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What's the worst musical you have ever been to?

647 replies

Sonolanona · 03/08/2023 21:52

I love musicals, and DS2 who has autism is obsessed so we go to as many as we can. We've seen Cats (not the film!) 7 times, JCSS 7 times, Blood Brothers, Les Mis, Evita, Chicago , Cabaret..and many others. (JCSS is my personal favourite)

Today we went to We Will Rock You.
OMG.
It was cringingly awful. Even if you love Queen, it was still so bad. Worst 'plot' and dialogue ever, the choreography was...interesting and it was played for cheap laughs and smutty out dated jokes, headed by Ben Elton who cannot..and should not..sing.
Never again!!!

OP posts:
Andifeelheavymetal · 04/08/2023 10:24

FrenchFancie · 04/08/2023 10:17

I saw an Andre Lloyd Webber one years ago - the woman in white (or maybe she wore black, can’t remember lol!) it was terrible. Weird projected set, no catchy songs and odd, wooden acting. Total waste of money. Was at least 20 years ago, probably more like 30, and still vividly recall it as being the worst thing I’ve ever seen on stage!

Woman in black is an amazing play that you really shouldn't miss. Woman in white is a musical you should.

MariaVT65 · 04/08/2023 10:30

I also wasn’t keen on Wicked. I saw Sister Act in Yorkshire and didn’t enjoy that. No songs from the film and the music was boring.

My absolute favourite is Book of Mormon!

buzz91 · 04/08/2023 10:33

Everybody’s talking about Jamie - I was just bored.

I like Six, but saw it last year and some of the voices were weak, going again later this month so hope it’s better! Waitress - I hated a main part of the plot (to not spoil it for people, the feelings change near the end) but love the songs!

Interested in this thread?

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Theatre
Callyem · 04/08/2023 10:41

peachgreen · 03/08/2023 22:35

Oh and the recent Cabaret was incredible but mostly because of Amy Lennox – I can’t imagine seeing it without her now.

She was the best Sally Bowles ever, - went to see her in 'an audience with...' type of thing and she's hilarious IRL.

mewkins · 04/08/2023 10:53

MNetcurtains · 04/08/2023 10:05

Mamma Mia (when it first appeared in London's West End). Left during the interval It was like a high end amateur dramatics production.

I saw Grease years ago (I think with Sonia in it. The set was falling apart. It was bad but at the same time entertaining. Mama Mia - similar 😄

Blinkingbonkers · 04/08/2023 10:56

Just remembered - A Little Night Music….. I found it really dull, had Judi Dench in it too…..felt like I was committing treason not liking it🤣

BigFloppa · 04/08/2023 10:57

Whistle down the wind

Callyem · 04/08/2023 10:58

Im surprised at some of the votes on here - I loved Six with the early casts. Its fun and light but did see a more recent cast and in comparison, was awful.

Hamilton can have nothing bad said about it 😁 same for Les Mis!

Worst would be Waitress for me - that sugar, butter, flour repeat bored me to tears and I didn't engage with the main character at all.

Also, a niche show called Be More Chill. Very weird!

StrictlyAFemaleFemale · 04/08/2023 10:59

I've never liked the music for Les mis so never seen it. Didn't enjoy Miss Saigon -none of the songs have a melody imo.

peachgreen · 04/08/2023 11:01

Callyem · 04/08/2023 10:41

She was the best Sally Bowles ever, - went to see her in 'an audience with...' type of thing and she's hilarious IRL.

Show quote history

She was BREATHTAKINGLY good, I've never seen an audience so impacted by a performance. I still get goosebumps when I think about it.

Womencanlift · 04/08/2023 11:04

Andywarholswig · 04/08/2023 10:17

Pretty Woman, it was awful. Too much focus on making it exactly like the film and full to the brim of really seriously drunk women heckling the cast and saying the lines along with them. We Will Rock You was also complete crap

Agree. My friend got threatened that she was “going to get it” after a show because she told someone to sit down! Stupidly the person said it near an usher who removed them. It was a Sunday afternoon

Funnily enough I told that story at work and a colleague had a similar experience at Pretty Woman

It wasn’t even that good a show

Maddy70 · 04/08/2023 11:04

Peony654 · 03/08/2023 21:54

Book of Mormon, we thought it was appalling, so offensive

It's supposed to be offensive. It even says on the posters why would you go if you are likely to be offended. I actually loved it.

MrsMitford3 · 04/08/2023 11:20

dapsnotplimsolls · 03/08/2023 22:55

There aren't any that I've seen that I've really disliked but when I saw Les Mis a few years ago, the actress playing Fantine was so awful that I was waiting for her to die!

We may have seen that same production!! Have seen in the past and it was brilliant. This casting felt like ppl from CBB's were having a go or something.

Might be a controversial opinion but whilst I def like colour blind casting I struggled as if for example Eponine was a white child how she would grow up to be an Asian woman. Just made it all the more confusing-I do understand difficulties with casting children re working hours etc but you could hear the audience asking each other who ppl were constantly.

I love threads like this-so many differing opinions-
here are some of mine-

Loved Wicked and SIX. One of best ever was The Girl From the North Country.
Saw 7 Brides for & Brothers at Regents Park OAT and it was fantastic ignoring all of the incredibly un PC elements of the story

Hated Cats. Loathed Phantom but not a big ALW fan at the best of times.
Saw Kinky Boots with a big family group and was incredibly meh. Lead was good and the rest utterly forgettable. Including all of the songs.

Now I want to go to a show!!

Summering23 · 04/08/2023 11:23

Loved Six!

Pretty Woman was dire. Hammy, OTT acting and the audience seemed comprised ofa giant hen do.
Chicago was also underwhelming. "All that Jazz" on stage in my imagination was going to be spectacular but was so flat.

susiella · 04/08/2023 11:24

Episode 9 of Star Trek Strange New Worlds was the worst thing I've seen (and heard) in a long time

CantFindTheBeat · 04/08/2023 11:26

The Book of Mormon is one I would never recommend, although I thought the cast and music was superb.

I'd expected it to be 'offensive' in that it would poke fun at religion and be satirical.

I didn't expect it to be racist - portraying African village life and villagers as illiterate, uneducated, massive, erect black penises strapped on, and have running 'jokes' about their belief that fucking babies cured AIDs.

newnamethanks · 04/08/2023 11:27

Son of a Preacher Man,. Advertised with many mentions of Dusty Springfield, the absence of any reference to her or her music was noticeable. The brief time I suffered through it underlined the unsuitability of pulling people off the telly to put them on stage for the first time in their life. Produced by Craig Revel Horwood. In a long life of theatre going, I've left at half time for two productions. This was one of them.

CantFindTheBeat · 04/08/2023 11:29

CantFindTheBeat · 04/08/2023 11:26

The Book of Mormon is one I would never recommend, although I thought the cast and music was superb.

I'd expected it to be 'offensive' in that it would poke fun at religion and be satirical.

I didn't expect it to be racist - portraying African village life and villagers as illiterate, uneducated, massive, erect black penises strapped on, and have running 'jokes' about their belief that fucking babies cured AIDs.

Sorry, meant to refer to @GamGam and @MontyDontysLinenTrousers with my post.

newnamethanks · 04/08/2023 11:32

If you're touchily offended by The Book of Mormon, you have missed the whole point of it.

ladyvimes · 04/08/2023 11:40

Sonolanona · 03/08/2023 21:52

I love musicals, and DS2 who has autism is obsessed so we go to as many as we can. We've seen Cats (not the film!) 7 times, JCSS 7 times, Blood Brothers, Les Mis, Evita, Chicago , Cabaret..and many others. (JCSS is my personal favourite)

Today we went to We Will Rock You.
OMG.
It was cringingly awful. Even if you love Queen, it was still so bad. Worst 'plot' and dialogue ever, the choreography was...interesting and it was played for cheap laughs and smutty out dated jokes, headed by Ben Elton who cannot..and should not..sing.
Never again!!!

Totally agree about we will rock you! I love queen and Ben Elton so was so excited to see it. The plot is batshit and makes absolutely no sense! I completely lost track half way through about what was going on!

Tidsleytiddy · 04/08/2023 11:44

Been to most West End musicals. We Will Rock You was the worst I’ve ever seen. Total cringe. Couldn’t wait for it to be over

FlamingoFloss · 04/08/2023 11:46

Ha me too

Tidsleytiddy · 04/08/2023 11:48

A bastardisation of Queen’s music (which I love)

fluffiphlox · 04/08/2023 11:52

Les Misérables. I know I’m in the minority but I really dislike the songs.

CoffeeWithCheese · 04/08/2023 11:56

XelaM · 03/08/2023 22:28

Hamilton is the opposite of dull. Sorry

Show quote history

Hamilton is fucking amazing. I LOVE the show. Seen it twice and booking again soon to see the current cast. There's so much detail and intricacy in the staging and the interweaving of themes and melodies that I can get lost in a Hamiloop for fucking hours and hours at a time and that you really don't get to appreciate if you watch the Disney+ version with all the close up shots losing some of the staging (Hurricane is sold SOOOOO short with how they edited it)

Also booking to see Six because I really really enjoy the soundtrack to that. Chicago I just love because it's visually so satisfying.

Grease - disappointed me the couple of times I've seen the stage show
I've seen some ropey Rocky Horrors over the years (but I love the show generally)
Matilda - I find it a very hard watch, various emotional reasons behind that so it's not judging the show itself negatively (and Quiet is such a wonderful song lyrically that it's like "get the fuck out of my brain Minchin")
Les Mis - never seen it live but I periodically put my foot down and ask DH to turn the soundtrack off as there's only so much misery of dying French peasants that I can cope with on one sitting

And I loathe, loathe, loathe, loathe, loathe Annie. Had an ex you could make run out of the room screaming with just a couple of bars of The Sun'll Come Out Tomorrow - which we did exploit for shits and giggles on (many) occasions.

Had to giggle with the recent Aspects of Love revival being described on TikTok as Incest: the Musical. It's not aged well.
The Heathers internet fandom stuff does my head in as well - I remember the film and how utterly divine Christian Slater was to my teenage brain - I really am sick of them turning every single bloody film into a musical in the hope of finding something good that prints them money.

DH loved We Will Rock You. I've not seen it.