Worst Flop ever

[skies]

Posted: 6/2/15 at 1:36pm

Believe me, I realize there are many, many "worthy" candidates.

My pick is the infamous "Breakfast at Tiffanys" that starred (then) hot TV stars  Mary Tyler Moore and Richard Chamberlain in 1966 with score by the esteemed Bob  Merrill and book by Abe Burrows.   Let's add legendary  David Merrick was the producer.

Where to even start?

David Merrick had the book by Burrows scrapped when it didn't click with the out of town tryout audiences.

So he hires...drumroll...EDWARD ALBEE...to rewrite the  book.  "Who's afraid of Virgina Woolf" Edward Albee.  Edward admits now he didn't know what he was doing, and according to Richard Chamberlain it was a "dark musical" that the audience hated, with material rewritten hours before the cast would do a performance.  According to Chamberlain, Mary was crying offstage between performances.

After four NY preview performances David Merrick pulled the plug, despite huge advance sales, refunding all the money.   What makes this my all time worst flop was that David Merrick actually took out ad space in the NY times where he explained the closing was due to    “rather than subject the drama critics and the public to an excruciatingly boring evening.”

This makes Spider Man the musical look child's play in comparison. 

Any other flops in this pantheon one can think of?

 

 

 

 

 

Updated On: 6/2/15 at 01:36 PM

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 6/2/15 at 1:39pm

Home Sweet Homer

Yul Brynner in a new musical with Joan Deiner . Looked great on paper

 

Other notables

Mata Hari

Nick & Nora

Legs Diamond

Dude

Via Galactica

 

Updated On: 6/2/15 at 01:39 PM

[mattporter17]

Posted: 6/2/15 at 1:46pm

Three Words:

Carrie: The Musical

From its Wiki page:

"Hampered by scathing reviews, and despite the fact that the theatre was sold out every night, the financial backers pulled their money out of the show, and it closed on May 15 after only 16 previews and 5 performances, guaranteeing its place in theatre history as one of the most expensive disasters of all time. According to The New York Times, the "more-than-$7 million show...was the most expensive quick flop in Broadway history."

Carrie had a decent run off-broadway a few years ago with some notable people, so it's not the worst thing ever, but that original production sounds pretty awful.

Updated On: 6/2/15 at 01:46 PM

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 6/2/15 at 1:52pm

I see your Carrie & raise you

Rockabye Hamlet

[unclevictor]

Posted: 6/2/15 at 2:05pm

HA!

What about...

GLORY DAYS

BOMBAY DREAMS

TABOO (although I found it semi-entertaining) 

THE BLONDE IN THE THUNDERBIRD (god I wish I had seen it)

 

[skies]

Posted: 6/2/15 at 2:09pm

The 1904 George M. Cohan chestnut "Little Johnny Jones" with Donny Osmond closed on BW on Opening night in 1982.

The funny thing was another teen idol, David Cassidy, had toured nationwide extensively with the show the previous year.

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 6/2/15 at 2:13pm

La strada, a musical based on Fellini's masterpiece, opened and closed on the same day. It starred Bernadette Peters.

[little_sally]

Posted: 6/2/15 at 2:16pm

In My Life. I can't even believe it ever opened.

[skies]

Posted: 6/2/15 at 2:33pm

"Via Galactica" back in the 70's is legendary because the rock opera,  which was set in the future in an asteroid was deemed by even it's producers as so incomprehensible that additional plot synopses were inserted into the Playbills.  It closed after 7 performances.

It sounded like epic surreal roadkill, with trampolines on stage to convey weightlessness in space.

[James885]

Posted: 6/2/15 at 2:41pm

I'd like to offer up Into The Light - the first and only musical about the Shroud of Turin. Starring Dean Jones, it opened in 1986 to scathing reviews and closed after 6 performances.

I didn't see it, but everything I've read and heard about it suggests that it was ghastly.

Updated On: 6/2/15 at 02:41 PM

[ShoMo382]

Posted: 6/2/15 at 3:07pm

Farrah Fawcett in Bobbi Boland...

[acekatherineplumber2]

Posted: 6/2/15 at 3:08pm

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman

[Fantod]

Posted: 6/2/15 at 3:08pm

From what I hear, Dude was so bad that George Ragni, the man who wrote the book and lyrics to the show, yelled at audience members who tried to leave at intermission to "go sit down and suffer with everybody else. Suffer!" so that might take the cake.

There's Kelly and The Little Prince and the Aviator too.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 6/2/15 at 3:17pm

Superman was far from a worst flop

It got generally favorable reviews. It failed to catch on. It has been performed regionally and with the right cast could be ripe for a full scale revival. If flops like Gigi and Sideshow get one, this would be one that deserves a second chance. I saw many of the flops listed here and Superman. Superman does not belong in that class.

Talk legendary and the name Rachel Lily Rosenbloom and Senator Joe come to mind. Saw Rachel and it was a god awful mess. It was like watching Gomez in the TV series The Addams Family waiting for his toy trains to collide & collide they did on stage.

Updated On: 6/2/15 at 03:17 PM

[ARTc3]

Posted: 6/2/15 at 3:39pm

I too saw many of the flops listed here, including both Via Galactica and Dude. My worst was, Got Tu Go Disco. Now, that was a flop in a class of its own.

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 6/2/15 at 3:46pm

Can't believe no has mentioned Spider-Man yet.

[Finch]

Posted: 6/2/15 at 3:46pm

Lest we forget:  "Kelly" and [although not a musical]: "Moose Murderers"

There are also:  "A Mother's Kisses,"  "Shogun,"  "Annie 2," "Her First Roman," "I Remember Mama [the musical]" and a lot of others from the past!!

 

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 6/2/15 at 3:48pm

Saw Roman, Shogun & Disco. The latter was indeed in a class by itself.

Disco had Phillip Michael Thomas before Miami Vice & Irene (my career disappeared after this) Cara as Cassette - I kid you not.

Updated On: 6/2/15 at 03:48 PM

[skies]

Posted: 6/2/15 at 4:03pm

Someone mentioned "Kelly" with score by Eddie Lawrence.   He claimed the producers drastically altered the musical without his permission.

Interesting sidenote:  Sondheim has included one number " Never Go There Anymore" fr0m that musical among the list of songs he wished he had written.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 6/2/15 at 4:07pm

Just listening to these names is a trip down memory lane. I loved the ones I saw & regret the ones I did not.

[Junior Babcock]

Posted: 6/2/15 at 5:02pm

My favorites, of the ones I saw:

COME SUMMER

GOOD NEWS (Revival)

HER FIRST ROMAN

HOME SWEET HOMER

REX

MOLLY

SMILE

LATE NITE COMIC

MAIL

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 6/2/15 at 5:14pm

Saw 6 from your list

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 6/2/15 at 5:14pm

Saw 6 from your list

[TNick926]

Posted: 6/2/15 at 5:15pm

I'm sad to say of all the flops mentioned so far, I only saw Moose Murders and Into the Light.  But wow, were they ever!! :)

[Alex M]

Posted: 6/2/15 at 5:17pm

Hurt Locker the Musical closed at intermission