Why do we "turn" on the most popular shows? — Page 2

POPULAR doesn't always equal GOOD.

Sometimes it does, but not always. Why should people be forced to like something because everyone else does?

---

Basically what everyone else has been saying...

It's not that we stop loving the show because of the fans, but I know especially with BKLYN, I started to resent the show and not ever want to talk about it because the fans could be incredibly annoying. Stuff like "OmG iT iZ lYk tHe BeSt ShoW eVaHhH!!!11one" make me never, EVER want to see that show again.

Hope I'm not TOO confusing, lol.

---

Aren't we allowed to just...not like popular shows? I am a bit of a theatre snob, but I can appreciate fluff theatre (Hairspray, etc) as well as the next person. I loved Cats when I saw it, it just doesn't appeal to me now.

---

ditto Curtain.

I'd like to add to Rath's excellent reasoning: I think this sort of behavior is similar to behavior seen in preteen/teenage girls (and before I get shredded, not in ALL girls this age).
Take a class of seventh-graders, for example. In a class of about 30 kids, there is always at least one girl who is confident and assertive and doing pretty well for herself, and this drives some of the other girls up the wall. They feel something akin to "How dare she be so popular and confident??"
I can't quite explain it, but there's something about a girl who seems to be happy and popular almost effortlessly and it just makes some girls...snarl. The ladies here know what I'm talking about, right?
So, in an effort to feel better about themselves, the other girls start spreading rumors about this girl, tripping her, basically doing whatever it takes to "bring her down."
I know this isn't exactly the same as with people dissing Broadway shows since, unless you're a theater critic, you have virtually no sway over a show's fate, but the behavior is certainly similar, don't you think?

---

ashley0139, that's the stupidest reasoning I have ever heard.

Unfortunately, there is some truth to ashley's statement about the fans turning people off Wicked. When something creates such a flow of...well...enthusiastic fans (to be nice), it can be obnoxious to some people. When a high percentage of the threads on this site are "OMG Wicked is the best!!!" posts? It is a little over the top. The obvious reaction is "damn, it's not *that* good." Of course there are people that wouldn't care for the show even if it wasn't for the fans, but it does influence how some people feel about the show. It's inevitable.

There was an entire thread full of people admitting to not caring for Idina simply because of the crazy fans and how they have put her on this pedestal. Is it fair or justified criticism of the performer? No. Does it happen? Definitely.

Someone also got it right when they said there is always a backlash on shows that are popular and receive a lot of praise. I saw the Wicked backlash coming a mile away. It was so predictable. I usually notice it coming from people who believe that their *opinion* of a show should be documented as fact - and they can't get over the fact that a show they despise is liked by so many. They act as if the people that like the show have no taste or can't recognize good theater, which is such a pompous view.

Updated On: 3/8/05 at 08:20 PM

Rath - late comment

Remember, it is not that we are snobs - we are just better.

My guess would be that people don't so much hate the show, they just get annoyed with the tons of screaming fans that go with it. I myself love Wicked to death and was a bit perplexed as to why people seem to hate the show (still am perplexed) but my best guess would be because, as with any popular show, it is bound to be followed by tons of fans who dont always behave in the most rational or mature manner.

---

I think the more shows you see, the broader your appreciation grows for different types of theatre. I'm sure those of us who dislike 'popular' shows like CATS and WICKED can see some value in it somewhere, but we feel more satisfied by a work that is perhaps less mainstream. If this makes me uppity, so be it. It wouldn't be the first time i've been called a snob.

---

Having popular shows like WICKED and RENT that kids can relate to is good because that keeps the theater alive. If we had a bunch of "artsy" musicals that younger kids and teenagers weren't interested in, then the whole idea of theater would disappear. And to say that the only reason people put RENT on the stage was to make money is insane. RENT is the definition of art. I think Larson briliantly interweaved art and popular music. I may not love the Producers because the music sucks or like Phantom because it bores me doesnt mean i hate them. I'm glad they're there because it keeps people talking about the theater and maybe one day Broadway will be just as big as it was in the 1900s. Maybe.

I dont quite understand why some people dislike a show just because of the fans. I know thats not always the case but when it is, it just seems a little silly. I mean why let a couple teenage strangers ruin a perfectly good show? I still love Wicked for example, despite all the Idina-holics out there who scream like mad when they see her. They aren't bothering ME so why should I let them ruin my experience.

---

I think I agree with Rath, for the most part. Ah, the terror I experienced as a 7th grader, listening to "Jekyll & Hyde" instead of Sublime (which I happen to enjoy now, years later).

Now, I haven't turned on too many shows. As much as I am self-professed theater elitist and snob, I still think Wicked is a good show. Now, I saw Wicked 5 times, have the program, poster, etc... For a while, my computer was bookmarked with all the Idina/Kristin sites, and my away messages were all Wicked-related. Of course, I also saw almost everything else on Broadway, so I wasn't being completely saturated.

Several months later, I'm glad I was able to step back and see it's flaws. But I don't say it's bad. Because it's not - to me, anyway.

Anyhow - I think what drives me up a wall, and so many others, is that the current newcomers to theater, those who are being drawn in by Wicked and BKLYN, they haven't seen anything else. And there seems to be no interest in learning about other musical theatre. When asked if they'd heard "Les Miserables", they literally have NO idea what that is. "Miss Saigon" means nothing. And certainly, the only reason they may have heard of "Cabaret" was because the Wizard in Wicked won an Academy Award for the movie... Now of course, I am generalizing, and this does NOT apply to all.

When I started becoming a serious theater junkie, I did my research. I need to know what musical theatre was to appreciate what is.

I won't turn on a show because it's popular. But my interest may dim over time. I try to find redeeming qualities in all shows, even BKLYN.

The people who do turn on shows? I'll be they either saw the flaws when they first saw the show, or they do now. But if someone really liked Wicked, for example, it is doubtful that they will now be the ones posting "I HATE this show". But if they are those that thought Wicked was an okay show, but overly flawed, and they now state they hate Wicked...well, I would too, if I didn't like a show and was then bombarded by, well, Wizomania.

So, yeah. That's my opinion...

---

holy potatoes you kids write alot.

The reason why we turn on shows is simply:
us > fifty feet of crap > everyone else.