Great Numbers in Mediocre/ Bad Shows- Page 2

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 12/3/18 at 11:12am

ijest22 said: "I Want More from Lestat"

Don't we all!

[Crazy NooNooHead]

Posted: 12/3/18 at 11:58am

"Nowhere Left To Run" from Amazing Grace is the first one that came to my mind. I wasn't a fan of the show, and I honestly don't even remember the song that well (I had to look the show up on IBDB because I'd even forgotten the title), but I remember loving Chuck Cooper's performance.

Updated On: 12/3/18 at 11:58 AM

[Jarethan]

Posted: 12/3/18 at 12:05pm

-- I actually think there are two great numbers for Henry! Sweet Henry!: Poor Little Person and Nobody Steps on Kafritz.  Choreography by the young Michael Bennett.

-- Sherry and Putty in Your Arms from Sherry, musical version of The Man Who Came to Dinner.  The interesting thing to me was that both songs sounded so similar and both were Dolores Grey's only numbers...but both were delightful.

-- 24 hours a Day from Golden Rainbow.  A lousy show, but a guilty pleasure.  This number opened the show, was a glitzy / tacky intro to the setting...Las Vegas

-- Agree re Step to the Rear from How Now Dow Jones.

-- You, I Like...from The Grand Tour

-- Time Heals Everything from Mack and Mable

-- Memories from the atrociously bad Cats.  One hour of total boredom, 4 minutes of goosebumps, intermission, one more hour of total boredom, 4 more minutes of goosebumps, exit.

-- Struggling to think of more recent times...per other suggestions, I loved Bandstand, liked Great Comet a lot, loved Neverland (though I knew it was flawed), didn't see a number of the other shows mentioned.   Sure there are some...I just can't think of any.  

-- I personally disliked Billy Elliott (thought the score was terrible).  I loved the Swan Lake number and Solidarity.  

-- I saw The Lion King 3 times over 20 years, and I continue to believe that it is a thoroughly mediocre show with a great opening number, great masks, periodic directorial brilliance, eg., the stampede, the walk across the bush, and some others.  So, I will add The Circle of Life.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 12/3/18 at 4:45pm

My Strongest Suit and I Know the Truth from Aida.
This River Between Us (cut from Big Fish)

[CukorLover]

Posted: 12/3/18 at 4:52pm

"Beat Me Daddy Eight to the Bar" from Fosse's 1986 production of "Big Deal."

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 12/3/18 at 4:54pm

“I Love Betsy” from Homeymoon in Vegas.

Amazing opening number, terrible show. I saw the first preview where they stopped for technical difficulties, so got to enjoy the song twice. Wish the rest of the show was even 1/100 as good as that number. It fooled me into thinking it would be a wonderful musical. Not so much.

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 12/3/18 at 5:03pm

I saw Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark on my first non-work-related trip to New York. In fact, it was my first show of that trip.

It is certainly not a great show (although I did enjoy it). The parts of the show I enjoyed the most coincided with my favorite songs which tended to be the ballads that focused on the love story or Peter’s personal struggles rather than the superhero villain fighting which I thought was handed inartfully. Therefore, my favorite songs from the show are:

Rise Above 1, Rise Above 2, I Just Can’t Walk Away (Say It Now), and If The World Should End.

In fact, my dad was hospitalized toward the end of that trip and died two months after I returned home. After, I would listen to Rise Above 1 & 2 and tear up as it seemed to pertain to our relationship. Still gets me misty-eyed.

[Cora Hoover Hooper]

Posted: 12/3/18 at 5:39pm

I Don't Want to Know and Kiss Her Now from Dear World.

[KnewItWhenIWasInFron]

Posted: 12/3/18 at 5:40pm

"A Musical," from "Something Rotten"

 

(I'd add "Circle of Life," which I love love love, from "The Lion King," which I don't think is great, other than visually)

Updated On: 12/3/18 at 05:40 PM

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 12/3/18 at 5:46pm

“Memory” from Cats.

[Mike66]

Posted: 12/3/18 at 5:55pm

ANTHEM from Chess

[BobBenson]

Posted: 12/3/18 at 6:01pm

"Biggest Blame Fool" from SEUSSICAL

[WestEndGal]

Posted: 12/3/18 at 6:56pm

Mister Matt said: "My Strongest Suit and I Know the Truth from Aida.
This River Between Us (cut from Big Fish)"

Yessss to My Strongest Suit and I Know The Truth! I Know The Truth is such an underrated gem, I love that song <3 

 

 

[Skip23]

Posted: 12/3/18 at 7:07pm

"Walk Him Up The Stairs" and "I Got Love" from PURLIE

"Night Letter" from TWO GENTLEMEN FROM VERONA

"Somebody" and "I'm Glad To See You Got What You Want" from CELEBRATION

"Love Changes Everything" from ASPECTS OF LOVE

 

 

 

[raddersons]

Posted: 12/3/18 at 7:10pm

That song that the guy sang in the diner in Gettin' The Band Back Together while playing the keyboard. More of a great comedy sketch than a great number, but we can all agree it was a terrible terrible show so I was desperate for any moment of enjoyment.

[nmartin]

Posted: 12/3/18 at 7:14pm

Sherry and Putty in Your Arms from Sherry, musical version of The Man Who Came to Dinner.  The interesting thing to me was that both songs sounded so similar and both were Dolores Grey's only numbers...but both were delightful.

Speaking of Dolores Grey, "Here's That Rainy Day" from Carnival in Flanders and another one of my favorites Julie Wilson singing "The Music Went Out of My Life" in Legs Diamond.

One last entry, "Twenty Happy Years" from Bring Back Birdie.

[usher2]

Posted: 12/3/18 at 7:57pm

Going way back to Kander and Ebb's The Happy Time:  the title song , I Don't Remember You, Among My Yesterdays.   It was among the very first show I saw as a kid and the music stuck.

[sabrelady]

Posted: 12/3/18 at 8:06pm

I have always thought Avenue Q  amediocre Bway show ( excellent for a  college level show)

But have always thought "It's a  Fine Fine Line"  a bit of gold  amongst a a lot of dross.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 12/3/18 at 8:10pm

"Children of the Wind" and "Rags" from Rags.

"My Body" from The Life.

"This Place Is Mine" from the Yeston/Kopit Phantom.

"Build a Wall" from Shrek.

 

[GeorgeandDot]

Posted: 12/3/18 at 8:13pm

The entire score of Chess.
The entire score of Mack and Mabel.

[quizking101]

Posted: 12/3/18 at 8:14pm

“Model Behavior” from WOMEN ON THE VERGE...

“If I Met Myself Again” from EVERYBODY’S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE

“Joy Of The Lord” from HANDS ON A HARDBODY (because that’s how Keala Settle became a star!)

[Jarethan]

Posted: 12/3/18 at 8:58pm

Skip23 said: ""Walk Him Up The Stairs" and "I Got Love" from PURLIE

"Night Letter" from TWO GENTLEMEN FROM VERONA

"Somebody" and "I'm Glad To See You Got What You Want" from CELEBRATION

"Love Changes Everything" from ASPECTS OF LOVE


I thought that Purlie was a terrific show.  A lot more highly enjoyable numbers.  IMO it should have won best musical over Applause, which isn't saying much, I guess.  

To Cora Hoover Hooper, I would also add Each Tomorrow Morning from Dear World.  When I saw that number in Boston, I had thought it was one of the most evocative songs / staging i'd experlenced in a musical.  Of course I was only about 19 and had only seen maybe 15 - 20 musicals; but I made up for that with movie musicals.

-- There was also the title number from A Time For Singing, a mega-flop produced by Alexander Cohen and in previews the same time as Mame.  Tessie O'Shea stopped the show the likes of which you don't see that frequently.  Really good number, great performance.  I was16 1/2 and bored for most of the show...with the major exception of this number

-- Since I thought that Waitress was a pretty mediocre show (although i did enjoy it), I would add 'She Used to be Mine'.

-- The Grass is Always Greener from Woman of the Year, a truly awful musical, despite a more than decent run.

-- Mr. Clown from Maggie Flynn, a flop musical that I must admit to having enjoyed.  Jack Cassidy stopped the show with an over-the-top star turn.

-- The entire opening scene from Titanic.  Even though I love most of the cast recording, I was disappointed (bored) with the show itself -- I think it needed to focus on two lead characters, which is what James Cameron did.  But the choral arrangements for that opening sequence brought goosebumps.

-- Someone mentioned The Happy Time.  I actually loved the show, particularly in a scaled-down production by the terrific Signature Theatre in Shirlington, VA.  (The problem with the show was Gower Champion's directorial vision.  It was huge, bloated production housed in the Broadway that should have been staged in a much more scaled down approach, and played at a theatre like the Music Box or Broadhurst  The number that the critics all singled out, and the audience loved, was The Life of the Party, a number intended IMO to give David Wayne a show-stopping number.

-- Re ANTHEM from CHESS, I realize that, after seeing at least 4 different productions and loving many individual portions, the show is just not up to the score; the show actually had a number of great numbers, in a case of 'the parts are better than the whole.'  In addition Anthem, there were Mountain Duet, Knew Him So Well, and especially the entire, thrilling combination of Endgame / Epilogue (incl. You and I).  (Note: I am a lover of Follies; however, I know a number of people who just don't like the sho, although they always seem to love the big production numbers Who'sThat Woman, Beautiful Girls, Lucy and Jessie, as well as I'm Still Here, Broadway Baby, (Waiting Around for The Girls Downstairs).

 

 

 

 

[HugoP]

Posted: 12/3/18 at 10:13pm

forgot about HOW NOW DOW JONES and its delightful songs, esp "Gawk Tousle and Shucks".... and DEAR WORLD's really lovely numbers mentioned in other posts

and "I Don't Remember You" from THE HAPPY TIME is great-- I just have never seen it so have no idea if it's a mediocre show!

I would have included the TITANIC opening number, esp since I remember disliking the original Broadway production so much, but Serenbe Playhouse's astounding production this summer made me re-think the quality of the whole show (I saw it 4 times and was overwhelmed by its spectacle and power, largely driven by its incredible score).

[JustAnotherNewYorker]

Posted: 12/3/18 at 10:23pm

It seems to me that almost every weak show I've seen has at least one good number...

 

 

Except King Kong.

[MadonnaMusical]

Posted: 12/4/18 at 12:28am

Agree with most of these and would like to add:

“Putting on the ritz” from Young Frankenstein

“Fly fly away” from Catch me if you can

“Model Behavior” from Women on the verge

“Every Night at Seven” from On a Clear...

“Live with somebody you love” from Martin Guerre

“Say Yes” from 69 girls 69