Worst Seasons on Broadway?

[Bangkok(ER)]

Posted: 5/10/06 at 9:25pm

I considered this season's one of them. Poor vampire with 80.s singer from the jungle met Chita in white!!

[Caroline-Q-or-TBoo]

Posted: 5/10/06 at 9:26pm

but we had some GREAT plays (Lietenant, HISTORY BOYS, etc etc)

Posted: 5/10/06 at 9:32pm

I hate to say that when I was growing up and falling head over heals with theater they used to say that the 80s was a really bad time for shows. DROOD, Leader of the Pack, Big River, Big Deal, My One and Only, and so many others. I have to say that, I loved those shows as they were the modern shows that I watched growing up on the Tony's. But they claim that was the worst time in a long time.

[dirty rotten guy]

Posted: 5/10/06 at 9:44pm

Yeah, the majority of the 80's was considered the worst Broadway has ever been.

That said, I though this was a pretty good season. Alot of the new stuff didnt do so well, but we got some great revivals and there is alot of competition for the Tonys this year.

Updated On: 5/10/06 at 09:44 PM

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 5/10/06 at 9:51pm

I would think 1967-1968 would be up there. Didn't the show that won best Tony in 1968 close prior to the ceremony?

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 5/10/06 at 9:53pm

This was a terrible year for original musicals. They should just pass on the best musical and best score awards this year - no one is worthy. What it really comes down to is "Which contains the least amount of badness."

[sondwisenheimer]

Posted: 5/10/06 at 10:07pm

Yep, the late eighties especially (with some notable exceptions).

And as far as bad years for new musicals, there was the year that "Sunset Boulevard" was the only show eligible for the Tony in that category.

[InfiniteTheaterFrenzy]

Posted: 5/10/06 at 10:54pm

I understand where people are coming from when they say this season has been a bad one but really- at least 15 new musical productions opened. And if a lot were not superior efforts, they at least had many redeemable qualities. The '67- '68 season was rather scarily devoid of good musicals. (I just finished William Goldman's The Season and it was scary how few productions there were, and how many flops!)

[Dirty Rotten Scoundrel]

Posted: 5/10/06 at 11:00pm

I'm actually very curious as to MargoChanning's opinion on this.

[TheaterAddict7652]

Posted: 5/10/06 at 11:13pm

And as far as bad years for new musicals, there was the year that "Sunset Boulevard" was the only show eligible for the Tony in that category.

Actually, Sunset Boulevard was the only show nominated for Best Book and Score, but Smokey Joe's Cafe was also nominated for best musical. But still, that goest to show you what a terrible season 1995 was!

[Lamc16]

Posted: 5/10/06 at 11:41pm

Wait a half hour, dirty rotten. The book according to Margo should be ready then.

[jsg03jd]

Posted: 5/11/06 at 1:17am

Further to Theateraddict's post, wasn't that also the same season when there were only 2 nominees for best actress in a musical, i.e., Glenn Close for SUNSET and Rebecca Luker for SHOWBOAT? Was there even a question as to who would win even though Luker is the superior singer? That was a lame season.

[harris007]

Posted: 5/11/06 at 1:20am

gonna agree mid 90's over all from about 94-96 was kinda bad

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 5/11/06 at 1:21am

Bad seasons? How about 1985...the best the nominees wer GRIND, QUILTERS, LEADER OF THE PACK and BIG RIVER. (Side note: if SUNDAY IN THE PARK had opened a few days later it would have been eligable in the 84/85 season and cleaned up! Though it STILL should have won in 84, but that's another argument.)

And though RENT was the big winner in 1996, its only real competition was BRING IN DA NOISE. (The nominators decided that VICTOR/VICTORIA, BIG and STATE FAIR were all unworthy of a nomination for Best Musical and opted to nominate two long closed flops: SWINGIN' ON A STAR and CHRONICLE OF A DEATH FORETOLD.)

I don't think this is as bad a season as either of the above.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 5/11/06 at 2:30am

Naw, I wouldn't say it's bad in terms of quantity. I really like Wedding Singer and I can't wait for the Lestat recording, but I haven't seen it, so I don't count in terms of giving it a good review. Anyways, did they even televise (sp?) the Tonys the year Sunset was nominated? What a boring year that would have been to watch. They must have had a lot of commericials or really long performances or something.

[FranklinShepard-Inc.]

Posted: 5/11/06 at 10:40am

Actually, a score like Grind from 85 would probably win this year, if there were one like it. But to come to the point: there have been worse seasons, yes, but good years and bad years come and go. Let's not forget that last season we had one hit opening after the next. We can't every year have DRS, Spamalot, Spelling Bee, Piazza and Chitty opening within one year...

[Enjolras77]

Posted: 5/11/06 at 11:13am

How about the 1988-89 season when the new musicals that opened that year were in order:

--Legs Diamond
--Senator Joe
--Black and Blue
--Jerome Robbins' Broadway (Best Musical Tony winner)
--Chu Chem
--Welcome to the Club
--Starmites

Updated On: 5/11/06 at 11:13 AM

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 5/11/06 at 1:52pm

Senator Joe never opened...it only lasted three previews!

Wasn't Carrie in the 1988-89 year too? (the first one to open that season)

This year (2005-2006) was just awful. Let's hope next year is much better...it couldn't possibly get any worse.

[Enjolras77]

Posted: 5/11/06 at 1:59pm

I wasn't sure about Carrie....I thought it was part of the 1988-89 season but than saw that it was nominated for a 1988 Theatre World Award so I wasn't positive.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 5/11/06 at 2:02pm

I'm almost positive that Carrie JUST missed the cutoff for the 1987-1988 Tony awards. It may have made that cutoff for all the other awards given out that season though.

[Pippin]

Posted: 5/11/06 at 2:12pm

true, this year isn't the best, but I think that is because last year was SO strong with the four best musical noms still running right now. it is pretty hard to recreate that, especially two years in a row.

if this season had come after the '88-'89 season, I think we would have been saying different things. it's all subjective.