Shows You Walked Out On... That Everyone Else Seemed to Love- Page 3

[badkarma719]

Posted: 9/20/04 at 11:02pm

Footloose
I laughed the entire first act and the whole way home (45min)

I even knew some of the cast and the director and told them it was that bad
the director said I knew it was
?????and u still took credit for it ??????
it was a regional theatre production
I told my friends my favorite time of the show were the blackouts
so much glow tape and everything always moved durring them however the band was awsome the cast was dreadfull

[Dreamer]

Posted: 9/21/04 at 12:15am

I didn't actually walk out but I kept nodding off during "Smokey Joe's Cafe". I don't recall how the reviews were but it was definitely one of the worst shows I've seen.

[PerhapsACreamPuff]

Posted: 9/21/04 at 2:00am

I left Secret Garden once. I usually don't leave, but it was a free performance in an outdoor amphitheatre and... Jesus. It was god awful.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 9/21/04 at 12:07pm

25th Anniversary Tour of Hair - Left after Donna. It was embarassing to watch.

The Christmas Schooner - left at intermission

The Civil War (world premiere) - left at intermission

[ken8631]

Posted: 9/21/04 at 1:09pm

Woman next to me fell asleep (in second row) of "An Almost Holy Picture" with Kevin Bacon. Like dKevin's performance, wasn't crazy about the play tough. Interesting set, pile of dirt with chairs strewn onto it.

How could anyone walk out of the Scarlet Pimpernel? Unless Rex Smith was in by then, who took over from the great Terrence Mann. But Douglas Sills was still in it!

Otherwise, I never have walked ou since I paid for the tickets and maybe the second act will get better (it did for Dracula).

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 9/21/04 at 1:28pm

I will not ever walk out of a show or movie. I payed my money and dag nabbit I will sit there and watch it no matter how bad it is (I mean, I sat all the way through RESIDENT EVIL APOCOLYPSE for Christ sakes). But, I have only seen a few shows and so far none have been bad. I am going to go see my college's SOUTH PACIFIC (which I don't really like anyway) so I will see how that goes.

[Amy Archer]

Posted: 9/21/04 at 2:30pm

I mentally walked out of Thoroughly Modern Millie, even if my body remained physically for the duration.

[TEACHEROFTHEATER]

Posted: 9/21/04 at 2:56pm

SticktoPriest, your grandparents are likely not insane. It seems they agreed with the majority of theatergoers (including me) who found SITPWG dreadfully boring onstage. Those of us "very involved" with theater know that in order to truly enjoy a Sondheim show, you must be familiar with the score, prior to seeing the show.

Many people fall in love with Sondheim shows via the recordings and kind of "romanticize" this love of the recording into a great respect for the actual stagework too.

I don't know too many people who love Sondheim's work as much as I do. However, I learned many years ago to use great caution in recommending anyone see a Sondheim show without first being VERY familiar with the score.

Every show Sondheim has done since GYPSY and WEST SIDE STORY is very difficult to appreciate, absorb and ENJOY upon first viewing.

I wish you or someone had recommended that your grandparents not see SITPWG without first being familiar with the OCR.

Had they been familiar with the score, they likely would have loved the show when they saw it.

Quite simply, this is why virtually every Sondheim show is a financial failure on Broadway.

Sondheim's glory and genius seem best shown and best appreciated on recording or when presented in revue format such as PUTTING IT TOGETHER or SIDE BY SIDE BY SONDHEIM, etc.

Again, I love Sondheim's work with a great passion. But, I am aware it is unwise to suggest one of his works to a "casual theatergoer" or to someone unwilling to invest the time in learning about the work and listening to a recording of the work.

Many people have treated opera in this fashion for many years. They know those opera scores and librettos by heart, and this is often the KEY to them enjoying what they are about to see live onstage.

Sondheim's work is best when approached in this "operalike" fashion, or in the aforementioned revue format.

If you can get your grandparents to listen to the SITPWG cd a few times.........it is likely they would fall in love with the show and be delighted to see live again someday, or on the video made of the original production they saw. :)

[ChiChi]

Posted: 9/21/04 at 3:22pm

I do NOT walk out of shows. That's just trashy and rude.

[HeartinNYC]

Posted: 9/21/04 at 3:24pm

Only once: I left during intermission at "Dancing at Lughnasa" in 1992. Zzzzz....

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 9/21/04 at 3:29pm

Teacheroftheater --

(By the way, I don't think Priest was even born when SITPWG was on Broadway).

I agree with you generally. I think it's true that Sondheim shows can't be FULLY appreciated upon first viewing if you haven't listened to the score before, but I think that they can be enjoyed to some extent. I certainly thoroughly adored "Sweeney Todd" when I first saw it with Lansbury and Hearn (the road tour) back in 1979 and I hadn't listened to the score beforehand. I mostly enjoyed "Sunday In The Park" the first time, -- I thought the melodies were simply gorgeous -- though I knew I wasn't even beginning to catch all of the layers and motifs running through the score (I totally fell in love with it later after I listened to the cast album a few times). "Into the Woods" was a blast for me, but I think that that was due largely to fact that I had so dissected and absorbed SITPWG during the year before that, that "into The Woods" seemed like child's play by comparison, even on the first viewing/listening. "Passion" was another matter, though -- I enjoyed the show for Murphy's performance, but the complexities of the score were just too much to absorb to take in all at once for me (I imagine I'd have had the same reaction to "Pacific Overtures").

I think I wouldn't have had too much trouble appreciating and loving "Company" or "Follies" or "Merrily" had I seen them when they were first on Broadway (by the time I saw all three shows on stage in revival, I had already all but memorized the OBC albums of each beforehand).

You're right that Sondheim at his most complex is too dense to fully appreciate in one sitting, but great performances and staging (along with the periodic beautiful melody that goes wafting through) can be enough to give a pleasureable evening to those willing to listen, concentrate and be patient with the overall experience.

[broadway86]

Posted: 9/21/04 at 5:14pm

My dad walked out on RAGTIME (which happens to be my favorite musical.)

The only show I ever walked out on was DOTV. The first act was okay, but the second was horrendously stupid. I went back (had a free ticket) just to make sure, but I was right the first time.

[xluckystar2107x]

Posted: 9/21/04 at 5:25pm

wildhorn's scores all sound very similar...not to say thats a bad thing its just a statement...though im not sure why I'm making it...anyone agree?

[Testing1232]

Posted: 9/21/04 at 6:48pm

Chichi,

I dont think its trashy or rude to walk out at intermission. Do you think the performers are actually going to know (or care)?

[Princeton78]

Posted: 9/21/04 at 9:25pm

Oooh..someone mentioned "Ragtime" I wanted to walk out of that. I saw it on a Wed. afternoon during the original cast's run. No Stokes, no Audra, no Marin, no Judy Kaye and about 18 ensemble members were shifting all over the place to replace the leads. It was awful.....really ......really awful. I was embarrassed for them and even though I saw the great National Tour of the show, I never quite warmed up to it again after that dreadful Wednesday matinee.

[b-way buff]

Posted: 9/21/04 at 9:48pm

i have seen aida 8 times. the 7th time was with toni braxton, she was so devistaingly awful i left at intermission!!