What's the very worst musical you ever saw?

[Islesguy]

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!!!

The Officer Lockstock/Little Sally scenes were some of my favorites of the show. Inside ball, sarcastic comedy is what I live for.

[Islesguy]

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 never saw the Spiderman show, but I always referred to it as Spiderman: Turn Off The Lights.

[+ WilliamM]

As much as I liked the 1960s Noel Coward musical "Sail Away," I wish there was someone else to balance Elaine Stritch. Elaine was wonderful.

 

I saw Sail Away in a brief 1999 revival with Ms Stritch in recognizing what would have been Noel Coward's 100 the birthday

[bostonman]

As much as I liked the 1960s Noel Coward musical "Sail Away," I wish there was someone else to balance Elaine Stritch. Elaine was wonderful.

 

I saw Sail Away in a brief 1999 revival with Ms Stritch in recognizing what would have been Noel Coward's 100 the birthday

 

You may or may not know that Stritch was not originally to be the star of the show, but after Coward was unimpressed with the original female lead, Jean Fenn, she was fired and the show rewritten around Stritch's talents. I assume the leading man, James Hurst, was good enough to stay in his role - that certainly would have been the role to get someone more Stritch's equal. (I have a student currently working on "Go Slow, Johnny" - fun song.)

[+ Cash4Trash]

I did see Park (4 performances on Broadway) many, many years ago.

[Jakeenct]

Young Frankenstein (The Musical). If the tickets weren't so costly and I was not with someone, I would have walked out. Megan Mullally couldn't come close to filling the shoes of THE GREAT Madeline Kahn. Brook's films were genius but this just did not transfer to Broadway very well.

[+ Reisr30]

Cats - maybe i was too young but it terrified me and i hated it...

[+ WilliamM]

You may or may not know that Stritch was not originally to be the star of the show, but after Coward was unimpressed with the original female lead, Jean Fenn, she was fired and the show rewritten around Stritch's talents. I assume the leading man, James Hurst, was good enough to stay in his role - that certainly would have been the role to get someone more Stritch's equal. (I have a student currently working on "Go Slow, Johnny" - fun song.)

Yes, I did know that. Thanks so much for such an interesting post. Much appreciated

Edited April 5, 2021 by WilliamM

[+ JEC]

I hated Rent, except for the main song/scene I found the rest of the show dark dull and dreary

[+ Nakedchi]

Mean Girls. The hubby and I each thought of suggesting we leave at intermission, but since the tickets were a gift to him we didn’t say anything then. Two blocks away from the theater we both groaned about how blah it was.

[stop]

Young Frankenstein (The Musical). If the tickets weren't so costly and I was not with someone, I would have walked out. Megan Mullally couldn't come close to filling the shoes of THE GREAT Madeline Kahn. Brook's films were genius but this just did not transfer to Broadway very well.

 

OMG I completely blocked this show from my memory. Yes it is a terrible show. It was missing everything

[ceej]

Sweeney Todd...I spend the whole show wondering what the hell was going on.

[samhexum]

[+ WilliamM]

 

I'm this case, glad Broadway is temporarily closed. Sorry that Anold Stang and Steve Allen didn't have a better idea for a musical

[handiacefailure]

Mean Girls. The hubby and I each thought of suggesting we leave at intermission, but since the tickets were a gift to him we didn’t say anything then. Two blocks away from the theater we both groaned about how blah it was.

I loved mean girls, both musical and movie. But I love Tina Fey.

 

I saw it when it was travelling in Chicago and now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure it was the last musical I saw before the pandemic.

 

One thing that was weird was something must have happened to the character playing Karen during intermission because someone else played the part in Act 2.

[handiacefailure]

Young Frankenstein (The Musical). If the tickets weren't so costly and I was not with someone, I would have walked out. Megan Mullally couldn't come close to filling the shoes of THE GREAT Madeline Kahn. Brook's films were genius but this just did not transfer to Broadway very well.

 

We very disappointed and it had a few big names in it. I was very disappointed and had high expectations seeing how great the Producers was.

 

Part of the reason I saw it was the cast. It was either still in previews or had just opened when I went and was a Saturday night and Roger Bart wasn't even in it that night, an understudy was. Megan, who I loved from Will and Grace was AWFUL. Sutton Foster is one of my favorite broadway stars and have seen everything she has been in on broadway except Little Women, and she had a pretty small role and wasn't that good. BIG waste of money.

 

Funny piece of trivia about the show. Cloris Leachman and Mel Brooks had a falling out over it. She wanted to play the part she played in the moview on stage and Mel flat out said she was too old and he didn't want someone that old playing the part and dying during the run and having to replace them LOL. He should have had her play the part, she could have only improved it.

[Jakeenct]

Funny piece of trivia about the show. Cloris Leachman and Mel Brooks had a falling out over it. She wanted to play the part she played in the moview on stage and Mel flat out said she was too old and he didn't want someone that old playing the part and dying during the run and having to replace them LOL. He should have had her play the part, she could have only improved it.

Leachman would have made it worth the price of the tickets. Frau Blucher was played by this Second City comedian Andrea Martin who was not suited for the role. But, should always consider when the originals were so good, it's difficult for anyone to measure up.

 

The movie version of The Wiz was mockery of the original Broadway production but not sure this thread extends to movies.

[DallasClient]

Cats. I guess I enjoyed some of the songs but I had no idea what was going on the whole time.

 

I think I liked Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in London and can't remember if they did any singing. I fell asleep through some parts,

but in my defense, it was in 2 three-hour parts with a two hour intermission.

[Islesguy]

We very disappointed and it had a few big names in it. I was very disappointed and had high expectations seeing how great the Producers was.

 

Part of the reason I saw it was the cast. It was either still in previews or had just opened when I went and was a Saturday night and Roger Bart wasn't even in it that night, an understudy was. Megan, who I loved from Will and Grace was AWFUL. Sutton Foster is one of my favorite broadway stars and have seen everything she has been in on broadway except Little Women, and she had a pretty small role and wasn't that good. BIG waste of money.

 

Funny piece of trivia about the show. Cloris Leachman and Mel Brooks had a falling out over it. She wanted to play the part she played in the moview on stage and Mel flat out said she was too old and he didn't want someone that old playing the part and dying during the run and having to replace them LOL. He should have had her play the part, she could have only improved it.

Speaking of Megan Mullally, I saw How to Succeed three times while she was in it and every time I saw the understudy, who was fantastic.

[+ WilliamM]

I wasn't disappointed iwith the original cast Sound of Music in 1960, but not with replacement cast

[handiacefailure]

Speaking of Megan Mullally, I saw How to Succeed three times while she was in it and every time I saw the understudy, who was fantastic.

 

You must be a big fan of the show to see it three times LOL (I saw the revivial of Hello Dolly four times a few years ago). Didn't get to see the revival with Megan but did see it with Daniel Radcliff and Mary Faber and enjoyed the show

[bostonman]

Didn't get to see the revival with Megan but did see it with Daniel Radcliff and Mary Faber and enjoyed the show

 

Back in the day, I used to accompany Mary Faber's voice lessons, lol. So happy she's had a good career on Broadway.

[Islesguy]

You must be a big fan of the show to see it three times LOL (I saw the revivial of Hello Dolly four times a few years ago). Didn't get to see the revival with Megan but did see it with Daniel Radcliff and Mary Faber and enjoyed the show

I actually saw it 4 times. Lol The first time the infrared listening device I got didn't work well. My uncle contacted the theatre and they offered us two orchestra tickets and a backstage tour which we accepted. Then I went with my mom for the third time. My uncle and I went back when Matthew Broderick came back and was playing opposite Sarah Jessica Parker. And yeah, I loved the show.

 

I saw the Daniel Radcliffe revival. I enjoyed it but thought they played up the Finch/Biggley relationship at the expense of the Finch/Rosemary relationship due to the casting.

 

Speaking of Hello Dolly! I saw that twice with Bette Milder. Missed David Hyde Pierce the first time. Went again when he and Bette Milder came back to end the run. Unfortunately, I never saw it with Carol Channing.

[handiacefailure]

I actually saw it 4 times. Lol The first time the infrared listening device I got didn't work well. My uncle contacted the theatre and they offered us two orchestra tickets and a backstage tour which we accepted. Then I went with my mom for the third time. My uncle and I went back when Matthew Broderick came back and was playing opposite Sarah Jessica Parker. And yeah, I loved the show.

 

I saw the Daniel Radcliffe revival. I enjoyed it but thought they played up the Finch/Biggley relationship at the expense of the Finch/Rosemary relationship due to the casting.

 

Speaking of Hello Dolly! I saw that twice with Bette Milder. Missed David Hyde Pierce the first time. Went again when he and Bette Milder came back to end the run. Unfortunately, I never saw it with Carol Channing.

 

I saw Hello Dolly twice with Bette, once in previews and once after it opened. I wanted during the final few weeks on Broadway when the original cast was all together for the end of the run but idn't make it. Saw it with Berenedette when she took over for bette and in Chicago when it was touring with Betty Buckley, only reason I saw it the last two times was the star. As much as I love Bette, I liked Bernedette the best.

 

When I saw it in previews Bette messed up during the song Hello Dolly and forgot a line and fortunately the company was singing with her and she just laughed and said "what the hell you guys all know the words". She pulled it off great. My friend and I thought it was part of the show but was weird they would do it during the biggest song and we asked an usher after and he said he had worked the show every performance and she really did mess up that night. She still got a standing ovation.

 

I'm in Carol Channing's documentary. Friend and I saw left an awful play at intermission and we were pretty pissed off about paying for tickets to a show that was that bad but worked out great since I got to meet her. We were walking back to our hotel and some guy was all excited telling people Carol Channing was a couple streets over and a few people were clueless as to who he was talking about LOL. We went over and my friend wasn't a big fan of hers so he took a couple pics and she was 89 and looked great promopting a show she was planning on doing to celebrate being 90 (not sure what happened to it).

 

There was a camera crew there and I thought they were all packing up but didn't know they were still filming. A couple years later a friend calls me all excited and said he never knew I met Carol chaning. I told him I talked to her in Times Square a couple years ago and he said there was a documentary about her on PBS and I was talkign to her LOL. Of course I was trying to figure out how to find it right away and ended up buying it on Amazon. A few other people have told me they saw it and thought it was cool someone they knew met her.

[Islesguy]

I saw Hello Dolly twice with Bette, once in previews and once after it opened. I wanted during the final few weeks on Broadway when the original cast was all together for the end of the run but idn't make it. Saw it with Berenedette when she took over for bette and in Chicago when it was touring with Betty Buckley, only reason I saw it the last two times was the star. As much as I love Bette, I liked Bernedette the best.

 

When I saw it in previews Bette messed up during the song Hello Dolly and forgot a line and fortunately the company was singing with her and she just laughed and said "what the hell you guys all know the words". She pulled it off great. My friend and I thought it was part of the show but was weird they would do it during the biggest song and we asked an usher after and he said he had worked the show every performance and she really did mess up that night. She still got a standing ovation.

 

I'm in Carol Channing's documentary. Friend and I saw left an awful play at intermission and we were pretty pissed off about paying for tickets to a show that was that bad but worked out great since I got to meet her. We were walking back to our hotel and some guy was all excited telling people Carol Channing was a couple streets over and a few people were clueless as to who he was talking about LOL. We went over and my friend wasn't a big fan of hers so he took a couple pics and she was 89 and looked great promopting a show she was planning on doing to celebrate being 90 (not sure what happened to it).

 

There was a camera crew there and I thought they were all packing up but didn't know they were still filming. A couple years later a friend calls me all excited and said he never knew I met Carol chaning. I told him I talked to her in Times Square a couple years ago and he said there was a documentary about her on PBS and I was talkign to her LOL. Of course I was trying to figure out how to find it right away and ended up buying it on Amazon. A few other people have told me they saw it and thought it was cool someone they knew met her.

That's so awesome.

 

I saw Whoopi Goldberg in Forum and she completely forgot the song "Free". The conductor tried starting the music at different places and it just wasn't happening. She made up for it when the next line after the song was Lycus saying, "What a day. What a day. What a day." Whoopi responded, with perfect timing, "No shit." The whole audience about died from laughter.