Stage Musicals That You Found Unexpectedly Disappointing

[MarmaladeSandwich7]

For me it was The Bodyguard & I was really surprised as I love the soundtrack & Whitney.. It was ok but I thought it would blow me away & it didn’t. Maybe some things just work.better on the big screen.

Yes! It was so schmaltzy. My son loves all the films but was asking to go home. You think you’re there when they go in the elevator but nope, it goes on and on and on

Oh Lord there's a few on my list to be seen that I am now having a wobble about!
Agree Wicked was very poor. Shrek a bit long but enjoyed, Matilda good first time, not so much second time so wouldn't go again.
Surprised by the people not enjoying Starlight Express, am off to see if for the 3rd time tomorrow and it seems to get better and better!
Blown away by Les Mis.

@CrushingOnRubiesI loved Six! Went with my early 20’s DD and we both had a great time. But I like lots of the musicals mentioned on this thread (Moulin Rouge, Lion King) so maybe I have awful taste 😂😂

The Lion King. Not nearly as interesting or spectacular as I’d expected.

Cats. What a load of old shit.

Wicked! Seen it twice and fell asleep both times! It’s one song and that’s it!
But I enjoyed the film Jonathan Bailey more!

I must remember that line - "They don’t just die, they have to sing about it"!

Six was dreadful. Way too expensive for what it was.

Wicked. I left at the interval.

Dirty Dancing. Absolutely shite.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I can’t believe it’s still going.

Matilda. How in any way is that suitable for kids?

Total shock was a random night at a Steve Steinman musical. Not my thing at all but the show was superb, great choice of songs, great cast and the whole theatre was having a great time.

Yes to this. Lots of under 10s at the performance I was at. Totally not ok.

For me it was Sister Act, non of the songs from the film, in fact I think they were all original to the play which meant we didn’t know them.

On the otherside though, we saw Cruel Intentions earlier this year and it was blummin amazing! Great songs, good story and fantastic talent.

I’m old and part of several musical theatre groups in an area with a lot going on, so I’ve been involved in most of the older musicals mentioned here and some of the more recent ones, too.

The only musical I dislike is Oliver!. It has one beautiful song - Who Will Buy - but that’s the only positive thing I can say about it. Oh, and it has a lot of children in it so tickets sell well.

The production I’ve enjoyed the most is the musical version of Lord of the Rings. There was a very spectacular version in London, (keep watching) which closed after a year having lost a lot of money, I think.

I trekked up to London about four times to see it. I remember going to a Thursday matinee, followed by an evening performance of Wicked. Neither DH nor I was impressed by Wicked.

I saw it recently and I think it was the worst show I've ever seen! I kept thinking that surely it would improve, but it just got more and more cringey, I actually felt embarrassed for the cast. It wasn't their fault, it was the script and story and direction. I wish I had walked out.
I also was unimpressed with Lion King, felt it lacked warmth and any connection with the audience. I did like Warhorse, which had similar puppetry.

Regular theatre goer here. Really didn't enjoy

Hamilton
Whistle down the wind
Sunset Boulevard
Fame
Heathers the musical

I think a lot depends on who is in the cast. Years (and I mean a lot of years) ago I saw Jesus Christ Superstar in the West End. It was a fantastic show. About 15 years ago, I saw it again and, to my surprise, the same actor played Jesus. This time around he was a bit too old, the voice not as smooth or good as the previous time, and the rest of the cast weren't that good. I enjoyed it but felt a bit meh about it.

I love musicals and generally find something positive about them. One I really didn't enjoy was Starlight Express (late 90s) - I just didn't see the point of it and didn't enjoy any of the music and got tired of all the skating, which was the entire thing. The other one I didn't enjoy and would have walked out of if my kids weren't with me was Big. The only scene I enjoyed was the giant piano scene. The rest was boring, and uncomfortable because the male actor bigged (no pun intended) up the teenage boy bit so kissing the lead female actress felt inappropriate, even though they were 2 adults kissing. The big reveal was awkward and weird because of the way the 2 lead actors played it. I thought it was a nice musical, although know it was based on an old film but googled it afterwards and realised it was written around the same time as Wicked. There were no stand out songs from Big. You honestly forgot everything they sang as soon as they finished it. At least most people have heard of Defying Gravity, which is probably why Wicked is considered so popular.

I enjoyed Hamilton but halfway through realised I didn't think I'd ever go and see it again. Once was enough. It was overlong for me and I got a bit tired of the same tune being played, but with different words. The light relief of the King was great but it would have helped if there had been more variation in the music. I found I preferred the Disney+ version, possibly because I could pause it and get a cup of tea.

Blood brothers - same! I LOVE it. Seen it half a dozen times, it’s fabulous

I can't understand the hysteria surrounding Wicked either! I literally thought I must be going mad when everyone else said how great it was! it's basically as if everything in The Wizard of Oz has just been reversed and sometimes really painfully forced in order for the story to work! The show and the film were both an endurance test but probably would have been ok if everything wasn't drawn out so painfully! When the film ended after several hours and said 'to be continued' I was just 'Noooooo!'! 😂

Fiddler on the Roof.

From the songs I knew beforehand, I thought it was cheery. It turned out to be about a pogrom.

I expect everyone else knew that.

There are two versions of Blood Brothers. One is the play, which may have had Tell Me It’s Not True added later. DH saw the play locally with no songs: the version I saw in London included the song - that’s our recollections, anyway.

Then there’s the musical Blood Brothers, which has lots of songs.

Hamilton.

I was shocked by this too, plus neither they (excusable - it’s their adults’ responsibility) nor their adults (not excusable) had any understanding that a theatre isn’t a concert and nobody wants to hear them sing and particularly not when the lyrics involve child rape, grooming and adultery (in one song!).

I found Hamilton a bit boring but that’s because either the sound system was dodgy, the actors were incapable of enunciating or I was really unlucky with my position in the theatre because I couldn’t understand a word of the songs. I go to that theatre every couple of months and I’ve not had that problem before or since so it’s not my hearing!

I love musicals. The only one I didn't enjoy was Phantom of the Opera. Couldn't get interested in the concept/storyline and just felt irritated at the "Phantom"to seemingly randomly appearing on and off stage. I seem to be alone 🤔 Everyone else I know seems to have enjoyed it.

Oh how could I forget Phantom and Les Mis. So shite.

All musicals based on films are rubbish.

Wicked is also rubbish, except Defying Gravity.

I’m not a musical fan at all. I cringed through Mama Mia, fell asleep during Les Mis but my youngest DD is a fan and asked for tickets to a Broadway Show for her birthday. We had a NY trip planned. I reluctantly agreed and she chose The Great Gatsby. I was blown away 😂 I don’t know if it’s because I really like the book and the characters 🤷🏼‍♀️ it was just so colourful and energetic with great dance, costumes and sets … I was shocked 😂