Musical cliches and tropes that should go away already

Everybody who sees or performs in a lot of musicals has one or two pet peeves- those tropes or cliches that show up in musical after musical, that you wish would just die a natural death already.



What are yours?

Breaking the fourth wall when it’s not integral to the plot or storytelling. Hate, hate, hate it.

Can you count standing ovations as one?

^ Yes, it is. Very....or everyone would do it. (But I don't like jukebox musicals,either -- even ones like JB)

JBroadway said: "This isn't just a problem with musicals - it's a frequent thing in some plays too. But what really bugs me is relying heavily on "reference humor" to be funny. As soon as you reference something recognizable to the audience, it's somehow automatically considered funny."

What about shows like Something Rotten, where nearly all the humor is either innuendos or theatre references (I say this as a fan of the show)? I love them, but I do realize how obnoxious it can be to some.

Shoehorning dance numbers in shows which absolutely don't need one. Here I am crying about my dead mother, and 5 minutes later there's 20 dancers doing high kicks and tricks, so audience would wake up/leave feeling they got their money's worth.

Updated On: 9/24/17 at 01:19 PM

hork said: "I don't get the hostility towards jukebox musicals. There have been so many great songs already written, so why not mine them formusical material? In a way, it makes more sense than trying to write new great songs (which is really difficult and rarely happens)."



It may be easier to do, but it's much harder to do well. It's very difficult to make songs feel necessary, and to make them drive the plot and develop character when the songs are pre-existing. It's not impossible, and I've seen jukebox musicals use a variety of methods to solve this problem. But it IS an inherent problem to be overcome. The practice, by its very nature, clashes with the necessities of the art form in its current state.

JBroadway said: "This isn't just a problem with musicals - it's a frequent thing in some plays too. But what really bugs me is relying heavily on "reference humor" to be funny. As soon as you reference something recognizable to the audience, it's somehow automatically considered funny."

Agreed. A lot of shows think it's enough to simply reference something without bothering to add any commentary, wit or observation to that reference. I especially dislike modern pop culture references because they instantly date the show (tweeting, Trump, modern slang, pretty much all of the jokes in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory).

Bette must cringe every time she has to sing

Turns a frump to a trump lady fair.

michaelhale said: "Dear Evan Hansen and even Bandstand's love songs also felt really superfluous as well."



I actually disagree with that. I have a lot of problems with DEH (very angry that it won as many awards as it did over Comet), but one thing I will say for it is that I think the book is excellently constructed, which includes the placement and narrative purpose of each song. During the intermission at 2nd stage, I thought to myself "how are they going to believably move forward with Evan and Zoe's relationship when it's based entirely on her brother? They're going to need to give them a song in act 2 that in some way distances their relationship from Connor and all of Evan's lies." And sure enough, that's exactly what "Only Us" does. It was very satisfying to see. And though you may disagree, I think their romantic relationship is hugely essential to the plot, and Evan's character.

Wow, SeanMartin, I just closed a production of "Beauty and the Beast" and every single one of those is represented in that show. (I think it's pretty much a perfect example of musical theatre as sincere, effective melodrama, but I know a lot of people think the show is creaky. To each his own!)

The way people drive onstage. Maybe it's because most New Yorkers don't drive, or they're exaggerating for effect, but if anyone drove the way they do, the car would be swerving off the road and end up in a ditch.

Also, grocery bags. All anyone ever seems to buy when they come back from the grocery store is a celery stalk and a baguette.

I'm not sure how much these are cliches and tropes but...

I usually hate it when the ensemble is dancing in the middle of a song when they don't need to be there. You don't have to put bodies there just to fill the stage or to justify their paychecks. It usually serves no purpose and takes me out of the show.

I am tired of lazy rhyming dictionary lyrics. If I never hear "kiss" rhymed with "bliss" again, it'll be too soon.

I am tired of diversity being one black actor (usually a woman) cast to sing a gospel or belting number. Basically, Amber Riley on Glee.

Musicals set in a particular time or place that don't sound enough like the music from that region or time period. Everything doesn't have to be reminiscent of the same few contemporary musical theater composers.

I've had enough of the only prominent female character in the show just being there to support the white, male protagonist in his not terribly interesting struggle. If the female characters are best described a male character's wife, girlfriend, mother, daughter, etc. it can absolutely still be a fantastic show (Nine is a great exception) but the odds are not good. Or guy goes through vaguely misogynistic and/or stalkerish plot to win the girl. Essentially, I'm tired of the lazy musical equivalent of sitcoms. It's not that I don't like stories with male protagonists. It's that I don't like dull, predictable stories with male protagonists.