Your favorite flops...

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 12/24/11 at 3:35pm

As you all know, I'm directing a production A DOLL'S LIFE at The New Ohio Theatre (Christopher Street, NY) this January. It's running in rep with a production of Ibsen's A DOLL'S HOUSE and being produced by The Beautiful Soup Theater Collective -www.beautifulsouptheatercollective.org

We've been having such a wonderful time revisiting this lost flop. We've met so many wonderful people and are so excited to present it for everyone starting on January 26th, 2012.

As the Collective has continually grow since our little Off-Off-Off-Off-Waaaaaay-Off debut, we've been talking a lot about doing an annual musical. But the joy of this process has inspired us to make our yearly musical a famous flop. Not to dust it off and laugh, but to celebrate it and give it a new life from a new voice.

We'd love to hear more about your favorite flops: ones that you've never seen but would love a chance to, some you've seen but have been dying to see again, that score you've been aching to hear because you've worn out the recording...

I'm sure there are tons of threads about flops out there, but I think this is of a different nature! Looking forward to hearing about your favorites.

P.S. We've been thinking a lot about doing a production of HENRY, SWEET HENRY next season. But would love other thoughts and suggestions.

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 12/24/11 at 4:00pm

CRY FOR US ALL, by the team that wrote MAN OF LA MANCHA. Beautiful score, but as I remember, the book was a sad little piece of work, and the original production wasnt helped by Howard Bay's lumbering turntable set. IMHO, it definitely could shine up nicely.

[jetts7]

Posted: 12/24/11 at 4:09pm

I loved WONDERLAND and BONNIE AND CLYDE.

[After Eight]

Posted: 12/24/11 at 5:35pm

One of My favorite flops, and one which I would dearly love to see revived, is The Student Gypsy, or The Prince of Liederkranz, by Rick Besoyan.

It was a satire of operettas of the Graustarkian school, and it was delightul. It had a rich, melodic score, a very funny book, and a gorgeous physical production by the brilliant Raoul Pene du Bois.

The problem was that it was in the same vein as the author's previous smash, Little Mary Sunshine, so it seemed a case of deja vu.

It's too bad, because it was wonderful.

[nomdeplume]

Posted: 12/24/11 at 5:42pm

In My Life

It crashed so big.

You had to see it to believe it.

[Starcarolina]

Posted: 12/24/11 at 6:36pm

Mack and Mable
Side Show
Wonderland
Bonnie & Clyde (Closes before I can see it but love the music!)

[charlesjguiteau]

Posted: 12/24/11 at 6:54pm

RAGS and THE RINK. One is easy to do with small cast and production demands, one not so much.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 12/24/11 at 7:15pm

Dance of the Vampires
Dracula
Wonderland - it's a terrible show, but so campy...

[staunchcharacter]

Posted: 12/24/11 at 7:34pm

Dear World

[Musicaldudepeter]

Posted: 12/24/11 at 7:40pm

meet me in saint louis

[wexy]

Posted: 12/24/11 at 8:06pm

Enron

[perfectlymarvelous]

Posted: 12/24/11 at 8:23pm

I really loved The Story of My Life from a few years back. I also have been dying to see a production of Rags for years, it's such a glorious score.

[AMH]

Posted: 12/24/11 at 10:42pm

MACK AND MABEL and THE GOODBYE GIRL.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 12/24/11 at 11:14pm

Great to hear some of these mentioned! The ones I've most been tossing around are: "Henry, Sweet Henry"; "The Goodbye Girl" and "The Rink".

But I'd love to hear of things that maybe haven't crossed my mind. Our casts are usually young (under 35), but we love reaching out for older talent as well as new members all the time.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 12/25/11 at 11:50am

That's easy. TRIUMPH OF LOVE.

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 12/25/11 at 1:07pm

I Had a Ball is one of my favorites, that has a terrific score!

[kooky]

Posted: 12/25/11 at 1:34pm

LENNON ....

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 12/25/11 at 10:07pm

One that's long overdue: CELEBRATION, by Jones and Schmidt (FANTASTICKS). It had a really short shelf life back in the early 70s on Broadway, which it was really too small a show for. Like all their works, it's "ritual theatre" — in this case, about youth vs. age. Fun score with some great lyrics; all in all, a cool show for a younger cast.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 12/25/11 at 10:44pm

I just listened to MAGGIE FLYNN last night - fantastic score!

[egghumor]

Posted: 12/25/11 at 10:53pm

So many great posts. I particularly agree with charlesguiteau, as I'd love to see a production of THE RINK and RAGS. I'd want to see productions of GOLDILOCKS, SIDE SHOW and CELEBRATION.

I've seen LOTS of flop musicals and plays, but for me, the musicals that came closest to being wonderful were SMILE, OH, BROTHER! and THE FIRST (although it went from weak to worse during previews).

I had a very close relationship with SMILE and the show that played a pre-out-of-town gypsy run-thru in New York was far superior to the show that left Baltimore and opened on Broadway.

[gfaustswa]

Posted: 12/25/11 at 11:30pm

The Story Of My Life and Bonnie and Clyde. Both were great shows, with great tunes.

[Hank]

Posted: 12/26/11 at 4:37pm

BONNIE AND CLYDE, I love that show so much, and am so sad.

also: Taboo, and Lennon.

[Inigomontoya]

Posted: 12/26/11 at 4:58pm

Merrily we roll along

[charlesjguiteau]

Posted: 12/26/11 at 5:54pm

Other (small-ish) shows I mostly loved on first viewing that surely deserve another:

THE ROBBER BRIDEGROOM
THE BAKER'S WIFE
GRIND
GRAND HOTEL (not sure if it qualified as a flop first time out)
THE SECRET GARDEN (ditto)
PARADE
THE WILD PARTY (I preferred the Broadway outing to the Off-, but would see either again)



Updated On: 12/26/11 at 05:54 PM

[egghumor]

Posted: 12/26/11 at 8:59pm

I HEARTILY AGREE with all of the above titles, except for one:

THE BAKER'S WIFE. Ugh! I saw it in Boston, and with the exception of Teri Ralston's opening number, I thought the entire show was atrocious. and laughable at times.

PEW-RINA!