Worst Show Endings

[seymour krelborn]

Posted: 5/15/04 at 11:20pm

We've had posts about the saddest ending and so forth what about eveyone's opinions on the worst ending to a show? In my opinion I didn't like the ending of My Fair Lady where Eliza come into Higgins' study and he asks her where his slippers are and then it just ends.

[Matt_G]

Posted: 5/15/04 at 11:32pm

First, posts like these make me physically sick. Secondly
Dance of the Vampires had one of the worst endings to a show I've ever seen.

[GovernorSlaton]

Posted: 5/15/04 at 11:40pm

Hmmmm....
Although I liked the show (and loved the book), I'd have to say Wicked's ending wasn't very good or plausible. Please don't hate me! I just don't like the fact that (SPOILERS, I guess, but I think most of the people here know what happens) Elphaba DOESN'T DIE!!!! The show's not awful, but I loathe the ending (pun intended).

[iruvyou]

Posted: 5/15/04 at 11:51pm

In a way i thought that HairSpray could of ended better i don't think tracy should of ended up with link. I didn't like the ending to hello dolly (well i don't really like any of hello dolly)

[GovernorSlaton]

Posted: 5/16/04 at 12:06am

I think I'll have to disagree about Hairspray. I think Tracy should've ended up with Link because she makes him a new, more caring guy, and he genuinely was in love with her by the end and was able to see past her size. It's very touching, isn't it? (sniff sniff)

[Sumofallthings]

Posted: 5/16/04 at 12:21am

The ending of Children of Eden left a message different then I had expected and so left something to be desired.

In the non-musical realm, the Glass Menagerie left a great deal to be desired as far as an ending goes.

[son_of_a_gunn_25]

Posted: 5/16/04 at 12:38am

The story behind My Fair Lady's ending is very interesting, actually it goes back to the source material, Pygmalion by Shaw. It originally ended with Eliza going off with Freddy and opening a flower shop leaving Higgins alone and miserable. Audiences hated that ending and wanted her to stay with Higgins. Much to the chagrin of Shaw public demand ended up winning out and that's why she ends up with Higgins in My Fair Lady if my memory serves me right.

[ShbrtAlley44]

Posted: 5/16/04 at 1:05am

Without a doubt, Rent's ending.

[magic8ball]

Posted: 5/16/04 at 1:13am

"Funny Girl". Ugh.

[Jon]

Posted: 5/16/04 at 1:20am

I hated the ending of the Broadway "Tommy" in which Tommy forgives all his relatives who abused him. Everybody hugs and lives happily ever after. Total sell-out.

Also, the orginal concept of the story, Tommy's followers reject him as a messiah, and he his left alone. In the Broadway verion, he tells the followers that he is not a messiah, and they shouild not follow him.

[ChrisLovesShows]

Posted: 5/16/04 at 1:32am

I agree that Rent's ending is awful. She just miraculously gets better?!!? Talk about a sell-out!

[Bohoboy]

Posted: 5/16/04 at 1:38am

I'm not sure if Children of Eden is a bad ending or just a bad book that falls apart in Act 2. I have never read Pygmalion by Shaw and was always puzzled at Freddy's inclusion in My Fair Lady. Thanks for the tidbit!

What's the worst ending ever?

I could say Jekkyl and Hyde because it just refused to end.

Mimi living at the end of Rent certainly diminished it's impact, that's especially so the longer it runs.

I would have to say Dance of the Vampires. The Thriller-esque dance number telling us that the Vampires were not defeated and were a'comin' for us literally made me slap my forehead... oh if I spoiled the ending for you, I profusely apologize, but I doubt it's gonna have much of a regional life, so your chances of seeing it are bootlegs or Lincoln Center. Hard to believe a show like that is in a library....

[musicgal04]

Posted: 5/16/04 at 1:41am

Hey, I've been reading this board for awhile now, and just had to talk. I can't stand the ending of Wicked. I like the show overall, but it goes against EVERYTHING Oz. I know it is a new take and everything, but the Scarecrow takes over the Emerald City after the witch dies in all the Baum books. Oh well.

[Plum]

Posted: 5/16/04 at 2:53am

You're a bit off about the ending of Pygmalion. Like My Fair Lady, its ending is ambiguous. It ends with Eliza and Mrs. Higgins going out to shop. Henry Higgins asks Eliza to buy some things for him. She tells him to go buy them himself and goes out. Mrs. Higgins says she'll take care of his shopping, but Henry confidently says that Eliza will do it, despite what she said. And that's it.

Shaw wrote a "sequel," which wasn't actually a part of the play but more like an explanation of what he thought would happen to Eliza and Henry. As he said:

THE rest of the story need not be shown in action, and indeed, would hardly need telling if our imaginations were not so enfeebled by their lazy dependence on the ready-mades and reach-me-downs of the ragshop in which Romance keeps its stock of "happy endings" to misfit all stories.

All of Pygmalion subverts various romantic stereotypes, so why should the ending be any different? Shaw says that Eliza and Henry would never end up together- she would marry Freddy because she would rather have him fetch her slippers than spend a lifetime fetching Henry's, no matter how attractive he may be.

And I like the ending of My Fair Lady. :)

[Benzy92]

Posted: 5/16/04 at 9:39am

the 80's revival of Anything Goes is an awful ending. They all just get married?! What?

No plot to begin with..

[GovernorSlaton]

Posted: 5/16/04 at 10:05am

I agree that the Rent ending is not believable. In La Boheme, the character dies, but in Rent, she does not. In the Rent book, Jonathan Larson explains that the show is about life and not death (or something to that effect), and so he didn't want Mimi to die. Go figure.

[dry2olives]

Posted: 5/16/04 at 10:05am

Millie -- Mrs. Meers gets arrested for her actions, but her two henchment, who were fully aware that they were kidnapping innocent women and forcing them into prostitution, are treated as heroes and are given happy endings without having to lift a finger to try and rescue the poor victims whose lives they ruined.

[BillyLawlor]

Posted: 5/16/04 at 10:33am

I actually agree with Rent--I always liked it before, but thinking about it now, it is pretty fake and unrealistic.

And I don't mind "Tommy"s ending. The whole thing is very upsetting, so a happy ending is effective, I think.

And Hairspray would have sucked if Tracy and Link didn't end up together. The ending fits the show.

[BroadwayDiva]

Posted: 5/16/04 at 10:37am

As much as I love RENT, the ending is quite unrealistic. She miraculously gets better after practically dying. But, if she died, I think Roger would have to die with her, because I don't think he could live without her...so there's more depression.


I don't like the end of Man of La Mancha. I think it's kind of depressing.

[broadwaystar2b]

Posted: 5/16/04 at 11:48am

The 2nd Act of Into the Woods after "The Last Midnight" always felt kind of forced to me.

[HunterFosterIsMyGod]

Posted: 5/16/04 at 12:08pm

kind-of-sort-of Batboy.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 5/16/04 at 12:57pm

It always cracks me up when people complain that the ending of Rent is "unrealistic". As if singing drug dealers is realistic in some way.

I also don't like the ending of My Fair Lady. Higgins is a jerk! Why would she ever go back to him? He treated her like crap.

[onceadancer2]

Posted: 5/16/04 at 2:30pm

None of you ever saw SONG OF NORWAY, with the big Grieg ballet followed by a very stupid bit of business with Grieg and Nna.

Miriam

[My Fair Lady]

Posted: 5/16/04 at 2:51pm

I love Wicked the book but the ending of the show bothered me. And whoever mentioned Millie is kind of right...but they are so cute you don't notice!

[CurtainUp]

Posted: 5/16/04 at 3:24pm

see, seymour krelborn, I love it because it stops it from being cheesy. It suit's Higgin's and Eliza's attitude to do that; I think it's a charming ending.

Oh, and Benzy, everyone gets married? Sounds like a classic musical to me!

Updated On: 5/16/04 at 03:24 PM