Which shows did you really want to like, but... — Page 4

^^^True to this. I guess to a certain degree every ticket we buy is one that we believe will lead to a winner.

I've had those times though where I was totally excited to see something, but when I saw it, I was sort of 'meh.'

On the other side of the coin there were others I wasn't so sure about but bought tickets anyway since my friends wanted to see them. I ended up liking them.

Rent…I was ho hum about seeing. But saw it...just because. Loved it.

Spamalot and The Addams Family. Went because my friends went. And found them quite entertaining.

More recently, Finding Neverland. Wanted to like it. But then saw some reviews coming in that weren't all that complimentary. So wasn't sure. But saw it anyway. And really enjoyed it. So my first inclination was right. I went in wanting to like, and I did.

I love almost everything I see on Broadway, but my two big disappointments were the 1991 production of Miss Saigon and the recent Lincoln Center revival of South Pacific.

Chess -- the London production was flawed but the NY one was a disaster. Thought it was unstageable until I saw it at Signature in Va 5 or 6 years ago. Maybe small is the way to go

Smile -- Marvin Hamlisch after A Chorus Line and what a mess. Worse, a bore

Mack and Mable -- Proof that a musical can be ruined by its book. It was such a downer and so sluggish. Despite great score, great lead performances, great staging, great sets and costumes, it was a complete bore. The audience barthat ely applauded at the curtain call.

CATS -- maybe the most awful 2 1/2 hours I have ever spent in a theatre, saved for 5 minutes in each act by Memory. I will never understand the appeal of this garbage.

Kiss Me Kate -- I did not like any of the Shakespeare numbers, although I did enjoy the rest of the show.

Wonderful Town -- went from a total grin for the first 15 minutes to major disappointment. I really don't understand the praise for the score. There are a few good songs.

City of Angels -- clever for awhile, but I got very bored

OTTC -- same reaction. Madelyn Kahn's voice was grating, didn't realize it was going to be an operetta. HATED it, even if I thought it had one of the top 3-5 sets I have ever seen

Ballroom -- first Michael Bennett show after A Chorus Line. Just not good enough. Also, you can only take so much ballroom dancing.

Once -- just did not get into it. Steve Kazee had a great voice and the set was interesting

Newsies -- the best musical of 1954, assuming that 1954 did not have any good musicals. So repetitious.

Both Follies revivals. I wanted to love them because the original production is my Number 1 favorite show of all-time. The more recent one had a lot of good things going for it, although I do NOT understand all the Jan Maxwell love. She butchered Lucie and Jessie. The recent Loveland set May have been the ugliest in all my years of going to the theatre. Looked like flowers you make from tissue paper when you are five years old.

Three Gentlemen of Verona -- this beat Follies for the Tony as best musical????? I will NEVER understand that.

Into the Woods, Merrily We Roll Along, Pacific Overtures -- I seem to either love or hate Sondheim musicals...I really did not like these, and was hostile by the time the first two ended. The thing I remember the most from the first two was the constant repetition of the title songs throughout the show, and boy did I hate those songs by the end.

Wolf Hall -- bored out of my mind for Acts 3 and 4. Liked 1 and 2. Think I am just sick of anything to do with the Tudors, although I loved Mary Stuart a few years back.

The Iceman Cometh -- the only major O'Neil work I don't like. I have seen it three times (including James Earl Jones and Nathan Lane productions) and was out of my mind with boredom by the time Hickey arrived.

Sure there are others, but these are the ones I remembber the most.

Updated On: 5/16/15 at 10:49 PM

"I'm on the Something Rotten bandwagon. I was more or less enjoying it until about forty minutes in when it became clear that there was only going to be one joke in the entire show.
Oh, oh, and Side Show. I went into the revival expecting something kind of challenging and interesting, based on its reputation and the subject matter. I found it almost unspeakably bland. The real elephant in the room, for me, is that the lyrics are so incredibly juvenile and generic and on-the-nose that it is impossible to take the show seriously. "

Would the planned pre broadway run helped this

Side Show- I liked a lot of the music and found many of the performances to be beautiful but the story was just so slow.

Your review on Lestat made me think of my feelings about Jekyll and Hyde. I saw this years ago on tour on its original pre-Broadway tryout (I guess it was). I remember the music was beautiful. Cuccioli and Eder were awesome. But I had no empathy for the characters in this show either, and that was a real hang up for me. A real disconnect. I almost left at intermission. I didn't, but I almost did.

"This posting is such a great example of one persons treasure being another persons trash, and even out of a group of hardcore musical lovers, many people leave a show feeling not great about it...
I go into every show with upfront appreciation for how much everyone puts into it, and i really have enjoyed 99% of the 150+shows ive seen and focus on the parts or songs or characters I liked best and what I liked about them
This glass is mostly full strategy has only failed me a few times:
Lestat-prebroadway sf-had no empathy for any of the characters, didnt like the music; left at intermission and never returned
Mamma Mia-non equity tour sf 2011 sf...this was a trainwreck in every possible way, acting singing dancing, prerecorded harmonies-SHN had a lot of nerve charging $100 for that show....
Contact 2000 broadway- a musical with no singing....really? WTF????
If/Then-Idina and many of the characters were great, a few of the songs are awesome, how the story is told jumping back and forth did not work for me at all
Billy Elliott-tour sf; it was a good show; was hoping for great, the dancing and faith prince as the teacher were great, can still not name a single song from that show.... "

Peter and the Starcatcher. I found it too broadly rendered and juvenile. Obviously I was in the minority.

I was surprised at how much I liked Mama Mia! When I first saw it in London, I had never in my life seen an audience go for a show that way. Absolutely infectious. Less so in Toronto and NY but I admired how that show was put together, a great marriage of tongue-in-cheek and heart.