Musicals with good scores that got bad ratings.

[Gavino77]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 12:14pm

Some I have:
70, Girls, 70
The Rink
Baby

[elvisitis1302]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 12:22pm

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

[Smaxie]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 12:23pm

St. Louis Woman
House of Flowers
Darling of the Day
The Yearling
Anyone Can Whistle
Merrily We Roll Along

[Fenchurch]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 12:24pm

Candide, probably the very best theater score ever written

[glimpseofstocking]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 12:26pm

Mack & Mabel

[ahmelie]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 12:30pm

Evita

[ShuQ]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 12:32pm

Titanic

[Ronnik]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 1:08pm

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

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 1:09pm

Wow, I can't believe I'm the first to say
CARRIE!

[B3TA07]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 1:10pm

cuz it suckkkkkkkzorz

[Gypsy9]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 1:56pm

Jule Styne and Comden & Green's SUBWAYS ARE FOR SLEEPING (1961). Tony Randall in OH CAPTAIN!(1959). Leroy Anderson and the Kerrs' GOLDILOCKS with Elaine Stritch and Don Ameche(195. All are still available on CD from Amazon.com

That smily face came out of nowhere. It should read 1958.

Updated On: 4/7/07 at 01:56 PM

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 2:53pm

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

[Gypsy9]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 3:05pm

Thanks, Neddyfrank. I never knew that.

[spotlightproddirect]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 4:04pm

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.

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 4:08pm

spotlight-
I liked his other one that ties loosely to "Romance," "America Kicks Up it's Heels". Patti LuPone's version of the title song was perfection.

[spotlightproddirect]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 4:33pm

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.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 6:34pm

bad ratings? I didn't know musicals got ratings...

[CastAlbumFan]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 7:21pm

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

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 7:34pm

carrie

grind

[GoSmileLaughCryClap]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 7:40pm

Titanic

The Grass Harp

[feinstein9]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 8:41pm

Taboo, of course.

[Testing1232]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 9:20pm

The "Taboo" score IS excellent !

[LaVieHilary]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 10:28pm

Merrily We Roll Along

AMaZiNG--excuse my n00b typing