What are the worst musicals you ever saw — Page 8

Most boring: Passion & Once

Cats and Urinetown.

TheSassySam said: "I have only been frequently going to the theater since I moved to Chicago, but trust me, I have seen some doozies.

I pity anybody who had to sit through First Wives Club during its Chicago run last year. I saw it right after previews and it was horrendous. The Playbills weren't up-to-date because it included songs that were no longer in the musical. Including the Bar Mitzvah scene that they were going on and on about in the first act. It also featured a Dee Snider-looking caricature of a flamboyant gay man who had the only redeeming song, "Payback's a B----." You ended up rooting for the second wives throughout the show because none of the first wives had redeeming qualities. The cherry on top of this melted, spoiled sundae was leaving out, "You Don't Own Me."

The show was even offering $12 orchestra seats toward the end of the Chicago run if that tells you anything.

The other show I disliked was Gotta Dance! You could just tell they were trying to make it into the retirement home's response to High School Musical. Just boring and poorly acted.

Please, don't waste your money if either of these shows come to Broadway.



I saw "Gotta Dance" in Chicago and thought it was a hoot. The audience all around me in the orchestra section -- a very mixed group -- mostly 50+ but all colors -- screamed with laughter (me included) at some of the funny stuff. And there were some very touching moments, too. The show needs work, yes, but it was a lot of fun -- I think there's a huge potential audience for it, and I can see it doing well later on in community theaters across the country.

I'm in my 60s, so maybe my being older helps -- I think this show would be a perfect 'girl's night out' for seasoned girlfriends. One of the co-authors was involved in "The Drowsy Chaperone," which I LOVED -- another very funny, gentle show with a big heart. I'm rooting for "Gotta Dance," and if it is successful on Broadway it will be a huge plus for singer/dancer/actors who think they've aged out of Broadway -- this show could extend many careers, too, and that's always a good thing.

Without any doubt the worst musical I ever saw was The Wild Party. Such a dark production. Everyone was moving about the stage in slow motion. Horrible music. A real boring time in the theater.

I am also not a fan of Once or Cats.

What's the objective here? Is it name the worst musical(s) we've ever seen or the worst production(s) of a musical we have ever seen?

Call_me_jorge said: "Christine, I respect your opinions, but in many of your posts you say "it wasn't perfect, but..." I think you are missing the point. A lot of us here are expecting perfection and not just a night out with our girlfriends or boyfriends. We expect something of artistic importance which is witty and smart. This is sort of what most people hate what theatre has turned into. It should be a lavish experience in front of something smart and perfect.

I saw gotta dance and thought it was a mess. I even got my tickets for FREE. The set was amateur, the choreography was all over the place and the music was too bland. I didn't remember any of the songs on my way out. The saving grace for the was Georgia and that didn't even save it for me. Also that ensemble guy was a looker.

eta: While some of these shows have nice moments, I expect the entire show to be a nice moment. I don't want to get fooled into thinking its a great show just by a ballet or death sequence at the end. I want to be fooled right when the orchestra hits their instruments.



I guess I'm a 'glass half full' kinda girl, especially when a show is still working out the kinks out of town. There are shows that are NOT for a demanding, sophisticated New York audience, but ARE for new audiences who are slowly inching their way into the theater world. If they have a lot of fun and leave the theater on a high, they are more likely to come back and see another show.

I come from a different tradition -- I'm a folksinger. Livingston Taylor, James' brother, is one of the best in my world, and when he talks to young performers he tells them, "Your job as an entertainer is to make audiences feel better." Simple as that.

There's many ways to do that -- hitting them in their funny bone, their heart, revealing something about life that maybe they've thought about but never put into words themselves. I saw the play, "Copenhagen," which was brilliant, but way over my head science-wise, so I left that performance feeling stupid and irritated. I'm sure many others left feeling intellectually stimulated, and I envied them.

At "Gotta Dance" I got a rush ticket on New Year's Eve afternoon, so I didn't pay much (my cabride was twice was expensive) and I sat next to a black couple in their 50s, he a lawyer and she worked developing breakfast and lunch programs for schools for poor kids. We chatted at intermission -- we felt an affinity because we were all laughing a lot at the same things. They loved the show (I checked with them again when it was over -- they loved the second half, too).

I don't see the logic in bad mouthing a show that hasn't even made it to New York yet -- I'm sure there will be a lot of tightening here and there. "Try To Remember" was written the night before opening night for "The Fantasticks" -- who knows where that show would be today if that didn't happen? One of the things that I admire about "Gotta Dance" is the age of the cast -- all of them with decades of experience.

Nothing like an old pro who knows how to work it. If this show succeeds, it will employ a lot of old pros, and judging by what I saw that afternoon, the cast was having even more fun than the audience.

I hated Evita. I didn't care for the music. That and Mamma Mia for some reason. Music was great but the set was boring as heck IMO

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/3672844/The-10-worst-musicals-of-all-time.html

I just came across this article from The Telegraph in the UK from 2015 and like most things in that paper I find myself at odds with it's conclusions.

For me, a musical can miss on any number of points and I may still love it. I saw the last night of Moby Dick at The Piccadilly and enjoyed every minute of it's mayhem and I went back a few times to see Which Witch for the camp madness (and some great rock opera performances). But bore me and it's game over; and Leonardo and The Woman in White both did that in droves..

Updated On: 8/21/16 at 09:21 PM

christinelavin said: "Call_me_jorge said: "Christine, I respect your opinions, but in many of your posts you say "it wasn't perfect, but..." I think you are missing the point. A lot of us here are expecting perfection and not just a night out with our girlfriends or boyfriends. We expect something of artistic importance which is witty and smart. This is sort of what most people hate what theatre has turned into. It should be a lavish experience in front of something smart and perfect.

I saw gotta dance and thought it was a mess. I even got my tickets for FREE. The set was amateur, the choreography was all over the place and the music was too bland. I didn't remember any of the songs on my way out. The saving grace for the was Georgia and that didn't even save it for me. Also that ensemble guy was a looker.

eta: While some of these shows have nice moments, I expect the entire show to be a nice moment. I don't want to get fooled into thinking its a great show just by a ballet or death sequence at the end. I want to be fooled right when the orchestra hits their instruments.



I guess I'm a 'glass half full' kinda girl, especially when a show is still working out the kinks out of town. There are shows that are NOT for a demanding, sophisticated New York audience, but ARE for new audiences who are slowly inching their way into the theater world. If they have a lot of fun and leave the theater on a high, they are more likely to come back and see another show.

I come from a different tradition -- I'm a folksinger. Livingston Taylor, James' brother, is one of the best in my world, and when he talks to young performers he tells them, "Your job as an entertainer is to make audiences feel better." Simple as that.

There's many ways to do that -- hitting them in their funny bone, their heart, revealing something about life that maybe they've thought about but never put into words themselves. I saw the play, "Copenhagen," which was brilliant, but way over my head science-wise, so I left that performance feeling stupid and irritated. I'm sure many others left feeling intellectually stimulated, and I envied them.

At "Gotta Dance" I got a rush ticket on New Year's Eve afternoon, so I didn't pay much (my cabride was twice was expensive) and I sat next to a black couple in their 50s, he a lawyer and she worked developing breakfast and lunch programs for schools for poor kids. We chatted at intermission -- we felt an affinity because we were all laughing a lot at the same things. They loved the show (I checked with them again when it was over -- they loved the second half, too).

I don't see the logic in bad mouthing a show that hasn't even made it to New York yet -- I'm sure there will be a lot of tightening here and there. "Try To Remember" was written the night before opening night for "The Fantasticks" -- who knows where that show would be today if that didn't happen? One of the things that I admire about "Gotta Dance" is the age of the cast -- all of them with decades of experience.

Nothing like an old pro who knows how to work it. If this show succeeds, it will employ a lot of old pros, and judging by what I saw that afternoon, the cast was having even more fun than the audience.





"

Wouldn't you rather have a show which urges you to think and use your brain rather than a show that tells you to get on your feet or to cry, because they said "hey look something sad just happened"

Updated On: 8/21/16 at 10:17 PM

My least favorite popular musicals of all-time is Godspell and Cats.

Fairly recent NYC musical that was pretty bad was Death Takes a Holiday.