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Original poster

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:
Rockfordpeach · 03/08/2023 23:00

Another one for Wicked I'm afraid

Taking my 13 yr old DD to London for her birthday to see her first proper show and am so worried about making the right choice

ginnybag · 03/08/2023 23:01

Charlie and the Chocolate factory.

The kids were solid but Wonka couldn't sing and had no presence, they've missed the key point of Charlie's story and the staging is just lazy and awful. I've seen better production values in amdram many times.

HectorPlasm · 03/08/2023 23:01

Any of them, Hate them, Most of all, it's that bit where there's such a laboured lead to a song that you can see from a mile off.

"Have you been to Kansas City?"

"No, have you been to Kansas City?"

"No!"

<all sing and skip exaggeratedly down the road>

"Oh lets all go to Kansas City ... blah blah "

Arghhhhhh!!

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Theatre
LilacpointMummy · 03/08/2023 23:02

Strictly Ballroom - I love the film and am a huge Strictly come dancing fan, but the direction (by Craig Revel Horwood) was awful.

It had a really am dram under rehearsed feel to it, and the new songs were completely unmemorable. Neither of the leads could sing either.

Very disappointing all round.

Mrsjayy · 03/08/2023 23:03

jenbj · 03/08/2023 21:53

Wicked. I hated it. Absolute drivel. Everyone else seems to love it....

I don't like Wiked either it starts off OK and then meh then Defying Gravity yayy then nothing! It was a pile of poop!

anothertrainwreck · 03/08/2023 23:03

LunaNorth · 03/08/2023 22:04

Phantom.

Jesus. It was awful.

Same here, hideous!

Foxymoxy68 · 03/08/2023 23:04

ginnybag · 03/08/2023 23:01

Charlie and the Chocolate factory.

The kids were solid but Wonka couldn't sing and had no presence, they've missed the key point of Charlie's story and the staging is just lazy and awful. I've seen better production values in amdram many times.

Our son was given the part of Charlie in his Y6 end of year production so we took him to see the West End version for inspiration. It was shockingly poor!

TellySavalashairbrush · 03/08/2023 23:04

I dislike most musicals , find them so cringey. Whenever I see a poster advertising ‘Only fools and horses ‘ the musical I actually feel myself cringe . I saw a clip of it on TV and that was more than enough for me 😖

homeforme · 03/08/2023 23:04

Phantom of the opera

I left at the interval and it was a struggle to make it that far. I was so disappointed.

tachetastic · 03/08/2023 23:05

Oh, and "Smaller", which we watched back in 2006 starring Dawn French and Alison Moyet.

What could go wrong?

Most depressing evening of my life. Worse, we had also paid for tickets for a friend and her husband for her birthday and by the end I felt that I needed to buy them another present to make up for the one we had given her!!!

AMessageToYouRuby · 03/08/2023 23:05

Dear Evan Hansen. Walked out, absolutely diabolical, can't believe it won awards. At the time I said it seemed written by a teenager who had listened to too much Matchbox 20. DH reminded me of this when we saw Barbie last week!

I liked Heathers, but I like the film so the subject matter didn't come as a surprise to me. i bloody LOVED Six, have probably seen it 10 times as have taken so many people and I listen to the soundtrack all the time!

Matilda was fucking awful, even though I like the book and film. TBH I've seen some real shockers as had a friend who used to get us loads of free tickets. Have seen horrendous versions of good musicals and good versions of what is clearly barrel scrapings.

DollyDan · 03/08/2023 23:05

Cats, an evening of my life I will never get back!

Vintagecreamandcottagepie · 03/08/2023 23:05

Thriller. What a disappointment.

Loved wwry, but it was 12 years ago, Ben elton wasn't in it and the performances were strong.

homeforme · 03/08/2023 23:06

TellySavalashairbrush · 03/08/2023 23:04

I dislike most musicals , find them so cringey. Whenever I see a poster advertising ‘Only fools and horses ‘ the musical I actually feel myself cringe . I saw a clip of it on TV and that was more than enough for me 😖

I saw OFH musical and it was really good. Funny and a few nods to the TV series for those of us who are old enough, but not deep enough to leave those who haven't seen it confused.

PollyPaintsFlowers · 03/08/2023 23:06

Matilda was absolutely meh! My ds loved it though. He now wants to see Hamilton so I've got my thinking cap on to find someone I can pay to take him for me as the Disney+ version is a snooze fest apart from King George

timeafterdime · 03/08/2023 23:06

FitAt50 · 03/08/2023 22:24

I am a former Mormon and loved it.

Show quote history

I saw it last week and loved it too.

Magnalux · 03/08/2023 23:06

ladygindiva · 03/08/2023 22:51

Chess. Abysmal. Only high point was that song ( I know him so well) , everything else about it was dire.

Yep agreed… me and Dh only sat through it cos we didn’t want to waste the rare time we had a babysitter, it was our fist night out in ages, I was pregnant at the time so couldn’t just leave and go to the pub instead! Awful

HowNice23 · 03/08/2023 23:06

Les Mis is just too bloody long the auditorium is too dark to read the programme almost broke my leg trying to go to the loos and I spent the whole thing trying to explain the let's be honest quite depressing plot to an elderly relative who'd left their hearing aids at home. Was not worth it for the two or three best songs.

TheNestedIf · 03/08/2023 23:06

Not the worst in the sense of being bad, because I love the musical and it was a good production, but On The Town at Regent's Park Outdoor Theatre a few years ago. At intervals it poured down torrentially and the action had to pause until the rain stopped. Then, before it could begin again, the stage had to be meticulously squeegied down so that none of the dancers slipped. It started at 7:45pm and we were still there at about midnight. I was surprised it wasn't cancelled and it was a good job the ex and I took wellingtons and waterproof ponchos.

BatshitIsTheOnlyExplanation · 03/08/2023 23:07

Bsmirched · 03/08/2023 22:11

Carrie the musical was pretty dreadful (from the Stephen King book, not about Mrs Johnson). Its only redeeming feature was that it starred Gene Anthony Ray, Leroy from Fame.

Gene Anthony Ray died in 2003!
How long ago did you see the show?

Mrsjayy · 03/08/2023 23:07

Oh I loved Phantom for the sheer campness of it !

MyLordWizardKing · 03/08/2023 23:07

I love Heathers. Tied with Book of Mormon for my favourite musical.

I'm generally not that enthralled with Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals, but the worst musical I've seen live is probably Viva Forever. I was also really disappointed with La La Land and The Greatest Showman, especially with all the hype the latter one had.

Window82 · 03/08/2023 23:08

We will Rock you was our worse , six rubbish , I wasn’t keen on mama Mia

love Les Mis, Phantom, Wicked, Hamilton
Matilda, Annie. Book of Mormon was just fantastic.

Bakedtattie55 · 03/08/2023 23:08

The Wedding Singer. It was an Am-Dram performance but really struggled with it. Can’t believe the hate Wicked is getting, it’s a classic!! I love Blood Brothers, Les Mis and Joseph.

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