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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:
boysmuminherts · 05/08/2023 10:55

Wicked is great, seen it a few times including this year as well as right at the beginning (2006) with Idina Menzel. Amaaaazing!

Flibbyjibby · 05/08/2023 11:02

Starlight Express was the worst I have ever been to.

Went to a performance of “Lord of the Rings: A Musical Journey” this week 😂. The music and actors were amazing (all of the actors were also musicians and played sometimes whilst also acting! At one point an orc danced across the stage playing a trombone 😂). The writing was pretty dire in the second half though as they had to fit 2 books in to an hour and a half 🫣

Sunnydaysareahead · 05/08/2023 11:35

SupportingMH · 05/08/2023 10:12

Not seen it but meant to be very good.

Show quote history

Thanks, I hope so - I'm more excited than my DC!

Interested in this thread?

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Theatre
CantFindTheBeat · 05/08/2023 11:37

@Glockamorra

You know that BoM is intentionally offensive in what way?

XelaM · 05/08/2023 11:45

craglow · 05/08/2023 05:51

As a musical theatre performer, I can tell you that the general consensus amongst musical theatre people is that anything by Andrew Lloyd Webber is insufferable, especially Cats! So it really shocks me when people say that they like it.
Reading some of the comments on here, people defo need to see more theatre before making such brash judgements - can't believe people despise Wicked and The Lion King so much... if you don't like them then I think maybe theatre just isn't for you.

How can you say that Jesus Christ Superstar or Evita are "insufferable" and then claim that some people don't understand theatre?

Callyem · 05/08/2023 11:48

Oh god I just remembered my worst ever - The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical.

Was the only scheduled matinee on that day when DC and I were in NYC so thought oh why not. It was so bad! Thankfully, we had got cheap rush tickets. So many people left at the interval.

Glockamorra · 05/08/2023 12:04

CantFindTheBeat · 05/08/2023 11:37

@Glockamorra

You know that BoM is intentionally offensive in what way?

The whole point of it is satirising a specific religion’s foundation story, worldview and evangelising, by the writers of South Park, which had an episode mocking the Mormon origin story, Joseph Smith and the golden plates etc? I mean, you don’t have to have seen it to realise it was never going to be The Sound of Music.

samsam123 · 05/08/2023 12:05

Blood Brothers just awful

NooNakedJacuzziness · 05/08/2023 12:14

Mama Mia - hated it from start to finish and I like ABBA! Also hated most of Wicked, the start was ok.

CantFindTheBeat · 05/08/2023 12:25

@Glockamorra

I expected that.

I didn't expect it to be racist and portray hideous racial stereotypes in the extreme - did you?

dahliadazed · 05/08/2023 12:34

@craglow it seems many theatre goers, myself included, didn’t enjoy Wicked. If people stopped going to musicals because they didn’t enjoy a particular musical then the industry would be struggling even more than it is.

Glockamorra · 05/08/2023 12:36

CantFindTheBeat · 05/08/2023 12:25

@Glockamorra

I expected that.

I didn't expect it to be racist and portray hideous racial stereotypes in the extreme - did you?

As I said, I haven’t seen it, but based on having seen episodes of South Park, yes, I would absolutely have expected racial stereotyping.

Burningthroughthesky · 05/08/2023 12:54

We went to see We Will Rock You for my birthday this year.

It was pants. Shockingly bad. It's the only musical where I've thought about leaving before the end.

I'm actually amazed that Queen endorsed it!!

LunaNorth · 05/08/2023 12:56

Flibbyjibby · 05/08/2023 11:02

Starlight Express was the worst I have ever been to.

Went to a performance of “Lord of the Rings: A Musical Journey” this week 😂. The music and actors were amazing (all of the actors were also musicians and played sometimes whilst also acting! At one point an orc danced across the stage playing a trombone 😂). The writing was pretty dire in the second half though as they had to fit 2 books in to an hour and a half 🫣

A dancing, tromboning orc has to be worth the ticket price, surely?

mcmooberry · 05/08/2023 12:56

This thread is giving me The Fear about going to see Wicked next Saturday......

MerelyPlaying · 05/08/2023 13:14

Glockamorra · 05/08/2023 12:04

The whole point of it is satirising a specific religion’s foundation story, worldview and evangelising, by the writers of South Park, which had an episode mocking the Mormon origin story, Joseph Smith and the golden plates etc? I mean, you don’t have to have seen it to realise it was never going to be The Sound of Music.

Show quote history

I love South Park and I'm not easily offended or prudish. I expected it to satirise religion.

I didn't expect it to try to make fun of child rape and female genital mutilation. It's hard to find any humour in those. I suggest you go and see it for yourself.

Madcatwoman68 · 05/08/2023 13:22

Love Les miserables and Phantom.

Seen both many times and going again later on in the year.

Both very different to each other but Love the music.

Get goosebumps when they sing The Phantom of the Opera and all the candles keep coming out on the stage.

Sometimes musicals can be hard to understand. I read the synopsis before I go and try to listen to the music too

Andthereyougo · 05/08/2023 13:22

Starlight Express. Cost what was a lot to me in those days for tickets for bf birthday. God it was awful, some hydraulic thing and skaters whizzing past you. I just wanted to go home. Never seen a musical since though was forced to sit trough Mama Mia the movie, wanted to rip my face off, so bad.

dahliadazed · 05/08/2023 13:25

@mcmooberry Wicked has been running for years and has many super fans who watch it over and over, it may be mentioned many times in this thread but it’s very popular!

ZebraDanios · 05/08/2023 13:32

Burningthroughthesky · 05/08/2023 12:54

We went to see We Will Rock You for my birthday this year.

It was pants. Shockingly bad. It's the only musical where I've thought about leaving before the end.

I'm actually amazed that Queen endorsed it!!

People often forget that humour, and taking the p* out of themselves, were always a big part of Queen. They’ve never been into gate-keeping their music.

Brian May once said that maybe one day the songs would be better known as part of WWRY than in their own right. I can’t see that happening but it shows the extent to which he believed in it.

ZebraDanios · 05/08/2023 13:35

@Burningthroughthesky only just noticed your username is a lyric from Don’t Stop Me Now! Are you a Queen fan or is that just a coincidence?

MyBestFriendKenny · 05/08/2023 13:53

I hated Dirty Dancing. I love the movie but the stage production just seemed to try and act out the film on stage. It didn't work and the leads has no chemistry whatsoever. The tickets were a gift from a dear friend so I had to find positive things to say.

I also didn't enjoy Mary Poppins, this was a touring production with Zizi Strallen as Mary. I just didn't 'get' it.

Smoothbananagram · 05/08/2023 13:58

mcmooberry · 05/08/2023 12:56

This thread is giving me The Fear about going to see Wicked next Saturday......

I love it, as do a good few of my friends who are into drama and musical theatre. Theres a great twist in the narrative!

Glockamorra · 05/08/2023 14:07

MerelyPlaying · 05/08/2023 13:14

I love South Park and I'm not easily offended or prudish. I expected it to satirise religion.

I didn't expect it to try to make fun of child rape and female genital mutilation. It's hard to find any humour in those. I suggest you go and see it for yourself.

Show quote history

I’m never going to see it, because it’s pretty easy to see I wouldn’t enjoy it, from having seen episodes of South Park, and knowing the subject matter. I’m at the Stephen Sondheim end of musicals fandom. I think my favourite ever musical theatre experience was A Little Night Music at the Menier (which someone up the thread I think listed as their worst ever!)

My point was only that it’s not difficult to do some rudimentary research before booking, then you won’t be surprised by not hearing songs you were expecting from the film version, or offended by content. (Or overblown Lloyd Webber content — I actually found the Meyerbeer pastiches in Phantom funny, but can appreciate they’re not everyone’s cup of tea.)

Glockamorra · 05/08/2023 14:09

Smoothbananagram · 05/08/2023 13:58

I love it, as do a good few of my friends who are into drama and musical theatre. Theres a great twist in the narrative!

Show quote history

Can you say what it is you like so much about Wicked, @Smoothbananagram ? I can generally see what other people find appealing about something popular just just not to my taste, but Wicked was one that left me a bit baffled by how much fan loyalty it generates.

I did wonder whether the original Broadway leads were so charismatic they lifted it?