Unpopular Ratings. Share Your Opinions Respectfully Please.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 10/30/22 at 1:52am

I have been seeing a few shows, so my new ratings:

* bad time

**ok time

***good time

****very good time

*****excellent time

Broadway: 

&Juliet  **

Aladdin **

Boop **

Book of Mormon *

Cabaret ** Adam Lambert *****

Chicago ***

The Great Gatsby **

Death Becomes Her ****

Hadestown *

Hamilton *

Hell's Kitchen ***

Lion King *

Maybe Happy Ending *

MJ **

Moulin Rouge *

Oh Mary *

The Outsiders *

Real Women Have Curves *****

Smash *

Sunset BLVD. **

Wicked ***


 


Off Broadway:

Sleep No More*
Titanique **

Teeth *



 

London:

Frozen ****

Frankie Goes To Bollywood **

Kiss Me Kate *

Starlight Express **

Guys and Dolls *


 

Updated On: 3/30/25 at 01:52 AM

[The Other One]

Posted: 10/30/22 at 6:34am

People who only see musicals *

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 10/30/22 at 10:15am

I'm 100% guilty! I think after I saw POTUS I decided never to pay that much to see plays.

[inception]

Posted: 10/30/22 at 10:20am

Star rating systems alone don't give much information.   I prefer reading reviews that give more information.  For example, why did you have a bad time at Hamilton?  Was it all understudies when you saw it?

[JoeW4]

Posted: 10/30/22 at 10:34am

muscle23ftl said: "I'm 100% guilty! I think after I saw POTUS I decided never to pay that much to see plays."

 

I'm curious what's behind this feeling, and why POTUS in particular?

POTUS is a pretty specific brand of slapstick comedy that's actually kind of rare these days, so it's not very representative of the typical "play experience."

That is, if there even IS a typical "play experience." In the same way that & Juliet vs. Kimberly Akimbo are both musicals, but offer very different viewing experienes, the same is true for plays. I'd even say that the plays in NYC are even more diverse in style, content, and tone than the musicals. And since you seem to hate half the musicals you see anyway, why not get more data points on the play front? You might end up loving half the plays you see.

Also, POTUS had cheap tix available throughout their run, so if it's the price that turned you off, it might just be that you overpaid

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 10/30/22 at 4:21pm

Regarding Hamilton, I guess I don't like musicals or plays when nothing resonates with me. I didn't connect with Hamilton at all.

Regarding POTUS, you're totally right, it's totally different than most plays, but in general, I don't love plays. There have been some exceptions, such as Closer, The Normal Heart and a few more, but usually plays don't engage me and I thought POTUS was one of the very worst plays I've seen.

[Jarethan]

Posted: 10/30/22 at 5:44pm

I would say the following for the shows I have seen that are open or scheduled to open, with one exception.

* bad time
**ok time
***good time
****very good time
*****excellent time

 

A Beautiful Noise **

1776 ***

Strange Loop -- No interest

Aladdin **

Almost Famous **

Beetlejuice -- No Interest

Book of Mormon ***

Chicago *****

Funny Girl (with Lea) *** (Lea is *****, without her, it would be **)

Hadestown *

Hamilton ***** (But I find that it is not as enjoyable with repeated viewings)

Kimberly Akimbo ***

KPOP -- No interest in seeing

Lion King ***

Moulin Rouge *****

Music Man ***

Six ***

Phantom *****

Wicked ****

Sing Street (Boston) **

Death of a Salesman ****

The Piano Lesson ****

Leopoldstadt ****

Harry Potter **

POTUS **** (I laughed my head off)

No * ratings.  Thinking about it, I would go back a few seasons ago to come up with productions that I felt were *'s:

Gary *

Frankie and Johnnie (I was bored stiff and admit that I can't stand Michael Shannon) *

Tootsie * (maybe I could stretch to a ** because of the book, which was very funny.

I would also point out that I only get to NYC 2-3 times a year; and, as a result, I do a lot of pre-screening.  Whereas I would have seen even badly reviewed shows when I lived in NYC and NJ, I drarely do that now.  Whereas I used to see well reviewed shows even if I thought I would hate them, I don't do that anymore.  As a result, the majority of shows I see have already gotten good reviews or have gotten good feedback on places like this board.

 

 

Updated On: 10/30/22 at 05:44 PM

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 10/30/22 at 6:00pm

Funny enough, Beetlejuice I saw recently because I thought I'd hate it and I loved it.

[josibroadwayfan2]

Posted: 10/30/22 at 6:14pm

* bad time

**ok time

***good time

****very good time

*****excellent time


Strange Loop ***

Chicago **


Hamilton *****

Kimberly Akimbo *****

Leopoldstaadt *****

Lion King ***

Music Man *****

Phantom ***

Six ****
Take Me Out (saw it back in the Spring) *****

Wicked ****

 

I personally loved POTUS and was laughing the entire time

 

[Jarethan]

Posted: 10/30/22 at 6:58pm

muscle23ftl said: "Funny enough, Beetlejuice I saw recently because I thought I'd hate it and I loved it."

Here is why I have no interest in it:

-- I hated the movie.  I guess I just don't have the 'sensibility' for its kind of humor, despite its being considered a minor classic

-- I didn't like the opening number on the Tony's

-- I have seen several other numbers on other shows and really didn't like them.

I have had cases where I expected to hate something but ended up enjoying it, but I cannot think of anything that I ended up loving.  But there is always tomorrow.

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 10/30/22 at 9:34pm

Strange Loop   --Sorry, could not convince my husband to see a musical about writing a musical.

Aladdin *** pleasant theme park show

Almost Famous *** Almost a good musical (but we saw a standby for the lead)

Book of Mormon **

Chicago **** (back in '96 with OC, last time I went)

Funny Girl (with Julie) **** (with Lea, ****-- preferred Julie's vulnerability and honesty but brilliant Tovah made up the 4th star)

Hadestown ***** -- easily my favorite new musical of the past decade

Hamilton *** --only saw the LA tour cast

Lion King **** -- its best scenes are true theater art

Moulin Rouge ** --empty spectacle

Music Man *** --great ensemble work but what a weird book

Six * -- haven't detested anything this much since Flying Over Sunset and the Fish Oklahoma.

Phantom **** (back in 1992, the last time I went)

Wicked ***

Leopoldstadt **** 

Harry Potter **

A Man of No Importance at CSC: **** great evening of moving theater despite a lackluster Jim Parsons.

 

Updated On: 10/30/22 at 09:34 PM

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 10/30/22 at 11:01pm

Jarethan said: "muscle23ftl said: "Funny enough, Beetlejuice I saw recently because I thought I'd hate it and I loved it."

Here is why I have no interest in it:

-- I hated the movie. I guess I just don't have the 'sensibility' for its kind of humor, despite its being considered a minor classic

-- I didn't like the opening number on the Tony's

-- I have seen several other numbers on other shows and really didn't like them.

I have had cases where I expected to hate something but ended up enjoying it, but I cannot think of anything that I ended up loving. But there is always tomorrow."

I hated the movie too, and I hate movies turn into Broadway musicals too and I didn't like the performance at the Tonys, but the talent of Alex and Leslie is worth the ticket price alone. Also, it's super morbid and hilariously funny. I think you should try to get cheap tix to Beetlejuice and KPOP. I think you will be surprised. Just my 2 cents!

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 10/30/22 at 11:03pm

BTW I paid $40 for POTUS and I felt I was stuck in a super long and terrible SNL skit. The first 2 seconds of Rachel Dratch full of blood was funny, then her shtick got old really quick and they kept dragging that for 40 minutes.

[josibroadwayfan2]

Posted: 10/31/22 at 12:00am

For POTUS I got a rush ticket that was about $40 and I thought that the show was totally worth it. I personally loved it, but can understand why some people did not like it. I thought that it was funny, and that Rachel Dratch was so good!

[Impeach2017]

Posted: 10/31/22 at 9:01am

You seem to dislike things with too many words.  Understandable.  

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 10/31/22 at 10:09am

Well, I was saying I loved A Normal Heart, which is very wordy. So maybe you should read the thread again?

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 10/31/22 at 11:25am

Someone in a Tree2 said: "Strange Loop --Sorry, could not convince my husband to see a musical about writing a musical.

Aladdin *** pleasant theme park show

Almost Famous *** Almost a good musical (but we saw a standby for the lead)

Book of Mormon **

Chicago **** (back in '96 with OC, last time I went)

Funny Girl (with Julie) **** (with Lea, ****-- preferred Julie's vulnerability and honesty but brilliant Tovah made up the 4th star)

Hadestown ***** -- easily my favorite new musical of the past decade

Hamilton *** --only saw the LA tour cast

Lion King **** -- its best scenes are true theater art

Moulin Rouge ** --empty spectacle

Music Man *** --great ensemble work but what a weird book

Six * -- haven't detested anything this much since Flying Over Sunset and the Fish Oklahoma.

Phantom **** (back in 1992, the last time I went)

Wicked ***

Leopoldstadt ****

Harry Potter **

A Man of No Importance at CSC: **** great evening of moving theater despite a lackluster Jim Parsons.

"

I totally respect your opinions because I know not every show is for every person. But why did you hate Six so much? Just curious if you feel like elaborating. 

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 10/31/22 at 11:48am

I love the (*) for Six, I haven't seen the show yet. Not willing to spend over $30 to see 6 actors on stage with no change of costumes and only 4 musicians. It feels like such a small show with so little spending shouldn't charge this much, but the American people want to see Six and not a show with a full cast like Diana and 28 costume changes just for Jeanna and lavish sets. The producers of Six must have made a fortune to make so much out of a cheap show. I adored a Strange Loop but it definitely felt more like an Off Broadway show to me. I attended the Tony awards and when Six performed people went nuts and I didn't really care for it. But then again, I haven't seen the show, so I can't really comment.

[mar6411]

Posted: 10/31/22 at 12:26pm

Lol. But you did.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 10/31/22 at 12:40pm

I find it very difficult to respect someone's one-star rating when they admittedly haven't even seen the show (and I didn't really like Six either, FWIW, but at least I SAW it before posting an opinion...)

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 10/31/22 at 1:13pm

Six was trash. I was bored the whole time. But, I can say that because I sat there for 80 minutes and watched it. No one can or should review a show they haven't seen tho. 

Updated On: 10/31/22 at 01:13 PM

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 10/31/22 at 1:47pm

I really think some people have comprehension issues on this board. I am just commenting on the one number I saw at the Tonys, not on the show. I never gave the show any stars, I'm commenting on the user that gave SIX 1 star. Look at the original post, Six isn't rated.

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 10/31/22 at 2:25pm

Sutton Ross said: "Six was trash. I was bored the whole time. But, I can say that because I sat there for 80 minutes and watched it. No one can or should review a show they haven't seen tho."

I also don't believe it's fair to judge a show off of a bootleg. The performers who are great in real life could have many factors working against them-sound issues because phone microphones or whatever people use to record are not good quality, bad day performance wise when they're usually great...so many factors. I don't feel it's fair to say someone is good or bad if you haven't seen them live. You can say you might be interested in a show, but I agree that commenting on a show/performer you have not seen should not be done. 

[DiscoCrows]

Posted: 10/31/22 at 3:41pm

DEH works better as a film than it does on stage.

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 10/31/22 at 5:32pm

"I totally respect your opinions because I know not every show is for every person. But why did you hate Six so much? Just curious if you feel like elaborating."

A pleasure to read your perfectly respectful query which deserves a perfectly respectful reply. 

I wouldn't have thought SIX was for me, a 67-year-old gay guy with no especial love for the Spice Girls. But I really enjoyed some cuts of the London Cast Recording of SIX-- somehow those East London lower class accents made the songs witty, ironic and smart. Seeing them performed on Broadway with Valley-girl American accents suddenly removed the underclass irony-- it just sounded like the amateur high school project that it apparently began as. I was shocked to discover zero staging ideas, zero production values (even the Spice Girls concerts give you costume changes), and the sort of choreography any of us could have improvised on an after-hours dance floor.

And here's my biggest beef with the show-- it structures itself as a contest to decide which of the wives has the most miserable story to tell-- why? Who the hell knows. But an hour into the 80 minute show the cast suddenly decides that that contest is a terrible idea-- and a reflection of the evil patriarchy of history in general. Sure, it IS a terrible idea, but why then did your writers foist it upon your audience in the first place??? Nothing pisses me off more than sitting through a noisy, hollow hour of so-called entertainment and then being told none of it mattered anyway.