Unpopular theatre opinions- Page 8

[ArtMan]

Posted: 9/20/21 at 10:33pm

Some of the Tony winning musicals, I was bored and couldn't wait for them to be over.  My three least favorite Tony winners are A Gentleman's Guide To Love And Murder, Passion and Once.

[soulmistin]

Posted: 9/21/21 at 1:08am

Moulin Rouge is irreparably bad. With the jukebox score of songs that were barely tolerable five years ago, there is literally nothing that can make that show good. 

[Lousy]

Posted: 9/21/21 at 1:31am

Hadestown is a middling show that benefitted from opening in an otherwise weak year. In a standard year it would be third-string in the Best Musical race.

[soulmistin]

Posted: 9/21/21 at 2:12am

Lousy said: "Hadestown is a middling show that benefitted from opening in an otherwise weak year. In a standard year it would be third-string in the Best Musical race."

The thing is with Hadestown, and I say this as somebody whose favorite show it is, is that people connect with it for incredibly specific reasons that the show can’t necessarily take credit for. Like me personally, Orpheus (the current Broadway version, not the egomaniac from London) reminds me very much of my partner when we first met, so I sort of insert my own relationship into the story. That definitely wasn’t intended when the show was created, but connects me to it anyway. Most people I know who are obsessed with the show are also connected to it for random reasons.

So unless you’re hyper empathetic, or the show connects to your life experience in some way, there’s probably not too much for you left. It’s not like say Miss Saigon where it’s very rooted in reality and it’s impossible not to empathize.  It certainly isn’t known for being a flashy show, so all it really has is it’s content. And if you don’t like that, the other small scale features won’t impress you. 
 

My VERY unpopular opinion about the show is that I think it was actually too short, and would have done well being more of a traditional opera length. Not marketable for Broadway obviously, but I think it would have been better that way. 

[uncageg]

Posted: 9/21/21 at 2:40am

poisonivy2 said: "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."

Same here. I found it to be repetitive also.

 

[themadmarchhare]

Posted: 9/21/21 at 3:56am

I don’t find The Play That Goes Wrong funny. The slapstick is super obvious and overplayed so you know exactly what’s going to happen, then they over-egg their reactions to let you know that ‘look something’s gone wrong!’
It would be better if they played it more straight and let the mistakes happen more organically so they felt believable and trusted the audience to laugh by themselves.
I want to love it because I’m a fan of old fashioned vaudeville slapstick, but they just don’t do it very well.

Also a lot of the hate towards ‘commercial’ shows comes across as snobbishness. Just because something is based on a movie, TV show or other property doesn’t mean it’s a cheap cash grab. The only reason Spongebob the musical didn’t win more Tony awards was because people judged it on its name and that it was based on a cartoon rather than how good the show actually was. As well as Ethan Slater and Gavin Lee, Mike Dobson deserved more recognition for doing live foley artistry every night without missing a beat.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 9/21/21 at 7:43am

Can you PROVE anything you said in your second paragraph?  No?   I hated every minute of Spongebob, I'm sure I'm not alone.

 

(But I largely agree with you on The Play that Goes Wrong....but not on your reasoning.)

[themadmarchhare]

Posted: 9/21/21 at 11:18am

As the thread title says, this is an opinion not something to ‘PROVE’

[bway0]

Posted: 9/21/21 at 11:33am

jonartdesigns said: "

-Tammy Blanchard is miscast as Audrey"

Oh I don't think that is unpopular at all. If you said she was cast perfectly then that would be the unpopular opinion haha 

[DiscoCrows]

Posted: 9/21/21 at 11:37am

For a long time I thought the hype around Ginna Claire Mason in Wicked was a bit much... I saw her touring a few years ago and just didn't remember much of her performance at all. I felt like I was missing something I suppose.

Then they did their Tonight Show appearance the other day, and jeez. She's like a Disney princess and plays it with such nuance, I love that it isn't just the very "by the numbers" bouncing off the walls Glinda most folks tend to play up. This might be one of Wicked's best TV appearances... ever.

[bway0]

Posted: 9/21/21 at 11:38am

soulmistin said: "Moulin Rouge is irreparably bad. With the jukebox score of songs that were barely tolerable five years ago, there is literally nothing that can make that show good."

Growing up my favorite movie of all time was Moulin Rouge. And still is. I watched that movie so many times my dvd broke and my family had to buy me a new one. That said, when I heard Moulin Rouge was finally coming to Broadway, I was extremely excited and couldn't wait to buy tickets. Once I heard about the music within the show, I thought wait.. what? Why change the music?! The movie music would have worked on stage. But unfortunately, that is not the case. Had the show kept the movie music, I would have seen the show 10 times by now. But I just can't see myself going and enjoying a Katy Perry song. 

[rattleNwoolypenguin]

Posted: 9/21/21 at 11:53am

Moulin Rouge is a lightning in a bottle movie because of every element specific to the movie and it was just so its own thing and fresh in its originality. And that's what the creators of the broadway show didn't realize. Is it SHOULD be stupid. But the movie is what makes it work.

The star is Baz Luhrman's vision

Updated On: 9/21/21 at 11:53 AM

[dramamama611]

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

Yes, that's right but your assertion that "the only reason Spongebob the musical didn’t win more Tony awards was because people judged it on its name and that it was based on a cartoon rather than how good the show actually was" didn't sound much like an opinion. 

[Nolan LuPone]

Posted: 9/21/21 at 2:00pm

The music from Les Miserables SUCKS.

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 9/21/21 at 2:02pm

You can absolutely be a fan of a musical through listening to cast recordings, even if you can’t see the show.

You can NOT judge an actors performance based on an illegally obtained recording. If you post that online-THEY SEE YOUR RUDE COMMENTS. That affects them. See the show live, then judge, and if you can’t, just hush. Don’t judge them based on a bootleg or recording. It’s not fair.

[soulmistin]

Posted: 9/21/21 at 4:30pm

bway0 said: "soulmistin said: "Moulin Rouge is irreparably bad. With the jukebox score of songs that were barely tolerable five years ago, there is literally nothing that can make that show good."

Growing up my favorite movie of all time was Moulin Rouge. And still is. I watched that movie so many times my dvd broke and my family had to buy me a new one. That said, when I heard Moulin Rouge was finally coming to Broadway, I was extremely excited and couldn't wait to buy tickets. Once I heard about the music within the show, I thought wait.. what? Why change the music?! The movie music would have worked on stage. But unfortunately, that is not the case. Had the show kept the movie music, I would have seen the show 10 times by now. But I just can't see myself going and enjoying a Katy Perry song."

Yes, exactly this. Moulin Rouge was also my favorite movie as a kid, and I was so excited when I heard it was being adapted. I thought it would be an easy transition considering it's already a musical but they somehow screwed that up.

 

[soulmistin]

Posted: 9/21/21 at 4:31pm

Nolan LuPone said: "The music from Les Miserables SUCKS."

 

I'm going to have to ask you to elaborate on this one if you wouldn't mind.

[rattleNwoolypenguin]

Posted: 9/21/21 at 4:35pm

Nolan LuPone said: "The music from Les Miserables SUCKS."

Oh I so agree with this. It's a whole score of songs that sound like variations on God Bless America

[Nolan LuPone]

Posted: 9/21/21 at 6:28pm

soulmistin said: "I'm going to have to ask you to elaborate on this one if you wouldn't mind."

Gladly. I don't have a problem with the lyrics, but the same musical themes are used over and over and over again for three hours. Not only is it overly repetative, but the written notes can sound cheesy at times and throughout the show there is an annoying "shring" noise  (Can be heard at the beginning of Fantine's Death:Come To Me on the Original London Cast Recording). 

[jonartdesigns]

Posted: 9/23/21 at 2:29pm

Nolan LuPone said: "soulmistin said: "I'm going to have to ask you to elaborate on this one if you wouldn't mind."

Gladly. I don't have a problem with the lyrics, but the same musical themes are used over and over and over again for three hours. Not only is it overly repetative, but the written notes can sound cheesy at times and throughout the show there isan annoying "shring" noise (Can be heard at the beginning of Fantine's Death:Come To Me on the Original London Cast Recording)."

I have to agree about the music reuse, it reminds me of Wonderful Town in that way. I appreciate repeating themes when they make sense, but when it's disconnected characters basically singing the same song over and over it's irritating.  

 

I also believe that Spongebob was not given a chance. It was certainly one of the most visually creative things I have ever seen. Also Ethan Slater and Gavin Lee both very much deserved to win Tonys for their work.

[RunnyBabbit]

Posted: 9/23/21 at 8:54pm

My unpopular opinion: Patti LuPone’s voice is grating and all I can see in her performances is Patti LuPone, not the character.

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 9/23/21 at 11:24pm

The 2019 Cast Recording of Little Shop of Horrors is probably the best recording (except for Tammy Blanchard's autotune), and I'd feel comfortable calling it the definitive version of my favorite show.

[Plannietink08]

Posted: 9/24/21 at 10:29am

Marisha Wallace is an incredible singer but a bad, bad actor. I saw her in WAITRESS and she was completely checked out of the performance, she’d say her line and move on. When she sang it was like magic! I saw a Tuesday matinee so I put it down to low energy.

Then I saw her in HAIRSPRAY and the same thing happened except I saw the show early in the run and on an evening show. She said her line with no acting behind it whatsoever and just stood there waiting for her next line. Then when she opened her mouth to sing it was a completely different story!

I’d listen to her sing the phonebook but her acting leaves a lot to be desired. I’m suddenly understanding why she says in interviews “I auditioned for this role on Broadway but didn’t get it but now I’m playing it in London”

[<3Ragtime2]

Posted: 9/25/21 at 5:39pm

I don't like Hamilton. God help me, I tried. 

[WestEndGal]

Posted: 9/25/21 at 7:53pm

I’m not entirely sure how unpopular these opinions actually are (well at least the first one lol) but here it goes ….

- Lin Manuel Miranda can’t sing, period! He can’t really act either lol.

- I don’t get the hype for Sara Bareilles as Jenna in Waitress. Of course she sings the crap out of the songs, but I thought her acting was pretty hammy!

- Defying Gravity does nothing for me, and rarely does anyone sound good singing it!

- Shoshana Bean needs to stop riffing so much and just sing the dang melody lol!

- Smash’s ‘Hit List’ would actually make a really good musical and I could see it being an off Broadway hit for real.

- Smash’s ‘Bombshell’ is one of the best musical theatre scores I’ve ever heard.