Controversial musicals — Page 2

I think you may have missed the point of The Scottsboro Boys. Black men are incarcerated at a much higher rate than any other group, and they are more likely to get harsher sentences for their crimes or be wrongfully convicted. That particular story is an ugly spot in our history and it's not told very often. By saying it should essentially be told through a racist white person's eyes to add controversy is frankly ridiculous, especially since the show is already presented as a minstrel show.

It is one of the few show talked about here that DID create controversy! Yes, it was misplaced, and yes, it hurt the show...but there was controversy.

(And I still think it's a shame as I adored the show. It's so odd how drawn I am to historically based shows, even though I have little interest in history as an academic subject.)

I don't remember any during the bway or off bway run. And I think it silly to object as native Americans were treated horribly during Jackson's time. You can't pretend they weren't.

In regards to Avenue Q, there was a bit of controversy when this happened:

"A touring production sparked a controversy in Colorado Springs where a poster depicting the cleavage of muppet character Lucy T. Slut was banned from bus shelters."

Also, I wanted it to be more controversial subject matters and I understand that I may have kind of mislead you and they may not be controversial subject matters to you but are to some. It's all done to opinion :)

It seems like you're choosing Avenue Q, Billy Elliot & Book of Mormon because of the foul language & in the case of the latter two, some crude humor. I don't know if that spells "controversial" to me other than perhaps "unorthodox" from typical Broadway fare.

I think Scottsboro Boys is a better example, although yes, it seems like the real controversy stemmed from the protests by the people who totally misunderstood the show. But it was a bold show. And I loved it. Too bad the bad press kind of killed it.

I never saw the original production (only the stripped down staging at the Delocorte) but The Capeman comes to mind when thinking of controversy. I remember reading about family members of the Capeman's murder victims protesting outside the theater on opening night. They thought the show was glorifying the killer. Seems pretty controversial to me.

Rent is arguably controversial. I don't really find A Chorus Line controversial though. Groundbreaking, perhaps, but not really controversial.

I'm too young to dip back into the 60s/70s/80s but it seems like there were probably lots of radical, lesser known shows that would have proved controversial.

Interesting topic though. Have fun with it.