Did anyone see TABOO?

Was this show given a fair shake?  Was it any good?

Would it have been more successful today, considering pop artist bio-musicals have become (too) commonplace?

Watching Show Business: The Road to Broadway was interesting.  All those reactionary critics in a circle trying to out-do each other with outrage that a pop artist would dare bring their own bio-musical to Broadway.  "He thinks it's his Funny Girl!" brays one particularly sour puss.

I love the OBCR.  Opinions?

I saw it 2 days after Opening Night and the theatre was packed (even the mezzanine).

Having been one to have followed that whole early 80s London music scene, I was fully aware of Leigh Bowery, Boy George/Culture Club, Club Taboo, Marilyn, etc so I was beyond excited to see this musical.  And I LOVED it. All the millions the show cost were there on that stage and the recreations of Bowery’s fashion designs were mind-blowing.

Now, did this musical belong on Broadway?  Absolutely not. The setting of the musical was way too niche and I feel it would have fared better critically had it been staged Off-Broadway and in an intimate venue, just like the original London incarnation. I was the target audience for the musical whereas the average Broadway musical person would not be. The score was beautiful, but a musical needs more than a great score to work. A proper venue would have sparked any magic the show lacked. 

I saw it on Broadway and liked it very much. I agree that the book could have been stronger. The music was very moving and it was very OUT in a way that wasn't usual for Broadway at that time. I thought the production design and costumes were a bit dull, and didn't get close to the clever artistry and urbanity of Leigh Bowery. The staging needed a bit more edge and verve but that was also what was nice about the production, for all its affectation of jadedness there was something homey and gentle about it. 

Updated On: 6/2/23 at 11:02 AM

I saw it back in 2002 in London and I enjoyed it! The theater in London is rather small (400 people capacity) and made it more of an intimate experience.

I know they changed the book a lot before going to Broadway. 

I do think this show fares better off-broadway or if it can get a big star like Neil Patrick Harris to play lead role, it could do well on Broadway. 

I saw it 3 times on Broadway. It was brilliant.

I saw the London and UK tour productions several times and loved them. The plot was fairly cliche / predictable, though with the background that much of what occurred was real, even if some of the characters were fictitious. The book felt that it was mostly a vehicle for the brilliant songs - I suspect that if I had seen the 20th anniversary concert in London last year, I would not have missed the full dialogue and staging too much. I have no idea of the Broadway changes improved this at all, but I assume that that version will never be seen again. 
 

I’m still annoyed that the London cast recording really didn’t sound anything like the show did in the theatre as I found the Broadway orchestrations mostly overblown (though really enjoyed the additions to the score).