Musicals good or bad, with bad titles
Musicals good or bad, with bad titles
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/11/11
Musicals good or bad, with bad titles#1
Posted: 11/30/15 at 12:15pm
I've always felt that A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum was just an absolutely unnecessary long name. We did it at my high school and the director opted to not fit the entire title onto the poster and all it said was "A Funny Thing...Forum"
And I think the musical is hilarious but the title just bugs me.
Anybody else have other musicals they feel irked about the title?
Also "Grease"....yes I get it, it's cause of the grease they put in their hair but, again it could easily be named so many other things that pertain to the show.
I'm also more than happy for folks to play devil's advocate and defend why the titles work
Updated On: 11/30/15 at 12:15 PMMusicals good or bad, with bad titles#2
Posted: 11/30/15 at 12:20pm
Urinetown. Even though I think it's a brilliant title, it even makes fun of it in the show
Broadway Star Joined: 7/18/15
Musicals good or bad, with bad titles#4
Posted: 11/30/15 at 12:36pm
I like super elongated titles. They're fun. " A Funny..." Fine. "Oh Dad, Poor Dad...". One of my favorites. But what I don't care for at all are titles that are entirely incoherent. It reeks of creative over-reach and are usually a bad sign. Bad title number one for me this season is "These Paper Bullets".
Musicals good or bad, with bad titles#5
Posted: 11/30/15 at 12:41pm
LA CAGE AUX FOLLES...obviously it was a big hit but seeing it for the first time, unless you know French there is no way you're going to pronounce it correctly or know what it means.
TENDERLOIN...I'm sure even back in the 60s many people thought the title referred to a cut of meat.
I'm sure many people would disagree but I've always thought SHE LOVES ME is a very generic title, in addition to being kind of spoilery. (In fact I wouldn't be surprised if the title contributed to the show's lack of success initially.)
Musicals good or bad, with bad titles#6
Posted: 11/30/15 at 12:43pm
There has to be some irony in "the brass kazoo" weighing in on bad titles?!
Musicals good or bad, with bad titles#7
Posted: 11/30/15 at 12:45pm
Well my name is taken from a song lyric...anyone know which one?
I would also add THE APPLE TREE, since it only applies to one-third of the show.
Musicals good or bad, with bad titles#8
Posted: 11/30/15 at 12:48pm
brass kazoo, the fact that La Cage was based on some other popular pieces of entertainment with the same title probably helped.
I don't think She Loves Me is a spoiler because that's also a show that's based on really famous plays / movies that have been around since like 1910 (Parfumerie).
A really bad title I hated was Love Never Dies. The film 8 1/2 becoming the musical Nine was always so cheesy to me. Whatever Maury Yeston said about it was like music added half a credit to the original...what the hell? I love the show but the reasoning behind the title was hokey. I like the title song though.
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/17/03
Musicals good or bad, with bad titles#9
Posted: 11/30/15 at 12:50pm
There was a London show written by Newley/Bricusse that David Merrick was going to bring to Broadway after their first 2 shows. It was called The Good Old Bad Old Days
The transfer never happened. This title is bad enough but it is a hell of a lot better than the original title. Here we go:
It's A Funny Old World We Live In- But The World's Not Entirely To Blame
Musicals good or bad, with bad titles#10
Posted: 11/30/15 at 12:53pm
HANDS ON A HARDBODY.
I love the show, but the title evokes a much more...erotic...idea.
Broadway Star Joined: 7/18/15
Musicals good or bad, with bad titles#11
Posted: 11/30/15 at 12:56pm
I hate the title Annie. They should have named it ROTTEN ORPHAN.
Musicals good or bad, with bad titles#12
Posted: 11/30/15 at 1:00pm
I've always thought The Roar Of The Greasepaint could've used a more appropriate title that sells the vicious Beckettsian absurdity of its scenario.
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/17/03
Musicals good or bad, with bad titles#13
Posted: 11/30/15 at 1:52pm
The Fig Leaves Are Falling
Cry For Us All
Musicals good or bad, with bad titles#15
Posted: 11/30/15 at 1:57pm
My Fair Lady. What does it even mean?
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/17/03
Musicals good or bad, with bad titles#16
Posted: 11/30/15 at 1:59pm
Dance A Little Closer
Broadway Star Joined: 7/18/15
Musicals good or bad, with bad titles#17
Posted: 11/30/15 at 2:04pm
Amazing Grace
Baby it's you
Flora the red menace
Musicals good or bad, with bad titles#18
Posted: 11/30/15 at 2:33pm
I don't really hate the title of Once, but it's pretty mystifying: there's no obvious connection to the content of the show. I remember there being a Playbill article about the title that discussed some possibilities, none of which were all that convincing. :)
Musicals good or bad, with bad titles#19
Posted: 11/30/15 at 2:35pm
I think the director of Once said he just meant for it to be like "Once upon a time..." on the DVD commentary.
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/11/11
Musicals good or bad, with bad titles#20
Posted: 11/30/15 at 2:53pm
I'll defend the title of Once just because it was such a little indie movie originally and I felt like the name reflected simply and beautifully their relationship. They have this one beautiful and musical collaboration and connection and then it's over and they go their separate ways.
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/17/03
Musicals good or bad, with bad titles#21
Posted: 11/30/15 at 3:41pm
Did not care for the show. The title was meh .
Like Bonnie & Clyde a hell of a lot more in every way
Musicals good or bad, with bad titles#22
Posted: 11/30/15 at 3:49pm
I know this doesn't count as an answer to the OP's question, but I just feel compelled to bring up the atrocity that is "The story of how Peter became Pan" - Finding Neverland's ridiculous tagline.
Also, I have to say: my favorite musical of all time is Sunday in the Park with George. I think it's a gorgeous, brilliant-beyond-brilliant musical that I find immensely moving. However, I've never loved the title. It sounds too happy. When I first heard of the show it made me think of "put on your Sunday clothes there's lots of world out there!"
Musicals good or bad, with bad titles#23
Posted: 11/30/15 at 3:56pm
I could have sworn the movie Once explained the title, something like what rattleNwoolypenguin said, about how they just met this one time and then she went to be with her husband and he went to find that girl he was in love with. Unless they changed the plot for the stage version, I never saw it (but I loved the movie).
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/17/03
Musicals good or bad, with bad titles#24
Posted: 11/30/15 at 3:58pm
How about the title Dance Of The Vampires? Who did the choreography ?
Musicals good or bad, with bad titles#25
Posted: 11/30/15 at 4:12pm
JBroadway said: "I know this doesn't count as an answer to the OP's question, but I just feel compelled to bring up the atrocity that is "The story of how Peter became Pan" - Finding Neverland's ridiculous tagline.
"
You and my frequent theatre companion share this opinion. In its defense, it is a way to get the well-known title Peter Pan in there, and it is the synopsis of what happens in the musical.
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