What is the worst production you have ever seen on Broadway? What is the worst show? — Page 5

Worst Show: American Psycho

Most Misguided: Harmony

Most Over-Rated: Addams Family (which admittedly, wasn’t that highly rated in the first place)…

Seth Rudetsy's Disaster was awful

Shows I hated: Patriots, Doubtfire (tour), The Bodyguard (tour), Lightning Thief (tour). Granted Doubtfire was on tour so it may have been better in NY, but I saw nothing there worth seeing.

broadfan327 said: "[title of show], Guttenberg the Musical, Scandalous, Come From Away top my list."

Come From Away is my number 2, after Dracula the Musical.

I’m always refreshed when I find others who loathed CFA. I felt so emotionally manipulated with no payoff - weak book and mediocre music surrounding a truly beautiful story.

Girl From The North Country. I can't remember the last time I left a show at intermission, but it happened with that one

BentleyB said: "I had forgotten about “Bullets Over Broadway” wow that was an abortion and in the 70s seeing a show with Bernard Hughes in the lead called, “Da”. I could only understand about every 12th word because of the thick Irish brogue. I think I slept thru Act 2."

How funny - my mom still fondly remembers “Da.”

scripps said: "BentleyB said: "“But “Burn This” I couldn’t run out of the Hudson fast enough along with several other audience members at intermission. I fell asleep at least 3 times in act 1."

I saw Burn This the summer day there wasa blackout that closed most shows but not this one! Oh, lucky me! I refuse to watch Adam Driver in anything since this travesty. I stayed for Act 2 because I have had a crush on David Furr since I spotted him in the ensemble of Cymbeline at LCT but it was an absolutely hellish experience.

"

I remember seeing Driver in “Man and Boy” with Langella, which I mostly enjoyed.


I loathed his accent and one-note performance and thought to myself, “This guy is tall and gangly with a quirky look that can pull off different casting types…he’ll be overrated and working endlessly before I know it.”

🙄

Kad said: "The first answer that comes to mind was the revival of The Gin Game with James Earl Jones and Cicely Tyson. A dull, twee play, poorly staged and designed, and featuring a Jones who was barely a shadow of his formidable self- who could barely stand and was reciting lines. I left at intermission.

But I have to say,having to sit through fringe festival shows, entire off-Broadway seasons,and bottom-tier semi-professional regionaltheater for work drastically altered what “bad theater” meant to me. I’ve certainly seen Broadway productions I haven’t liked, but even the worst Broadway show is at least competent. I’ve seen productions that have legitimately given me an existential crisis because of how totally inept they were."

You’re so on point re: Gin Game.


I was honored to be in the room with these two greats, but it felt like the director was too intimidated to sculpt their performances and just let them do whatever.



I saw a production of it done in community theater with fine actors I know personally; they created more tension and genuine humor than Tyson and Jones.



I never would have expected that. It should have been a master class.

uncageg said: "Jordan Catalano said: "BKLYN"



I saw BKLYN twice when it premiered at the New Denver Civic Theaterin Denver before it went to Broadway. Loved it. But I remember thinking, when the Broadway run was announced, that it just would not work in a bigger theater. I think it was meant to run off-Broadway. I never saw it on Broadway but it was "semi" interactive when I saw it in Denver, from what I remember. And I really wish they had done a studio recording instead of a Live recording. I really enjoyed the score. JMO



The one show I just could not sit through, and left at Intermission, was "Soul Doctor".

"

I adored BKLYN and found it to be misunderstood. You’re completely right, of course - it was really made for off-Broadway.

1975. The Ambassador Theater. I am 10 years old and a friend and I pick "We Interrupt This Program" at TKTS.

A group of black militants with machine guns invade the stage during a drawing room comedy and take the audience hostage for an excruciating 90 minutes of (even by mid-70's standards) racist tropes and bad acting.

It closed a day later after only a week of performances. A show that made "Moose Murders" seem like Noel Coward.

And yet I remember it better than many great productions.

Updated On: 5/21/24 at 05:55 AM

The discussion of The Gin Game made me remember Deuce, with Angela Lansbury and Marian Seldes. When that was announced, I remember thinking, "I'd pay to see those two read the phone book." That would have been vastly preferable to what ended up on the stage at the Music Box. It all seemed like an excuse for La Lansbury to use the c-word. It was a truly terrible play; occasionally the lights on the two legends would go dark and we would see tennis commentators in a booth commenting on action that no one cared about so our leading ladies could get a brief rest.

The show was so poorly sold that my friend and I were the ONLY PEOPLE IN THE MEZZANINE. They offered us seats downstairs, but why wouldn't we treat it like a private performance?

I saw both Jekyll and Hyde and Lysistrata Jones before they hit Broadway (both in Dallas). While the giant monstrosity of cheap set pieces and most of the acting was atrocious, I did quite enjoy listening to Teal Wicks and Deborah Cox sing In His Eyes and Deborah Cox belt A New Life. As for Lysistrata Jones (Give It Up at the time), I quite enjoyed it, but this version had Andrew Rannels. I think the version that hit Broadway was not nearly as enjoyable as the version in Dallas.

Wonderland was also much stronger in Houston than on Broadway. What a train wreck when it came to Broadway. I had hope when it left Houston.

As for Tarzan, the first 10 minutes of that show was one of the most amazing theatrical experiences I have ever seen. Then the show just dropped dead!

But the absolute worst show I have ever seen on Broadway was White Christmas. IT was atrocious. I have never fell asleep in a show, but I was really close. 2nd place goes to Fun Home. I just didn't get all the praise. Other than Ring of Keys... That was a great number. Even Michael Cerveris couldn't save it.

Some of these responses are just completely insane.