What's the very worst musical you ever saw?

[bostonman]

I've heard people sing "Someone Is Here" from Nefertiti occasionally.

[bostonman]

Okay, I’ll agree. The 3/4 rhythm syncopation is catchy. Good lord, another earworm.

 

I think the score for Do I Hear A Waltz has some fantastic songs in it, though some are not as good. But ultimately, Rodgers, Sondheim, and Laurents couldn't seem to get on the same page as collaborators, and it shows. But among the gems (IMO) are the ballads "Stay" and "Take The Moment," the zany uptempo "What Do We Do, We Fly," and the original version of "We're Gonna Be Alright" (which was rewritten by the time the show premiered, to its detriment). I may be paraphrasing Sondheim here, but I think that he's said that he feels the show was a waste of time.

[+ purplekow]

I did not read all the way through. Did anyone mention Starlight Express?

[bostonman]

I did not read all the way through. Did anyone mention Starlight Express?

 

I feel about Starlight Express similarly to the way I feel about Cats. The score itself is really kinda fun, if you let yourself just enjoy the whimsical nature of all of it and don't look for anything profound. But the physical production took itself so damn seriously that it tended to work against the fun of the music.

 

More importantly, it was a hazardous show for the rollerskating dancers - I know there were a lot of bad injuries (possibly career-ending injuries in some instances). In that way it lives alongside the regrettable Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark and the very recent injury-prone revival of West Side Story.

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

It's one word - Urinetown. And I suspect you haven't seen it.

Actually, it's

Urinetown: The Musical

 

To speak of Urinetown, without saying The Musical, implies you may not have seen the show either.

[bostonman]

Actually, it's

Urinetown: The Musical

 

Actually, it's not. There's no colon in the logo. (The "the musical" is in smaller print underneath "Urinetown," but there's no ":")

 

Outside of the logo itself, Music Theatre International (which holds the rights to the show) simply refers to it as Urinetown. The published script also generally refers to it by Urinetown alone. Looking at the posters from the two productions of the show I've done, one included "the musical" and one didn't. The logo for the London production did include "the musical" but again, with no colon.

 

(Update - I just noticed that the spine of the published script does indeed include the colon in the title. But that's the only time I've ever seen it used.)

 

?

Edited March 20, 2021 by bostonman

[kingsley88]

I feel about Starlight Express similarly to the way I feel about Cats. The score itself is really kinda fun, if you let yourself just enjoy the whimsical nature of all of it and don't look for anything profound. But the physical production took itself so damn seriously that it tended to work against the fun of the music.

 

More importantly, it was a hazardous show for the rollerskating dancers - I know there were a lot of bad injuries (possibly career-ending injuries in some instances). In that way it lives alongside the regrettable Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark and the very recent injury-prone revival of West Side Story.

I saw Starlight Express in Las Vegas when I was a kid and really enjoyed it (mainly due to the roller skating and music!) I heard someplace in Germany they have a theatre specially built for the show where some seats rotate so you can see all the action! Hope to watch that someday after this pandemic.

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

Actually, it's not. There's no colon in the logo. (The "the musical" is in smaller print underneath "Urinetown," but there's no ":")

 

Outside of the logo itself, Music Theatre International (which holds the rights to the show) simply refers to it as Urinetown. The published script also generally refers to it by Urinetown alone. Looking at the posters from the two productions of the show I've done, one included "the musical" and one didn't. The logo for the London production did include "the musical" but again, with no colon.

 

(Update - I just noticed that the spine of the published script does indeed include the colon in the title. But that's the only time I've ever seen it used.)

 

?

I was referring to the dialogue in the play, where the Narrator/Cop corrects Little Sally and directs her to call it "Urinetown: The Musical" and not just "Urinetown". He goes on to tell her that simply "Urinetown" refers to the place people are sent when they can't afford to pay to pee, and is not the same as "Urinetown: The Musical".

[bostonman]

I heard someplace in Germany they have a theatre specially built for the show...

 

I wonder if they do it in English or German (either would be very possible). I tend to think something like "Freight is great / we carry weight / 'cause we are freight" would lose something in translation. ?

[bostonman]

I was referring to the dialogue in the play, where the Narrator/Cop corrects Little Sally and directs her to call it "Urinetown: The Musical" and not just "Urinetown". He goes on to tell her that simply "Urinetown" refers to the place people are sent when they can't afford to pay to pee, and is not the same as "Urinetown: The Musical".

 

Yes, though Officer Lockstock doesn't correct Little Sally on that point - he tells this to the audience right at the top. "Well, hello there. And welcome -- to Urinetown! Not the place, of course. The musical. Urinetown "the place" is...well, it's a place you'll hear people referring to a lot throughout the show...it's kind of a mythical place, you understand. A bad place. A place you won't see until Act Two. And then...? Well, let's just say that it's filled with symbolism and things like that."

 

The dialogue with Little Sally is more about "too much exposition" killing the show, and likewise the "bad title." ?

 

Hail Malthus!!!

[samhexum]

I once saw a live production of Best Little Whorehouse with a very low budget and only half the cast they needed. The football players were played by three effeminate twink dancers. The reaction by the audience during the Augie song, when the twinks wore only their mesh fashion jockstraps, was one of unpleasant shock. It did not look like a college football locker room (at least from what I've seen in porn)

 

As flawed as the film version is, I love HARD CANDY XMAS by Dolly & the Whores.

Edited March 21, 2021 by samhexum

[samhexum]

I've personally never seen the stage version of Singin' In The Rain, but have been told that it's not all that satisfying because of the inevitable comparison to the film.

We're even... I've never seen the film version.

THAT you need to see! It's a classic for a reason. ?

 

I don't know... I remember seeing a film with Gene Kelly that I was told is a classic, and I know is universally considered to have one of the top 10 scores of all time, and I just laughed and cringed all the way through it.

 

 

 

 

Edited March 21, 2021 by samhexum

[stop]

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!

 

Kipp

 

i think i saw that version. when the sound is bad in Rent the entire show is ruined.

 

absolute worse for me was: The last ship. god even sting could save that ship. it is the only show i have ever left at intermission. i would guess 1/3 of the audience left as well.

 

runners up:

 

aspect of love (what a god awful show, just a bunch of left over songs strung together). only thing even halfway impressive was the giant rocking horse

 

1994 traveling production of show boat. i mean the show itself is problematic but why in the hell cast has-bens that are ancient to play roles that start out younger then age in the show. it’s easy to make a young person look older it’s nearly impossible to make tom bosled or schneider from one day at a time look young again.

[samhexum]

1994 traveling production of show boat. i mean the show itself is problematic but why in the hell cast has-bens that are ancient to play roles that start out younger then age in the show.

 

Who were some of the has-bens? Affleck? Gazzara? Kingsley? Stiller? Gentle?

[samhexum]

1994 traveling production of show boat. i mean the show itself is problematic but why in the hell cast has-bens that are ancient to play roles that start out younger then age in the show.

 

Who were some of the has-bens? Affleck? Gazzara? Kingsley? Stiller? Gentle?

[handiacefailure]

1994 traveling production of show boat. i mean the show itself is problematic but why in the hell cast has-bens that are ancient to play roles that start out younger then age in the show. it’s easy to make a young person look older it’s nearly impossible to make tom bosled or schneider from one day at a time look young again.

 

Look at the age of the stars of Grease. Stockard Channing was old enough to have a daughter that was the age or her character.

 

Petula Clark was probably in her 70s when I saw her in Sunset Blvd and Norma is suppose to be a 50 year old. They did change some working in the show to adjust for her age. There was a line towards the end when Joe said something like "there is nothing wrong with being 50" and they changed 50 to "your age"

[handiacefailure]

1994 traveling production of show boat. i mean the show itself is problematic but why in the hell cast has-bens that are ancient to play roles that start out younger then age in the show. it’s easy to make a young person look older it’s nearly impossible to make tom bosled or schneider from one day at a time look young again.

 

Look at the age of the stars of Grease. Stockard Channing was old enough to have a daughter that was the age or her character.

 

Petula Clark was probably in her 70s when I saw her in Sunset Blvd and Norma is suppose to be a 50 year old. They did change some working in the show to adjust for her age. There was a line towards the end when Joe said something like "there is nothing wrong with being 50" and they changed 50 to "your age"

[bostonman]

Merman was 38 when she first played the teenage Annie Oakley, and 58 for the Lincoln Center revival. Bernadette Peters was no spring chicken when she did the 1999 revival either. And it’s hard to suspend disbelief when Annie’s three younger siblings (always cast as kids) seem more naturally to be her own kids if not grandkids. But, no one ever seems to complain about it...:-)

[bostonman]

Merman was 38 when she first played the teenage Annie Oakley, and 58 for the Lincoln Center revival. Bernadette Peters was no spring chicken when she did the 1999 revival either. And it’s hard to suspend disbelief when Annie’s three younger siblings (always cast as kids) seem more naturally to be her own kids if not grandkids. But, no one ever seems to complain about it...:-)

[bostonman]

Though yes, shows that purposely have a large time span can be tricky to cast. Act II of Showboat for sure, and Merrily We Roll Along is another show where if you cast older actors they seem too old at the end, and if you cast young actors (as did the original production) it’s that much harder to believe them as the adults they portray early on.

[bostonman]

Though yes, shows that purposely have a large time span can be tricky to cast. Act II of Showboat for sure, and Merrily We Roll Along is another show where if you cast older actors they seem too old at the end, and if you cast young actors (as did the original production) it’s that much harder to believe them as the adults they portray early on.

[bookmaven]

I've heard people sing "Someone Is Here" from Nefertiti occasionally.

[bookmaven]

I've heard people sing "Someone Is Here" from Nefertiti occasionally.

[samhexum]

"anything goes" in Australia's Northern Territory?

 

I thought this was going to be about the worst musical you ever saw 'down under'.

[Islesguy]

I think the score for Do I Hear A Waltz has some fantastic songs in it, though some are not as good. But ultimately, Rodgers, Sondheim, and Laurents couldn't seem to get on the same page as collaborators, and it shows. But among the gems (IMO) are the ballads "Stay" and "Take The Moment," the zany uptempo "What Do We Do, We Fly," and the original version of "We're Gonna Be Alright" (which was rewritten by the time the show premiered, to its detriment). I may be paraphrasing Sondheim here, but I think that he's said that he feels the show was a waste of time.

I will have to listen to some of the other songs. I only knew the title song because it is played on the Broadway channel on Siriusxm a lot.