the marquee.

Biggest upsets?

Posted: 3/18/18 at 9:13pm

Agreed on Shuffle Along. The performances were wonderful, but the overall production fell flat for me.

Biggest upsets?

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

I was convinced An American in Paris was going to be amazing, but instead it's probably one of my least favorite musicals in the past few years.

Biggest upsets?

Posted: 3/18/18 at 9:55pm

If I recall, everyone was amped for Charlotte d'Amboise as Cassie in A Chorus Line and what a perfect casting decision. Turned out, not so much.

Biggest upsets?

Posted: 3/18/18 at 10:05pm

PThespian said: "Let's not forget Chita Rivera and Roger Rees in The Visit. What a disappointment that was."

Well financially yes, and there were some very questionable vocals from the leads there (ESPECIALLY from Rees). But were you really disappointed with the show as a whole? A tense and sometimes heartbreaking story with a great score ("I Walk Away", "You, You, You", "Yellow Shoes", "Winter", "I Would Never Leave You", "The Only One", "Love and Love Alone" "In the Forest Again". A breathtaking set, lighting - and some interesting staging with the Coffin from Doyle. I find the show to be incredibly underrated! Anton's vocals sound even better in the Lincoln Archive recording because Rees was sadly out of the show by that stage due to ailing health I believe.

Give me claws and a hunch, just away from this bunch.

Biggest upsets?

Posted: 3/18/18 at 10:21pm

Wasn't a disappointment for me, either.

If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it? These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.

Biggest upsets?

Posted: 3/18/18 at 10:24pm

The Visit was kind of like War Paint to me. The show itself was meh, fine, nothing horribly offensive or bad. But I'll always cherish having gone just to have seen the legend(s) on that stage.

Shuffle Along, while filled with stage icons, was irredeemably bad.

#10

Biggest upsets?

Posted: 3/18/18 at 10:39pm

If/Then. Oy.

#11

Biggest upsets?

Posted: 3/18/18 at 11:08pm

i thought shuffle along was a little dull in spots (and i’m ashamed to admit i dozed off at one point late in the evening) but thought there was some truly thrilling moments the height of which for me was Adrienne Warren singing I’m Craving for That Kind of Love, which was absolutely stunning and the fact that there was no cast recording is sad simply because i can’t just listen to her sing that song whenever i feel like it.

"Contentment, it seems, simply happens. It appears accompanied by no bravos and no tears."

#12

Biggest upsets?

Posted: 3/19/18 at 12:43am

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory last year. Everyone on the board was so excited to see what the set design was like, and once performances began it was very underwhelming.

#13

Biggest upsets?

Posted: 3/19/18 at 10:46am

Catch Me If You Can. I enjoyed the show and still listen to the album all the time. But I remember having really high expectations for how the show was going to be executed and it all going over very bland during the show.

The clips that were online from the Seattle run were so exciting and really hyped the arrival on Broadway, but the show that opened was not as exciting. It was also overshadowed by Book of Mormon that season and was unfortunately compared to the phenomenon.

#14

Biggest upsets?

Posted: 3/19/18 at 11:08am

A real upset for me is when Butz was handed the Tony.
He was up against four other contenders who were probably all just as worthy - if not more so - as he.
But I think the way the show was constructed had a lot to do with it.
His character seemed to ultimately carry the lion's share of the show's heft.
It is, after all, supposed to be about the boy - and HIS story.

#15

Biggest upsets?

Posted: 3/19/18 at 11:37am

TFMH18 said: "If/Then. Oy."

I had the opposition reaction actually. I was dragged to see this show by a friend and I was not in the mood to see what sounded like Sliding Doors the Musical. Plus, I heard nothing but bad things about it on this forum. Then when I saw it I ended up loving the book and some of the songs. I wasn't sure that final ballad had the impact that they were intending for it to have and that opening number choreography seemed like an afterthought and musical theatre cliche, but it's one of my better theatre experiences given the expectations I had going in.

#16

Biggest upsets?

Posted: 3/19/18 at 11:39am

Yea I was thinking recently about how Book of Mormon really put Andrew Rannels and Josh Gad on the map and maybe if they had the clout that they have now when they were nominated if either of them would have won, but I think they still would have cancelled each other out and split the vote with their equally great performances. Which is what I think happened that year to let Norbert Leo Butz win anyway. I was honestly on team Norbert that year though; he did put a lot of work into that show, and like you said, carried a lot of the show. Even though that's technically not what the award is for.

I agree with you though about how imbalanced the show was constructed. I remember Marc Shaiman's and Scott Whittman's interview on theater talk about how they were inspired to make the musical, and oddly enough, it was a lot like the inspiration their fake writing team had to come up with a Marilyn Monroe musical on Smash. They said they were in a book store and were going to find a book for research to write another musical but then saw a coffee table book on the making of the Catch Me If You Can movie. The cover (or a photo inside) was a shot from the movie of Leonardo DiCaprio walking through an airport with his arms linked with a row of stewardesses which reminded Shaiman and Whittman of a kickline and then they said, "Let's write that musical."

If my memory of the Smash pilot serves me well, Christian Borle had a Marilyn Monroe coffee table book in his apartment and then America's Sweetheart - Ellis said, "I always thought she'd make a great musical." 2 scenes later there is a fully choreographed baseball number.

There seems to be a pattern here; one theatrical image does not a full show make.

Also, could I add Smash to this list of Biggest Upsets?

(I would also binge a season 3 of Smash in a heartbeat).

#17

Biggest upsets?

Posted: 3/19/18 at 11:40am

If a show didn't live up to the version I had invented in my head, I would question that practice before it ruined future shows. Shows can be good or bad on their own accord without me making up what it will be like on top of all of that.

#18

Biggest upsets?

Posted: 3/19/18 at 11:54am

ScottyDoesn'tKnow2 said: "TFMH18 said: "If/Then. Oy."

I had the opposition reaction actually. I was dragged to see this show by a friend and I was not in the mood to see what sounded likeSliding Doorsthe Musical. Plus, I heard nothing but bad things about it on this forum. Then when I saw it I ended up loving the book and some of the songs. I wasn't sure that final ballad had the impact that they were intending for it to have and that opening number choreography seemed like an afterthought and musical theatre cliche, but it's one of my better theatre experiences given the expectations I had going in."

I agree with you, Scotty. I went to the show with mixed expectations based on the reviews but really excited to see Idina for the first time. It ended up being one of my three favorite shows (along with On The Town and Hedwig and the Angry Inch) of that particular NYC trip (I saw 8 shows that trip).

Updated On: 3/19/18 at 11:54 AM

#19

Biggest upsets?

Posted: 3/19/18 at 12:00pm

haterobics said: "If a show didn't live up to the version I had invented in my head, I would question that practice before it ruined future shows. Shows can be good or bad on their own accord without me making up what it will be like on top of all of that."

I agree. I almost ruined DEH for myself but listening obsessively to the OBCR and imagining every plot point and how it would fit into the music as well as when I would likely cry. Interestingly, the plot point that occurs right before So Big/So Small had be bawling my eyes out through that entire song. In retrospect, shows where I went in with no/limited knowledge of the show are often the ones that just wow me. I go in with limited expectations other than a great night (or afternoon) of theater.

Updated On: 3/19/18 at 12:00 PM

#20

Biggest upsets?

Posted: 3/19/18 at 12:00pm

For me, definitely Amelie. I was so looking forward to seeing this, but the show completely failed to capture the charm of the film.

#21

Biggest upsets?

Posted: 3/19/18 at 12:01pm

Someone mentioned War Paint - that is mine in recent years. The two leading ladies were marvelous and there were three or four numbers that were magic, but the rest of it just sat there. The authors never figured out how to create compelling drama out of this story. I saw this the same day as Dear Evan Hansen and it was amazing to me that the same person who directed the kinetic Evan also directed this flat misfire.

Going back some, I didn't care for Crazy for You. It got raves and Jodi Benson and Harry Groener were starring and Susan Stroman was supposed to be the next coming and the songs were Gershwin... and I just sat there thinking, "So what?" when I saw it.

Just remembering you've had an "and" When you're back to "or" Makes the "or" mean more than it did before

#22

Biggest upsets?

Posted: 3/19/18 at 12:19pm

One of the biggest "How could it miss?" shows has to be THE GOODBYE GIRL. Book by Neil Simon, score by Marvin Hamlisch, starring Bernadette Peters and Martin Short. A few great songs and a wonderful performance by Short --- but other than that a complete misfire.

Updated On: 3/19/18 at 12:19 PM

#23

Biggest upsets?

Posted: 3/19/18 at 12:36pm

JSquared2 said: "One of the biggest "How could it miss?" shows has to be THE GOODBYE GIRL. Book by Neil Simon, score by Marvin Hamlisch, starring Bernadette Peters and Martin Short. A few great songs and a wonderful Tony winning performance by Short --- but other than that a complete misfire."

Brent Carver won that year for Kiss of the Spider Woman. Short won his Tony for Little Me. But he was wonderful in GG, the only thing that kept it watchable, even during that awful Richard III, or whatever it was, number. Poor Bernadette--her role was so drippy her natural charm was buried under it.

Just remembering you've had an "and" When you're back to "or" Makes the "or" mean more than it did before

Updated On: 3/19/18 at 12:36 PM

#24

Biggest upsets?

Posted: 3/19/18 at 12:53pm

One of the reasons why The Goodbye Girl didn't ring true for me is that both Peters and Short seemed - even at that time - too old for the roles they were playing.

#25

Biggest upsets?

Posted: 3/19/18 at 12:53pm

One of the reasons why The Goodbye Girl didn't ring true for me is that both Peters and Short seemed - even at that time - too old for the roles they were playing.

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