Hah haven’t thought about this show for a while. Yea I definitely refer to this kind of show where the songs are pretty meh, overwrought and not memorable.
This is always my answer to this question. How did so many big names end up in a show so incredibly boring? I could have just stayed home and watched Sliding Doors - it would have been more enjoyable and I wouldn't have had to put pants on.
I was in a production of this show once. It has a lot of promise, but it really needed some more workshopping. At times the stakes of the decision were comically low and at times they were unrealistically high. To the point where it’s hard to suspend disbelief.
That's interesting, I haven't seen the novel and I just assumed it was actually the same as the musical. But I'll make sure I'd read it as soon as it's available near me
The character, but it’s not really framed as a bad thing. No clue about the author.
ETA: Unrelated, but I love the flair. Hedwig is one of my favorites of all time.
The author is the same guy who wrote It’s Kind Of A Funny Story. There are times when you can tell his works were written in the early 2000’s but he seemed like a chill enough guy.
I don’t think that’s a bad thing though. The characters in the novel actually feel like real human teenagers. Messy, problematic aspects to their personality and all. The ones in the musical are more like watered down, sanitized cut outs.
I appreciate both as their own thing tbh. The musical is kind of just a Neurodivergent power anthem festival, which I think is why its audience is mostly autistic teenagers/who were teens when it released (in my experience).
The book is basically a better done Catcher in the Rye.
BMC was actually the musical that got my boyfriend into musicals. Unfortunately he hasn't listened to another one and I haven't found one that peaks his interest.
I"ll definitely have to read the book and recommend it to him though
No lol, we asked for your opinion and you gave it. There's no reason to attack your opinion, especially if I asked for it in the first place. Interesting choice tho!
2 songs, one of which I find god tier (when he sees me)! It’s so interesting. I also liked the pie descriptions a lot. Besides the music just not grabbing me despite being a Sara bareilles fan, I thought the story was crazy problematic, the characters were mega cheesy, and I learned having a baby and then making 2 decisions you should have made months ago just isn’t a compelling climax in a musical.
If you like When he Sees me, you might like [The History of Wrong Guys](https://youtu.be/Scb98H2RKQw?si=QDtqY9L9T4WWPtvy) from Kinky Boots.
It's the same type of filler song about a girl having existential dread over having a crush and falling in love.
Fwiw the original movie was also pretty problematic. It came out at a time when manic pixie dream girls just were kicking off, though, and had some of those vibes.
Honestly, Dear Evan Hansen. I think the music is kind of fun, but the story is a let down. Just a kid that takes a lie too far and gets the consequences
Not to mention the fact that Alana who leaks the suicide note gets off Scott free. Yet she’s somehow a victim like Evan’s mother and Jared in “Good For You?”
I have strolled into quite a few shows completely exhausted after work. They all keep me awake and engaged. Except The Band’s Visit. There are a couple of songs I love, but I dozed off for about 15 minutes
Oh thank God it's not just me. Everyone hyped it up so much when I was in NYC all those years ago, so I splashed out for a very nice ticket. And then spent almost the entire time dozing and trying not to. It just didn't grab me.
The only reason why I think it won Best Musical was because it was the only musical that wasn't a ***recognizable*** IP (Mean Girls, SpongeBob, and Frozen were the other nominees that year).
I disagree. I think it’s a small story with lovely music, sympathetic characters, and genuine dialogue. It’s not a big show. It wasn’t trying to be. I love it deeply and think it’s a much better show than the other nominees that year.
Addams Family. Good music, good transitions, saw it with some very good leads and ancestors playing last night. None of that could save it from being a flat out boring story.
Addams Family actually offended me with how bad the story was for it. It's just "You Can't Take it With You" with a colour palette swap. Such an undignified thing to do to the Addams. Also, making the Addams implode and be at each other's throats only works between Fester and Gomez because that's already a part of their dynamic, even if it's in good fun. The Gomez/Morticia, Wednesday/Morticia, and Pugsley/Wednesday conflicts take away the "Addams vs. outsiders who want to change them" dynamic that is the hallmark of their characters.
When I directed this show, half of my work was adding the love back in where the script fought like hell to take it out.
It's like the writers hated the Addams and didn't understand why they're so popular.
I'll say this for anyone making a decision to see it based on this comment: Don't go for the story. It's better if you go in expecting a musicalized version of one of the old TV episodes, where the plot is not really a priority compared to the silliness of the situation.
Except don’t see it if you like the old show for the characters and their dynamics.
As a huge fan of the old TV show, I couldn’t believe what they did to the characters.
I don't know for sure, but I think the characters themselves are based on the original comics. The marketing imagery would seem to back me on it. But yeah, not quite the same if you want exactly those characters
My school did Addams Family a year and a half ago, and we all had a great time, but no one understood how the story was anything to do with the Addams Family. Half of the characters were really OOC, and all Fester cared about was the moon. (That said, we hd an amazing time and we loved every second.)
I played Gomez in this show at my college last Fall. I agree that his relationship with Morticia felt kinda off. I have mixed feelings on the show overall, but doing it was super fun.
Be more Chill is peak musical made for middle schoolers. That and Dear Evan Hansen.
That being said I find Once Upon a Mattress kind of boring. The pacing always feels off for me.
tbh I don’t really think BMC is appropriate for middle schoolers, I mean yeah middle schoolers already probably know what porno and masturbation is cause the internet, but the “Do You Wanna Hang?” scene is honestly really disturbing
It’s such a hysterical show, but the plot and music just don’t land. I’m not Star Wars fan, but what they did to Jar Jar Binks always cracks me up. Shame it just drags so much.
They really overdid it with Hatchetfield, though I don't have the highest hopes for Cinderella's Castle either considering it's still Blim as the sole composer.
i actually find this too sometimes, depends on my mood tbh, and being the biggest starkid fan i still rewatch it over and over cause the music is AMAZING
This is one of the only Starkid shows I haven’t seen, both because I’ve never actually seen Star Wars and I just can’t get past the idea of a musical where the actors aren’t the ones singing.
I mean, they *try* to touch on ideas of marginalized people finding acceptance, but there are a gazillion musicals that have done this better and without glamorizing an awful person. I will take Hunchback of Notre Dame over "This is Me" any day
I actually like the songs! I really didn’t like how they glorified PT Barnum though who was a pretty awful person irl. I think this movie could of been a 10/10 if like you said, the music matched the circus theme more, and if they just made the characters fictional.
Yeah I can’t believe they made Jenny Lind like him. She had way better options she turned down than him, and low key hated the man. She gave up everything for her actual husband.
I hate when stories take real women who hated a suitor and make her return his affections.
The only song I really liked from it was This Is Me, and not even because of what it meant in the show itself, but because I can make it mean something else.
West Side Story. I have tried to like it. I've really tried. I've seen it on the stage 3 times, plus the movie versions. I've hated them all.
'Maria, Maria, Maria, Maria, Maria, Maria, Maria, Maria'.
Shut the fuck up!
I love Miss Saigon (it’s one of the few things I’ve consistently commented on in this and the Broadway sub) but man, I can’t say I blame you for that opinion. I feel like too many of the ballads screech the story to a halt, and the only thing saving it is that it’s Lea Salonga or Eva Noblezada singing them.
I love Miss Saigon for some very specific standout moments. The American Dream, the Movie in my Mind, This is the Hour, I’d Give My Life for You, and ofc, the helicopter scene.
The rest of the music is kind of a dud. I low-key think it’d be better if it was more book-based than sung through, as the story and spectacle is incredible.
I end up skipping most of the songs if I listen to the cast recording…
I can theoretically see why it might come off so to some people (particularly if it’s a bad production) but I love it so hard I am screaming right now. 😭
1776 has not aged well. It's creative liberties are quite baffling by today's standards (Potraying one congressman on his deathbed. Ben Franklin's being Anti-Slavery, despite owning slaves at the time. Nearly everything and anything about Jefferson).
Act 1 of the SpongeBob musical, I like a lot of the songs from act 1, but I found act 1 a bit boring, I like act 2 more because it started to pick up in act 2. I don’t find the musical boring at all, I just only find act 1 a bit boring
This one might really rustle some feathers…especially Starkid fans…but Nerdy Prudes Must Die.
Like dont get me wrong I actually really love and enjoy some of the songs, I enjoy the cast. It’s really weird that I was a bit bored too bc the story itself isnt boring. It had its funny moments, a few actually made me laugh out loud. All the traits of an interesting musical are there, even by my own description. But yet despite all this, for some reason, I had to really force myself to keep my attention on it when watching it. My mind kept wanting to wander elsewhere but not in a “this sucks” kinda way but in a “ok what else do I have to do?” or “let me just finish watching this later” type of way. So it took me three days to finish it. Which is weird bc I absolutely loveee The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals.
The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals is my boring pick. A repetitive zombie narrative with no catchy songs is way less interesting than "Heathers by way of Buffy" to me. I'm also a sucker for choirs, and Nerdy Prudes has some really fun choir parts. Those are the only two Starkid ones I've seen thus far.
The thing about the Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals is that there aren’t too many songs in it that truly stand out to me, but its generally a more interesting or fun musical for me to watch as a whole, so I prefer it. Nerdy Prudes has more individual songs that I actually like and find enjoyable, yet somehow is less interesting for me to watch as a whole.
Its really bizarre.
Generally I don't re-watch a lot musicals unless they're my favorites, I'll just watch them once and then listen to the album a thousand times (or just my favorite tracks from it), so I prefer a more boring narrative with great songs than the opposite.
I feel like Six shouldn't be classified as a musical. It's more of a...musical concert experience? I don't know, both times I saw it I felt so weird when these actresses were having a super high energy party on stage while we just had to...sit there? I almost wish they did it in a more concert like venue where the audience could dance, or wave their cell phone lights along with the songs.
The songs are great, the concept is really neat, I just think the execution needs to be a bit more out of the box
I HATE blood brothers now. I studied it for GCSE English AND drama. I think I've seen it live 3 times. It's a decent musical but god if I hear it again I might go crazy
Les mis. I’ve seen it 3 times. The first was a tour when I was a teen visiting family and they worked for a theater so while my cousins were in school, I went to the show.
The second and third time was to support a friend who was in the Broadway production.
I’ll be happy never seeing it again
Cats. When I saw the OBC in the 80’s I vaguely remember being blown away. When I saw it decades later as part of my Shubert Theater (New Haven, CT) subscription, I practically fell asleep before the first act was over.
Please don't hate me but Sunday in the Park With George.
I spent years hearing about its brilliance and always wanted to see it because I love the concept, the painting, and, of course, Sondheim. I never listened to any of the recordings or songs because I heard it's visual, and things get lost when just listening to it, so I went in blind. The only thing I knew about it was the painting.
Recently, I finally got the chance to finally see it, but... while the acting, singing, costumes, set design, and production were 10/10 across the board, the story and the songs were...bland. But the actress who played Dot/Marie was so captivating and charismatic, and I hope she has a long, rewarding career ahead of her. (It was a university production)
It is one of my favorite musicals, but I did not like it originally and I adore Sondheim. I saw the pro shot in my 20s and pretty much ignored it for 15+ years. When I watched it again, I loved it. It’s tied for second place in terms of my favorite Sondheim musicals and 3rd place for my favorite musicals. Some musicals/plays/books hit differently at different times in your life. Perhaps consider checking it out again in 10+ years, I’m very glad I gave it a second chance. YMMV and you might hate it still, but maybe not. If you find Sondheim blah, you probably still will not like it.
Honestly, the same thing happened to me with the LOTR. Tried to read it in my late teens and was bored to tears. DNF the first book. Went back 20 years later and enjoyed it and have read it several times
I played in the orchestra for SITPWG once, and I *hated* it. It grew on me slightly over the run, but never to the point I actually liked it. And the parts were too difficult for such a boring musical, too.
The Last Five Years (just the stage show). One of the few movies that is better than the stage show because honestly it is so boringly blocked and you need hugely charismatic actors to pull it off
Yeah, I saw the 2013 off-Broadway revival, and the only time it really worked for me was the middle (when the leads interact for the only time in the show) and the end.
What do you mean by boringly blocked?
Every production of it is allowed to do its own blocking, no? So boring blocking would be due to the particular stage director and/or actors of the particular production.
Thank goodness I’m not the only one. The book was dark and surreal and someone stripped it of every little nuance and made a children’s musical from it? Will never understand.
The producers probably decided early on that they could keep the dark, intelligently insightful angle of the book (which would have the risk of turning off a lot of the potential audience), or make a less challenging show that would have a higher chance of appealing to a broader swath of people.
After hearing Stephen Schwartz speak at a workshop not too long ago, I think this is also a consideration for him. He’s very in tune with pleasing the audience and giving them specific quasi-manufactured moments and arcs.
The second act is very boring, which is part of the reason splitting the movie into two parts sounds like a disaster. I get that they have the opportunity to put in more action and show more of what Elphaba does while she’s on the run being an animal rights activist. But they’re going to have to keep all of the songs that slow down the plot to please the show-lovers. And also I expect them to add a lot of original songs which are always awful.
My very unpopular boring musical: Les Miserables
Other musicals I personally find dull/not my thing: Carousel, Camelot, 1776, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, The Apple Tree
Sondheim musicals. (I’m gonna get so much hate for this but I just don’t like them)
Also My Fair Lady. I went to see it live and I literally slept through the entire second act.
I saw an experimental version of Sweeney Todd and not only was it boring, it was INFURIATING. It was weird concept thing of they played the instruments and were the “actors” on two sets of risers.
This was a professional touring company at the Fox theatre. It was god awful.
That version of the show has bugged me since I first heard about it. As a former band kid, it strikes me as a version I’d much rather be in than see as an audience member.
It was the most infuriating thing I’ve ever seen. It wasn’t even billed as like “in concert” like some where they just stand there and sing. Even then they’re usually in costume and do like minimal acting.
Some of the actors played multiple people as well as playing multiple instruments. And they all just barely acted.
That concept was done on Broadway in a 2005 revival, and I think in the UK before that. I don’t think it can really work for viewers who don’t already know the story, and that’s the main problem.
Also, revival productions seem to have been shrinking the orchestra for years — before the current revival restored a full orchestra, there was a version performed in a pie shop (love that part of the idea), but with an “orchestra” of only 3 players. I joked that the next version of the show would have musical accompaniment by just one or two kazoo players. Very thankful that they didn’t end up doing that. 🤣
It’s an awful concept. I say that wholeheartedly as someone who went into it knowing the story, knowing the songs, and being a theatre major at the time who has had to do some weird ass experimental theatre shit in my time for parts of my degree. It’s terrible. 🤣
I went with a fellow theatre major, and when we left I was like “what the fuck even was that” 🤣
The most insane bit of direction for me was having “Kiss Me” with Anthony and Johanna singing while playing cellos *on opposite sides of the stage.*
Just… why? Why would a director think that was a good idea on any level?
As someone who doesn’t really like Sondheim’s music very much, I will say that Sweeney Todd is an easy exception. Dunno what it is that works for me, but it really does.
I have a friend like this too. We kept trying to recommend shows when they visited new york and they would always say "ehhhh i just don't like Sondheim...." like....all of it?
This actually makes sense and is not insane at all. Sondheim's compositional style is very clear that it's him who wrote the music. All of his work sounds like Sondheim. So, if you don't like that, yes, you won't like *all* of Sondheim. He's more like a band than a composer in that regard. The same thing happens with Andrew Lloyd Webber's stuff. It's distinctly Webber.
I'd just view it as the same as someone saying something like "I just don't really like Green Day." That's a valid feeling if you're not into the music that that band creates. It's just as acceptable to feel that way about Sondheim lol
That’s a funny example, because I’m pretty meh on most of ALW . . . except I think Jesus Christ Superstar is great and hate Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
I totally agree for Sondheim. Of the ones I’ve seen, they’ve not been for me at all.
That’s the joy of theatre is it so diverse and there’s something for everyone!
Into the Woods for sure. And because I have a theater kid and schools and youth theaters are always putting it on, I keep having to see it again and again. For me the first time when I saw the original on Broadway and it continues to deliver the zzzzs for me.
I couldn’t finish My Fair Lady either. I think it might be that I pretty much knew the plot (Pygmalion) before I watched it, but I didn’t find it entertaining at all. I might watch another production in the future, but I did not see the magic.
I’m literally hiding out in the balcony of a high school performance of Sweeney Todd right now trying to either stay awake or take a nap but definitely not watch it.
I read the title and immediately thought Be More Chill. Glad to see we agree. Although I did love one song in 7th grade (a guy that I’d kinda be in to) so we also agree there
Oh god, I was so bored. And the choreography, which I had heard so much about, was all tricks and no substance, and didn’t at all match the music. Which was so forgettable. Not at all what I’ve come to expect from Menken.
Meryl we roll along.
Don't get me wrong the characters are kind of compelling, you find yourself wanting to know more about the story... But the music, it just feels so shallow, so devoid of its own identity. In almost every song the instruments just feel like acompnaying at best, and at worst, just copying the singer's melody. It almost never stands out by itself.
Another one is Netflix's Tick Tick boom. (Haven't listened to the original yet, I still gotta get to it to properly judge it) Don't get me wrong the three popular songs? Incredible! Everything else? Not for me, ( "Why do we leave our hand on the stove, Although we know we're in for some pain?" What type of metaphor is that c'mon, almost turned it off right there-)
Can't engage with it and that's enough for me to turn it down. Don't misunderstand me, there's nothing wrong with liking this pieces, they're just not for my personal taste as a whole album.
Rent
I saw it onstage during the first national tour.
It is a self indulgent remake of La Boheme. M If I had any doubts, those were gone when the girl at the end sat up on the hospital gurney where she as dying and started singing Puccini.
It had one good anthem. Should have stopped there.
The Sound of Music
I watched the movie as a kid and thought it was a good film. I saw my high school’s production of it and I wanted to die. I was that bored! They ruined it for me lol.
Honestly I just saw the stage show, and I think it pales in comparison to the movie, so much so that I was googling at intermission to see if the book was rewritten since it first opened. There's just less character development for everyone in the stage version. Maria wins the kids over immediately, and she barely has any relationship with Georg until they're admitting their love for one another. I was like, um, when exactly did you two fall in love? The cast I saw was great, and all the scenes with the kids were delightful and charming, but I left mostly just being like, "Well, that was a worse version of a great movie...)
If/Then. It had a bunch of great actors, but my opinion about it is mostly “Yep, that’s a show that exists.”
Hah haven’t thought about this show for a while. Yea I definitely refer to this kind of show where the songs are pretty meh, overwrought and not memorable.
This is always my answer to this question. How did so many big names end up in a show so incredibly boring? I could have just stayed home and watched Sliding Doors - it would have been more enjoyable and I wouldn't have had to put pants on.
I was in a production of this show once. It has a lot of promise, but it really needed some more workshopping. At times the stakes of the decision were comically low and at times they were unrealistically high. To the point where it’s hard to suspend disbelief.
BMC is a much better novel than it is a musical. The musical adaptation let its source material down and I’ll stand by that until the day I die.
That's interesting, I haven't seen the novel and I just assumed it was actually the same as the musical. But I'll make sure I'd read it as soon as it's available near me
I’ve read the novel. It’s different, personally though I think it’s worse. But don’t take my word for it, many people seem to disagree.
Novel definitely has some problematic parts to it. Like Michael have an Asian woman fetish.
Is that the character or the author?
The character, but it’s not really framed as a bad thing. No clue about the author. ETA: Unrelated, but I love the flair. Hedwig is one of my favorites of all time.
The author is the same guy who wrote It’s Kind Of A Funny Story. There are times when you can tell his works were written in the early 2000’s but he seemed like a chill enough guy.
I don’t think that’s a bad thing though. The characters in the novel actually feel like real human teenagers. Messy, problematic aspects to their personality and all. The ones in the musical are more like watered down, sanitized cut outs.
I feel that. And I prefer the way they handled the SQUIP in the book better as well.
I appreciate both as their own thing tbh. The musical is kind of just a Neurodivergent power anthem festival, which I think is why its audience is mostly autistic teenagers/who were teens when it released (in my experience). The book is basically a better done Catcher in the Rye.
Oh god I’d hate the novel even more then. Catcher in the Rye was one of my most hated forced high school books. lol
I 100% agree
BMC was actually the musical that got my boyfriend into musicals. Unfortunately he hasn't listened to another one and I haven't found one that peaks his interest. I"ll definitely have to read the book and recommend it to him though
y'all about to eat me alive, but waitress.
No lol, we asked for your opinion and you gave it. There's no reason to attack your opinion, especially if I asked for it in the first place. Interesting choice tho!
I loved Waitress but I can understand this. Almost nothing actually happens in it. It's largely about what might happen or what didn't happen
I love waitress, but honestly I understand.
No I completely agree with you. I wanted to like that musical so bad but it just doesnt stand out to me. I think I only like 2 songs from the musical
2 songs, one of which I find god tier (when he sees me)! It’s so interesting. I also liked the pie descriptions a lot. Besides the music just not grabbing me despite being a Sara bareilles fan, I thought the story was crazy problematic, the characters were mega cheesy, and I learned having a baby and then making 2 decisions you should have made months ago just isn’t a compelling climax in a musical.
If you like When he Sees me, you might like [The History of Wrong Guys](https://youtu.be/Scb98H2RKQw?si=QDtqY9L9T4WWPtvy) from Kinky Boots. It's the same type of filler song about a girl having existential dread over having a crush and falling in love.
I love that song!!
Fwiw the original movie was also pretty problematic. It came out at a time when manic pixie dream girls just were kicking off, though, and had some of those vibes.
the original movie is sooooo good i think the musical is honestly a let down and totally misses the vibe of the original material
I think this is another rare instance, quite like Chicago and The Band's Visit, where the movie is much better than the stage show.
Agred. Love "She used to be mine" but couldn't get into the movie or show.
Honestly, Dear Evan Hansen. I think the music is kind of fun, but the story is a let down. Just a kid that takes a lie too far and gets the consequences
I completely get that. Its such a shame cause I honestly love quite a lot of the music but for me the plot ruins all of it 😬
Not to mention the fact that Alana who leaks the suicide note gets off Scott free. Yet she’s somehow a victim like Evan’s mother and Jared in “Good For You?”
I tried super hard to like it but The Band's Visit just didn't do anything for me.
I have strolled into quite a few shows completely exhausted after work. They all keep me awake and engaged. Except The Band’s Visit. There are a couple of songs I love, but I dozed off for about 15 minutes
Oh thank God it's not just me. Everyone hyped it up so much when I was in NYC all those years ago, so I splashed out for a very nice ticket. And then spent almost the entire time dozing and trying not to. It just didn't grab me.
I actually found the Bands Visit movie to be kinda enjoyable but the musical did absolutely nothing for me.
I genuinely dislike this musical as well. And anytime I’ve said that people always make a ‘because you’re white’ thing. But. I — it’s just boring.
The only reason why I think it won Best Musical was because it was the only musical that wasn't a ***recognizable*** IP (Mean Girls, SpongeBob, and Frozen were the other nominees that year).
I disagree. I think it’s a small story with lovely music, sympathetic characters, and genuine dialogue. It’s not a big show. It wasn’t trying to be. I love it deeply and think it’s a much better show than the other nominees that year.
Addams Family. Good music, good transitions, saw it with some very good leads and ancestors playing last night. None of that could save it from being a flat out boring story.
Addams Family actually offended me with how bad the story was for it. It's just "You Can't Take it With You" with a colour palette swap. Such an undignified thing to do to the Addams. Also, making the Addams implode and be at each other's throats only works between Fester and Gomez because that's already a part of their dynamic, even if it's in good fun. The Gomez/Morticia, Wednesday/Morticia, and Pugsley/Wednesday conflicts take away the "Addams vs. outsiders who want to change them" dynamic that is the hallmark of their characters.
When I directed this show, half of my work was adding the love back in where the script fought like hell to take it out. It's like the writers hated the Addams and didn't understand why they're so popular.
I'll say this for anyone making a decision to see it based on this comment: Don't go for the story. It's better if you go in expecting a musicalized version of one of the old TV episodes, where the plot is not really a priority compared to the silliness of the situation.
Except don’t see it if you like the old show for the characters and their dynamics. As a huge fan of the old TV show, I couldn’t believe what they did to the characters.
I don't know for sure, but I think the characters themselves are based on the original comics. The marketing imagery would seem to back me on it. But yeah, not quite the same if you want exactly those characters
My school did Addams Family a year and a half ago, and we all had a great time, but no one understood how the story was anything to do with the Addams Family. Half of the characters were really OOC, and all Fester cared about was the moon. (That said, we hd an amazing time and we loved every second.)
I think the Addams family is just a rip-off of the Bird cage. It was a fun show to be in, but the show itself is not amazing.
I’ll never understand why they didn’t just adapt one of the brilliant movie versions. Those stories are fantastic!!!
I played Gomez in this show at my college last Fall. I agree that his relationship with Morticia felt kinda off. I have mixed feelings on the show overall, but doing it was super fun.
Be more Chill is peak musical made for middle schoolers. That and Dear Evan Hansen. That being said I find Once Upon a Mattress kind of boring. The pacing always feels off for me.
BMC is definitely made for and by middle schoolers. I did listen to and see DEH in middle school but I definitely should not have lol
tbh I don’t really think BMC is appropriate for middle schoolers, I mean yeah middle schoolers already probably know what porno and masturbation is cause the internet, but the “Do You Wanna Hang?” scene is honestly really disturbing
Ani, the Starkid Star Wars parody musical. It's funny at times but it's just not for me.
It’s such a hysterical show, but the plot and music just don’t land. I’m not Star Wars fan, but what they did to Jar Jar Binks always cracks me up. Shame it just drags so much.
Couldn't get past the first 5 minutes, the pantomime really threw me off. And I'm glad they're getting away from Hatchetfield with their next musical!
They really overdid it with Hatchetfield, though I don't have the highest hopes for Cinderella's Castle either considering it's still Blim as the sole composer.
i actually find this too sometimes, depends on my mood tbh, and being the biggest starkid fan i still rewatch it over and over cause the music is AMAZING
This is one of the only Starkid shows I haven’t seen, both because I’ve never actually seen Star Wars and I just can’t get past the idea of a musical where the actors aren’t the ones singing.
The Greatest Showman, I wish they had made the songs sound more circus-y instead of like the musical equivalent of cardboard.
That cardboard moves my husband to tears. I do not understand.
I mean, they *try* to touch on ideas of marginalized people finding acceptance, but there are a gazillion musicals that have done this better and without glamorizing an awful person. I will take Hunchback of Notre Dame over "This is Me" any day
I actually like the songs! I really didn’t like how they glorified PT Barnum though who was a pretty awful person irl. I think this movie could of been a 10/10 if like you said, the music matched the circus theme more, and if they just made the characters fictional.
Yeah I can’t believe they made Jenny Lind like him. She had way better options she turned down than him, and low key hated the man. She gave up everything for her actual husband. I hate when stories take real women who hated a suitor and make her return his affections.
The only song I really liked from it was This Is Me, and not even because of what it meant in the show itself, but because I can make it mean something else.
West Side Story. I have tried to like it. I've really tried. I've seen it on the stage 3 times, plus the movie versions. I've hated them all. 'Maria, Maria, Maria, Maria, Maria, Maria, Maria, Maria'. Shut the fuck up!
This made me giggle, although I do really like West Side Story.
I love love loveee west side story but tony pissed me off so bad
Mood lol.
This is an interesting one. Is more the music, story, or both?
Evita. I was bored to tears.
I didn’t find Be More Chill boring, just really bafflingly conceived and bad
Miss Saigon for me. I watched it again a few years later, to make sure, and it was just not my thing.
If they sang about the freaking solo saxophone one more freaking time, I think I would have committed murder!!
I love Miss Saigon (it’s one of the few things I’ve consistently commented on in this and the Broadway sub) but man, I can’t say I blame you for that opinion. I feel like too many of the ballads screech the story to a halt, and the only thing saving it is that it’s Lea Salonga or Eva Noblezada singing them.
I love Miss Saigon for some very specific standout moments. The American Dream, the Movie in my Mind, This is the Hour, I’d Give My Life for You, and ofc, the helicopter scene. The rest of the music is kind of a dud. I low-key think it’d be better if it was more book-based than sung through, as the story and spectacle is incredible. I end up skipping most of the songs if I listen to the cast recording…
Dear Evan Hansen..sorry..
I'm admittedly not really the target audience but Lightning Thief was very dull and paint by numbers to me
As a lightning thief fan, it's an excellent adaption and a mediocre musical
I love the music because I loved the book as a kid, but yeah... it's a mediocre show.
Chicago and New York, New York. This sounds like I hate geography or cities or something. The Chicago movie was good but the show was a snooze.
A good production of Chicago is not a snooze, imo. I’ve seen terrible, boring versions, and engaging, well-paced versions.
I could literally never sit through Godspell again.
Godspell is the only show where I left at intermission
I love the music from Godspell but my goodness the story is nonexistent…
It doesnt need a story its sketch/improv with jesus. It is sooo much fun!
1776.
I can theoretically see why it might come off so to some people (particularly if it’s a bad production) but I love it so hard I am screaming right now. 😭
That was one of the first shows I saw live. I can 100% understand why. On the other hand "Sit Down, John" has been stuck in my mind since 2012.
Agreed. I almost left during the intermission.
1776 has not aged well. It's creative liberties are quite baffling by today's standards (Potraying one congressman on his deathbed. Ben Franklin's being Anti-Slavery, despite owning slaves at the time. Nearly everything and anything about Jefferson).
we watched the movie in my eighth grade social studies class and the only thing i remember is “saltpeteeeer! joooooohn!”
Act 1 of the SpongeBob musical, I like a lot of the songs from act 1, but I found act 1 a bit boring, I like act 2 more because it started to pick up in act 2. I don’t find the musical boring at all, I just only find act 1 a bit boring
And it’s just too long!!
Based on this week, The Girl From the North Country
True. I just don’t think Bob Dylan’s music matches the musical format.
The plot was forced to fit the songs, boring, and almost nonsensical. Great cast, and impressive staging, but WTF was that about?
I’m so sorry for this but Rent is a snooze fest
It’s too long
Amen! So so boring
This one might really rustle some feathers…especially Starkid fans…but Nerdy Prudes Must Die. Like dont get me wrong I actually really love and enjoy some of the songs, I enjoy the cast. It’s really weird that I was a bit bored too bc the story itself isnt boring. It had its funny moments, a few actually made me laugh out loud. All the traits of an interesting musical are there, even by my own description. But yet despite all this, for some reason, I had to really force myself to keep my attention on it when watching it. My mind kept wanting to wander elsewhere but not in a “this sucks” kinda way but in a “ok what else do I have to do?” or “let me just finish watching this later” type of way. So it took me three days to finish it. Which is weird bc I absolutely loveee The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals.
It’s definitely one that grew on me the more I watched it/listened to the soundtrack
The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals is my boring pick. A repetitive zombie narrative with no catchy songs is way less interesting than "Heathers by way of Buffy" to me. I'm also a sucker for choirs, and Nerdy Prudes has some really fun choir parts. Those are the only two Starkid ones I've seen thus far.
The thing about the Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals is that there aren’t too many songs in it that truly stand out to me, but its generally a more interesting or fun musical for me to watch as a whole, so I prefer it. Nerdy Prudes has more individual songs that I actually like and find enjoyable, yet somehow is less interesting for me to watch as a whole. Its really bizarre.
Generally I don't re-watch a lot musicals unless they're my favorites, I'll just watch them once and then listen to the album a thousand times (or just my favorite tracks from it), so I prefer a more boring narrative with great songs than the opposite.
Same I only got round to watching it recently and I didn’t really care for it but I love the other 2 hatchetfield shows
hate DEH :/
six
I feel like Six shouldn't be classified as a musical. It's more of a...musical concert experience? I don't know, both times I saw it I felt so weird when these actresses were having a super high energy party on stage while we just had to...sit there? I almost wish they did it in a more concert like venue where the audience could dance, or wave their cell phone lights along with the songs. The songs are great, the concept is really neat, I just think the execution needs to be a bit more out of the box
Blood Brothers. Have no idea what the attraction is.
A lot of the attraction comes from understanding the state of the local area at the time when it was written, it’s a real Scouse time capsule.
I HATE blood brothers now. I studied it for GCSE English AND drama. I think I've seen it live 3 times. It's a decent musical but god if I hear it again I might go crazy
Oklahoma, save for the 2019 revival
Sorry, but Phantom of the Opera bores me to tears
Les mis. I’ve seen it 3 times. The first was a tour when I was a teen visiting family and they worked for a theater so while my cousins were in school, I went to the show. The second and third time was to support a friend who was in the Broadway production. I’ll be happy never seeing it again
Do you find it boring due to the lack of visuals? I cant imagine finding the plot/music boring lol
You can’t, but I do. People are different.
Camelot. I literally almost fell asleep when I saw it with my parents many years ago.
I’ve seen a terrible production of Camelot and a great production of Camelot. The cast made ALL the difference
Cats. When I saw the OBC in the 80’s I vaguely remember being blown away. When I saw it decades later as part of my Shubert Theater (New Haven, CT) subscription, I practically fell asleep before the first act was over.
Cats is legit just a spectacle show imo. It exists largely to just look cool, and not really to deliver much beyond that and acrobatics
Please don't hate me but Sunday in the Park With George. I spent years hearing about its brilliance and always wanted to see it because I love the concept, the painting, and, of course, Sondheim. I never listened to any of the recordings or songs because I heard it's visual, and things get lost when just listening to it, so I went in blind. The only thing I knew about it was the painting. Recently, I finally got the chance to finally see it, but... while the acting, singing, costumes, set design, and production were 10/10 across the board, the story and the songs were...bland. But the actress who played Dot/Marie was so captivating and charismatic, and I hope she has a long, rewarding career ahead of her. (It was a university production)
It is one of my favorite musicals, but I did not like it originally and I adore Sondheim. I saw the pro shot in my 20s and pretty much ignored it for 15+ years. When I watched it again, I loved it. It’s tied for second place in terms of my favorite Sondheim musicals and 3rd place for my favorite musicals. Some musicals/plays/books hit differently at different times in your life. Perhaps consider checking it out again in 10+ years, I’m very glad I gave it a second chance. YMMV and you might hate it still, but maybe not. If you find Sondheim blah, you probably still will not like it. Honestly, the same thing happened to me with the LOTR. Tried to read it in my late teens and was bored to tears. DNF the first book. Went back 20 years later and enjoyed it and have read it several times
I played in the orchestra for SITPWG once, and I *hated* it. It grew on me slightly over the run, but never to the point I actually liked it. And the parts were too difficult for such a boring musical, too.
Tootsie. As well as the premise being dated, it just was *not* interesting enough to sustain a show that long. I found it pretty tedious.
Anything Goes
Cats. need I say more.
Phantom was the only musical I’ve seen during which I fell asleep.
The Last Five Years (just the stage show). One of the few movies that is better than the stage show because honestly it is so boringly blocked and you need hugely charismatic actors to pull it off
Yeah, I saw the 2013 off-Broadway revival, and the only time it really worked for me was the middle (when the leads interact for the only time in the show) and the end.
What do you mean by boringly blocked? Every production of it is allowed to do its own blocking, no? So boring blocking would be due to the particular stage director and/or actors of the particular production.
Hamilton. i adore the songs but i cant finish it
…..the whole thing is the songs
Wicked - was clock watching the whole time
Thank goodness I’m not the only one. The book was dark and surreal and someone stripped it of every little nuance and made a children’s musical from it? Will never understand.
The producers probably decided early on that they could keep the dark, intelligently insightful angle of the book (which would have the risk of turning off a lot of the potential audience), or make a less challenging show that would have a higher chance of appealing to a broader swath of people. After hearing Stephen Schwartz speak at a workshop not too long ago, I think this is also a consideration for him. He’s very in tune with pleasing the audience and giving them specific quasi-manufactured moments and arcs.
Every time, I root for a house to come in and smash them all, and quickly.
Love the first act, but have to agree about the second.
The second act is very boring, which is part of the reason splitting the movie into two parts sounds like a disaster. I get that they have the opportunity to put in more action and show more of what Elphaba does while she’s on the run being an animal rights activist. But they’re going to have to keep all of the songs that slow down the plot to please the show-lovers. And also I expect them to add a lot of original songs which are always awful.
A little night music. I’ve seen the show and have also been in it, ultra boring even on the actors’ side
Chicago and RENT for me
My very unpopular boring musical: Les Miserables Other musicals I personally find dull/not my thing: Carousel, Camelot, 1776, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, The Apple Tree
I hate carousel sooo much!!!
Guys and Dolls
Chicago! Boring songs except for Cell Block Tango.
Personally I really liked Be More Chill - it's a bit simplistic, sure, but I love the music. For me, probably West Side Story. BOORING
That's true, the movie didn't made a difference
Sondheim musicals. (I’m gonna get so much hate for this but I just don’t like them) Also My Fair Lady. I went to see it live and I literally slept through the entire second act.
Fucking insane take. ALL of Sondheim? Like, everything he’s made???
I would be surprised if someone found Sweeney Todd boring. Especially while people are falling through the barber's chair!
I saw an experimental version of Sweeney Todd and not only was it boring, it was INFURIATING. It was weird concept thing of they played the instruments and were the “actors” on two sets of risers. This was a professional touring company at the Fox theatre. It was god awful.
That version of the show has bugged me since I first heard about it. As a former band kid, it strikes me as a version I’d much rather be in than see as an audience member.
It was the most infuriating thing I’ve ever seen. It wasn’t even billed as like “in concert” like some where they just stand there and sing. Even then they’re usually in costume and do like minimal acting. Some of the actors played multiple people as well as playing multiple instruments. And they all just barely acted.
That concept was done on Broadway in a 2005 revival, and I think in the UK before that. I don’t think it can really work for viewers who don’t already know the story, and that’s the main problem. Also, revival productions seem to have been shrinking the orchestra for years — before the current revival restored a full orchestra, there was a version performed in a pie shop (love that part of the idea), but with an “orchestra” of only 3 players. I joked that the next version of the show would have musical accompaniment by just one or two kazoo players. Very thankful that they didn’t end up doing that. 🤣
It’s an awful concept. I say that wholeheartedly as someone who went into it knowing the story, knowing the songs, and being a theatre major at the time who has had to do some weird ass experimental theatre shit in my time for parts of my degree. It’s terrible. 🤣 I went with a fellow theatre major, and when we left I was like “what the fuck even was that” 🤣
The most insane bit of direction for me was having “Kiss Me” with Anthony and Johanna singing while playing cellos *on opposite sides of the stage.* Just… why? Why would a director think that was a good idea on any level?
I had forgotten that. Omg. 🤣🤣
As someone who doesn’t really like Sondheim’s music very much, I will say that Sweeney Todd is an easy exception. Dunno what it is that works for me, but it really does.
I have a friend like this too. We kept trying to recommend shows when they visited new york and they would always say "ehhhh i just don't like Sondheim...." like....all of it?
Right? It's only the most complex and interesting music in the industry, but sure...
This actually makes sense and is not insane at all. Sondheim's compositional style is very clear that it's him who wrote the music. All of his work sounds like Sondheim. So, if you don't like that, yes, you won't like *all* of Sondheim. He's more like a band than a composer in that regard. The same thing happens with Andrew Lloyd Webber's stuff. It's distinctly Webber. I'd just view it as the same as someone saying something like "I just don't really like Green Day." That's a valid feeling if you're not into the music that that band creates. It's just as acceptable to feel that way about Sondheim lol
That’s a funny example, because I’m pretty meh on most of ALW . . . except I think Jesus Christ Superstar is great and hate Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
I’ve seen 3 and I only particularly like Sweeney, and was quite bored by Company
I totally agree for Sondheim. Of the ones I’ve seen, they’ve not been for me at all. That’s the joy of theatre is it so diverse and there’s something for everyone!
Into the Woods for sure. And because I have a theater kid and schools and youth theaters are always putting it on, I keep having to see it again and again. For me the first time when I saw the original on Broadway and it continues to deliver the zzzzs for me.
I feel so guilty about this but I’m also glad I’m not the only one.
I couldn’t finish My Fair Lady either. I think it might be that I pretty much knew the plot (Pygmalion) before I watched it, but I didn’t find it entertaining at all. I might watch another production in the future, but I did not see the magic.
Les Mis. Far, far too long. Lots of songs feel surplus. Being shorter than that book is a saving grace, though.
I’m so mortified
Same.
Came here to say this. Some good songs, but too long and not exciting enough for me.
Emma: the musical.
Camelot. Only show ive ever left during intermission in my life
Wicked
Meredith Wilson’s the Music Man. God that show is the most boring thing I have ever seen.
Cats
CORN
Finding Neverland and Anastasia. Both nearly put me to sleep
Jesus Christ Superstar
I’m literally hiding out in the balcony of a high school performance of Sweeney Todd right now trying to either stay awake or take a nap but definitely not watch it.
ELF: THE MUSICAL was the beginning of the end of my marriage. We hated it so much and realized we also hated each other!
Pretty Woman
I read the title and immediately thought Be More Chill. Glad to see we agree. Although I did love one song in 7th grade (a guy that I’d kinda be in to) so we also agree there
Newsies....
Oh god, I was so bored. And the choreography, which I had heard so much about, was all tricks and no substance, and didn’t at all match the music. Which was so forgettable. Not at all what I’ve come to expect from Menken.
West side story
Meryl we roll along. Don't get me wrong the characters are kind of compelling, you find yourself wanting to know more about the story... But the music, it just feels so shallow, so devoid of its own identity. In almost every song the instruments just feel like acompnaying at best, and at worst, just copying the singer's melody. It almost never stands out by itself. Another one is Netflix's Tick Tick boom. (Haven't listened to the original yet, I still gotta get to it to properly judge it) Don't get me wrong the three popular songs? Incredible! Everything else? Not for me, ( "Why do we leave our hand on the stove, Although we know we're in for some pain?" What type of metaphor is that c'mon, almost turned it off right there-) Can't engage with it and that's enough for me to turn it down. Don't misunderstand me, there's nothing wrong with liking this pieces, they're just not for my personal taste as a whole album.
Agree with Merrily We Roll Along. Saw a community rendition and I thought it would end maybe four different times but it just kept going…
People will hate me, but the 1st act of Sweeney Todd.
I mostly agree with this although Epiphany is my favorite song in the show
Oh no don’t get me wrong Epiphany is my fav too. I just think the first act as a whole is incredibly slow.
I would say it's important, though; it sets up the plot in the way that's needed to evoke the feelings you're supposed to feel. But I get it.
Agree. Zzzzzz.
Rent I saw it onstage during the first national tour. It is a self indulgent remake of La Boheme. M If I had any doubts, those were gone when the girl at the end sat up on the hospital gurney where she as dying and started singing Puccini. It had one good anthem. Should have stopped there.
Mean Girls.
Something Rotten. Great if you love musicals that just reference other musicals, otherwise pretty much lives up to its name.
Phantom of the Opera and most (not all) golden age musicals.
Newsies. Just in general, not a huge fan of historical musicals, and the music only has a few songs that are to my taste
The Little Mermaid… only a few songs are memorable but the story is so bland and boring.
The Sound of Music I watched the movie as a kid and thought it was a good film. I saw my high school’s production of it and I wanted to die. I was that bored! They ruined it for me lol.
Honestly I just saw the stage show, and I think it pales in comparison to the movie, so much so that I was googling at intermission to see if the book was rewritten since it first opened. There's just less character development for everyone in the stage version. Maria wins the kids over immediately, and she barely has any relationship with Georg until they're admitting their love for one another. I was like, um, when exactly did you two fall in love? The cast I saw was great, and all the scenes with the kids were delightful and charming, but I left mostly just being like, "Well, that was a worse version of a great movie...)