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What's the very worst musical you ever saw?

Merboy

By Merboy
in Live Theater & Broadway

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Merboy
Merboy

And I knew one of you guys would know that line!

Merboy
Merboy

I'm reminded of that line from TGG when they are talking about the local theatre lady, Phyllis Hammerow... lol https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0589829/

samhexum
samhexum

Jerome Robbins' Broadway. I went with 2 friends. I left the theater at intermission, telling them I'd meet them afterwards for dinner. They left 1 or 2 numbers after intermission.    

samhexum Grand Master

samhexum

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Posted

Petula Clark, David Cassidy and Shaun Cassidy appeared on Broadway in the British musical "Blood Brothers." in the 1990s. Just ok if I remember

 

Who's Petula Clark? ???

 

Just kidding, of course. I have one of her biggest hits on my computer, and listen to it occasionally:

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bostonman Grand Master

bostonman

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It had to be "Rent" off Broadway 20+ years ago. The most screechy, over produced and loud mess I've ever heard. If there was a story line it was lost in that production!

 

I kinda resisted Rent when it first came out. But over time I've really grown to like it a lot. it's not a perfect show - I will always wonder what Larson could have done to develop it further had he lived. And I think we can also wonder how much his tragic death contributed to the success of the show. But it is definitely a show that has grown on me over the years in a good way.

 

If you're looking for the ultimate lack of story in a show, I might nominate both versions of "The Wild Party" - 2 very worthwhile and very different scores which I like a lot, but neither show able to tell any kind of compelling story over their long running times. (Also too many characters trying to claim an important part of that weak story, which doesn't help.)

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samhexum Grand Master

samhexum

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I know this thread is about the worst musicals ever seen, but I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to ask if anyone else saw my sister in Camp Colang's legendary production of Damn Yankees in 1974? They still talk about it in reverent tones throughout the state of Pennsylvania.

 

I'm guessing @WilliamM either saw it or is still kicking himself for missing it.

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WilliamM Grand Master

+ WilliamM

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I know this thread is about the worst musicals ever seen, but I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to ask if anyone else saw my sister in Camp Colang's legendary production of Damn Yankees in 1974? They still talk about it in reverent tones throughout the state of Pennsylvania.

 

I'm guessing @WilliamM either saw it or is still kicking himself for missing it.

 

I saw Anthony Perkins in a Massachusetts Summer Theater production of "Damn Yankees" shortly after "Greenwiiiow" closed in New York

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handiacefailure Mentor

handiacefailure

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Has anyone mentioned Starlight Express? I think it's the only show I've walked out of.

 

I saw it in Chicago pre Braodwaying a nd was very disappointed. Reason I went was because I love Andrew Lloyd Weber and after I bought the tickets found out the Trib called it a disaster and I was surprised it made it to broadway. I didn't walk out of the show but thought about it.

 

Starlight was a lot better than Stephen Ward though. I heard Love Never fails was also a flop, Weber used to be great but his musicals lately have all sucked.

 

Weber wrote his own musical of Cinderella that was suppose to have opened this year in the West End. Who knows if that will happen, hopefully it's better than the last few musicals he's written.

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bostonman Grand Master

bostonman

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There's nothing like bad productions of classic shows. A few of my "favorites":

 

A student theatre club at my alma mater doing a terrible production of Oliver, where the moment that Bill Sykes is shot and falls to his death was staged so ineptly that the audience laughed.

 

A local community theatre "concept" production of Into The Woods with a fairly famous Broadway guest star playing the Witch. The director was a great guy and a fabulous costume designer - period. There were some good performances in the cast (including some friends and colleagues of mine who I enjoyed very much), but Ms. Witch was not really one of them. She essentially had one "attitude" throughout - park and bark with her hand on her hip. Very disappointing given the talent I know she has. Another huge disappointment was the young man who played Cinderella's Prince. Ah - but it gets even better - he was her fiance. :rolleyes:

 

And, a local regional theatre who (in)famously did a production of Annie, but tried to change the ending so that "it was all a dream" and Annie was actually back stuck in the orphanage at the end of the show. They got a cease and desist order from the original powers that be, to put the ending back the way it was written.

 

Also, another story with a bit of a "nepotism" twist - years ago I saw the tour of a then-recent Tony-winning show. It was flu season, and one of the supporting women was out, and her understudy was on. The understudy herself is not a household name, but it is a name that diehard Broadway fans might know, and I'll leave it at that. Anyway, she sounded under the weather too. I remarked later to a friend working on the tour that it seemed a shame that even the understudy was sick - and he told me, "no - that's actually how she sounds. But her husband (a lead in the cast) wouldn't do the tour unless they signed her on as well." (Oops...)

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bostonman Grand Master

bostonman

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Cats (especially after some judicious and needed cuts hat have been made over time) is a pretty fun song cycle. It was, in a way, the "testing ground" for the craze soon to be known as the "mega-musical," which would soon be all the rage - and IMO, it didn't need all that overdone production value. It's always felt to me like some remnant of a glam rock show, but set in a junkyard, with people dressed like cats. (???) It could have been whimsical, but I think it wound up taking itself WAY too seriously. So, as a musical theatre production, I find it rather pretentious. But the score itself is quite engaging and fun.

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bostonman Grand Master

bostonman

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I have never seen and have no desire to see Cats. You're not going to get me to pay to see pussy in any form!

 

I'm sure the commercially-released film of the stage version (NOT the recent movie) is easy to find out there - you should give it a shot. Just so you know what the fuss is all about lol.

 

Why they decided to make that film last year I'll never know. Or frankly, it might have been lots of fun as an animated film, instead of whatever the hell they came up with.

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