Disappointing productions

[Someone in a tree]

Stealing from parsley1 in the plays section.

Whats disappointed you this year?

Police Cops and Silence both were relentless in energy but with zero pathos or heart.



Kathy and Stella - i couldnt hear it

I also disliked Hello Dolly, the rewrites made the book uneven and choreography was pish poor

[osdtdg]

Frozen. The show itself was fine... or at least what I could hear of it, but unfortunately the audience just did NOT EVER shut up. Copletely ruined the show for me. Les Mis was also slightly disappointing becuase it didn't seem as grand or ... traditional as i would hope for. The set seemed cheap, which was a shame

(Both of these were in September)

[fiyerorocher]

The absolute worst was Dorian at the Southwark Playhouse. Just dire. Title of Show at the Phoenix Arts Club was also fairly painful to sit through. And who can forget the torture that was Rehab.

[matthew90]

I 100% agree with that Dorian musical review. It's the first and only time in 30+ years of watching theatre I've left a show at the interval.

[ladidah]

God, I adored Hello Dolly!

I really didn't like Kiss me Kate earlier this year, mainly due to casting.

[osdtdg]

I had forgotten about Kiss Me Kate! (Stephanie J Block was amazing; her "I hate men" was the best thing I've seen all year honestly) I also should give a (dis)honourable mention to Marie Curie at the Charing Cross. That was ... a painful and conflated mess which I had forgotten. Kinda sad to have remembered that one though.

[matthew90]

Nov 4, 2024 10:44:55 GMT ladidah said:

God, I adored Hello Dolly!

I really didn't like Kiss me Kate earlier this year, mainly due to casting.

Same I loved Hello Dolly!, and it was the first time I've seen a production where Dolly wasn't just a caricature and actually a person you could root and feel for. 

[mrbarnaby]

Hello Dolly all the way.

Ugly to look at

Lifeless choreography

A huge disappointment

[usbuzzer]

The Devil Wears Prada takes the lead for me, I felt offended as a theatre-goer: boring, soulless, bad music, weak choreo, not funny.

Also disappointed in Back to the Future earlier in the year, but it at least delivered on the effects and sets.

[FrontrowverPaul]

Jesus Christ Superstar. I saw it first a few years ago at the Open Air Theatre with my adult son as was eligible to buy two tickets at low cost during previews but didn't enjoy the show at all. However it was a chilly evening with occasional light rain. After the first half hour or so I started hoping it would be cancelled but the show went on. I booked again for the recent tour and while I can see why it's an acclaimed successful musical it just isn't for me and joins Shrek and Dirty Dancing on my personal never again list.

[Steve]

For me, "Hello Dolly" was glorious, a reminder of why it's wonderful to be alive. Imelda Staunton acknowledging death in a glance in her meeting with the funeral directors, while barnstorming "Before the Parade Passes By" had me in floods.

But the HORRIBLE sound (I could only hear half the words) during the "Made in Dagenham" concert was a tragic waste of Bonnie Langford and Trevor Dion Nicholas and Zoe Rainey, etc, etc. SO disappointing after really looking forward to it.

[ladidah]

Yes, I cried through 'Before the Parade' too!

[unseaworthy]

The Time Traveller's Wife

[Paulw]

There are so many to chose from and which way could I go with this?

You could have Opening Night for many reasons or WAISS with the mess it is or maybe you could look at a touring show that became something else after going on the road (Pretty Woman springs to mind on this)!

But I’m going for a show I loved and for different reasons than the show not being great (as it was) so I’m going for Cake! Cast was great, changes from the concert was great and just an all round great show. Why am I putting it in the disappointing production thread? It’s early closure, it is a far better show than a 2 week run and should not have closed early so on that basis I have to put this in the mix

[westendgirl]

Cable Street - I expected this to be great based on some of the reviews from its last run but I was very unimpressed.

Hadestown - Maybe I went in with expectations set too high. I didn’t strongly dislike it but I didn’t really connect with it (my mind actually started to wander a bit during act 2) and I know it’s a show that a lot of people really love.

[alece10]

Mean Girls.
Didn't hate it but it was my least liked show this year.
I'm just not the right demographic for it.

[usbuzzer]

Isn't it wonderful that somebody's disappointments are other people's highlights? I see WAISS and Mean Girls already mentioned in the thread (and they'll probably come back) and those were my favorites on my last trip to London.

[amyja89]

I've been mostly happy with what I've seen this year, but I have to say I didn't love & Juliet. More a case of 'it's not you, it's me' though, as most in the theatre seemed to lap it up.

[Mark]

The recent Dolly revival was a huge disappointment for me. It came nowhere near the recent Broadway revival production.

[SuttonPeron]

Dolly was also disappointing for me. Not an inch on the Broadway revival and too many changes.

[nancycunard]

Closer to Heaven was fairly miserable at the Turbine.

[marob]

Burlesque. Nice enough way to spend a couple of hours, but still felt very derivative and in need of a lot more work. Like someone chucked 42nd Street, Mamma Mia and Chicago in a blender. I only saw it about a fortnight ago but it’s pretty much forgotten.

[unseaworthy]

Nov 4, 2024 13:21:22 GMT nancycunard said:

Closer to Heaven was fairly miserable at the Turbine.

The Turbine was fairly miserable generally. 

[richey]

Bonnie and Clyde
Having enjoyed it at the Arts Theatre, I found the tour tedious and left in the interval.

Starlight Express- very underwhelming, particularly the race sequences.

[FrontrowverPaul]

Nov 4, 2024 13:48:26 GMT richey said:

Bonnie and Clyde
Having enjoyed it at the Arts Theatre, I found the tour tedious and left in the interval.

Starlight Express- very underwhelming, particularly the race sequences.

 Re Bonnie and Clyde, I saw it a few times at the Arts and once on the tour which of course ended early. I honestly didn't notice much difference between the two.

What made it to so "tedious" that you went from enjoying it the first time to leaving early at the second ?  Just curious !