If you could “unsee” any show, what show?- Page 2

[JSquared2]

Posted: 11/20/18 at 4:28pm

Although the worst I ever saw was THE BLONDE IN THE THUNDERBIRD, I wouldn't trade the memory of seeing it for the world!  In fact, I would go back to see it again --- just to make sure my eyes (and ears) weren't lying!

[Sauja]

Posted: 11/20/18 at 4:41pm

The WORST shows I ever saw are definitely not ones I would choose to unsee. Brooklyn, the Musical? A laugh riot of ineptitude. Spider-Man? Jeezum crow, I'm glad I saw it.

 

Shows that I wish I could unsee would be ones that were more mediocre or simply not for me--things that I found mediocre, not terrible enough to enjoy for camp reasons. I would unsee Motown which took some of the most exciting music of the past century and did nothing at all with it. I'd unsee The Visit which was a struggle to stay awake through. I second unseeing Bullets Over Broadway which took a movie I loved and rendered it bland and boring. This season, I'd unsee American Son, a show with its heart 100% in the right place but whose ending (and attendant message) it is possible to guess within the first 60 seconds. 

 

In the end, bring me a bold failure over a mediocrity any day. Bring back In My Life!

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 11/20/18 at 4:45pm

I don’t regret seeing any shows, even shows I didn’t enjoy that much. I didn’t enjoy the current revival of My Fair Lady that much, but I am glad I finally got to see Norbert Leo Butz (who was the highlight). I also was underwhelmed by OOTI, but I have sat through worse on tours.

As far as my least favorites shows on tour, they were all performed well. They just didn’t live up to expectations. Still, I don’t regret seeing Cats and Phantom because I saw them both with my parents and now that my dad is dead and my mom has dementia, I value those memories. I also didn’t enjoy The Producers that much, but what you don’t enjoy makes you appreciate good theater experiences that much more.

I also saw Naked Boys Singing at the end of my 2013 trip. It wasn’t great, but it was a fun end to my trip and it had at least one (or should I say about 6) redeeming features(s).

In all, I’ve been lucky to not sit through any true trainwrecks.

Posted: 11/20/18 at 4:54pm

Frogs at Lincoln Center with Mario Cantone and Nathan Lane....Still can't get the taste out of my mouth.

[robskynyc]

Posted: 11/20/18 at 7:33pm

AFTERGLOW

[suicidalmickeymouse]

Posted: 11/20/18 at 7:52pm

The absolute worst performance I’ve ever seen was Aladdin this year on August 12. Maybe he was sick, but Telly Leung gave an embarrassingly bad performance. The vocals sounded honestly like an elderly Spongebob. His acting was embarassing. I honestly could have handed the script to most audience memebers and they could have done better. To make matters worse, the u/s Jasmine was on and her vocals were horrible. She was beautiful and an amazing dancer and is def talented enough to be in the ensemble but had no business being Jasmine. She just didn’t have the notes in her. So essentially, whenever Aladdin or Jasmine were on, I was cringing. I never wanted a Broadway show to end so badly. I felt entirely cheated of my 250 I spent for the pair and was really upset about it. I’ve seen over 200 broadway and equity tour performances and this was unprecendently horrendous.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 11/20/18 at 7:53pm

Straight White Men. 

[sppunk]

Posted: 11/20/18 at 8:07pm

Cherry Orchard was the worst thing I’ve ever seen on (or off) Broadway. But the Radio City Summer Spectacular in 2016 (iirc) was the worst thing I’ve seen in any theater in the world so that’s my pick.

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 11/20/18 at 8:18pm

That does remind me of seeing Elena Roger in the Evita revival. Her dancing and acting were superb, but she was so pitchy on those high notes. At the intermission, my seatmates (who I didn’t know) and I all looked at each other to confirm that we were hearing the same thing. Luckily, once Eva starts getting ill in Act 2, Roger had less occasion to be pitchy. Lol. I still don’t regret seeing it though as I loved everything about the production except for her vocals.

[carnzee]

Posted: 11/20/18 at 8:36pm

The Roundabout Cherry Orchard. Just embarrassing.

[Scarlet Leigh]

Posted: 11/20/18 at 8:40pm

Saturday Night Fever..... WHY did I spend money on this? It wasn't that it was bad, it was that it was so bland and mediocre that I wish I never wasted my time and money on it. There are far WORSE shows I have seen that I would not unsee because sometimes you just gotta enjoy a good dumpster fire.

[l0l]

Posted: 11/20/18 at 10:20pm

robskynyc said: "AFTERGLOW"

Oh lord yes! Such a waste of everyone's time, it's a surprise it ran for a year.

[uncageg]

Posted: 11/20/18 at 10:27pm

I have seen some not so great productions and left at intermission at 2. There are no shows I wish I could unsee. That thought has never entered my mind.

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 11/20/18 at 10:30pm

Noises Off, was the only show I ever thought of leaving early. I stayed for the whole show but really did not enjoy it very much.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 11/20/18 at 10:32pm

The Anarchist and act 1 of Breakfast at Tiffany's (one of the few shows that I didn't bother sticking around after intermission). Neither of them were offensively bad, just massively dull, which is a far greater sin in my personal opinion. There are so many other things I could have done with the time I spent trying not to fall asleep during those two.

[BalconyClub]

Posted: 11/20/18 at 10:36pm

Even in bad shows, I usually find something I like.

Tuck Everlasting had that beautiful tree.

Dr Zhivago ingeniously used a loud snow blower soon after the show ended to clean up the Act 2 snowfall.

And Bullets Over Broadway had the dancing hot dogs.

[poisonivy2]

Posted: 11/20/18 at 10:51pm

Farinelli and the King was maybe the worst Broadway play I've ever seen. 

[WhiJo Bloom]

Posted: 11/21/18 at 1:35am

Anything Goes - that national tour was rough here in Florida

Bandstand - even though I saw the screening at the movies and not live, I truly debated leaving early and regretted being charged $25 for it instead of a regular movie ticket price haha

Cats - idk if I necessarily wish I could unsee it, but I was 11 when I first saw it and vividly remember looking at my parents during intermission and my mother going ".....well the costumes are nice". It was so boring, at that age at least haha

[Sondheimite]

Posted: 11/21/18 at 2:04am

Can I say Ruben & Clays First Annual Christmas Carol Family Fun Pageant Spectacular Reunion Show in advance?  

[HugoP]

Posted: 11/21/18 at 2:31am

I was going to skip this one, but I really enjoyed reading the responses (many of which surprised me).    Honestly, I have walked out a few times (I left at the intermission of LOVE MUSIK, because I was just bored, despite having a great admiration for the music and those fantastic lead performers) but I don't regret having at least seen some of almost anything.   

That said, I was really, really unhappy about having wasted money and time at ROCK OF AGES.     I saw it well into its Broadway run.  At that point it had become ridiculously cartoonish and broad and the probably-talented people on stage were just over-doing everything.    It was amateurish and slapdash, and I couldn't even tell if anyone in the room was genuinely having a good time.  Really, I was just depressed about the state of Broadway's longer-run 'tourist' shows.

I live in a Southern city that used to apologize for its local productions ("we know it's not Broadway"-- but now proudly realizes its productions are as good as many things being produced in NY.    Productions like ROCK OF AGES helped make that point.     And a visit to a late-in-its-run MAMMA MIA didn't hurt.

[broadwayindie]

Posted: 11/21/18 at 3:54am

In Transit... I just started to feel bad for the incredibly talented cast

[kdogg36]

Posted: 11/21/18 at 8:41am

Scandalous is my choice. Not one second of it, not one performance in it, was worthwhile or interesting (there were talented people in it, of course, but you wouldn't know it from seeing this show). To make matters worse, I saw it the Sunday after Thanksgiving and it took eight or nine hours to get home from NYC (it usually takes about 3.5 hours). I can definitely say I wish I hadn't seen it. 

[BwayLB]

Posted: 11/21/18 at 8:56am

I would say Xanadu and Cabaret

[AADA81]

Posted: 11/21/18 at 9:31am

Two that stand out:

I saw the touring company of 'All Shook Up' in Boston and got an orchestra seat for $8 because business was so bad.  I still wanted my money back.

I saw the first touring company of 'Spamalot' in Boston and considered leaving at intermission.  I didn't ... but the second act was no better than the first.

[amaklo]

Posted: 11/21/18 at 11:51am

How could so many talented people make such a mess ---  Big Fish

Just plain hated the show -- Motown

Edited to add one I forgot:  Doyle's Pacific Overtures at CSC.  I love the score and had never seen the show so was really looking forward to it.  What Doyle did to it should be a crime. 

Updated On: 11/21/18 at 11:51 AM