Broadway Flops you love that everybody else hates- Page 4

[Lot666]

Posted: 4/2/25 at 7:35am

shomeika said: "Spiderman-Turn Off The Dark: After all that went on during this production, I just had to see the show for myself.

We thought it was a lot of fun, like a rock concert /train wreck, you just couldn't look away."

There are songs from the Spider-Man cast recording that I still listen to in my music library, and there are even a few (e.g., "Behold and Wonder", "Think Again") that were left off of the CD, and that I wish I could find.

 

[TBFL]

Posted: 4/4/25 at 12:47am

Tammy Faye. I loved it in London, and it slightly lost it's way across the pond. It all became too big, too Broadway. I still enjoyed it alot though and glad i got to see it again. I don't really get the complaints about the tone being all over the place.Brits have a diffrent sense of humour too, which i think the book catered to. I strongly believ that the failure came from the producers not having any kind of marketing plans. Why were they not selling the story, raising the shows profile, getting people in cheap at previews, offers/deals to see the show, why was Katie not out there singing some of her big numbers from the show etc. They had zero advance.. If they had, then the show wouldn't have closed that quickly. Not evryone hated it,far from it, but those negative voices and opinions were shouted very loudly, even bfore the first preview ended. I might have a cheeky audio or 2 from both productions and think the score is great. Familiarity and all tht though...

Taboo - It was definitly ahead of it's time. I prefer some of the changes made for the Broadway production and believe that it is one of the best original scores in years. Out of Fashion sung as a quintet for 5 gay charactrers? Fabulous.

[theatreguy12]

Posted: 4/4/25 at 11:00am

Add me to the list of those who loved American Psycho, despite its having a limited shelf life on Broadway. It had an air of conceit, an attitude that almost said, ‘I dare you not to like me.’ Unfortunately the critics fell for it, and didn’t like it. This while I remember a strong percentage of people on this board at the time really liking it. I also liked the eerie sounds/music playing as you entered the theater to set the mood.
I also agree on Bright Star. Carmen was brilliant. I saw it again in LA from like the second row, watching her expressions throughout, and I was even more mesmerized. I also loved the folksy bluegrass score. 
Carrie was another one I oddly liked. Though didn’t see it until a revival that I saw at La Mirada. I found it fascinating. And the whole thing, including audience seating, was on the stage. Behind the curtain as I recall. Until the prom, when the curtains were opened to expand the effect of the scene. They even had the hallways leading back to the stage and audience seating decorated in eerie, bloodied designs to set the mood.

[DrMonicaDeMoneco]

Posted: 4/4/25 at 2:51pm

I really liked American Psycho!!

The revival of JCC wasn’t so bad

and I even kinda liked .. or at least laughed out loud when attending Once Upon a one More Time 

 

[JSquared2]

Posted: 4/4/25 at 2:57pm

DrMonicaDeMoneco said: "I really liked American Psycho!!

The revival of JCC wasn’t so bad

and I even kinda liked .. or at least laughed out loud when attending Once Upon a one More Time


What's JCC??

[Kad]

Posted: 4/4/25 at 3:59pm

Kind of surprised it hasn't been mentioned yet, but honestly... I had a whole lot of fun at Diana and will listen to a number of tracks from the album. It was so wildly misconceived, so lacking in understanding of its subjects, so truly campy in the purest sense, it was almost like watching a full-length, real-world version of one of musical parodies on The Simpsons like "Oh, Streetcar!" 

I can't argue that it's good, or didn't get a fair shake, but I've had much worse times seeing actually acclaimed shows.

Updated On: 4/4/25 at 03:59 PM

[Jarethan]

Posted: 4/4/25 at 5:00pm

I don't know if everybody else hated it, but I totally loved Bandstand.  That, Great Comet and CITS Oklahoma are probably the cast recordings that I STILL play the most.  Corey Cott really deserves to be in a hit one of these days.  He was excellent and those were real tears in Act 2...I saw it from the third or fourth row.

I don't think anyone hated Scottsboro Boys, but -- if there were actually people who hated it -- I would agree with that.  It is a great show.

More recently, I loved The Notebook.  I can't say that I remember the score, but I thought it was very well done, well acted, well directed (yes!!!), and I was really engaged in a way that I am not with a lot of shows.

A number of shows from decades ago, but I am sticking to the last decade or so.

[DrMonicaDeMoneco]

Posted: 4/4/25 at 5:40pm

JSquared2 said: "DrMonicaDeMoneco said: "I really liked American Psycho!!

The revival of JCC wasn’t so bad

and I even kinda liked .. or at least laughed out loud when attending Once Upon a one More Time


What's JCC??"

Whoops! That was meant to say JCS! 

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 4/4/25 at 5:48pm

Ah. In that case, which JCS revival? All three (1977, 2000, 2012) have run far shorter than the original run.

[uncageg]

Posted: 4/4/25 at 6:25pm

Forgot to add "PLATINUM" to my list.

Saw it twice in Philly before it went to Broadway. Chita's daughter was in it. My second time seeing it was "opening night". I was in the lobby at intermission having a coke and the next thing I knew there was a swirl of red fabric around me and I was on the floor. I looked up and there was Chita leaning over me apologizing and leaning down to help me up! (She got me another coke!)  Years later I was at the Stage Door for "...Edwin Drood") Hardly anyone there but I decided to wait to possibly meet her and get a pic.  (I did and also met Stephanie J Block and her dog!) We actually had about a 10 minute chat and I brought up that night at the Shubert in Philly. As I was telling her the story, she finished it, she remembered, and apologies again. Needless to say, I cherish the nice pic we took together!

[DrMonicaDeMoneco]

Posted: 4/4/25 at 8:48pm

g.d.e.l.g.i. said: "Ah. In that case, which JCS revival? All three (1977, 2000, 2012) have run far shorter than the original run."

2012

it gave us Paul Nolan and chilina Kennedy!

[Eddie Hirsch]

Posted: 4/5/25 at 2:28am

More recent shows would include:   American Psycho (dazzling production overlooked) and Bridges of Madison County (wonderful Jason Robert Brown score)

and from the 80's Craig Carnelia's memorable score from Is There Life After School?  A show that's evocative of a time in everyone's life, sadly overlooked at the time.

[dwirth]

Posted: 4/5/25 at 9:50am

I've seen everything worth seeing over the last 40+ years - including the all-time greats - several of which rightfully rank at the top of my and others' "best" lists. But, after seeing it in both London runs and twice on Broadway, I truly believe Groundhog Day is just inches short of being a masterpiece - and sits near the top of my "bests." To me, it's a near perfect show especially with the spot-on OBC leads and set/staging. Magical! I WOULD die on that hill...

[devonian.t]

Posted: 4/5/25 at 1:33pm

The thread title asks for flops everyone else hates- but there seems to be a lot of love for Groundhog Day, American Psycho and The Prom.

Likewise, I love Anyone Can Whistle, but that's hardly rare now, is it?

[KarenValentine'sheadband]

Posted: 4/5/25 at 2:16pm

Harmony, Bright Star and Heart of Rock & Roll! LOVED!

Updated On: 4/5/25 at 02:16 PM

[Glittergrrl]

Posted: 4/5/25 at 6:24pm

I loved The Prom. Wouldn’t have thought it was a flop.
Now I’m wondering about The Life. I liked it a lot. Not sure if it was considered a flop. 

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 4/5/25 at 6:32pm

I loved Lysistrata Jones. Don’t know if it’s hated or just a plain old flop, but I think if they’d called it “Give It Up” or something else pronounceable, it could have done a few more months. 

[GottaGetAGimmick420]

Posted: 4/5/25 at 6:47pm

I maintain that Once Upon A One More Time would've been great with a different Cinderella and completely different director(s)