What musical is said to be unpopular and obscure, but actually isn't?

[borlechristian]

Posted: 5/20/20 at 9:22pm

What show is said to be unpopular and obscure, but actually isn't that obscure

 

I'm using these responses for musical research

[MollyJeanneMusic]

Posted: 5/20/20 at 9:34pm

borlechristian said: "What show is said to be unpopular and obscure, but actually isn't that obscure



I'm using these responses for musical research"

I feel like Be More Chill could count.  It's popular in younger circles and is pretty well-known, but only lasted a few months on Broadway and was only nominated for 1 award.  So on this board it's definitely pretty unpopular, but it's well known in other circles.

[borlechristian]

Posted: 5/20/20 at 9:52pm

MollyJeanneMusic said: "borlechristian said: "What show is said to be unpopular and obscure, but actually isn't that obscure



I'm using these responses for musical research"

I feel like Be More Chill could count. It's popular in younger circles and is pretty well-known, but only lasted a few months on Broadway and was only nominated for 1 award. So on this board it's definitely pretty unpopular, but it's well known in other circles."

I would totally agree. In my group of friends, and my drama club, there are many people who like be more chill. In my opinion, it's an okay show. The broadway version honestly sucked. Although i do like the song "loser geek whatever" It's just sooo different and jeremy and the squips role are so weird

[imeldasturn]

Posted: 5/20/20 at 9:53pm

Every now and then a new thread on underrated shows pops by and I'm always amazed by some of the answers. I was looking right now at a 2018 thread on the topic and several people mentioned "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder". Now, it might not have been the new Wicked in terms of commercial success, but can a show that ran for over 900 performances and won four Tony Awards (including Best Musical) really be considered underrated? I think not.

[TheSassySam]

Posted: 5/20/20 at 11:10pm

Merrily We Roll Along comes to mind. 

 

I've also heard people mention Starlight Express, but it's been running for decades in Germany. (Do they ever do English performances? I'd love to see it.)

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 5/20/20 at 11:37pm

borlechristian said: "MollyJeanneMusic said: "borlechristian said: "What show is said to be unpopular and obscure, but actually isn't that obscure



I'm using these responses for musical research"

I feel like Be More Chill could count. It's popular in younger circles and is pretty well-known, but only lasted a few months on Broadway and was only nominated for 1 award. So on this board it's definitely pretty unpopular, but it's well known in other circles."

I would totally agree. In my group of friends, and my drama club, there are many people who like be more chill. In my opinion, it's an okay show. The broadway version honestly sucked. Although i do like the song "loser geek whatever" It's just sooo different and jeremy and the squips role are so weird"

I'm one of the people who discovered Be More Chill way back in 2015, when the Two Rivers cast recording dropped. That was honestly the far better version. It had this edgy punk rock feel, but was just tongue-in-cheek enough to feel earnest. I enjoy the rewrites and new songs, but I hated how the Broadway version's performances were so over the top and campy. It was almost a parody of itself. And Will Roland is no Will Connolly.

[Jarethan]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 12:04am

imeldasturn said: "Every now and then a new thread on underrated shows pops by and I'm always amazed by some of the answers. I was looking right now at a 2018 thread on the topicand several people mentioned "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder". Now, it might not have been the new Wicked in terms of commercial success, but can a show that ran for over 900 performances and won four Tony Awards (including Best Musical) really be considered underrated? I think not."

I love AGGTLAM.  I do think, however, that it is under-appreciated, not underrated.  I think it should have been a much bigger hit than it was.  I am sure there are a lot of people out there who would say that Fun Home and The Band's Visit are under-appreciated.  While I am not a big fan of either, I would agree that they are either over-rated by the critics or unappreciated by the general theatre-going public.

[Jarethan]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 12:08am

TheSassySam said: "Merrily We Roll Along comes to mind.



I've also heard people mention Starlight Express, but it's been running for decades in Germany. (Do they ever do English performances? I'd love to see it.)"

It also was a monster hit in London and ran for 18 years.  I  saw it twice in London and loved it.  I never saw it in NY, but I have always assumed that its failure here was due to the theatre that it was in.  In London, it was in a large, ex-movie palace, and the 'engines' literally raced around the entire orchestra (stall in the UK) area, making for some very entertaining races.  I can't imagine how it would have worked in a normal proscenium stage...I imagine it was quite uninspiring.

Updated On: 5/22/20 at 12:08 AM

[joevitus]

Posted: 5/22/20 at 8:21pm

Alex Kulak2 said: "I enjoy the rewrites and new songs, but I hated how the Broadway version's performances were so over the top and campy. It was almost a parody of itself. And Will Roland is no Will Connolly."

Seems from the cast recordings that the two shows have the same song list. 

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 5/22/20 at 8:23pm

joevitus said: "Alex Kulak2 said: "I enjoy the rewrites and new songs, but I hated how the Broadway version's performances were so over the top and campy. It was almost a parody of itself. And Will Roland is no Will Connolly."

Seems from the cast recordings thatthe two shows have the same song list."

There's the addition of two new songs (Sync Up and Loser Geek Whatever), some songs are moved around, and lots of lyrics were changed, mostly for the better.

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 5/22/20 at 8:23pm

joevitus said: "Alex Kulak2 said: "I enjoy the rewrites and new songs, but I hated how the Broadway version's performances were so over the top and campy. It was almost a parody of itself. And Will Roland is no Will Connolly."

Seems from the cast recordings thatthe two shows have the same song list."

There's the addition of two new songs (Sync Up and Loser Geek Whatever), some songs are moved around, and lots of lyrics were changed, mostly for the better.

[joevitus]

Posted: 5/22/20 at 8:31pm

Alex Kulak2 said: "joevitus said: "Alex Kulak2 said: "I enjoy the rewrites and new songs, but I hated how the Broadway version's performances were so over the top and campy. It was almost a parody of itself. And Will Roland is no Will Connolly."

Seems from the cast recordings thatthe two shows have the same song list."

There's the addition of two new songs (Sync Up and Loser Geek Whatever), some songs are moved around, and lots of lyrics were changed, mostly for the better."

Huh. I had read the Wiki synopsis before listening first to the original cast recording and now listening to the Broadway--and yes, I'm almost 51 and never heard of this show until I read this thread--so didn't notice the two songs missing. I'm not hearing the differences in the lyrics. But only listened to them both once so far. Not really seeing much of a difference on this first encounter.

I like the score much better than Dear Evan Hanson.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 5/22/20 at 8:38pm

borlechristian said: "What show is said to be unpopular and obscure, but actually isn't that obscure



I'm using these responses for musical research"

If this is research, then you need to start by defining your terms. So far the discussion has centered mostly on two shows almost every theatergoer has heard of. Is that "obscure"?

As one poster mentions, A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE is often dismissed in discussions on this board, but it ran for over 2 years and won four Tony Awards. Is that "unpopular"? (Hell, I like the OBCR and the national tour suffered only because the comic playing multiple roles wasn't of the same caliber as the Tony winner in the same parts on Broadway.)

Unless you are more specific, your respondents will almost certainly be talking past one another.

Updated On: 5/25/20 at 08:38 PM

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 5/23/20 at 3:49am

It's hard to say that Grand Hotel is unpopular and obscure. It ran for over 1000 performances and was nominated for 12 (I think) Tonys and won 5. Most veteran theatergoers know "Let's Raise a Glass," "I Want to Go to Hollywood" and "Who Wouldn't Want to Dance with You."

But it's been over 30 years now without being heard from, so the people with the money must not be too enthusiastic about it. As the years pass with no production, to younger theatergoers it becomes obscure. It was obscure to me when I saw the Encores' production and was won over.

Michael Jeter, Brent Barrett and cute chorus girls: "Let's Raise a Glass Together."

[devonian.t]

Posted: 5/23/20 at 4:45am

On this board nowadays, anything over 10 years old seems to be obscure.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 5/23/20 at 9:48am

Said to be obscure by whom? (high schoolers in MO?   The members of this board?)  And how do you judge whether it "actually" isn't ?  I'm curious: what could your thesis statement possibly be for this?

Updated On: 5/23/20 at 09:48 AM

[broadwaybabywannabe2]

Posted: 5/23/20 at 11:39am

well let me throw out this one here...NINE...unpopular in many minds because it beat out DREAMGIRLS for Best Musical that year...(I saw both productions and my heart sank when DREAMGIRLS didn't win its' BEST MUSICAL TONY) and obscure because it never is on anyones list for must see revivals...but it did win BEST MUSICAL so it was appreciated at least back then!

[joevitus]

Posted: 5/23/20 at 5:42pm

I love Nine to distraction. I think it's one of the best scores produced in the past 50 years (and easily Yeston's best, imo). I think it's more daring than Dreamgirls, so I'm glad it won.

But...having a reputation as obscure or unpopular? It was famous for being the only Broadway show to open in its year, and just under the wire in terms of being eligible for Emmy consideration (I believe Dreamgirls opened the previous year, but too late for Emmy consideration in the year it did open--thus the two running against each other) As a result, it was the object of tons of articles/news show coverage as proof that a seemingly dead Broadway staple--the musical--still had some life in it. That it was helmed by a director in the then popular director/choreographer mold having his first big solo hit--a new Michale Bennet! hence the intense debate between fueling the competition between the two shows--it became a sort of beacon that the Broadway musical wasn't dead, It ran and toured for years and, more than that, was revived very successfully two decades later. 

But to be fair for those claiming something fits in the "supposedly unpopular and obscure" category because it came and went before they were born, the whole point of this topic seems to be shows that have developed a reputation for being these two things, but never really were. So saying "well, these really aren't" isn't exactly a logical rejoinder. This may in fact be what the o.p. was referencing in starting this discussion: shows us longer-lived folks would say "oh no, that was quite popular," but have developed different reputations amongst the younger folk.

To pick an older show, I'd say You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown fits this category. It did well in its initial production, was documented by a cast album that remained in print for decades, and of course was performed all over the country in various venues, mostly in high schools and community theaters. But almost no one ever talks of it, and if you aren't a big-time theater fan or someone who got roped into a production, it's quite likely you never think of it.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 5/23/20 at 9:40pm

^That's forgotten, not obscure.

[Jarethan]

Posted: 5/23/20 at 11:04pm

OlBlueEyes said: "It's hard to say that Grand Hotel is unpopular and obscure. It ran for over 1000 performances and was nominated for 12 (I think) Tonys and won 5. Most veteran theatergoers know "Let's Raise a Glass," "I Want to Go to Hollywood" and "Who Wouldn't Want to Dance with You."

But it's been over 30 years now without being heard from, so the people with the money must not be too enthusiastic about it. As the years pass with no production, to younger theatergoers it becomes obscure. It was obscure to me when I saw the Encores' production and was won over.

Michael Jeter, Brent Barrett and cute chorus girls: "Let's Raise a Glass Together.""

I have to admit that I don't expect to see a revival of GH.  I enjoyed the show when I saw it (only once, which means I probably didn't enjoy it that much), primarily due to Tommy Tune's direction.  

I excitedly purchased the cast recording years ago, and I am not sure that I ever got fully through it even once.  Tune's direction made you forget that the book and music were mediocre.  

I suspect that the original success was a case of lightning striking at the right time -- Tune was at the peak of his fame -- but I don't expect lightning to strike twice.  The underlying material is just too flimsy.

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 5/24/20 at 12:07am

Given your opinion of Grand Hotel, Jarethan, I think you will greatly enjoy Ben Brantley's review of the Encores' production.

As for what churns beneath its opulent surface, it’s still a rather dreary slog.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/22/theater/grand-hotel-review-encores.html

Other reviews were much more positive, with a couple suggesting that they could just pick everything up and carry it to Broadway. I didn't think the cast was strong enough for that.

But if there was a theme flowing through most of the reviews, it was that the show was not particularly strong in any of its elements -- song, dance, story lines -- but the overall effect was a haunting re-creation of that place at that time.

Anyway, since in fact there has been no revival, your opinion is currently looking very good.

It was recommended that you visit Michael Jeter's original performance of the song, which I have made it easy for you to do.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 5/24/20 at 1:57am

STREET SCENE (Elmer Rice, Langston Hughes, Kurt Weill) is "obscure" to most theatergoers. It ran for a couple of months in 1947 and hasn't had a major revival since. I wouldn't even know it if Equity Library Theater hadn't done a brilliant production off-Broadway in the late 1970s.

HOWEVER, it is done in opera houses and has had major recordings from both the English and Scottish National Operas. It was shown on PBS and is currently available at BroadwayHD in a production but the Madrid Royal Opera. (BTW, the English production gave us a very young Catherine Zeta-Jones in the "dancer" role.)

So "obscure" as a musical play, but not so obscure as an opera. (In fact, I have trouble choosing between STREET SCENE and PORGY AND BESS as my favorite opera.)

The same could be said of most of Weill's work (RISE AND FALL OF THE CITY OF MAHAGONY, SEPTEMBER SONG, even ONE TOUCH OF VENUS), and yet he is considered, if not the equal of Porter, Rodgers, Berlin and Kern, then at least on the second tier of the Golden Age. Only his THREEPENNY OPERA can be said to be done often (and even so I think it's more of a critical fave than a popular work).

[MackTheKnife2]

Posted: 5/24/20 at 4:40am

GavestonPS said: "STREET SCENE (Elmer Rice, Langston Hughes, Kurt Weill) is "obscure" to most theatergoers. It ran for a couple of months in 1947 and hasn't had a major revival since. I wouldn't even know it if Equity Library Theater hadn't done a brilliant production off-Broadway in the late 1970s.

HOWEVER, it is done in opera houses and has had major recordings from both the English and Scottish National Operas. It was shown on PBS and is currently available at BroadwayHD in a production but the Madrid Royal Opera. (BTW, the English production gave us a very young Catherine Zeta-Jones in the "dancer" role.)

So "obscure" as a musical play, but not so obscure as an opera. (In fact, I have trouble choosing between STREET SCENE and PORGY AND BESS as my favorite opera.)

The same could be said of most of Weill's work (RISE AND FALL OF THE CITY OF MAHAGONY, SEPTEMBER SONG, even ONE TOUCH OF VENUS), and yet he is considered, if not the equal of Porter, Rodgers, Berlin and Kern, then at least on the second tier of the Golden Age. Only his THREEPENNY OPERA can be said to be done often (and even so I think it's more of a critical fave than a popular work)."

I agree with Gavestone. I think most of Weill's American shows could be deemed “obscure”, seeing as almost none of them have been produced on Broadway for decades and fewer young theater goers are exposed to them today.

I do believe Kurt Weill is up there with Porter, Rodgers, Berlin and Kern as the best composers of Broadway’s Golden Age, as most people will agree, I'm sure.

Adding to your point about Street Scene not being obscure as an opera, I also get the impression that his German scores (especially the ones wrote in collaboration with Brecht) are considered by some (mostly classical music enthusiasts) to be more “high brow” than his Broadway scores, and thus are performed more often in opera houses and concert halls around the world. As is the case with Threepenny Opera or Mahagonny, as opposed to Lost in the Stars or Love Life.

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 5/24/20 at 12:18pm

I do believe Kurt Weill is up there with Porter, Rodgers, Berlin and Kern as the best composers of Broadway’s Golden Age, as most people will agree, I'm sure.

If Weill isn't included with the other composers, it's only because he didn't live long enough to accumulate a larger body of work. A pity, as he offered something unique to the stage. 

Among my faves, which were discovered rather late in life.

"Jenny," first heard performed by Lynn Redgrave in an episode of a PBS series devoted the the great lyricists and hosted by Sylvia Fine Kaye.

"It Never Was You," sung with such heartbreak by Judy Garland on an obscure double album I plucked from the basement bargain collection.

"Lost in the Stars," recorded and frequently performed by Ol' Blue Eyes.

[BarnabyTucker]

Posted: 5/24/20 at 6:54pm

Merrily we Roll Along.  I know it's already been posted but this is one that every musical theater fan and their mother seems to know, and yet, it's considered obscure.  I think it's most likely because of the show's rocky history, but I think the theater community has more than embraced this one.