Worst Changes Made in an Amateur Production- Page 6

[Kringas]

Posted: 4/26/07 at 4:24pm

"It Depends on What you Pay" is the rape song, is it not?

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 4/26/07 at 4:58pm

I don't know if it was an amateur production but it sure felt like it. I've discussed this several times but I saw this production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat that added an overture and an entr'acte. It was pretty crappy from there. Joseph sang Any Dream Will Do wearing the coat which totally ruins the moment he actually gets it. The guy who played Elvis couldn't do a decent Elvis impersonation to save his life. There were two narrators. And instead of a megamix at the end, they reprised basically every song in the show. When they got to the reprise of Stone The Crows, the narrators sang to the tune of the chorus, "It's been great to narrate for you/We hope we can do it again". Oy.

[ashbash1990]

Posted: 4/26/07 at 5:13pm

High School production of West Side Story, Maria's part in "Tonight" was brought down an octave so that she could almost reach the high notes (i'm not kidding)...

[jv92]

Posted: 4/26/07 at 7:43pm

I once saw a production of Follies somewhere in Middle America. I was staying somewhere in Ohio or Iowa overnight while driving somewhere across the country. I saw an add for Follies at a local community playhouse. Tickets were cheap and I figured it'd be an excellent way to spend the evening. It may not be good, but what the hell? I had my copy of the album (on CD) with me. (This was before iPods.) If it were to be bad, I could listen to in on my diskman while my wife, who goes to be early, sleeps to remind me how good the show if. In this production, which was actually good, the character of Solange was played by a male. The name was still kept Solange. The part was not changed. The character was still a French woman. To make things worse, the guy who played her was this stodgy old man in his 60s. He wore a purple suit and a purple bowler. No wig, no makeup, nothing.
If you're not gasping already, I saw a production of La Cage in a rather conservative part of our country at another local playhouse where the Cagelles were played by all women, with the exception of one hammy, fat man that looked like Billis in the Hunny Bun number in South Pacific. To make matters worse, Albin never dressed in drag and Song of the Sand was sung, not just to Albin, but to what seemed like a ghost of Georges' ex-wife. It was quite pathetic. I have some more I'll talk about later. I love this thread.
Updated On: 4/26/07 at 07:43 PM

[jv92]

Posted: 4/26/07 at 8:02pm

A few more good ones-
A few years ago I saw a high school do Dreamgirls. The production was terrible. Michael Bennett was probably rolling in his grave. Instead of the sets that merely suggested the locations, the sets were realistic and way too elaborate. Durring the unneeded scene changes, the chorus annoyingly sang "Showbiz, it's just Showbiz" at least fifty times a change.
Then comes the Finale Act I. "It's All Over" was dull, but apparantly, the girl playing Effie was the (per a teen girl in front of me) "the best singer in the school. She's gonna do great at the end of the first act." She didn't. She couldn't sustain the notes, she couldn't really project. Her "And you're gonna LOOOOOVE...etc." at the end was pathetic. I burst out lauging.
Sadly, they cut "Love Love Me Baby" and this poor thing was there holding this note, waitng for an ovation. No one stood. The girl in front of me admitted she "sucked pretty bad." She was worse than that.
Another good story is the YAGMCB I saw a few years back at a local middle school. The very talented director that usually did the shows at that school had to leave for the year due to some unfortunate surgery. She was replaced by (according to insiders, kids, really) someone who didn't know how to stage a show. It showed onstage. The poor boys had to sing bass baritone parts even though their voices hadn't changed. They added the Little Redheaded Girl, which was quite pathetic. The poor thing playing her did nothing. They also added a dancing kite, which was quite pointless too. Not very good.
Updated On: 4/26/07 at 08:02 PM

[Dollypop]

Posted: 4/26/07 at 8:53pm

I think the worst ever was a high school production of THE ODD COUPLE, where Oscar and "Florence" were brother and sister.

[Rose_MacShane]

Posted: 4/26/07 at 9:59pm

"Snaa-aa-aaa-aaa-aatch. A pretty snatch. Such a pretty snatch..."

I think I just found me a new signature.

[Josh Freilich]

Posted: 4/26/07 at 11:24pm

That aforementioned production of OKLAHOMA did the exact same thing the movie did:

"I don't say I'm no better than anybody else,
But I'll be danged if I ain't jest as good!"

Or, if you are too sensitive to the words in "Gee Officer Krupke," you could use the clean ones they wrote for the movie:

"My daddy beats my mommy
My mommy clobbers me
My grandpa is a commie
My grandma pushes tea"

and:

"Dear kindly social worker
They tell me get a job
Like, be a soda jerker
Which means like, be a slob"

or the ones for the OBCR (which I think are funnier):

"Dear kindly social worker
They say go earn some dough
Like, be a soda jerker
Which means like, be a schmo"

[LuPonatic]

Posted: 4/26/07 at 11:40pm

I wouldn't think talking about bad performers applies to this thread. Maybe it's just me...

Posted: 4/27/07 at 12:50am

I never got that change for the cast album (especially since I think they keep the line Sperm to Worm that the movie felt had to be changed)--was slob seen as a bad word back then??

[Jon]

Posted: 4/27/07 at 9:10am

Job/slob was the cleanest version - used in the movie. The real lyric is buck/schmuck. The cast album substituted dough/schmo.