Show People Magazine's Top Ten Musical FLOPS- Page 2

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 6/3/05 at 6:09am

I am proud to say I saw 6 out of 10. Not too bad (Via/Home/1600/Shogun/Metro/DOTV)

RE DOTV, the producers wanted what was a smash in Vienna (I believe) but Mr Crawford decided otherwise. Would the original have fared better ? It could not have done worse

By the way, one I saw that was a real dog was "Don't Play Us Cheap" about 2 cockroaches crashing a party - I kid you not . It starred Melvin Van Peeples

Updated On: 6/3/05 at 06:09 AM

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 6/3/05 at 6:23am

The list seems to focus on teh biggest money losers (although ASPECTS OF LOVE and SUNSET BLVD were not listed and they both lost millions in spiter of long runs.)

What about the flops that left behind highly enjoyable OCR's:

DEAR WORLD
GOLDILOCKS
MACK AND MABEL
SUBWAYS ARE FOR SLEEPING
THE HAPPIEST GIRL IN THE WORLD
and of course: ANYONE CAN WHISTLE

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 6/3/05 at 6:34am

The GOLDILOCKS OBCR really does have some wonderful tunes. I have always been partial to "The Beast in You" and, of course, "I Never Know When".

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 6/3/05 at 6:47am

I love GOLILOCKS too. Very underrated little score - can't forget "Shall I Take My Hat and Go?"

[Jon]

Posted: 6/3/05 at 8:35am

For the unaware, GOLDILOCKS was the only musical composed by Leroy Anderson, the master of "popular classical" music. HIs orchestral hits inclded "Sleigh Ride", "The Syncopated Clock", The Typewriter" and "Blue Tango".

[twogaab2]

Posted: 6/3/05 at 9:54am

I caught the final preview for "Home, Sweet, Homer" (Saturday night) and liked it a lot. Thought the music was great and the book very funny. The audience seemed to like it also. I wish someone could record the score. I feel that it is a LOT stronger than a lot of bombs that recieved studio recordings.

Just my opinion, I may be wrong.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/3/05 at 10:28am

I've always wondered how much The Civil War lost. It's one of the few shows I left at intermission during the world premiere in Houston.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 6/3/05 at 10:52am

I actually saw one of these TWICE! I was so mesmerized by METRO that I had to go back. It was a perfectly ridiculous show, but the performers were very good, the lighting and effects were alot of fun. The cast were all Polish with very thick accents (a few Americans, of course, were thrown in the cast) and you couldnt understand what they were saying. Luckily the plot was so simple, you didnt need to. I have the video from Polish TV as well.

I have an illness that draws me to these shows. Favorite of course is Carrie which I did not see live. Shogun was so long and boring, but had gorgeous sets, and yes, the effect of the horses in the snow was stunning, but the playbill was thick with a full synopsis, dictionary of terms, etc. SO confusing! June Angela was great tho...where did she go?

Wasnt A Doll's Life a huge flop? I would've thought that it lost alot more money than some on the list. Great score there too...

Never made it to Broadway, but Prettybelle...strangest plot in history, i think...but great score there as well.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 6/3/05 at 11:05am

The Human Comedy was supposed to be quite good...and that kid from all those teen movies, Stephen Geoffreys, was nominated for a Tony, and won a Theater World award for it...he later did porn, didnt he?

[cathyhyatt]

Posted: 6/3/05 at 11:09am

i freaking LOVE dance of the vampiress!!

[leomaxfrank]

Posted: 6/3/05 at 1:27pm

So what's the whole Raggedy Ann story? I love hearing these stories from people - it's so much more interesting than the usual junk that goes on around here :)

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 6/3/05 at 1:37pm

Has anyone seen Raggedy Ann? That and Home Sweet Homer are the flops I am most interested in actually. Why did I have to be 4 years old when Raggedy Ann opened?? Oh well. I'll just have to hear about it from those lucky few who saw it.

By the way leomaxfrank, your signature makes me want to chime in with the rest of the song. "tell me you're not frightened of my love..." I love Marie Christine. Another flop I wish I could have seen!!!!

[leomaxfrank]

Posted: 6/3/05 at 1:42pm

I didn't see Marie Christine either - I was away at college at the time and couldn't fit in a visit to the Beaumont. Boy, I regret that.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 6/3/05 at 1:45pm

Raggedy Ann was supposed to be a real stinker. Book was by William Gibson who wrote Two for the Seesaw and The Miracle Worker. Composer Joe Raposo was nominated for an oscar in 1981 for best song...

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 6/3/05 at 1:57pm

There was a 1977 movie called "Raggedy Ann and Andy, a Musical Adventure" also with songs by Joe Raposo...I believe that the musical was based on that movie. Much was made at the time (1986) because the musical opened in Moscow and was the opening of cultural exchange with the Soviet Union...yup..that was our first choice of musical to send over!

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 6/3/05 at 2:03pm

BTW, the Soviet version was called RAG DOLLY

[leomaxfrank]

Posted: 6/3/05 at 2:27pm

niiice :)

[november]

Posted: 6/3/05 at 2:32pm

What about "The Civil War" did it ever make it to B'way

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 6/3/05 at 2:36pm

The Civil War did make it to B'way and ran for 2 months before closing. It did get Tony noms for Musical and score, tho.

[admanrich]

Posted: 6/3/05 at 4:12pm

I can just imagine how bad The Yearling musical was-- I hated the book with a passion. I honestly think it was the worst book I've ever read.

[admanrich]

Posted: 6/3/05 at 4:12pm

I can just imagine how bad The Yearling musical was-- I hated the book with a passion. I honestly think it was the worst book I've ever read.

[Dirty Rotten Scoundrel]

Posted: 6/3/05 at 4:15pm

on the note of ocrs..i really wish that DOTV had one..i LOOOOOOVED that music! ive downloaded a few of their songs but cant find confession of a vampire anywhere and thats like my fave song from that show along with dotv, original sin, carpe noctem...

[South Fl Marc]

Posted: 6/3/05 at 4:20pm

Lets see, I saw:


5. 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, 1976, 13 Previews, 7 Performances, Loss: $1 Million

8. Shogun the Musical, 1990, 18 Previews, 72 Performances, Loss: $6.9 Million

10. Dance of the Vampires, 2002, 61 Previews, 56 Performances, Loss: $12.5 Million (rumored to be higher)

I also saw two of the biggest play disasters :Moose Murders and Frankenstein.

Somehow I would have thought Bring Back Birdie and Merlin (both of which I saw) would have made the top ten.

I have to say I was rather fond of the score to 1600 Penn Ave.

[dietcherryemma]

Posted: 6/3/05 at 4:37pm

RE DOTV, the producers wanted what was a smash in Vienna (I believe) but Mr Crawford decided otherwise. Would the original have fared better ?

I'm not sure if this was a rhetorical question... but throw my voice in!

Steve Barton (Original Raoul in POTO) originally played the title role in DOTV when it was a hit it Vienna. I read that he was supposed to bring it to the states, but sadly, he suffered a rather tragic heart failure and passed away before that could happen (He was 45 and very healthy, by the way. Odd how things happen).

Anywho, Michael Crawford, his buddy from POTO decided to bring it over, and what they think happened was, as everybody is saying on the thread, the humor just didn't translate. It's kind of like those British Comedies they play on late-night tv. Lots of people like them, and lots of people don't get it. DOTV was just confusing... sad, happy, funny, whatnot. I thought it was hilarious...

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 6/3/05 at 4:40pm

THE CIVIL WAR lost its entire $8 million investment.