Good Musicals with Bad Books

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Good Musicals with Bad Books

Posted: 3/5/16 at 12:48pm

Can you reccomend me some famous/standard works of musical theatre that are based on bad books? Just curious because I feel like some of them has really great music and lyrics, but the books sucks (Jekyll And Hyde for example).

Good Musicals with Bad Books

Posted: 3/5/16 at 1:16pm

Little Women

Motown

Good Musicals with Bad Books

Posted: 3/5/16 at 1:34pm

Beautiful

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

Good Musicals with Bad Books

Posted: 3/5/16 at 1:40pm

^I actually think Douglas McGrath's book is much better than what most people give him credit for.

Updated On: 3/5/16 at 01:40 PM

Good Musicals with Bad Books

Posted: 3/5/16 at 2:13pm

Not possible. A show lives and dies by its book.

Good Musicals with Bad Books

Posted: 3/5/16 at 2:25pm

The book for Beautiful is pretty damn bad.

"There’s nothing quite like the power and the passion of Broadway music. "

Good Musicals with Bad Books

Posted: 3/5/16 at 2:41pm

^It apparently earned some award nominations for no reason.

Good Musicals with Bad Books

Posted: 3/5/16 at 2:46pm

Most of the shows Encores did in its early years had bad books- that was part of their original mission (long since abandoned).

Good Musicals with Bad Books

Posted: 3/5/16 at 3:32pm

"There’s nothing quite like the power and the passion of Broadway music. "

Updated On: 3/5/16 at 03:32 PM

#10

Good Musicals with Bad Books

Posted: 3/5/16 at 3:48pm

I wanna play this game too, but I'm confused by the OP's question-- I think he's talking about bad literary books on which musicals are BASED, even though most of the responses are about which shows have bad libretti written by the shows' bookwriters. Two totally different animals.

Bad literary book resulting in a great musical: Isherwood's Berlin Stories that became CABARET.

Bad libretto for a great musical: Goldman's work on FOLLIES.

#11

Good Musicals with Bad Books

Posted: 3/5/16 at 4:04pm

Award nominations are not the definitive way to measure the strength of a show's book.

I think the OP did mean shows with crappy books, not shows based off of crappy books.

I agree with the sentiment that if the book is bad, the show is therefore bad.

#12

Good Musicals with Bad Books

Posted: 3/5/16 at 4:06pm

I'm going with bad book as in libretto.

I propose The Last Ship. Everything worked for me except the book. I thought the music and lyrics, directing, technical, performances were all excellent. The book let it down.

#13

Good Musicals with Bad Books

Posted: 3/5/16 at 4:25pm

Children of Eden, Godspell, most of Stephen Schwartz's shows actually.

#14

Good Musicals with Bad Books

Posted: 3/5/16 at 4:44pm

I really think that the Broadway version of Cinderella was very well reworked with all the other R&H's songs that were cut from other works and woven into it, but the book definitely has some issues. A lot of the humor is really cheesy. Also, some characters are made more interesting, (Gabrielle) and others are made...umm...(Prince Topher).

#15

Good Musicals with Bad Books

Posted: 3/5/16 at 4:47pm

In the heights

#16

Good Musicals with Bad Books

Posted: 3/5/16 at 5:29pm

MadViolist said: "Can you reccomend me some famous/standard works of musical theatre that are based on bad books? Just curious because I feel like some of them has really great music and lyrics, but the books sucks (Jekyll And Hyde for example)."

OP clearly is asking for musicals that are based on books. "based on bad books"

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

#17

Good Musicals with Bad Books

Posted: 3/5/16 at 5:54pm

I feel like The Bridges of Madison County works for either interpretation of the OP's question, actually. The novel is definitely not good, and the book of the musical has quite a few issues too, but the score carries the show above and beyond to actually be a decent show overall, IMO.

Also seconding Berlin Stories--> Cabaret.

#18

Good Musicals with Bad Books

Posted: 3/5/16 at 6:25pm

Wicked the book is not a good book. While wicked the musical doesn't have a good book. Lol

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

#19

Good Musicals with Bad Books

Posted: 3/5/16 at 6:29pm

In The Heights, Mack and Mabel, Rags and Dear World

#20

Good Musicals with Bad Books

Posted: 3/5/16 at 6:33pm

Mack and Mabel

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

#21

Good Musicals with Bad Books

Posted: 3/5/16 at 6:34pm

Fantod said: "Not possible. A show lives and dies by its book.

Exactly. You can have a good musical with a mediocre score, but not a good musical with a bad book.

#22

Good Musicals with Bad Books

Posted: 3/5/16 at 6:37pm

Yeah, I agree. Saying a musical is good except for its book is essentially saying, "it's good except for its structure and everything the characters say and do when they are not singing."

This is really just asking for good scores that are coupled with lackluster books.

"...everyone finally shut up, and the audience could enjoy the beginning of the Anatevka Pogram in peace."

#23

Good Musicals with Bad Books

Posted: 3/5/16 at 6:37pm

Call_me_jorge said: "Wicked the book is not a good book. While wicked the musical doesn't have a good book. Lol

WICKED, Maguire's book, is a near-classic. One of the great books of our time. What did you read?

*****

I can't know with 100% certainty what the OP intended, but the thread title now reads "Good Musicals WITH Bad Books" (emphasis added), not "Good Musicals FROM Bad Books".

FUNNY GIRL comes close. The book is creaky and the lyrics only make sense about half the time. Yet it became a classic because of Jule Styne's music and one bravura role for a diva performer.

I'd add that all of ALW's musicals post-Rice have mediocre to bad books and lyrics. I don't think it's an accident. His Lordship wants to make sure he is the center of attention.

Updated On: 3/5/16 at 06:37 PM

#24

Good Musicals with Bad Books

Posted: 3/5/16 at 6:54pm

What's with the lack of love for Isherwood? *baffled*

#25

Good Musicals with Bad Books

Posted: 3/5/16 at 6:57pm

^^^ Yeah, that surprised me, too.

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