Poll: Worst Broadway Show of 2016 — Page 2

I am surprised at how many votes American Psycho has received.

I only saw it once on closing night, but the show was electric and fun. The lighting reminded me of Curious Incident, but was still wonderful nonetheless.

What I'd give to see that show staged again!

I loved several shows on this list. Heisenberg, Blackbird, and Oh, Hello I found wonderful. American Psycho was, to me, a noble failure. I respected it even though I had a lot of problems with it. But truly, the absence of The Cherry Orxhard from this list is baffling. One of my favorite plays, this production was hands down the worst thing I saw on stage this year, including Broadway, Off, and Off-Off. Abysmal from top to bottom.

A white man who didn't like Waitress. Shocked, I say. Shocked!

Because all white men are.....? What is it you want to say?

Disaster & In Transit

neonlightsxo said: "A white man who didn't like Waitress. Shocked, I say. Shocked!"



you DO realize how racist and gross it is to talk like that, don't you?

LOL @ Blackbird on this list.

Didn't Blackbird win something in London?

I appreciate the differing views, and would like to comment on several of these shows:

1. I realize that I'm in the minority in my view of "Blackbird," but of all the shows on the list, it comes the closest to the one I actively hated. As I explained in my review, it takes the serious issue of child rape, and turns it into a star-driven exercise in showy acting and goosed-up dramatic tension. There are plays on the subject that are far, far better -- more authentic and more articulate -- such as Paula Vogel's Pulitzer Prize-winning "How I Learned To Drive," and David Holthouse’s “Stalking The Bogeyman.”

2. That "American Psycho" belongs on the list of the worst Broadway shows of 2016 is underscored by how many votes it has gotten. However, as I wrote in my review, the musical was a showcase for its design team, with splendid work by set designer Es Devlin, costume designer Katrina Lindsay, video projections by Finn Ross, and especially the lighting design by Justin Townsend. That it was visual striking wasn't enough for me. They never adequately addressed why the story should be a musical at all, and in place of the novel's satiric critique of 1980's excess was an 80's nostalgia.

3. The shows with the greatest number of "write-in votes" are "Tuck Everlasting" and "In Transit." It would be difficult for me to defend these shows with any great passion, but they simply didn't make the cut for the Bottom 10. "Tuck Everlasting" seemed geared primarily to 11-year-old girls, but it was redeemed in my eyes by the last 15 minutes, the extraordinary wordless ballet that presented the unfolding of an entire life. Much of "In Transit" is, I'll grant you, flatly familiar, but it also introduces a new sound to Broadway, as the first a cappella musical.

I know I shouldn't bother to respond to the nastiness of the poster who urged me to "put a little thought into" my choices, but the irony is irresistible. I spent a year thinking about my choices, and have published thousands of words on each show. How many words did you put into explaining why those two shows you mention should NOT be on the list? Why, it looks like....none.

Updated On: 12/16/16 at 09:22 PM

BroadwayConceirge, I very much did explain why -- in my reviews (which I link to underneath the poll.)

Paramour... But I don't know if this even counts as a broadway musical because it's more of a Cirque show and less broadway

The number of votes American Psycho has earned doesn't seem to sync with the praise it got on these boards during its run though . I saw very few people critique it negatively. Those who actually saw it seemed to have liked it, and I include myself in that group. I think it probably was put on the list because it closed relatively quickly. It got more praise from audience members on these boards than negatives though

It's really not too hard to fix and make this a meaningful thing. Either just start over and actually give us all of the Broadway options... or keep it as is, and rename the survey "Worst Broadway Show—from Given Options of Shows That I, NewYorkTheater, Disliked—of 2016."