@DEClarke - TRIASSIC PARQ was sadly too-unseen by most of us to consider that an unpopular opinion... I had the great fortune, like yourself, of seeing that ridiculous little gem at the SoHo Playhouse this summer and thoroughly enjoyed myself to no end. So don't think that's an unpopular opinion, just a (sadly) under-represented one!
Words don't deserve that kind of malarkey. They're innocent, neutral, precise, standing for this, describing that, meaning the other, so if you look after them you can build bridges across incomprehension and chaos. But when they get their corners knocked off, they're no good anymore…I don't think writers are sacred, but words are. They deserve respect. If you get the right ones in the right order, you can nudge the world a little.
When it first opened, I thought WICKED was the biggest piece of overblown crap on stage.
Now... not quite the biggest. I've actually become rather fond of the show, for all its pretentiousness (People applauding "Defying Gravity"? Huh? It's a woman on a lift with about three thousand yards of black cotton!). And I'm so glad Disney didnt get its greasy little hands on it.
Now, as to the topic at hand? SPRING AWAKENING SUCKS. Bigger time than you could possible imagine.
@DEClarke - TRIASSIC PARQ was sadly too-unseen by most of us to consider that an unpopular opinion... I had the great fortune, like yourself, of seeing that ridiculous little gem at the SoHo Playhouse this summer and thoroughly enjoyed myself to no end. So don't think that's an unpopular opinion, just a (sadly) under-represented one!
This is such a great thread! Not sure if someone already said these cause I just skipped to the end of the thread but: I think John C. Reilly's rendition of Mr. Cellophane is better than anyone else's. I hate hate HATE Alan Cumming, especially in Cabaret. Ugh, he is so slimy and unattractive. Phantom of the Opera is incredibly overexposed and ridiculous. Andrew Lloyd Webber writes roughly five melodies per show and rehashes them again and again, which bothers me incessantly. (Not sure how unpopular this one is but) Stephen Sondheim is one of the most brilliant writers in the world.
@ all that jazz yeah i know but now that i'm actually going through the board there seems to be a ridiculous amount of sondheim-hate also now that i'm thinking about it i've got some other opinions: lynne thigpen should have won a tony for tintypes while I love Patti as a performer, I think her diva attitude is ridiculous while I understand why people would like Rent, i find every character obnoxious (and One Song Glory makes me want to iron my face) john larroquette completely robbed rory o'malley at the tony's
-Bonnie and Clyde remains one of my favorite theatergoing experiences. -Rannells deserved the Tony. -Being a fan of the original, I really enjoyed the bare revisal. -South Pacific is a bore. -Not sure how unpopular this is, but Chicago was one of the most torturous nights I've ever had. -Jeremy Jordan has an incredible voice. -Bernadette Peters is an incredible actress and singer, and was an excellent Sally.
I don't know if their actually better than Sondheim, they just happen to have written most of my favorite songs, Cabaret, Maybe this time, Ring them bells, New York New York, Kiss of the Spider Woman, my screen name... Sondheim has more overall better shows, but to me they have the best songs.
I saw Alice Ripley play Diana in May 2009 and it was the most brilliant performance I've ever seen. I saw her again several times after she won the Tony and couldn't help feeling like she'd stopped trying.
I love Sondheim but just cannot warm up to Into the Woods.
I saw Annie for the sole purpose of seeing Brynn O'Malley and was massively disappointed that she's playing Grace as a prissy bitch.
Add me to the chorus of people who thinks that Sondheim is a brilliant lyricist but (with the exception of some gems) can't get into his compositions at all.
And I guess to double negative the "unpopular" opinion, I still think Sutton Foster is everything I could ever want in a musical theatre performer.
I'm one of those people who, though it would never happen, thinks that maybe there should be a show with a competent librettist, Sondheim on lyrics, and ALW on music.
^I'm obsessed with that idea!!! I've always dreamed of a collaboration between ALW and Sondheim. Cameron should produce and Hal should direct. James Lapine could write the book. That'd be the most legendary show ever!!!
I haven't read all the pages of this thread, but this may be VERY unpopular: I think the middle of "Les Miserables" is boring, between the love story of adult Cosette and Marius and a group of bland songs. I also think that the recent "Les Mis" movie improved a few aspects of the stage production. For one thing, the new song makes clear that JVJ really loves the child instead of spending all those years raising her out of a sense of duty. Also, the movie closes a plot hole by giving JVJ a good reason for leaving resolution of the dispute between Fantine and the other woman to his horny foreman -- JVJ sees Javert lurking around.
Another opinion that might be more popular on a Focus on the Family Board (God forbid I should EVER be caught on one of those) is that I don't much like bad language on stage, nor do I like excessive violence. I'm also not usually fond of stage productions or movies that are excessively enamored of -- how do I put this -- humor based on explicit sex. Yet, despite this last statement, I thought that the Hugh Jackman segment in "Movie 43," otherwise an excessively violent and unfunny movie, was absolutely hilarious.
"And I guess to double negative the "unpopular" opinion, I still think Sutton Foster is everything I could ever want in a musical theatre performer."
My teeny-bopper is showing but I agree with this... My love for Sutton is undying. She can sing, she act, she can DANCE (not too common these days) and she is electric.
I love Sutton Foster as well. She is my musical theatre idol. I can't even express how talented she is- she is an incredible singer, actor, and dancer.