Musicals with good scores that got bad ratings.

Grind
A Dolls Life
Jane Eyre
Marie Christine
Wild Party (LaChiusa)

Candide, probably the very best theater score ever written

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Evita

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Sue me, but I think the score to SEUSSICAL is really fun and more complex than anyone gives it credit for being.


The Ahrens & Flaherty website

cuz it suckkkkkkkzorz

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If you put an "8" with a ")" next to it you get a

William Finn's brilliant ROMANCE IN HARD TIMES. My favorite musical theatre score of all time... It's a downright shame this gem was never recorded.

"That's Enough For Me" and "You Cannot Let Romance Die" might very well be two of the most gorgeous songs ever written for the theatre. "Standing in Line" and "Places I Fainted from Hunger" definitely qualify as two of the catchiest songs I have ever heard. Some of the cleverest lyrical work I've heard in a show, too.

In my opinion, the show has, without a doubt, Finn's best music and lyrics.

Ah... AMERICA KICKS UP IT'S HEELS is one of my favorites, too, despite it's serious flaws. I'm not quite sure what the librettist Charlie Rubin was trying to get at with the whole back-and-forth 1980's / Great Depression concept. I think that was the show's main problem.

There were definitely some brilliant moments in the show, though. Especially in Rubin's quirky libretto- too bad Finn decided to become his own librettist on ROMANCE.

Although I loved LuPone's "America, Kick Up Your Heels," my favorite song of the show would have to be "All Fall Down." Alix Korey sang the hell out of that one and stopped the show every time, in both the ROMANCE and AMERICA versions.

But, Dear Lord, the opening and closing numbers were AWFUL.

"A Better World" was also a highlight of the show. In fact, the show was much, much better, much tighter in Finn and Rubin's first draft, which was actually called A BETTER WORLD.

If anyone wants to know more about Finn's lesser-known shows, PM me. But I'll stop now.

Bad ratings? Do you mean bad reviews or bad box office? My picks:

JANE EYRE
SUBWAYS ARE FOR SLEEPING
HOW NOW, DOW JONES
BAJOUR
ANYONE CAN WHISTLE
MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG
CANDIDE

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Titanic

The Grass Harp

The "Taboo" score IS excellent !