bad on paper worked on stage

[blaxx]

Posted: 9/24/14 at 2:26am

Xanadu.

[NoName3]

Posted: 9/24/14 at 3:53am

I remember when Sweeney Todd was announced and the subject matter became known, a lot of people thought Prince and Sondheim had lost their minds.

[gleek4114]

Posted: 9/24/14 at 7:49am

^ Same with Cats. Granted it was really crazy on stage but people loved it.

[WOSQ]

Posted: 9/24/14 at 9:30am

1776

[tazber]

Posted: 9/24/14 at 9:55am

Grey Gardens

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 9/24/14 at 10:56am

Prior to its premiere, many believed The Lion King would be a ridiculous notion and a sure-fire flop. It was pretty funny when the first tryout reviews hit.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 9/24/14 at 12:31pm

A Chorus Line. Who wants to listen to a bunch of chorus dancers tell their stories? TheirThey're dancers, not actors.

And even when it hit the stage, some people still didn't like it. Maureen Stapleton was famous for not liking it thinking that it put actors in a bad light having to be up there "begging for a job."

Updated On: 9/24/14 at 12:31 PM

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 9/24/14 at 2:45pm

They're

[Gothampc]

Posted: 9/24/14 at 3:10pm

^^That too.

[little_sally]

Posted: 9/24/14 at 3:24pm

I always thought it was amazing that such a good musical could come out of such a long, dense novel like Les Miserables, especially given the other book-to-musical failures (i.e. Jane Eyre, A Tale of Two Cities, etc.)

[D2]

Posted: 9/25/14 at 10:08am

URINETOWN

[Wilmingtom]

Posted: 9/25/14 at 2:26pm

The last week in the life of Christ as a sung-through rock musical.

[Hackasaurus_Rex]

Posted: 9/25/14 at 2:29pm

Rock Of Ages

[Unknown User]

Posted: 9/29/14 at 12:16am

Urinetown! Oh Urinetown!
I also think the Laramie Project.