_____ ruined one of my favorite shows- Page 3

[Fiction Writer]

Posted: 6/16/06 at 7:06pm

I also know about LaBoheme. (Just a fact: It's set in France, but the language is Italian.)

Fine. I'm wrong. Move on.

[fyffe]

Posted: 6/16/06 at 7:57pm

I can't believe no one mention David fing Hassolhoff. I absolutely loved J&H. He truly killed the production.. Closed on his watch!. I took it in one last time. Dreadful. Rest of the cast was awesome.

[NYC4Life]

Posted: 6/16/06 at 8:32pm

"but Phylicia Rasha almost ruined Bernard Alba for me. I thought she was atrocious."

Ms. Rashad was mis cast, atrocious heck no!

[mijofly19]

Posted: 6/16/06 at 8:37pm

"I can't believe no one mention David fing Hassolhoff. I absolutely loved J&H. He truly killed the production.. Closed on his watch!. I took it in one last time. Dreadful. Rest of the cast was awesome."

I did say Hasselhof. I agree, he was horrible in the role. I am very thankful that I own the show on DVD, but the fact that he is in the lead is the reason that I haven't watched it as much as I usually would. The entire cast is amazing with the exception of him.

[WickedGeek28]

Posted: 6/16/06 at 8:39pm

"Ms. Rashad was mis cast, atrocious heck no! "

Well said!

[phantom8019]

Posted: 6/17/06 at 2:19pm

I must confess to butchering many great shows myself, in the shower.

[alliez92092]

Posted: 6/17/06 at 5:53pm

Hahahaha. Phantom wins.

[singingshowgirl]

Posted: 6/17/06 at 8:55pm

Christina Applegate ruined Sweet Charity for me and I LOVE that show

[BroadwayGirl107]

Posted: 6/17/06 at 9:07pm

"And I quote, "But yes, he ruined it. I think the film is an absolute disgrace to what the show used to be."

I've underlined what I wanted to point out. Theatre changes. People changes. Our culture changes. Nothing is what it used to be."

I merely added the words "used to be" in there because the show has been lazily cast with sub-par talent...and sometimes no talent. Not to mention it seems like the director and musical director haven't been in there since the show opened. It has nothing to do with passage of time or "people changing" so much as sheer laziness and/or carelessness, really. In fact, Will Chase, who played a brief stint as Roger late last year proves that Rent CAN be what it "used to be" when it is given the care it should be given. And Chris Columbus (and whoever is overlooking what's been gong on with the Broadway company) did not give it that care, and thus ruined the film. That is my point.
Updated On: 6/17/06 at 09:07 PM

[allofmylife]

Posted: 6/17/06 at 9:43pm

Richard Harris in the tour of "Camelot". Phoned the performance in. Hope Lancelot killed him on the battlefild.

[Roninjoey]

Posted: 6/17/06 at 9:43pm

I waited years to see Cabaret. It was my favorite show at the time. I finally went to see it, with Molly Ringwald as Sally Bowles. She was awful. Awful. Awful. Thanks for resuscitating the bad memories.

[All_For_Laura]

Posted: 6/17/06 at 10:21pm

I love love love Sweeney Todd.

Patti Lupone totally ruins the new production and I think she is a terrible Mrs. Lovett.

There, I said it!

[rentlover123]

Posted: 6/17/06 at 10:24pm

One of the understudys for Elphaba in wicked

[timote316]

Posted: 6/17/06 at 10:32pm

Matt Caplan in Rent.

[fairygodmother]

Posted: 6/18/06 at 12:51pm

westend artist - it was paul nicholas (terrible has-been performer who also produces most of the UK tours, hence his constant casting despite repeatedly bas reviews etc) , not paul nicholls (cute little guy ex of eastenders) who ruined jeckyll last year. although who knows, the reversal of that casting could have helped!

i agree with its awfulness, but then i'm not a huge fan and so can't say that it ruined a fave show.

however adam ricketts in Rent completely p*ssed me off and nearly ruined it.

and another one, saw an understudy run of The History Boys early in its National Theatre run and the bad behaviour, corpsing etc of certain members of cast, particularly Cordon, nearly ruined that fab play and the chances of the understudies.

Posted: 6/18/06 at 1:22pm

Patti LuPone in the Sweeney Todd revival.

Don't get me wrong, I love Patti, it's just... God. I can't even explain.

[Percy1969]

Posted: 6/18/06 at 5:20pm

I personally loved Chris's film version, but then again, I never have had the opportunity to see RENT on the stage.

That said, this discussion of the time frame of the show, brought out one of the things that had been subconciously bothering me about the movie. Maureen made mention of being packed into a yellow rental truck with fertilizer and fuel oil in "Over The Moon".....an obvious reference to the Oklahoma City bombing which occurred somewhere around 1994 or 1995 if memory serves. In 1989 very few people would have understood the reference......unless they were bomb makers.

Nit-picky, I know.....I'm odd like that.

[pauL5Y]

Posted: 6/18/06 at 5:43pm

I have to echo the comments about Sebastian Bach as Jesus (just typing that even feels wrong, I'll never forget the lip smacking on the cross to show how "parched" he was), Paul Stanley as Phantom (though Melissa Dye as Christine made the night memorable for a good reason too), and David Hasslehoff in J&H.

And I have to add Scary Spice as Mimi in Rent. After seeing the show on tour about ten times through the years I finally made it to NY in 2004 and got to see her in her first week. Ugh. At least Jeremy K. was Roger, which was surreal when the two were together onstage, easily most mismatched pair I've seen.

[Mills]

Posted: 6/18/06 at 5:57pm

I'm almost positive I'm blocking out some bad memories here, but the worst I can think of atm was Jennifer Ellison (sp?) in Chicago. *shudder* That performance was saved by a stellar Velma (Kay Murphy I believe).

And as for the Rent movie, while I did enjoy it, it still bugs me that a film set in 1989 references Thelma and Louise, a movie released in 2001. It's not even something that should have been an issue, the decision on time setting completely baffles me.

[BwayBaby18]

Posted: 6/18/06 at 6:04pm

Nellie McKay playing Polly in Threepenny Opera

Brooke Sheilds in Wonderful Town

And Lady of the Lake i agree.

[Percy1969]

Posted: 6/18/06 at 6:12pm

Actually, I'm pretty sure Thelma and Louise was released in the early 90s, but your point is still valid.

[WiiCKED x3]

Posted: 6/18/06 at 6:41pm

Saycon Sengbloh (sp?).
She was a horrible Elphaba.

[Weez]

Posted: 6/18/06 at 7:21pm

Madonna was tolerable in EVITA. It was terribly noticable that they'd made several of the songs easier for her to sing though. I have to wonder if she'd have been as accepted if she sang the songs as they were originally written and ballsed it up.

As for me, I had a real issue the time I saw Sebastian Arcelus in RENT. Luckily Karmine Alers and Justin Johnston are awesome, so it wasn't ruied, per se, but I did NOT enjoy his Mark. XP

Posted: 6/18/06 at 7:47pm

Hrmm. The sound levels at the Nederlander pretty much ruined RENT. Also Jay Wilkinson (I hope that's his name; I've not my playbill handy). I don't know if he was trying to be subtle or not, but his Mark was just about as exciting as watching paint dry. I wanted Matt Caplan by the end.

Michelle Malardi in "Beauty and the Beast." Belle should not sound like Marlon Brando.

Almost every high school girl I've ever heard try to sing legit soprano roles. Yuck. Britney Spears isn't musical theatre.

[morosco]

Posted: 6/18/06 at 7:59pm

After giving this a lot of thought I'd have to say that it was Betsy Joslyn's performance as Johanna that ruined the last couple of times I saw Sweeney on the road. Perhaps she'd been directed to perform the role that way but I think her performance completely threw the show out of whack.