The word "Flop" is purely a business term coined by Variety decades ago and used to designate a show that did not return its investment -- it has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the artistic merit of a production.
Some of the greatest and most important shows in the history of the theatre were flops ("Porgy and Bess," "Angels In America," "Waiting For Godot," all but two Sondheim musicals) -- that doesn't take anything away from their brilliance or influence one iota. Lots of truly groundbreaking stuff is years ahead of its time and fails to find an audience or achieve critical acceptance when first presented to the public -- that sometimes doesn't come until years later. That a show wasn't able to appeal to the lowest common denominator and be understood and embraced in one initial sitting, often isn't the fault of the work, but rather the fault the audience that was unable to comprehend its genius.
To me, calling something a "flop" has no negative artistic connotations whatsoever -- just the opposite.
"What a story........ everything but the bloodhounds snappin' at her rear end." -- Birdie
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"The Devil Be Hittin' Me" -- Whitney
Updated On: 12/20/04 at 02:03 PM
