MOST DISAPPOINTING SHOW(S) THAT WAS HAILED BY THE CRITICS AS GREAT- Page 5

[liotte]

Posted: 10/13/05 at 2:01pm

Producers
Spamalot
Light in the Piazza
Cats
Caroline or Change
Class Act
Smokey Joe's Cafe
Boy from Oz

I know they didn't all get great reviews, but of the more popular musicals, those were not to my liking!

[LouW95]

Posted: 10/13/05 at 2:06pm

Just an OPINION so please do not give me any more as I have read all 4 pages here and am disgusted. I wish we would not post threads such as this one or which show will close next. These threads defeat our purpose here which should be to promote all genres of shows for the many diverse audience tastes. In addition, unemployment in our community continues to grow and negative postings certainly do not help. We all cant like Sondheim or Piazza, as Mamma Mia has proven in ticket sales around the world. Let's think before we post and try to say nothing, if we cant say something positive about a production. Save the negatives for your reviews (if you cant control the need to say something unkind about a production). I repeat, THIS IS MY OPINION.
Updated On: 10/13/05 at 02:06 PM

[uncageg]

Posted: 10/13/05 at 2:38pm

Caroline or Change - A Masterpiece! My positive comment and my opinion also.

[Liz_Bennet]

Posted: 10/13/05 at 3:55pm

nydirector2- Yes, the production of Stones in His Pockets was with American actors. I have no problem with mixing genres, but this production lurched awkwardly between very silly comedy and tragedy, and it didn't feel like a natural progression. It lacked a certain soul and dramatic focus as well. I'm not sure if just having Irish actors would fix that, but this production needed something.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 10/13/05 at 4:16pm

Spamalot and Wicked both got mixed reviews. As did DRS.

I would have to say the "Wonderful Town" revival. The first time I saw it (Murphy was out) I found it to be extremely mediocre and second-rate. I thought it was a so-so production. When I saw it the second time with Brooke, I adored it. It's amazing how much one performance can elevate a show to such a level of greatness.

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 10/13/05 at 4:24pm

Titanic the Musical
I saw the first national tour in Chicago. I read all the praise and bought the cast recording, and thought it was a wonderful score, but onstage it just didn't work. I wanted more of a story, the came up with the three Kates but never fleshed them or any of the other characters out, I didn't have an emotional attatchment to any of them, so in the end all we got was a musical version of A Night to Remeber, and though a decent read and a good movie, it does not make good musical theatre.

[EponineThenardier]

Posted: 10/13/05 at 4:30pm

So liotte, what do you like?

[smartpenguin78]

Posted: 10/13/05 at 4:42pm

^I know! I know!

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 10/13/05 at 4:45pm

Piazza, Titanic, TBFO, the 2003 Gypsy revival, and CoC all recieved mild/mixed reviews.

[nydirector2]

Posted: 10/13/05 at 5:03pm

Alright...this is getting out of hand. I don't think you should be able to judge a show without it being the actual production(cast included) that was originally reviewed. Someone listed Pippin? Are you even old enough to have seen Pippin? Also, people are listing tours, etc. In general, most out of town reviewers are actually television or movie critics forced to go see a show over the weekend, so you can't even go by their remarks.

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 10/13/05 at 5:09pm

KNOCK-KNOCK: the following shows should not have been mentioned as overrated by citics in this thread:

TITANIC
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
LES MISERABLES
WICKED

...and quite a few others...

The latter three have good word of mouth because people did not listen to the majority of critics. I listen to my peers and my own instincts.

My dissapointments:

THE PRODUCERS
THE LION KING

[Piazzaslight]

Posted: 10/13/05 at 10:17pm

Hairspray.

I don't know why I didn't enjoy that show as much as I thought I would. Maybe high expectations.

That's all I can think of right now.

[Ourtime992]

Posted: 10/13/05 at 11:24pm

We should have started this thread with a list of shows that received universal raves and gone from there.

[My Name in Lights]

Posted: 10/14/05 at 12:17am

LouW95: First off, let me say that you are absolutely right when you say opinions can't be wrong...they are just that, opinions, not gospel. I totally agree.

I do think, however, that sometimes threads take off on a different road other than the one for which they were intended.

When I started this thread (as I mentioned in the opening statement) it was because I found myself stating more than once that critics are just people who happen to get paid for their opinions. What they say is not necessarily the final word on any show. The problem comes in when too many shows get killed because the critics didn't applaud them. Mixed to bad reviews kill shows quickly, whether they deserve it or not, because many people only listen to reviews (on tv, or in the newspaper, etc.), and don't really try to find out whether or not the review is accurate. By doing so, they allow someone else to determine what they see.

Likewise, word of mouth doesn't always carry a show because audiences love it so much, but rather because lots of people want to be the first to see whatever the critics favor. By favor it can mean hail as great or push the public to see by giving a lot of publicity to a show. However, once people have bought the tickets (especially in advance sales), by the time they see the show whether they actually like it or not is pretty insignificant because sales are the bottom line, for whatever reason they were made. This is why the original thread mentions "most disappointing" shows.

The purpose here, therefore, is not to bash a show, but rather to alert people who are interested in seeing something to the fact that just because critics hail it, or it gets mixed to good reviews, be prepared because a lot of people are disappointed at the so called hits.

Rather than detract from the hits, it could serve to alert potential audiences to the fact that some little known shows, or some well known shows that critics either outright pan or give mixed to bad reviews to can be very entertaining.

Another reason why I started this thread, besides the fact that I wanted to know if other people had been disppointed by some of the same shows as I, is because I often see threads on this message board where people who are coming to this area to visit want to know which shows to see. While I don't expect them to take my word alone for it, I would think that it is helpful for these people to hear opinions from the audiences that ACTUALLY PAY FOR their seats, the general buying public, as opposed to some people who GET PAID to praise or bash.

Sorry about the long post, but if it's been praised on Broadway or in Peoria, and it turns out to be a disappointment...that is what this thread is about...not bashing. It just so happens that a lot of the same shows have disappointed a lot of people, yet they continue to run because they have taken on a life of their own.

If anything, the vast majority of us who care enough to see so many shows certainly don't want them to fail. Many of us continue to go back and see the same show again because we support the theatre. There are, of course, exceptions to that rule who seize the opportunity to bash things every chance they can; but I assure you that this thread was started to poll disappointments not just to bash.

I also do not like it when someone posts speculation about when a show will close. It's just mean, and not helpful to people who are planning to see a show.

[freeadmission]

Posted: 10/14/05 at 12:32am

"These threads defeat our purpose here which should be to promote all genres of shows for the many diverse audience tastes. In addition, unemployment in our community continues to grow and negative postings certainly do not help."

I always cringe when I read comments like this. They seem to infer that as long as it's theatre, we -- as theatre-lovers -- should support it for the simple reason that it's theatre. I love theatre as an art form -- my favorite art form. And I believe that there IS such a thing as bad art and, therefore, bad theatre. Just because theatre is my favorite art form -- one that tends to be overlooked my the majority of people and one with a high unemployment rate -- doesn't mean that I want to support bad theatre. Bad theatre is a detriment to my argument for theatre as the best of art forms and I refuse to support it.

That said, there is a (slight) difference between bad theatre and overrated theatre. Overrated theatre is theatre with entertainment value that is hailed as more. Bad theatre is bad art and it comes in many forms. Bad theatre is often overrated theatre, overrated theatre is not necessarily bad, just not excellent.

Therefore, I think this thread is a good food for thought as long as people aren't just listing and running. I like to read WHY people find certain shows to be overrated and/or bad, otherwise, it's pointless to read. It's an opinion list and that's boring. This is also why I wish someone would answer my question as to why Urinetown is overrated.

Also, I'd tack Pippin on to my list. Not neccesarily the original production, but the show as a whole. The book doesn't know where it's going or what conclusion it's wanting to reach and that bugs me. It makes the show pointless. Either that, or the point of the show is that life is pointless, which I find equally annoying.

[jimmirae]

Posted: 10/14/05 at 5:17am

MISS SAIGON!
(If they would have handed me the prop gun I would have shot her before the end of Act 1 - They should have just brought down the helicopter, Done "The American Dream" and a finale, Everything else was loooooooong and ...looooooooooooooooonger.)

Oh, and the "Dreamgirls" Revival 1987, The "Budget" Production!

[JonnyV]

Posted: 10/14/05 at 7:55am

It's a three-way tie for me: Miss Saigon, Hairspray, Aida.

[AnnaB]

Posted: 10/14/05 at 12:01pm

The Producers - completely overrated.