Unpopular theatre opinions- Page 7

[CT2NYC]

Posted: 7/29/20 at 4:41pm

imeldasturn said: "CT2NYC said: "Evan Hansen haters seem to ignore the fact that, during his first meeting with the Murphys, he says, "Connor didn't write this," more than once. In the next scene, Jared balks when Evan says that he's going to tell them the truth at dinner, and he pushes him to continue with his lie of omission. When he sees that it's bringing comfort to the family, especially Mrs. Murphy, then it starts to snowball, but it definitely wasn't malicious, and certainly not unforgivable."

Evan Hansen apologists seem to ignore thefact that in act twohe keeps lying and starts making up more false evidences when he sees that his new popularity starts slipping away."

Believe me, I'm not a DEH superfan, and I don't ignore anything that Evan does, but I think it's unfair to basically call him a sociopath because a simple misunderstanding spirals out of control, regardless of the bad decisions he continues to make. I judge his character based on how the unfortunate situation started, not how it ended up.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 7/29/20 at 4:46pm

Evan Hansen apologists....

What a stupid label. People who have a different opinion than you on Evan are NOT apologists. Ridiculous. 

[imeldasturn]

Posted: 7/29/20 at 5:08pm

Sutton Ross said: "Evan Hansen apologists....

What a stupid label. People who have a different opinion than you on Evan are NOT apologists. Ridiculous."

Lol an apologist is simply someone who speaks in defense of something... you can be an Hawaiian pizza apologist or a Star Wars prequels apologist.

[Charley Kringas Inc]

Posted: 7/29/20 at 5:16pm

"Apologists" haha. I maintain that DEH cheats in its last act by functionally eliding the aftermath via "So Big, So Small", where Evan's mom's expression of unconditional love acts as a placeholder for everyone else's forgiveness. It's a beautiful moment, but Evan's actual actions are left unresolved. As a result, the final scene where Zoe is like "thanks for helping my family" before Evan is like "I'm me and that's great!" is such a weird, artificial narrative lurch. It brute forces an emotional conclusion, and if you're not won over by the actor playing Evan it means the whole show comes across as lopsided.

I don't think this would feel like half as big a deal as it does if the show hadn't branded itself as some kind of mental health awareness breakthrough.

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 7/29/20 at 5:40pm

It'd definitely be interesting to see what the show would be like if it had been written today, in the wake of "cancel culture". Weren't there earlier drafts of the show where the Murphy's didn't keep the secret and Evan was a social pariah?

[rattleNwoolypenguin]

Posted: 7/30/20 at 12:41pm

My bigger hill I die on with Evan Hansen is I hate "Liar reveal" plots. It's thoroughly predictable and you're just watching it play out.

[hork]

Posted: 7/30/20 at 2:19pm

rattleNwoolypenguin said: "My bigger hill I die on with Evan Hansen is I hate "Liar reveal" plots. It's thoroughly predictable and you're just watching it play out."

I agree with that. Every “liar” plot I dread the eventual reveal of the lie and the predictable way it plays out. That’s why it’s so gratifying on the rare occasion when it’s not revealed. 

[Elfuhbuh]

Posted: 7/30/20 at 4:09pm

Cats is a fun, harmless show, and people who complain about it are taking it way too seriously.

Into the Woods has a pointlessly bleak message. Phantom 100% deserved Best Musical.

Ghost was a lot better than people gave it credit for. It was one of the few times I actually cried during a live performance.

Dance of the Vampires deserves another chance on Broadway.

Once was boring.

Catch Me If You Can deserved to be a hit.

Updated On: 7/30/20 at 04:09 PM

[TheJabob08]

Posted: 8/10/20 at 12:17am

BMC was good on broadway, except for a few times when the cast went to ham.

I find all ALW musicals (except for Joseph and School Of Rock) extremely boring.

I will never like Wicked. Just my opinion. The score is too slow and melancholy.

Brigadoon is just dumb.

Les Miz might be the most expensive nap I've ever had.

Presley Ryan should have been the original Lydia.

Hadestown is WAY too overrated and half of those Tony's should have gone to Beetlejuice or Be More Chill.

What's all of the hype over Waitress about.

Avenue Q should have never closed.

James Monroe Iglehart is way underused as a comedic performer.

Into the Woods is just confusing.

New Little Shop movie with Groff and Borle needs to be done.

CHRISTIAN BORLE is INCREDIBLE!!

Smash revival: Bombshell is closing, but Hit List is doing great. Ivy is jealous of Karen. Bobby takes Jimmy's role. Jimmy gets assaulted in jail and becomes really mentally unstable. Daisy dies and Ana takes back her place in HL. Derek does a touring production of HL, but Eileen tricks Jerry into giving her control over Hl.  Houston and Levitt decide to adapt a Sherlock Holmes musical that breaks the fourth wall.

Mean Girls is overrated. 

Will Roland was a better Jeremy.

[broadwayindie]

Posted: 8/10/20 at 1:21am

I've never cared for Carol Channing. I just don't get her talent.

I don't think Madeline Kahn was an excellent singer (yes even in On The 20th Century).

Rosalie Craig was an excellent Bobbi vocally.

The 2018 Carousel Revival was excellent

The 2016 Sweet Charity revival was perfect.

My Fair Lady is just not a good show.

Miss Saigon rests on the music too hard and not enough on the story. Also, the helicopter is mediocre stagecraft.

Mamma Mia, may have been a bad show... but the production values were also horrible and just felt cheap.

Caroline Or Change is one of the most underrated musicals of all time and should have swept the 2004 Tonys.

Tamyra Grey, Deborah Cox, Heath Saunders are insanely underrated.

Chicago (the city, not musical) does not get nearly enough respect as a theater hub.

Tracy Letts is probably the most talented person in theater.

Joshua Henry was the best Burr and Karen Olivo was the best Angelica.

Something Just Broke is one of Sondheim's 10 best songs.

Audra McDonald has never been bad in anything she's ever done. She's a perfect performer.

There should be more Baritone, Bass and Alto leads.

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 8/10/20 at 8:14am

Charlie Rosen is one of the most creative and innovative orchestrators working on Broadway today, and he absolutely should have been nominated for his work on Be More Chill. Just the difference between the first and second cast albums is incredible.

[Joshua Rosenthal]

Posted: 8/10/20 at 11:23am

I dont like Harvey Fierstein’s voice. I don’t get the hype around it, I don’t like hearing it, and it kinda makes listening to the OBC recording of Hairspray hard to listen to when he sings. Otherwise I love the album, hell i even love him as a performer and as a playwright and composer/Lyricist. I just don’t like his voice is all. Also I didn’t like Roland as Jeremy. He is a good actor even as Jeremy and has a good voice UNTIL he starts to get way too nasally. I don’t know if it’s just his voice or if it’s a character choice (or even a directorial choice from someone else) but I didn’t like his performance in that sense. At a few points in the show it became hard to listen to and at one point I literally cringed. First time I did that while seeing a Broadway show live

[rattleNwoolypenguin]

Posted: 8/11/20 at 1:38pm

Into the Woods does not have a pointlessly bleak message at all...

it's very hopeful and honest about the relationship of parent and child as well as the necessity of community effort in times of crisis.

What's bleak about that? IT'S WHAT WE ARE LIVING THROUGH haha

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 8/11/20 at 5:31pm

Of recent memory:

The recent Cats revival was much better than I thought it would be. Still not a great show, but certainly manageable.

I will admit that I had a good time at Escape to Margaritaville. It truly was not the disaster I was preparing for. The escapism factor in particular worked to perfection (a la Mamma Mia!, to a degree)- it was one of those shows where I could let loose and veer away from the plot. I saw a preview; it was frigid cold outside and I was in the mood for an easygoing, "tropical" show like that. Still not above-average overall, though.

I don't like Telly Leung and Carolee Carmello's singing voices. Leung sounds too nasal, and Carmello- despite her strong, beautiful presence in every show she does- needs to ease up on her vibrato.

I loved Something Rotten! more than I did The Book of Mormon.

Waitress was easily one of the worst shows I've ever seen. Great Comet ranks as one of my best. (Just thought I'd put that out there, because GC is not a "conventional" show, by all means)

From what I have seen and heard, Moulin Rouge! was better in Boston than in New York.

Judging from a tryout audio, a lot of the songs from Mrs. Doubtfire sound like tunes I have heard before, both in and out of the theatre world. (Someone else could possibly post a comment like this somewhere on the message boards again if Doubtfire eventually reopens. If not, I'll be more specific if more people get to see it)

Going forward, Broadway Cares fundraising should be less competitive and more collaborative. Don't pit shows against each other seeing who can raise the most money; work together to try and set new records.

 

 

 

Updated On: 8/11/20 at 05:31 PM

[joevitus]

Posted: 8/11/20 at 6:27pm

Alex Kulak2 said: "Charlie Rosen is one of the most creative and innovative orchestrators working on Broadway today, and he absolutely should have been nominated for his work onBe More Chill. Just the difference between the first and second cast albums is incredible."

It sure is. But in the exact opposite way than you assume.

[Soaring29]

Posted: 9/20/21 at 4:45am

1. Sondheim can be very hypocritical about different interpretations of his work and the work that he admires. And I don't understand why Follies is hyped up to the high heavens and to a lesser extent Sunday in the Park With George. 

2. Spring Awakening has incredible music but a lot of the sexual humor in it takes away from the darkness of the show. I get any piece like that needs a bit of a lift but it throws off the balance of the show. 

3. Never cared that much for A Chorus Line. 

4. Composers should write more legit musical theatre style scores again. Sick of the pop/rock/contemporary MT trend. 

5. Not necessarily an unpopular opinion but Ragtime glosses over and then glorifies Coalhouse's violent actions too much. 

6. People on here look down on people who have just experienced the cast albums of shows and that pisses me off. Live theatre is a luxury and not everybody has the time or money to go to them nor does most of the country live in NYC. Those albums were life saving for me and many others. So take your snobbishness elsewhere. 

[bway0]

Posted: 9/20/21 at 7:57am

TheJabob08 said: “New Little Shop movie with Groff and Borle needs to be done.”


I actually would love this. I’m not a fan of the original movie but would love a remake with Groff and Borle. I keep missing everything Groff is in so I’d love a chance to see him in this even if in movie form. 

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 9/20/21 at 10:08am

Not every single movie turned musical needs a movie too. Proshot? Yes. I’d support that. A movie musical? Step too far and unnecessary.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 9/20/21 at 12:23pm

Soaring29 said: "6. People on here look down on people who have just experienced the cast albums of shows and that pisses me off. Live theatre is a luxury and not everybody has the time or money to go to them nor does most of the country live in NYC. Those albums were life saving for me and many others. So take your snobbishness elsewhere."

 

Im not sure I've ever seen this happen - except, perhaps, when someone misunderstands a show (or a part of it) because they haven't seen it.  

 

[poisonivy2]

Posted: 9/20/21 at 1:03pm

Here's one: I dislike the choreography for Hamilton. I never thought it added much to the show and at times was distracting from the main action. 

[jonartdesigns]

Posted: 9/20/21 at 6:08pm

- Something Rotten was a much better musical than Fun Home. Fun home was much more of a play with music to me.

- Cotton candy fluff musicals still have plenty of merit

- I truly don't "get"  Six

Edited to add a few I forgot.

-George Salazar overacts to a distracting degree

-Tammy Blanchard is miscast as Audrey 

Updated On: 9/21/21 at 06:08 PM

[rattleNwoolypenguin]

Posted: 9/20/21 at 6:09pm

The songs in Beetlejuice are infuriating structurally. A lot of them have catchy ideas but they don't develop them so the songs don't stay memorable. 

 

 

[NameGreg]

Posted: 9/20/21 at 6:54pm

Joshua Rosenthal said: "I dont like Harvey Fierstein’s voice. I don’t get the hype around it, I don’t like hearing it, and it kinda makes listening to the OBC recording of Hairspray hard to listen to when he sings. Otherwise I love the album, hell i even love him as a performer and as a playwright and composer/Lyricist. I just don’t like his voice is all. Also I didn’t like Roland as Jeremy. He is a good actor even as Jeremy and has a good voice UNTIL he starts to get way too nasally. I don’t know if it’s just his voice or if it’s a character choice (or even a directorial choice from someone else) but I didn’t like his performance in that sense. At a few points in the show it became hard to listen to and at one point I literally cringed. First time I did that while seeing a Broadway show live "

I like Harvey but don’t enjoy him acting in musicals, he just can’t sing. To a lesser extent, Carol Channing’s voice can irritate me at times.

[gibsons2]

Posted: 9/20/21 at 7:06pm

I'm the only person I know who wasn't impressed with Wicked. I actually almost fell asleep during the second act. There were a couple of numbers and stage design that were great, but I was stunned that this musical has lasted for such a long time and constantly sells well. However, to be fair, the only time I saw it was during the work week and I was exhausted. Since then I was always doubting myself whether the musical itself or my tiredness that day was the reason I didnt care for the show. That being said, I've decided to give Wicked another chance, so I'm seeing it again next week. Will make sure I'm getting a shot of espresso before the show!

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 9/20/21 at 7:10pm

To Joart

Agree on 1& 2 .Did not see Six. Here are some really heavy duty ones

1 . Not a Hamilton fan. Loved In The Heights. Hamilton left my wife and I cold. After watching a great quality boot we gave up after 15 minutes We just did not get it
2. We are Frank Wildhorne fans .He only writes the music He does not write lyrics or the shows.We enjoy his musicals. Sadly most of his shows we will never see
3. We rarely hated shows .