Page 9 | Wicked is the worst musical theatre EVER

imsofancy · 2023-12-23T23:30:16+00:00

Just returned for taking my 13 and 15 year olds to see Wicked at the Apollo in London. OMG this is the worst show I have ever seen! The storyline is weak, the singing is screechy and the songs forgettable. Kids hated it too. We had great seats which cost me +£300, but sooo wish we had left during the interval. I didn't because I think it is rude to the actors but you couldn't pay me to sit through this again. We go to the theatre a lot and have seen many musicals and straight drama productions. But I wouldn't recommend this show to my worst enemy. AIBU Wicked the musical is an abomination?

Funkyslippers · 24/12/2023 09:44

Grendell I wish I'd walked out of Cats. I couldn't actually hear what they were singing so made no sense to me

We enjoyed Wicked though. Saw it with DD when she was 7 and she became obsessed with the songs. They are quite memorable, some of them

cardibach · 24/12/2023 09:48

Grendell · 23/12/2023 23:38

I will never know, because I walked out of "Cats" 23 years ago and haven't darkened the door of a musical since then.

It's ALWAYS who is totally crap after his first few shows. Please don't judge the whole genre by his utter shit.

cardibach · 24/12/2023 09:48

Fucking phone. It's ALW. Which apparently I'm not allowed to type.

cardibach · 24/12/2023 09:50

YABU to pay those prices. I really don't get it. I'm a massive musical theatre fan and have never paid more than £50 a ticket in the West End - and that was for Hamilton in its first month. I saw Redmayne in Cabaret for £30.
That said, Wicked isn't my fave. It's not awful or anything. Some of it is clever, both narratively and musically. It's better than anything Lloyd Webber has written since Superstar - but then most things are.

bruffin · 24/12/2023 09:52

jojom10 · 24/12/2023 09:40

I absolutely hated Wicked. So glad to have found people who agree with me.

Why do you need peopke to agree with you? Very odd attitude that you need strangers on the internet to validate your feelings about a musical. Everybody has different tastes.

Wouldcouldcantwont · 24/12/2023 09:54

I saw Sunset Boulevard on my birthday when it had just opened. I detested it! Didn’t help that I can’t stand Nicole Scherzinger, but I hated the staging too. Everyone else was raving about it and I desperately wanted to leave early but I couldn’t say anything as it was my surprise present!

Wellhellooooodear · 24/12/2023 09:56

I loved it. Les Mis on the other hand, snore fest

bruffin · 24/12/2023 09:56

Goatymum · 24/12/2023 09:18

Forgot to say Everybody’s Talking About Jamie also loved - not as keen on Dear Evan Hansen (saw it on Broadway for DD’s 16th when in nyc).preferred Be more Chill which we saw off-Broadway. Loved Matilda too! Great songs and set.

I loved Dear Evan Hansen saw it twice was left cold by Jamie.

cardibach · 24/12/2023 09:56

MrsFezziwig · 24/12/2023 00:44

I’m a massive musical theatre fan but something has always held me back from wanting to see Wicked. Nothing on this thread to make me change my mind.
I generally prefer more traditional musicals but really enjoyed Operation Mincemeat and Come from Away (I’m obviously using the term “musical” fairly broadly here).

I haven't seen Operation Mincemeat and maybe that's what your 'using the term broadly' refers to, but I don't see how it refers to Come From Away - can you explain what you mean?

Maiyakat · 24/12/2023 10:02

I saw Wicked years ago, enjoyed it but only going to see it on tour next year because DD wants to. Loved Come From Away, wouldn't see Phantom again if you gave me free tickets, like the sound of Operation Mincemeat so hoping that comes on tour up north!

cardibach · 24/12/2023 10:03

Vegetus · 24/12/2023 07:50

All musicals are shit with the exception of the book or Mormon.

Seen them all have you?
Presumably before BoM you thought they all were without exception?
There is as much variety in musicals as in any theatre- saying they are all shit is like saying all music is shit, or all books, or all films. You just need to see the right ones...

notthatthis · 24/12/2023 10:03

YABVU - LOVED IT, including the very talented cast!!

cardibach · 24/12/2023 10:05

YouOKHun · 24/12/2023 08:45

I’ve sat through Cats and Phantom of the Opera, both with someone determined to make me see the light regarding musicals as I find them generally toe curling, I don’t really know why. The person trying to convert me went to everything, more than once, but said to me that she wasn’t so keen on Wicked. Given her levels of tolerance for musicals it must be bad.

Anyone trying to get someone to like musicals using Lloyd Weber is into a loser. Really cynical formulaic writing. Try something by Jason Robert Brown, or Lin Manuel Miranda.

cardibach · 24/12/2023 10:06

peachgreen · 24/12/2023 08:52

So much of it depends on the cast you get. I saw Hamilton twice – once with the original cast, and once in the West End about a year into its run. The first was life-changingly brilliant, the second was dull and hugely disappointing. There’s huge variation.

That said, I don’t like Wicked as a show either – hate the music, a lot of it is in that very top register that I find uncomfortable to listen to.

I’m a bit of a musicals obsessive – went to the theatre two or three times a week when I lived in London and at least one of them would have been a musical. IMO the best are Operation Mincemeat, Waitress and most Sondheims. The recent production of Cabaret is astonishing, although I imagine it depends on what leads you get – I saw Fra Fee and Amy Lennox and it was truly special. Hadestown was great. Parade is amazing. I loved Come From Away. Some of the revivals of older musicals can be really fun – Guys and Dolls is good (although I preferred Chichester one from a few years back), the Old Vic’s High Society was great – but they can also be absolute duds. Controversially I didn’t like Matilda – the lyrics are so clever but it’s too fast to hear them.

For me the worst of all is jukebox musicals. I haven’t seen many because I deliberately avoid them but the ones I have seen were dire. &Juliet is still the only show I’ve ever walked out of. In general I think the big West End shows are usually disappointing – I don’t understand how or why they end up hanging around and continuing to sell tickets but there we are.

Are you my separated-at-birth twin?
I agree with every word and was building myself up to write something similar!

cardibach · 24/12/2023 10:07

Actually - but quite every word. &Jukiet I enjoyed, though wasn't sure I would. And I've seen 2 casts of Hamilton, both amazing in different ways (the original London one and one a couple of years later)

Previousreligion · 24/12/2023 10:10

I absolutely loved it and have seen it multiple times. I did find that the Glinda and Elphaba actresses made a massive difference though. Rachel Tucker and Dianne Pilkington were fabulous. I think the backstory is clever and was moved by most of the songs. I don't find them forgettable.

I've seen things I hated which other people loved though. Takes all sorts.

imnotwhoyouthinkiam · 24/12/2023 10:10

TheChosenTwo · 24/12/2023 09:33

Sorry to keep quoting!
I distinctly remember leaving and feeling like I’d spent the last 2 hours watching pissed up karaoke 😂

Show quote history

To be fair, the film is like 2 hours of pissed up karaoke! We love it.

Previousreligion · 24/12/2023 10:14

Oh, also I have seen many things worse than Wicked if you'd like "recommendations"!

dayswithaY · 24/12/2023 10:17

VerticalSausages · 24/12/2023 08:35

Curious to know why some people hated Hamilton - thanks to one PP who explained their view. I thought it was amazing. Such energy in the music right from the beginning, clever word play. Totally engaging throughout despite a fairly serious plot.

Les Mis on the other hand left me cold.

By way of explanation:

It was probably my fault for going in completely ignorant. I didn’t know the story of Alexander Hamilton and had never listened to the soundtrack.

I couldn’t follow the storyline, to me it was all very fast, shouty, singing in strong American accents. Some of the singers were not great, in my opinion.

So, I had no idea what was going on. Kept thinking a narrator might arrive to explain things. Also it was all singing, no one actually spoke lines.

The dancing was good, I just focussed on that. The set and costumes weren’t very engaging. The audience were crazy about it, which made it even more baffling why I didn’t get it.

I am aware I sound quite shallow.

WorseWorst · 24/12/2023 10:28

Grendell · 23/12/2023 23:38

I will never know, because I walked out of "Cats" 23 years ago and haven't darkened the door of a musical since then.

Cats was the worst musical I have ever seen. I was with a family group of ten or I would have walked out. Wtf.

WorseWorst · 24/12/2023 10:29

dayswithaY · 24/12/2023 10:17

By way of explanation:

It was probably my fault for going in completely ignorant. I didn’t know the story of Alexander Hamilton and had never listened to the soundtrack.

I couldn’t follow the storyline, to me it was all very fast, shouty, singing in strong American accents. Some of the singers were not great, in my opinion.

So, I had no idea what was going on. Kept thinking a narrator might arrive to explain things. Also it was all singing, no one actually spoke lines.

The dancing was good, I just focussed on that. The set and costumes weren’t very engaging. The audience were crazy about it, which made it even more baffling why I didn’t get it.

I am aware I sound quite shallow.

Show quote history

I wished I had read up on this history before as it would have helped. Overall I liked it but the lead woman singer had a horrid shrill voice. My daughter who watched it with me, saw it again a few months later with a much better woman lead.

Grumpsy · 24/12/2023 10:30

YABU - it’s one of my favourite musicals.

PicturesOfLily · 24/12/2023 10:32

I enjoyed Wicked when I saw it a few years ago but my mum wasn’t keen. I took 6yo dd to Shrek yesterday for her first musical and we both loved it! I was actually thinking of getting tickets for Wicked if it’s up north again because I think she’d enjoy it too. I loved Les Mis, Rock of Ages and Bat out of Hell and enjoyed the King & I and Chicago. Haven’t seen many more modern ones. The only show I wasn’t keen on was Starlight Express but mainly because I didn’t know the story in advance and the first half made no sense! DH was a bit disappointed too as he’d seen it in the West End as a child where the skaters came out from the stage but the version we saw had the film. I’ve just told him about the new show which looks like the skaters come out again and he’s very tempted! The tickets are so expensive though!!

WorseWorst · 24/12/2023 10:58

PicturesOfLily · 24/12/2023 10:32

I enjoyed Wicked when I saw it a few years ago but my mum wasn’t keen. I took 6yo dd to Shrek yesterday for her first musical and we both loved it! I was actually thinking of getting tickets for Wicked if it’s up north again because I think she’d enjoy it too. I loved Les Mis, Rock of Ages and Bat out of Hell and enjoyed the King & I and Chicago. Haven’t seen many more modern ones. The only show I wasn’t keen on was Starlight Express but mainly because I didn’t know the story in advance and the first half made no sense! DH was a bit disappointed too as he’d seen it in the West End as a child where the skaters came out from the stage but the version we saw had the film. I’ve just told him about the new show which looks like the skaters come out again and he’s very tempted! The tickets are so expensive though!!

I fell asleep in starlight express!

I do love musicals though and enjoyed les mis, Chicago and my favourite Cabaret.

i think my worst was Kinky Boots.

sep135 · 24/12/2023 11:46

I saw Oliver in the 90s with Barry Humphries as Fagan, I remember he was brilliant in it

Ah yes, I saw Rowan Atkinson as Fagan. Really like the Oliver soundtrack.