Stand-by Joined: 6/19/16
Hello you all...I am hoping that you and your family are safe and sound during these unfortunate times.
I was asking what musical you saw that was so terrible that you walked out or just felt you waisted money or became angry or whatever???
For me it was Applause all the way back...in 1970. I won't go into why I thought it was awful. A few years later I saw Sugar another stinker. In recent years it's been Tarzan, Women On The Verge and The Cher Show..but the Worst for me was a musical called Is There life After High School back in 1986 I believe. I left after the third number.
Anyway... please share. Thank you.
Worst as in “God-awful with absolutely zero redeeming features such as being so-bad-it’s-good”? That would be BKLYN.
Broadway Star Joined: 3/10/19
I'd say Mary Poppins. The music was very obviously attempting to catch that lightning-in-a-bottle magic of the Sherman Brothers, and it didn't work. I personally feel that Mary Poppins Returns actually got closer to that magic. That being said, the technical effects were pretty great, and it'll always have a special place in my heart as my first Broadway musical, so even if it's the worst musical I've seen, it's definitely not the worst one in the world.
Funny - seeing “Mary Poppins” on broadway originally I absolutely hated it. I thought it was just a miserable 12 hours (or however long it dragged on for). But seeing the revival in London a few months ago, I ADORED it. Whatever they did to it, they just made it so great. Maybe one day it’ll open back up and I can get to see it again.
My daughters would say "Cats", mine would be "Good Vibrations" which my lifelong Beach Boy fan brother dragged me to see.
Stand-by Joined: 5/9/19
Lightning thief. Could not stand that show. Was about to walk out at intermission. I like the music more in act 2 so I’m glad I stayed around, but once was enough. Glad I got cheap rush tickets, but I would’ve been fine not going at all.
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/18/17
I would have to say Xanadu because the self parody elements were too over the top. But the ELO music was fun
Escape to Margaritaville was pretty horrendous and pandered way to much to the parrot head fan base.
Blood Brothers. I saw it regionally and although the cast did their best, it was a steaming pile of crap.
"Wonder.land" at the National Theatre in London - perhaps the worst piece of theatre I've ever seen, musical or otherwise.
Stand-by Joined: 5/5/17
Mary Poppins is high on my list as well, along with Catch Me If You Can. However, the only show I've ever left at intermission was Chicago. To be fair it was a tour production, but it was atrocious.
Broadway Star Joined: 5/28/13
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/26/19
Joan of Arc: Into the Fire at the Public. One of the rare theatrical experiences when I had to look around to make sure everyone else in the audience could possibly be seeing what I was seeing.
A relatively obscure - and yet strangely infamous - disaster entitled Band in Berlin; 1999.
The Bodyguard. I saw the National Tour with comped tickets and it was laughably bad..... but I will say I was entertained and not bored.
The worst for me was Big. Saw it the weekend of the Tony Awards. I guess I was a little loud at intermission when I said to my partner. "This is the worst musical I have ever seen." Woman in front of us turns around and says. I Guess you didn't see Passion. Funny to still think of her comment. :)
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/11/16
Twisted: The Untold Story of A Royal Vizier.
NOT the original Starkid production that's on YouTube. I like that one a lot. I saw a fringe group at my university do it, and it was so much worse. In addition to some problematic backstage stuff I heard secondhand, I think Starkid shows lose their charm when they aren't done by the original ensemble.
Swing Joined: 8/30/19
Be More Chill. I’m glad I only paid $10.
Huss417 said: "The worst for me was Big. Saw it the weekend of the Tony Awards. I guess I was a little loud at intermission when I said to my partner. "This is the worst musical I have ever seen." Woman in front of us turns around and says. I Guess you didn't see Passion. Funny to still think of her comment. :)"
I only saw the heavily revised 1998 non-Equity tour. Wonder if it was better than the Broadway version.
Leading Actor Joined: 11/18/13
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/26/16
Back in 2007, Signature Theater off-Broadway presented a Charles Mees work, Queens Boulevard (the Musical). It remains the worst professional production of a play or musical I've ever seen. No fault of the actors. I had and have seen many of them in other productions in which they were quite good. The musical was just a steaming turd that could not be polished.
Videos