Which Musical (Original or Revival) Was A major Dissappointment For You?- Page 3

[theaternut]

Posted: 3/31/13 at 1:21pm

The revival of West Side Story was a boring mess.

[JBC2]

Posted: 3/31/13 at 6:10pm

The Burnt Part Boys. I went because I knew someone in the show, and took another friend along. One of the worst shows I've seen.

[egghumor]

Posted: 3/31/13 at 7:11pm

There were a number of revivals and original musicals that were disappointments for me. If I had to name only one in each actegory I would have to say at this point:

The 1982 revival of LITTLE ME with Victor Garber and James Coco -- totally wrongheaded and horrible designs as well!

For originals, NICK & NORA. I remember entering the theater during early previews fairly confident that I was about to see something wonderful. For a show with that pedigree, it was a shock.

[broadwayjim42]

Posted: 3/31/13 at 7:59pm

Add me to the "Lion King" and "Producers" naysayers. After a glorious opening, LK was unrelenting tedium, while I found "Producers" incredibly off-putting. In a sense, that's part of the point, but I felt like I wanted to shower afterwards.

As for "Chess," I loved the first act but the second was so overloaded with plot it did become wearing. It's always been a great score in search of a decent book it apparently has yet to find.

Updated On: 3/31/13 at 07:59 PM

[phan24]

Posted: 3/31/13 at 8:11pm

Elf the Musical

I don't know if the original one was better, but this past winter's revival was the worst piece of theater I've seen on a Broadway stage. I felt like I was watching an amateur production, aside from Leslie Kritzer and Beth Leavel. How can you mess up a Christmas themed show? I had seen A Christmas Story the same week, and thought it was superb! But Elf was so so so so disappointing,
From the book, to lyrics, to acting, to production (specially the sets and props).

[SNAFU]

Posted: 3/31/13 at 8:19pm

Frontrowcenter, that was the same reason Joel Grey was given the role in wicked when it came to Broadway. Morse wasn't hacking it. They fired him.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 3/31/13 at 8:58pm

Totally agree re Red

MOO

[best12bars]

Posted: 3/31/13 at 9:09pm

Mary Poppins was a huge disappointment. Bratty kids, a plastic leading lady, bloated sets, a muddled, unfocused plot, misguided staging, a forgettable supporting cast, and just plain weird choreography.

But other than that, I liked it.

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 3/31/13 at 9:12pm

^^ There are some shows that I avoid because my gut says to. This was one. Thanks for reassuring me that I was correct in that.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 3/31/13 at 9:52pm

PROMISES, PROMISES.

The only saving graces of that revival: Katie Finneran and that glorious Bacharach/David score.

The leads were too old for their roles...and the choreography was just all wrong, wrong, wrong!!



Updated On: 3/31/13 at 09:52 PM

[Ham3]

Posted: 4/1/13 at 12:06pm

The revival of PAL JOEY a couple of years back. You don't rewrite a classic book by a great author.


And the Joey couldn't dance no matter how hard he tried. In a role created by Gene Kelly, too. Updated On: 4/1/13 at 12:06 PM

[madbrian]

Posted: 4/1/13 at 12:41pm

It's regional, but Papermill's production of Mame, starring Christine Ebersole, was a major disappointment.

[followspot]

Posted: 4/1/13 at 12:58pm

The first thing that comes to mind is the current CINDERELLA, because I bought full price tickets to see it on my birthday to ensure that I'd celebrate with a show I was guaranteed to love.

I was wrong.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 4/1/13 at 1:04pm

The Broadway Jekyll & Hyde was the single worst disappointment I've seen. What they did to the show was tragic.

Thou Shalt Not. A score by Harry Connick, Jr. was quite intriguing as well as the concept for the adaptation. Add Susan Stroman, Debra Monk, the hot new Broadway darlings Craig Bierko and Kate Levering, and a standout feature part for Norbert Leo Butz and I was really looking forward to the show.

OOF!

God, what a hideous mess that was. Norbert and the turntables were the only redeeming qualities of that miserable musical. I'm glad I went as it feels like it was a very rare opportunity to see such a bizarre misfire on Broadway. It was like that baker on Sesame Street who announces the beautiful cakes and pies he's carrying, then falls down a flight of stairs.

[trentsketch]

Posted: 4/1/13 at 1:43pm

Wonderland. I had hopes that it would least make sense. Instead, the first act was very good for a children's show and the second act went off the rails in 5 minutes. Beautiful music and a terrible story make for a disappointing theater experience.

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 4/1/13 at 1:46pm

I'm gonna add one more, because it was such a massive disappointment. Well, both of them, actually.

The two revivals of FOLLIES.

The first revival was a complete conceptual mess (Honestly, were the set and costume designers even in the same room?), and the second looked like a big-budget community theatre production. I mean, the flower arch? Really?? That's their homage to the Zeigfeld Follies of the 30s and 40s? I'm sorry, did anyone give the design team an actual copy of, you know, the script?

I saw the original, when it was in LA, and I know that it would be almost impossible to recreate it at that level. But these were both just embarrassingly bad.

[groucho797]

Posted: 4/1/13 at 2:43pm

I'm gonna go with Addams Family (great premise, great cast, Borscht Belt everything else) and Ghost (how many ballads do we have to sit through?). Then, of course, there's Wonderland....

But I'm learning to take my good old time when it comes to seeing shows based on movies (think Catch Me If You Can, Ghost, Young Frankenstein, so many more). There's too much of an assumption that the built-in audience will somehow carry your mediocrity to greatness. Updated On: 4/1/13 at 02:43 PM

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 4/1/13 at 3:33pm

I am surprised no one mentioned Little Mermaid. This was my favorite Disney movie growing up.

I understand Disney musicals aren't always the most well-received by others on here, but I thought the Little Mermaid would be something spectacular. I really enjoyed Beauty and the Beast, after all.

Little Mermaid definitely lacked the "Disney magic." I liked the score and the cast; however, I thought the book was lacking - I did not like how they eliminated Vanessa. The sets and some of the costumes were horrible. And I know they were trying to go for the "swimming effect," but I did not care for the roller skating.

I really wanted to like this show and was looking forward to it, but was severely underwhelmed by the production.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 4/1/13 at 3:34pm

Just remembered...

Spring Awakening - I found very little to like in what appeared to be a PG-13 afterschool special. Didn't see what all the fuss was about.

The Producers - Some funny moments, but I was mostly bored, especially by the score.

Bounce - Was really excited about a new Sondheim musical. Shouldn't have gotten my hopes up. If you never have an expectation, you can never have a disappointment. And if you had no idea who Sondheim was or were unfamiliar with his work, you might not have been disappointed. But you probably wouldn't have enjoyed it, either.

And in the West End...

Closer to Heaven - One good song. One funny character. Hated everything else about it.

Grease (revival) - Great choreography for We Go Together. The rest was baffling and dull. The audience chatted among themselves until a song came along they knew and then clapped and sang along.

Whistle Down the Wind - Great staging trying to mask an uneven score and a boring book.

[egghumor]

Posted: 4/1/13 at 4:41pm

Mister Matt, I saw an interview with Norbert Leo Butz not so long ago (can't remember where, or with whom) but Mr. Butz said he now refers to THOU SHALT NOT as "Thou Shouldn't Have." I thought that was priceless!

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 4/1/13 at 4:54pm

And Norbert was the lucky one! He was the only person connected with the show that emerged unscathed. And poor Debra Monk. The woman simply can't catch a break, but watching her in the second act was like salting the wound.

[ARTc]

Posted: 4/1/13 at 5:10pm

There are many shows I haven't liked, but the question posed was "disappointment", so with that in mind, Spring Awakening. I was hoping for so much more. I was bored.

[FishermanBob]

Posted: 4/1/13 at 6:09pm

Another vote for YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN. Loved the Producers and was so looking forward to this. I sat looking at my watch in the middle of the first act wondering whether it was going to get any better. It didn't.

The very worst musical I think I have ever seen was Queens Boulevard Off-Broadway at the Signature Theater Company about 5-6 years ago. I don't think most high schools would have felt it good enough to present on their stage.

[Jane2]

Posted: 4/1/13 at 6:12pm

Fisherman Bob! Hi!

[FishermanBob]

Posted: 4/1/13 at 6:42pm

Hi Jane!