Broadway Legend Joined: 11/30/15
Was contemplating leaving Holiday Inn...I was just not feeling it at all.
Understudy Joined: 9/24/16
I never walked out of any show. But Superior Doughnuts was terrible. And Fela was not good. But if I paid so much money to see a show. I do not want to waste it
^ I second Holiday Inn. I was nearly bored to tears in act 1.
Soul Doctor on Broadway.
I absolutely love musical theatre,the reason I am here, but can honestly say that I have probably left more shows ,even before interval, than lasted the distance.
I always go alone and choose a seat on an aisle so if I feel I would be better off at home reading a book-then I bolt.
Not flush with $$s but it's the time I value above the time wasted and not the $$s.
I wanted to walk out of SCANDALOUS...but the theatre was half-empty and the cast was trying their hardest just as Hurricane Sandy was a few hours from landfall in the Tri-State Area.
Also, the many margaritas I had beforehand helped me.
I've never left a show early, but I can understand the outlook of those who have. If anything, when I'm not connecting with a show or I find it to be poorly put together, I enjoy pinpointing reasons for why that it is. I've found there's just as much to be learned from a show that doesn't resonate with me as there is to be learned from one I love.
Not a fan of walking out of shows - I understand the impulse (it's money I've spent on so-and-so product and I'm not satisfied), but I've been pleasantly surprised, at least with shows I've seen solo (I live in the New Jersey area and have been fortunate enough to get into the city frequently over the years) with the second act of a show I was somewhat hesitant about after the act one ended. A lot of shows seem to fall into that camp (also a lot that veer the other way, with the first act of a show being stronger than the second - felt that way with American in Paris). And at the end of the day, it's artistry to appreciate (even in more mediocre plays in musicals) and talent to admire - and fun to have!
Most recently, the 20th anniversary tour of Rent. It was a total waste of time.
Featured Actor Joined: 6/15/16
BenjaminNicholas2 said: "Most recently, the 20th anniversary tour of Rent. It was a total waste of time.
"
Aww really? I was kinda looking forward to that
I bolted last season at Sylvia and Allegiance. Neither was among the worst things I had seen, but the combination of being unimpressed AND not in the mood got to me. I wanted to leave Chaplin but was talked into staying. I usually adore Ivo van Hove but abandoned ship during his 5 hour Angels in America. The combination of minimalism and surtitles just completely lost me. I left Motown because I felt like it would be more enjoyable to watch YouTube videos of the original performers than some bad rehashes chopped up in a dreadful book. And I left Natasha, Pierre, et al back at Ars Nova and a production of King Lear at BAM, but both times I was sick and probably should have stayed home to begin with!
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/8/16
The Merchant of Venice...
Love Pacino but I simply could't stomach it...
Life is too short to sit through theater one isn't engaged with
I've walked out at intermission at so many shows:
The Sound Of Music - Tour
Matilda - Broadway
I walked out of "Sweet Smell of Success;" didn't like anything about it and could never get through the cast album. I've said that here before in a related thread. I should've walked out of "I Remember Mama" years ago, but I so wanted to see Liv Ullmann. It had a few nice Richard Rodgers melodies...we won't be seeing it anytime soon at Encores...
I've never walked out of a show before cause I'm always curious to see if it gets better or worse. That being said if I had the chance I would have walked out of The Anarchist, which is still the show I hated the most that I've seen. I was stuck in middle of the front row of the mezz, that show made me want to jump off the mezz. Just awful.
There are others I wish I would have left. Dr. Zhivago was miserable and sitting through both parts of wolf hall in the same day was a giant mistake. Found it so boring.
I never saw Doctor Zhivago, but I bought the cast album and find myself going back to a third of it over and over... That's not an endorsement, but there were a couple of beautiful melodies...
Updated On: 10/2/16 at 09:56 PM
Zhivago was a total mess. They had these giant steel beam that actors had to swivel. And all of Act 2 looked like it took place in the Middle East. And those laughable icicles. Awful.
Still don't get why the main guy is famous. And the girl gave some of the worst acting I've seen in awhile.
A really awful production of Nine ( that was basically the film on stage ) in LA and Farther Comes Home From The War Parts 1, 2 ,3 ( very wordy and had just flown in from Australia ) also LA
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/25/05
I kept trying to walk out of Good Vibrations but they would have fired me if I did.
Never, but on a Wednesday matinee of Matilda, I was super close to storming out of Schubert weren't it for the swing and revolting numbers I was looking forward to. The cast was churning out an insipid piece on stage and the slapstick was more repulsive than comic relief as probably intended.
Guys and Dolls in London also made me roll my eyes during the intermission. Rebel Wilson was good, but the rest of cast was struggling with American accents and obviously couldn't wait for the bed. Again, you have Sit down, you are rocking the boat at the end of act 2, so how can you leave without getting your money's worth?
Tonight, after seeing Heather's last performance in The Color Purple, I went straight to see Beautiful, my all time guilty pleasure. I was staggered by how off the leads were. Chilina missed a few notes and sang some wrong lyrics, and Jake Epstein definitely forgot his words, and seemed out of character the whole night. For god's sake you originated the role. Tonight he seemed very poorly rehearsed. Not enough for me to walk out but still.
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/11/16
I've never walked out of a show, but I would have walked out of my high school production of Hairspray, had I not been Mr. Pinky.
^mr. Anderson?
Featured Actor Joined: 2/3/04
I don't have the chance to go to Nyc often, and pick the shows I want to see really carefully. On my last trip I almost walk out of Paramour... extremely boring.
Cupid Boy2 said: "I've never left a show early, but I can understand the outlook of those who have. If anything, when I'm not connecting with a show or I find it to be poorly put together, I enjoy pinpointing reasons for why that it is. I've found there's just as much to be learned from a show that doesn't resonate with me as there is to be learned from one I love."
I agree. I would never walk out of a show because of this reasons. I want to have an open mind and learn from it till the last moment. I might be surprised by something in act 2, and if not, I still love looking for reasons why i do not like it. In any case, the only way to have a grounded opinion of a whole show is when you have actually seen the whole show.
Shogun
The Civil War
last season's revival of The Real Thing
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