The Most overrated and underrated musicals- Page 5

[broadwaysfguy]

Posted: 2/20/15 at 12:50am

thanks for a fun post topic and congrats everyone for the civil discussion(one persons trash is anothers treasure)

Shows I've seen that I dont appreciate how they were successful:
Cats
Contact

Shows I love that dont get enough recognition:
[Title of Show]
Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Tales of the City

[Randomlink1]

Posted: 5/1/16 at 3:23pm

icecreambenjamin said: "I think everything on that list is idiotic, but Book of Mormon. It may be goofy and vulgar, but it still has a great score. I also think it's one of the best modern mega musicals.
The producers on the other hand, was pretty bad. As was the god awful Spamalot and Young Frankenstein.
"

Yeah, I have no idea how Spamalot beat out both Spelling Bee and The Light in the Piazza

[theatreguy12]

Posted: 5/1/16 at 6:07pm

I know I've mentioned it before, but Urinetown is the only musical I have ever left at intermission.  In a musical rich with messages, I just didn't care what they were. 

I wasn't all that impressed with Jekyll and Hyde either. Beautiful music with great performances.  The story, as I recall, left us with no real sympathetic characters to be honest, so I just didn't care what happened to any of them. :L(

I have friends who loved both of them, and I know they both ran for a healthy period.

[Randomlink1]

Posted: 5/1/16 at 8:41pm

theatreguy12 said: "I know I've mentioned it before, but Urinetown is the only musical I have ever left at intermission.  In a musical rich with messages, I just didn't care what they were. 

I wasn't all that impressed with Jekyll and Hyde either. Beautiful music with great performances.  The story, as I recall, left us with no real sympathetic characters to be honest, so I just didn't care what happened to any of them. :L(

I have friends who loved both of them, and I know they both ran for a healthy period.

 

"

Really? I mean, even if you didn't like the book of Urinetown, the direction of the original in my opinion is enough to make anyone stay for the second act.

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 5/1/16 at 8:44pm

A Christmas story

[pupscotch]

Posted: 5/1/16 at 8:53pm

Overrated: RENT, Cats, Phantom, Wicked

Underrated: The Producers (this was never meant to be the next great American musical, just because it was not a cultural masterpiece doesn't mean it wasn't a fun show with a fun score and an outstanding book), The Light in the Piazza, Legally Blonde, Assassins

[mc1227]

Posted: 5/1/16 at 9:30pm

broadwaysfguy said: "thanks for a fun post topic and congrats everyone for the civil discussion(one persons trash is anothers treasure)

Shows I've seen that I dont appreciate how they were successful:
Cats
Contact

Shows I love that dont get enough recognition:
[Title of Show]
Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Tales of the City
"

I feel that Dirty Rotten Scoundrels was one of the best musicals of this century.  Clever, hysterically funny with an A+ cast, it was underrated for sure. I also feel that Aida was the  best Disney show ever.  

[theatreguy12]

Posted: 5/1/16 at 9:39pm

Nope.  Just didn't do it for me.  In fact, I was there with three friends and we all decided we didn't care to stay for the second act and decided to go grab dinner instead.  Needless to say those weren't the friends who liked it.  I did have others who did though.

Randomlink1 said: "theatreguy12 said: "I know I've mentioned it before, but Urinetown is the only musical I have ever left at intermission.  In a musical rich with messages, I just didn't care what they were. 

I wasn't all that impressed with Jekyll and Hyde either. Beautiful music with great performances.  The story, as I recall, left us with no real sympathetic characters to be honest, so I just didn't care what happened to any of them. :L(

I have friends who loved both of them, and I know they both ran for a healthy period.

 

"

Really? I mean, even if you didn't like the book of Urinetown, the direction of the original in my opinion is enough to make anyone stay for the second act.

 

"

 

[TrippyTrellis]

Posted: 12/27/16 at 4:37am

Most overrated: "Hamilton", by a mile.

Most underrated: "Subways Are for Sleeping".

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 12/27/16 at 11:17am

I have to wonder how The Producers could be considered "underrated".  

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 12/27/16 at 11:29am

I think Dear Evan Hansen is extremely overrated, honestly.

[AHLiebross]

Posted: 12/27/16 at 5:33pm

I think Elf is too cutesy-pie and the characters are cardboard. Yet, because it is a Christmas show, it gets revived year after year. I'd therefore have to call Elf overrated.

I'm getting ready to duck the people throwing rotten tomatoes at me, but I found Hedwig incomprehensible and boring -- overrated.

I'd call Jekyll & Hyde and Flashdance overrated, except that I haven't heard too many people say they like them. However, I will give "Once Upon a Dream" credit for being a beautiful ballad.

As far as underrated shows go, I'd have to say the Yeston & Kopit Phantom. It could use some pruning, but the score is lovely. Also, when Tony winners can't get their show to Broadway, even though many people review it favorably in regional productions, that's got to mean it's underrated.

[ethan231h]

Posted: 12/27/16 at 8:58pm

BroadwayConcierge said: "I think Dear Evan Hansen is extremely overrated, honestly."

I'm sorry but, are/were you ever a teen?, are you a mother or father?, are you a social media user? are you sane?
 

As critic underatement goes, I'd say American Psycho, how i miss that show
Underrated (both audiences and critics): If/Then
Overrated: Peter and the Starcatcher, Matilda, Something Rotten (honestly not THAT funny), Great Comet

Updated On: 12/28/16 at 08:58 PM

Posted: 12/27/16 at 9:35pm

Overrated: Dear Evan Hansen, The music is really bland and boring imo. Sunday in the Park with George is also really boring to me.

Underrated: Xanadu 

Updated On: 12/27/16 at 09:35 PM

[GhostXmasPast]

Posted: 12/28/16 at 6:40am

Overrated: GreatvComet.  A boring slice of Russian History injected with every sort of staging gimmick in an effort to keep the audience awake and distracted from the book and score.

Underrated:  Sunday in the Park...

(And I am over 2,000 years old...)

[kdogg36]

Posted: 12/28/16 at 9:26am

I take "underrated/overrated" to mean nothing more than that I enjoyed a show more or less than most people seemed to. In that respect, I think Kinky Boots is overrated and Lysistrata Jones was underrated. The truth is, I enjoyed both shows quite a bit. Between the two of them, Kinky Boots has the better score, but Lysistrata Jones had a better, more original book (Kinky Boots is somewhat predictable Fierstein).

I consider both shows to be in the same league - enjoyable, even meaningful, but not fully satisfying. However, Kinky Boots won much acclaim and many awards, while Lysistrata Jones was widely condemned on this board and died a quick death on Broadway, which is why I consider the former "overrated" and the latter "underrated."

[geneb5]

Posted: 1/8/17 at 3:11pm

Most overrated: The Hal Prince production of "Sweeney Todd" (1979)

I saw the Staples High School (Westport, CT) production 2 years ago, and, without all that Princely pomposity, it was far superior. Admittedly, Staples is known as a great theatre school.

Exceptions:

--The lack of the astounding Angela Lansbury. Well, NO ONE can possibly match Ms. A.

--A truly unfortunate choice to employ the nonsensical modern day movie trope of the head-twist murder method (it's how Sweeney dispatches Mrs. Lovitt. Bleh.)

Other than those, it was cleaner, clearer, far more focused on the characters and story, without a bunch of distracting, attention-hogging directorial flourishes.

 

I'll go along with an overrated "Comet," but just barely. I admire what it was trying to do, and we thoroughly enjoyed being onstage right next to the actors. And everyone--every bit player, every stage hand, every major star--- worked so wonderfully hard, every second, to entertain. They used to call James Brown, "The hardest working man in show biz."

 

Well, I call Comet, "The hardest working show in show biz."

 

[geneb5]

Posted: 1/8/17 at 3:22pm

I forgot to mention "Cats" (the original production) as overrated.

 

So I'm sitting in the audience, fading in and out of consciousness, when I hear the guy behind me softly snoring. I'm thinking, "I know just how you feel, pal." I guess his friend must have poked him, because he stopped soon after. So I poke Jane next to me, whispering, "Did you hear the guy behind me snoring?"

 

And Jane goes, "Huh? What??"

 

I'd woken her up(!)

 

So if you count, say, the 6 people closest to you, the ones you are most aware of in a theatre, fully HALF (counting me) were asleep during the show.

 

Sounds about right to me.

 

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 1/8/17 at 3:48pm

Reading this thread, some people have freaking terrible taste.

Whoever said that DEH and Sunday are overrated and bland and then proceeded to say that Xanadu is underrated, thanks for a good laugh.  I've realized that some people are just hopeless.  Some people would rather stuff themselves with commercial junk.  It's sad and not a good sign for the future of theatre.

[hork]

Posted: 1/8/17 at 3:53pm

icecreambenjamin said: "Reading this thread, some people have freaking terrible taste.

Whoever said that DEH and Sunday are overrated and bland and then proceeded to say that Xanadu is underrated, thanks for a good laugh.  I've realized that some people are just hopeless.  Some people would rather stuff themselves with commercial junk.  It's sad and not a good sign for the future of theatre.

 

You know, it's possible for people to enjoy stuff that isn't commercial junk, but simply not enjoy those two particular examples. Do you like every non-commercial show?

Updated On: 1/8/17 at 03:53 PM

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 1/8/17 at 3:56pm

hork said: "icecreambenjamin said: "Reading this thread, some people have freaking terrible taste.

Whoever said that DEH and Sunday are overrated and bland and then proceeded to say that Xanadu is underrated, thanks for a good laugh.  I've realized that some people are just hopeless.  Some people would rather stuff themselves with commercial junk.  It's sad and not a good sign for the future of theatre.

 

You know, it's possible for people to enjoy stuff that isn't commercial junk, but simply not enjoy those two particular examples. Do you like every non-commercial show?

 

"

Seriously, are you that dense that you can't figure out what I'm trying to say?

Updated On: 1/8/17 at 03:56 PM

[hork]

Posted: 1/8/17 at 4:17pm

I can read, yes. If there's some kind of hidden message there, then no, I'm afraid I couldn't crack your code. Seems pretty straightforward to me, though. You're saying you love DEH and Sunday and anyone who would prefer to watch Xanadu is an unwashed philistine. That is what you're saying, isn't it? I just want to be clear that you're as much of an elitist snob as you come across.

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 1/8/17 at 4:57pm

^ What I'm saying, dumbass, is that some people can't tell the difference between good and bad theatre.  Xanadu certainly fits the mold for being bad theatre.  I'm saying that there is an obsession with stupid and poorly written theatre simply because people find it "fun."  It makes me worry for the future of musical theatre.

Also, I will be blocking you since you feel the need to constantly correct me.  You don't need to respond to me anymore.

Updated On: 1/8/17 at 04:57 PM

[hork]

Posted: 1/8/17 at 10:11pm

No, don't block me! How will I ever learn the difference between good and bad theatre without you?!!!!!

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 1/9/17 at 7:27am

theatreguy12 said: "I know I've mentioned it before, but Urinetown is the only musical I have ever left at intermission.  In a musical rich with messages, I just didn't care what they were. 

I wasn't all that impressed with Jekyll and Hyde either. Beautiful music with great performances.  The story, as I recall, left us with no real sympathetic characters to be honest, so I just didn't care what happened to any of them. :L(

I have friends who loved both of them, and I know they both ran for a healthy period.

 

"

URINETOWN is a parody of Brecht and Weill's THREEPENNY OPERA and a few of that team's other German works. The "messages" are deliberately generic because it's the burlesque that matters, not the content. It is a very clever, but rather young work. (I did not see it in NY and can't comment on the staging.) I'm sure it will play college campuses forever (which I do NOT mean as a criticism).