"Nobody puts baby in a corner" or lines that ruin a show!

I was recently thinking about the musical version of DIRTY DANCING that they were workshopping a while back. It made me wonder if that dreaded line "Nobody puts baby in a corner" was in the script for the musical.

So I wonder are there any shows out there that you love but when you get to one line you just cringe? If so... what show and what's the line?

For example:

JANE EYRE - "Jane, I've been dealt a blow - I've been dealt a blow, Jane"

I also once saw a show called KILLING TIME about Jack Kevorkian.
and right before intermission a charachter walks on and says "What are you doing here???" to which the kevorkian character replies in a very ominous tone "KILLING TIME" Black out!

What are some others??

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Well, this didn't ruin the show, but when I saw MY SWEETHEART'S THE MAN IN THE MOON (play with singing about Evelyn Nesbit) a couple of months ago, I was irritated by this common error in plays...

Repetition of the play's title by a character, just to remind us that the title is relevant to the subject matter. The audience laughed *at* the actress everytime she said that.

The entire finale of Rent with Mimi's "resurrection" is chocked full of them for me.

Also, the "think twice before you poo-poo it" line in Rent particularly annoys me.

By the way, I LOVE the "nobody puts baby in a corner" line from Dirty Dancing. In fact, I just saw an adorable baby onesy at a local store and I am considering going and buying it to put in the "When I have a baby" box.

Updated On: 9/5/05 at 07:06 PM

Yeah, that's a pretty cheesy sequence.

Priest: "Off the premises now! We give no handouts here.
Mark: What happened to rest in peace?
Preist: Off the premises. Queer.
Collins: Thats no way to send a boy to meet his maker. (to Mark and Benny) They had to know we couldn't pay the undertaker.
Benny: "Don't you worry about him. Hey! I'll take care of it."
Mark: "Must be nice to have money."
Benny and Collins: "No ****.
Collins: "I think it's only fair to tell you that you just paid for the funeral of the person who killed you dog."
Benny: I know. I always hated that dog. Let's pay him off and then get drunk.
Mark: I can't I have a meeting.
Collisn and Benny: Punk. Let's go.

Updated On: 9/5/05 at 07:26 PM

Hairspray:

Link: I can hear the bells! I love the show, but I think that line is akward.

I've seen Rent over 50 times, probably listened to over 300 performances well over 1000 times total.

I love the show and it's very personal to me and it will always have a special spot in my heart.

I agree it's extremely poetic and a beautiful piece of theatre.

None of that changes the fact "think twice before you poo-poo it" is a terrible line.

Yes, 'Nobody puts baby in a corner' is in DIRTY DANCING. The show is currently selling out here in Australia, while THE PRODUCERS is struggling somewhat. Go figure eh?

Also, in terms of nothing being "out of place" in Rent...

During "On the street" there is an exchange between Roger and Mark that goes like this:

Roger: There that's her. (points down to the street)
Mark: Maureen?
Roger: Mimi!

Actually within the context of Rent as we know it that makes absolutely no sense since we know Maureen arrives on the scene later.

This was in reference to a cut sequence from when Rent was at the New York Theatre Workshop that goes like this:

Mark: She said "Would you light my candle?" and she on a pout, and she wanted you to take her out tonight?

Roger: Right.

Mark: That's great!

Roger: She was more than okay but I pushed her away. It was bad- I got mad, and I had to get her out of my sight...

Mark: Wait, wait, wait. You said she was sweet?

Roger: Let's go eat. I'll just get fat, it's the one vice left when you're dead meat... No kisses...

Mark: I saw Maureen...

Roger: No alcohol.

Mark: She's in the lot.

Roger: No sex.

Mark: She still might care!

Roger: Look, that's her there!

Mark: Where?

Roger: There, that's her!

Mark: Maureen?

Roger: Mimi!

Mark: Whoa!

Roger: I should go.

Both: Hey, it's beginning to snow!

As you can see, in the earlier days of the show the line made sense - but parts of the scene were cut as the show evolved and those lines are out of place.

Another great mystery is why in Voice Mail#1 when Mark's mom calls on Christmas Eve:

Marks Mom: We wanted to call and say will miss you tomorrow.

Mark is Jewish. Why would they specifically be getting together on Christmas day. I suppose it's possible that Hannukah fell over Christmas, but it seems odd and there is no explanation.

Again, in the workshop they furthered that in a cut song called "Splatter":

Mark: If I killed myself or studied business, no more parents spitting up on my career. So are you showing? Where's this going? Home for Christmas?

It at least has Mark specifically address going home for Christmas and that it's potentially a family history to spend time on Christmas but he is mad at them for not supporting him.

I fully believe that had Jonathan Larson not passed away these things might have been removed, but who knows what else may have been changed in the process.

Bottom line is that this is my favorite show of all time and I have such a long history with it in my life, but it is far from perfect.

Updated On: 9/5/05 at 08:31 PM

>Roger: There that's her. (points down to the street)
>Mark: Maureen?
>Roger: Mimi!

I've always wondered about that bit! Made a lot more sense in the original context.

I also believe that many of these hole would have been repaired had Jonathan not passed.

But, I still love it despite its many flaws.

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In Jekyll and Hyde I never liked the line at the end of the show: "Go to sleep my tormented love"...it just sounded a bit hokey.

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>hmmm...I always thought that Mark had thought Mimi was Maureen >when he first saw her. Now that I think about it it doesn't make >much sence

That's what I thought too until I started seeing blonde Maureen's that would have been pretty impossible to confuse with Mimi.

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i was in a production of jekyll & hyde at my camp this summer, and if we're talking about cringe-inducing lyrics/lines, look no further than that show. the one that everyone had the most trouble singing with a straight face was "to kill outside st. paul's requires a lot of balls." an amazing show to be part of, but there are definitely some god-awful lines.

I love the "low watt" line in Hairspray. I think it's hillarious. I also think "this prison smells" works just fine, because we're not watching a drama. We already love Tracy, we don't need to feel sorry for her anymore. We're already on her side.

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Updated On: 9/6/05 at 04:38 AM