Now they're planning "The Karate Kid" musical and a few other inappropriate titles I can't think of off the top of my head. Anyone for "Last Tango In Paris," the melted butter musical?
@@xak999 Years ago in Chicago I saw a hilarious late night musical parody version of *The Karate Kid,* with lyrics sung to the soundtrack's instrumental selections.
True story -- I actually was at the one and only performance of your number one on this list "Moose Murders" back in 1983! I also saw another Broadway play you guys omitted from your list: "Teaneck Tanzie" with Andy Kaufman about wrestling. That play also closed opening day. In fact, one of the Moose Murder's reviews even said something like "Moose Murders made Teaneck Tanzie look like a masterpiece." Anyway, please don't ask me for details about MM -- I think I fell asleep... LOL
I saw a production of Anyone can Whistle at the Southwark Playhouse in London last year. Yes, it's weird. Undeniably. But it is also pretty amazing. And the music is terrific.
I saw 'Anyone Can Whistle' in tryouts in Philadelphia at the Forrest Theatre. I recall the sets being quite elaborate, but with Angela Lansbury and a superb cast, well, the story line was complicated and ahead of its time. I would have liked to see it again for clarity on the plotline.
It went through significant changes between Philadelphia and Broadway. It might have looked all new to you. My mentor in the business said it wasn't the show that invented the old radio joke, but it certainly contributed to it lingering for so long. It went: "Announcer: First prize, a week in Philadelphia! Second prize... TWO weeks in Philadelphia!"
There Won't Be Trumpets is one of my favorite songs...Heard it first on Streisand's Broadway album...didn't know it was written for Anyone Can Whistle.
Sometimes Broadway musicals bomb simply because the audience wasn't in the mood at the time, and the cast album will make them wonder what they missed. (It's even more exciting when you find "Ed Sullivan Show" footage of a number from such shows; it's fun to see a cast album come to life.) That's why they should always film a performance; few shows are so bad they can't be sold to TV.
Tuck Everlasting was a gorgeous show with great choreography and performances and a stunningly emotional ending. It's really too bad that it didn't catch on.
IMHO, it goes to show that not everything transfers well into a musical, and not every musical belongs on Broadway. Sometimes shows do better in smaller, more intimate spaces, with lower budgets.
As a big fan of Allan Sherman ("Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah", the Camp Granada song), I have to add his one Broadway effort, The Fig Leaves are Falling. A huge flop, it lasted 17 previews and just 4 performances before closing. This was despite being written with Albert Hague (Grinch soundtrack) and featuring Dorothy Loudon, Barry Nelson, and a very young David Cassidy. RCA released a 45 of Sherman singing 2 songs from it, but never officially released a full soundtrack. A soundtrack album made by Sherman and others to attract investors is a very rare collector's item. Several people did record the one semi-hit, "Did I Ever Really Live?", but even that realistically went nowhere.
I saw Kelley in a preview and Anyone Can Whistle. Back then, so many shows opened, it was hard to keep up. $9.90 in the orchestra, $2. way upstairs. It was a time.
@@jasonhays8644 In those days, all the delicatessens had twofor tickets on their checkout counters. These were for shows not in the habit of selling out. I sat many times in rear balcony $2 seats for a dollar. Even better, right before the curtain, I scanned the house for empty seats and moved down for a better view.
I think I would have liked to see Carrie. I don't like horror stories, but the score, from what I gathered, was great. "I'm not alone" is one of my favorite songs ever.
"[Actor Burgess] Meredith was set to direct and act in a musical, Happy as Larry, with choreography by Ann Sokolow and mobiles by Alexander Calder. Meredith persuaded [composer Edgard] Varèse to participate in the creation of this unconventional musical by composing a short dance. Varèse, out of friendship, agreed and subsequently referred to the piece as Dance for Burgess. The play closed immediately after its New York opening on January 6, 1950, and Varèse, subsequently, never bothered to have the piece published or performed."
My personal favorite for failed musicals is 1976’s “Home Sweet Homer,” which I saw on tour in 1975 as “Odyssey”. Eleven previews and one Sunday matinee as the opening, with the closing notice posted as soon as the curtain failed. Even on tour, there was clearly second act trouble, but Yul Brynner had some delightful comedic bits and I don’t regret the chance to see both him and Joan Diener on stage. But that it failed, not a big surprise.
Just like the " Carrie" musical that BOMBED so Hard; The anime series; Brynhildr in the Darkness (2014) BOMBED so Hard too during its initial released in 2014. Years later, both Horror settings gained Cult Classic. Carrie is one of the influences for Brynhildr in the Darkness (2014). If you love Carrie; then you should give Brynhildr in the Darkness ( 2014) a good Binge-Watch, at least once.
Shows may not be Understood when they are first put on stage. I believe that is the case with “anyone can whistle”. I find the show incredibly beautiful and a work of sheer genius. It is not an easy show to understand but given the right production I think it can have a huge impact. Sadly the original Broadway cast album is heavily cut so look for the complete recording it does exist own on the CD it will bring the show into a whole new light. It is one of Stephen Sondheim’s saddest amazing works for the theater. Someday it may get it’s just rewards
The fact that the two leads Lee Remick and Harry Guardino had no rhythmic or music sense or abilities didn't help either. This is why Remick's big first act number "There Won't Be Trumpets" had to be cut.
Typically for Sondheim, it was ahead of its time. Had it opened in 1969, not 1964, it might have made it. I belonged to a youth-run summer theater group, and we mounted a production of Anyone Can Whistle in 1979, to moderate local success. We wrote to Dame Angela Lansbury about it and received an incredibly ki d and gracious letter in response, wishing us well. We sent her a bottle of "miracle water."
I think I saw once that even Sondheim said that the musical was problematic. That the book didn't work. I think the score is so great, but the book was dreadful.
@@jkrapenc1034 I agree. Audiences are so used to the 2 act format. And by that time audienced were tired of "Those damned dream ballets". "The Chase" in Brigadoon didn't work, nor did "The Jousts" in Camelot. So, the Cookie ballet in ACW was a goner. Sondheim supplied a good song for every opportunity...then we got Harry Guardino and Lee Remick.
I was surprised not to see Frank Wildhorn's _Bonnie & Clyde_ on the list. It had successful out-of-town tryouts in San Diego, California, and Sarasota, Florida, but the snobby New York critics (who have it in for Wildhorn) tore it to shreds and it closed after one month. The joke is on them, because the show has had quite the afterlife. Since prematurely closing a decade ago, _Bonnie & Clyde_ has become popular with high schools/colleges and community/regional theaters. Also, it has had successful productions in Japan, South Korea, Germany, Czechia, Poland, Sweden, and Australia. A Brazilian production is set for this year. Last year, a limited West End engagement proved so successful that London is bringing it back this spring. The question now is: Will a Broadway revival (ever) follow?
Oh. I saw a local production of it and didn't think it was too bad. I saw a production of Company in the same space and can only remember once cast member of either production. My partner fell in love with Company at that production and does not remember Bonnie and Clyde at all. Maybe you should trust him more than me. LOL
The Little Prince and the Aviator at the Alvin Theater. Written by Hugh Wheeler (Sweeney Todd, Irene, A Little Night Music), Music by John Barry (James Bond films), Lyrics by Don Black (Song and Dance, Aspects of Love, Sunset Boulevard), starring Michael York. Closed January 17, 1982 after 20 previews. Never opened. That's a bomb; and I was there.
Then there was the 1981 adaptation of "Frankenstein" with John Carradine, John Glover and David Dukes which opened and closed the same night and at the time was the costliest flop ever to grace a Broadway stage.
"Cape Man" should be on the list. We went with another couple. The music was written by Paul Simon and to this day I think he owes us $300 for the tickets. At intermission, I was going on about what was wrong with the lighting, the scenery, the acting, etc. The family behind us said, "You're right" and they left. We, unfortunately, didn't. Near the end of the play, Cape Man dies. I remember thinking, "Thank god. It will be over soon." (Not soon enough.) I don't know if it ever got out of previews.
I recall a Village Voice cartoon mocking Simon for blaming the critics, depicting someone telling him: 'Don't blame the critics when audiences respond with "The Sound of Silence".'
OMG- I saw Capeman too in previews. The odd thing is that on paper it looked good and the casting had great singers- but agree that the acting was bad.
The Grass Harp, a musical adaptation of a Truman Capote novella, opened on January 17, 2003, and had its final performance 2 days later on January 19, 2003. It had a decent score by Claibe Richardson (music) and Kenward Elmslie (lyrics), a stellar cast including Barbara Cook and Carol Brice, and a somewhat improbable plot, the crux of which revolved around a cure-all elixer and a tree house where the protagonists hide from commercialism. They managed to cut a good original cast recording, worth listening to, before folding up shop. The show survives through occasional local productions. (I know--I was in one.)
All correct, except for the dates: The Grass Harp opened on Broadway on November 2, 1971, a Tuesday, and closed the next Saturday, after seven performances. But it's actually a pretty good show, with a wonderful score and a great cast, including Cook, Brice, and the phenomenal Karen Morrow. The cast album is definitely worth a listen, with some really catchy "earworms" among the tunes. Morrow, as a lady evangelist, sings an amazing 12-minute song cycle practically all by herself (with a little help from Cook, Brice, and Russ Thacker)--but when you've got Morrow's pipes, you don't need a chorus behind you!
@@tomservo56954 I think there's some confusion here. The original non-musical play, by Truman Capote, is what flopped in 1952. I'm not aware of any production of The Grass Harp on Broadway in 1968--in any version.
"Flahooly" - starring Yma Sumac and Barbara Cook - It was Barbara's first show and she went on to be a Broadway legend - at one time the cast album lp sold for big money -
That was the first musical I thought would be on the list! Supposedly Ella Logan, from Finian's Rainbow was going to be in it, but wisely bowed out before Bdwy. A rare dud from Yip Harburg. "You dirty Red!" 😉
Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Merrily We Roll Along, Amour, The Grass Harp, Leap of Faith, Onward Victoria, Oh Brother, Nick & Nora, just to name a few honorable mentions
Except Merrily has had an extended afterlife with numerous productions all over the world. There is a documentary called The Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened that profiles Merrily. It’s pretty good
How could you leave out Rachel lily rosenbloom? Jabari wrote it for Midler, who declined, but got Ellen Greene. Some great talent on that stage and many of the dancers were in Michael bennett’s tapes that led to a chorus line. And Peter allens’s legs diamond?
In 1975, there was a Broadway show called We Interrupt This Program, which closed after just one week. It was promoted with the line Not Recommended For Those With Low Panic Threshold.
I am miffed, even angry, that we were forgotten. I was in the chorus of one of the biggest flops in the history of Broadway which had 4 previews and never had an opening night - 1966's "Holly Golightly"/"Breakfast At Tiffany's" starring Mary Tyler Moore and Richard Chamberlain and in a small featured role Sally Kellerman. I am prejudiced - it should have been #1 on your list.
'Moose Murders' playwright Arthur Bicknell later wrote a memoir about the experience, entitled, 'Moose Murdered: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love My Brodway Bomb.' : )
Thanks. But how could you not mention "Breakfast at Tiffany's" with Mary Tyler Moore and Richard Chamberlain, which closed after 4 previews. Or "La Strada" with Bernadette Peters, which closed after 1 performance?
I have to give an honourable mention here to "Keep Off The Grass," which starred Jimmy Durante, Ray Bolger, Jane Froman, Virginia O'Brien, Emmett Kelly, Ilka Chase and Jackie Gleason, who said, "That show closed so fast, I nearly got caught in the door." He made that observation in his now-classic TV apology for the infamous game show bomb "You're In The Picture." In reality, the show ran for 44 performances.
I got to see a rather lavish Orlando production of the musical Ben Hur (yeah, it really happened). The idea was to use the vacation destination as a place to preview possibly shows for Broadway. They had it all. Solid performances, costumes, sets, truly gifted singers, and some pretty nifty special effects. And that includes the chariots! The horses were fake, but they had puppet legs that were controlled by hands unseen and never lost pace. It didn't actually look like the movement of horse legs, but you had to admire the dedication. At final curtain, I happily added to the applause of an entertained crowd, but walked away kind of...meh. I mean, it wasn't awful. Would I ever see it again? Nah. Never heard a word about it after that.
Shogun the Musical had only 18 previews and 72 performances. It had many obstacles to overcome, including scenery falling on the leading man in the second act. Some of the effects (earthquake, horseback battle) were lauded, but ultimately a weak score and heavy ballet choreography, along with a difficult-to-follow plotline, proved too great to overcome.
I remember seeing Christopher Plummer in a musical version of Cyrano (in the Boston tryouts in 1973) which I enjoyed, but it only had 49 Broadway performances. I also saw Devour the Snow (luckily, they didn't try to make this a musical about the trial after the Donner Party deaths) on Broadway - they were giving out free tickets but it still cost too much: opened 11/7/79 and closed 11/10/79 (plus a few previews).
One of my favorite broadway facts is that Carolee Carmello has been an imortal twice on broadway, both times lasting exactly 39 preformances (Tuck and also Lestat based on the Anne Rice novels with music by Elton John). She was also in Scandalous (the Kathy Lee Gifford musical) which lasted 29 preformances. For someone so talented, Carolee has made a career out of short run shows.
I saw Scandalous when it previewed in Seattle, Back then, it was called Saving Aimee. The only reason I saw it was because the theater was giving away free tickets, I guess they weren’t selling that well. I think investors were there that night, because it was packed with people who got the same free tickets. But I really can’t remember hardly anything about it, except for maybe a song or 2. It just didn’t make an impact. Kathy Lee was at every performance. I met her after the show and she was lovely.
Barbara Cook, a legend regardless, was known for going from flop to flop, her one big Broadway hit was She Loves Me. She was also in the original production of Candide, but it was a huge flop until it was extensively re-written and revived in the early 70s.
@@rodneykingston6420 and you can't forget music man. Her voice on that album is a staple! It's fascinating how many flops each many amazing performers have been a part of. It's so much more common than the hit. (And more fun lol)
Fun list. A couple of items: Carolee Carmelo IS a big name Strangely, in NY, the Supreme Court is their common court and the Court of Appeals is their highest court.
Love never Dies, a Phantom Story never made it to Broadway because London Audiences disliked it. An Australian Theater person worked with Andrew Lloyd Webber to adjust the play to fix parts that didn't work. Now it is incredible. I saw it when it was travelling the country and I loved it! If it does make it to Broadway, I think it could do well.
@@toffeestrange7706 Thank you for sharing your opinion. I loved it. Isn't it wonderful that we can agree to disagree in such a polite, unthreatening manor!
The thing that made High Fidelity as a movie great was the John Cusack hand picked soundtrack, the musical probably would have done better if it had the movie soundtrack instead of weak sauce original songs...might as well have made Clerks into a musical lol omfg Spiderman Hold Back The Dark should have been on this list too
Spiderman was a truly terrible show--but it played 182 previews while they tried (unsuccessfully) to fix it, and by the time it opened it was already so notorious that it played two and a half years anyway! So, although it lost a lot of money, it doesn't really qualify as an "instant" flop.
Unless, perhaps, they happen to be housed in the smaller Broadway venues like the Helen Hayes or the Circle In The Square, musicals with more modest cast sizes like "High Fidelity" or "Amour" can still having fruitful runs Off-Broadway or in regional playhouses. "Reefer Madness" and "The Last Five Years" have yet to make it to Broadway, and they're both really, really good!
Michael Park was in the Tuck Everlasting musical right before he did Dear Evan Hansen. I've been a fan of his since he was on the soap opera As The World Turns. His roots are in Broadway, but I loved him so much as Jack Snyder on ATWT! You can also see Michael Park guest star in famous shows, he was on season 3 of Stranger Things, and another Netflix show called You. He just recently guest starred on Law And Order.
We won't even mention "Getting Away with Murder" a play written by Stephen Sondheim and George Furth, which ran for 17 performances on Broadway in 1996.
While Moose Murders definitely deserves the top spot on this list - Frankenstein from 1981 deserves placement here. Another "one night" only wonder, it was a very fascinating and costly bomb.
I truly wish all these plays and musicals were recorded for prosterity. I love watching bootlegged stage shows as there's a wonderful immediacy to them as there was for live television. To this day, I would love to watch the original cast of The Music Man, Hello, Dolly!, Man of La Mancha, etc. perform their shows. I'm very happy for the time PBS broadcast productions.
There is a recording of Carrie. If you go on Amazon music or UA-cam, you will find it. The song When There is No One by Marin Mazzie gives me the chills. It’s absolutely gorgeous
It's not the Original Broadway Cast, and I personally don't like some of the changes made to it. Plus it's not the same with Out For Blood the original Act 2 opening number missing, I love that song!
One huge point you're missing - possibly you've never lived in NY. The big legendary flops - Carrie and Moose Murders exemplify this - sell HUGELY just before they close. When the word goes out that a show is going to be a legendary, history-making bomb - EVERYONE in the industry (we're not talking tourists, New Jersey, Long Island, Upper East Siders, but the people who work, care, and really crave the professionalism of Broadway) wants to see it before it disappears "forever." I remember 'Carrie' and particularly 'Moose Murders' - I was living there at the time: and you couldn't get in for the last performances - the shows completely sold out. Legs Diamond. Home Sweet Homer. Gorey Stories. Etc. Crowds flocking, but only to see really spectacular train wrecks.
Since Moose Murders only had one performance, it hardly seems likely that it was sold out. Otherwise it wouldn't have closed after only the one. And the audience didn't know that the first performance would be the last.
I think the list only included those that made it out of previews to have at least one Broadway performance before closing (while they mentioned a musical version of 'Lolita' that never opened on Broadway, that was only in the context of talking about the stage adaptation that quickly opened and closed ten years later).
At intermission, a humongous patron in my aisle at Tuck Everlasting, fell on me in his rush to the men's room. He broke my wrist and I spent the usual 6 weeks in an unforgettable fashion arm cast. But I don't remember most of the show's cast.
Boulbil and Schoenberg created Martin Guerre in 1995 and it failed. They did a reboot a couple of years later. I did not see either, but I do own the soundtracks for both. The original is gorgeous. Songs like When Will Someone Hear, Working on the Land, Martin Guerre, and Bethlehem (stunning) are beautiful and are in the original. It was very hard to get when I bought it and now it’s on Amazon Music and Apple
I also like the original, though I found some of the lyrics clunkly, like in 'Tell me to Go.' Still, a great song and mostly great music. I just don't think it works as a musical.
Growing up in Philadelphia, I had the great opportunity to see a few flops trying out prior to moving (or not) to Broadway including Miss Moffat (with Bette Davis), Ari, the musical adaptation of The Exodus, Home Sweet Homer, and 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. It was also fun to see how much a show could change from Philadelphia to Broadway including Irene, Chicago, and Sugar to name just a few.
There is a legendary London flop, which probably doesn't count because it was a revue rather than a musical, but the "Intimate Revue" of 1930 was a hilarious (but in the worst way) confection that had battling stage hands, half cocked set changes, incomprehensible songs, and so many scenes that it had to be abridged (it basically had to finish two thirds of the way through). It is a legendary, massive, glorious flop.
Carrie was ahead of it's time and it only closed because the producer withdrew all his money from the accounts and they couldnt pay anyone. I think if it had held on for a bit longer, it could have become something. But then it wouldnt have become the cult favourite that it was. The 2015 London productionwas superb, with orchestrations more like the original and a fabulous cast. Thankfully there is a pro shot of it here on YT.
To be fair, Carrie would’ve run longer despite the negative reviews. It had the largest presale of a Broadway show at the time. But the producer stole the money and ran off to Germany. The actors, crew, and musicians ended up not even being paid.
Charles Strouse had another huge flop with Rags in 1986, also with esteemed colleagues. Book was Joseph Stein (Fiddler on the Roof), and lyrics were by Stephen Schwartz. Not only that, it marked the Broadway debut of famed opera star Teresa Stratas. Sort of a sequel to Fiddler, it tells the story of what happens to the Russian immigrants after getting to the US. But it also told too many other storys. It closed after 18 previews and 4 perfs. Personally, I think it's a terrific score.
Don't forget that on opening night when all the critics were there, leading lady Theresa Strada refused to go on making it the only show in history to open with an understudy in the leading role.
Vesna VK: In Ken Mendlebaum's book, "Not Since Carrie" his compendium of flops, Theresa Strata was described as 'the contemptuous, cancellation-prone Opera Diva, Theresa Strata. We believe she wasn't confident enough in her performance. A Broadway musical is a long way from the Opera, where she made her home. She may have thought the material was too weak for her talent, ("Rags" had a few numbers that were excellent however). She might have just been scared out of her wits. But during it's 4 performance run, enough Tony Award voters caught the show to get Strata nominated for Best Actress in a Musical. She didn't win. There is a cast album and Charles Strouse wrote the notes himself, and they described his score and show incredibly well.
I was at a performance of Bring Back Birdie when it was on Bway. The cast was excellent, the show very polished and well-rehearsed, and the charisma and dancing of the two leads carried the show (Donald O'Connor, even at his age, was spectacular!!) I think the difficulty was that ultimately there was not a lot of substance and heart to the book. It seemed like a flimsy Brady Bunch or Eight Is Enough reunion TV movie. Which is the issue with most sequels ...they have to be able to stand on their own merits without leaning too much into the original storyline. Otherwise, you are not drawn into the characters.
@Caitlyn Carvalho typical woke whiny baby behavior. Times were different back then. You can't change the past, no matter how many statues you remove/vandalize.
In chronological order (with # of performances): 'Anyone Can Whistle' - 1964 (9) 'Kelly' - 1965 (1) 'A Teaspoon Every Four Hours' - 1969 (1) 'A Broadway Musical' - 1978 (1) 'Bring Back Birdie' - 1981 (4) 'Lolita' - 1981 (12) 'Moose Murders' - 1983 (1) 'Carrie' - 1988 (5) 'High Fidelity' - 2006 (13) 'Tuck Everlasting' - 2016 (39) Of these shows, the only ones which were NOT musicals were 'A Teaspoon Every Four Hours,' 'Lolita' (a musical version of which from 1971 -- as noted -- did not even make it to Broadway), and 'Moose Murders'.
I was expecting to see numerous shows in this list that weren't: In My Life, Glory Days and The Story of My Life, The Red Shoes, Shogun, you could makes a video on this topic last hours!
@Mr. Hilary i wish i had. I was in NYC when it was on, but went to see something else. There is barely anything about it online and I'd love to see some of the staging.
@@DDTC73 , I only remember the staging for the musical number Karma, because we joked they had borrowed the Les Miserables choreography for One Day More. I regret not seeing Carrie.
I wish you had included something about Nick & Nora. That poor thing. Three months of previews (I think) and 9 performances only. Such a great cast though.
Hello- a point should be made between shows that flopped hard because they were well bad shows and shows that were actually decent enough but flopped because they weren't adequately/properly advertised and or promoted.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s was such a flop it never even technically opened. It didn’t get past the preview stage. And it was gonna star Mary Tyler Moore and Richard Chamberlain.
Another show which survives as a fantastically interesting Original Cast Album, and which I'd love to see revived. Book by Arthur Laurents, music by Charles Strouse, and lyrics by Richard Maltby, jr.
It's such a crying shame Carrie bombed so hard, and I'm certainly glad it got that 2012 rework and revival, it seems to have revived the show's reputation a little. I'd love to have seen the original, and I've heard that one production which was also sort of a special effects show brought back some of the old material. *That* would have been nice to see too.
Carrie the musical is such a cult classic among theater actors, though. I’ve seen several high school, college, and small theaters perform that play and it’s always such a good time. I recommend looking up theaters in your area to see if it’s being performed near you. Usually your best bet is in the fall around Halloween.
One musical that should be on the list is Good Time Charley staring Joel Grey( about 1977) A musical about Charlemagne and Joan of Arch uniting France. So bad, I worked on the costumes for that production. They gave everyone at the costume shop tickets to pad the house.
10: Tuck Everlasting 9: High Fidelity 8: Lolita 7: Anyone Can Whistle 6: Carrie 5: Bring Back Birdie 4: A Broadway Musical 3: Kelly 2: A Teaspoon Every Four Hours 1: Moose Murders
I saw Chess on Broadway in 1988. It was a huge success in the UK, but then they rewrote it to up the drama and emotion for the U.S. audience. It flopped. It ran 44 performances. At the time, it was one of the most expensive flops of all time. Its failure was overshadowed by the failure of Carrie, however, which had opened and closed about a month earlier.
Two other shows I would add that I had the opportunity to see in previews are: - "Dance a Little Closer" (1983), yet another flop from Charles Strouse with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner. based on Robert E. Sherwood's 1936 antiwar comedy "Idiot's Delight." It is is set on New Year's Eve "in the avoidable future" in the grand Alpine Barclay Palace Hotel, where the guests find themselves in the midst of a potential nuclear Armageddon.. Yeah... It closed on opening night, leading Broadway wags to nickname it "Close a Little Faster." - "Merrily We Roll Along" (1981) from Stephen Sondheim, George Furth, and Harold Prince who had struck gold with "Company" a decade earlier. It is based on the 1934 play of the same name by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart and tells the story of how the lives and friendships of three friends, Frank, Charley, and Mary, change over 20 years, told in reverse chronological order and moving from cynicism to innocence. The score is gorgeous, but the production was plagued with problems, many detailed in Lonny Price's wonderful documentary "Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened," Unlike most flops, however, "Merrily We Roll Along" has had a vigorous afterlife with a current hit New York Theatre Workshop production starring Jonathan Groff as Frank, Lindsay Mendez as Mary, and Daniel Radcliffe as Charley set to move to Broadway in the fall, and a film adaptation directed by Richard Linklater to be filmed over 20 years, allowing the actors to age with their characters. Ben Platt, Blake Jenner, and Beanie Feldstein are attached to play Charley, Frank, and Mary, respectively.
*Merrily We Roll Along* has continued to merrily roll along since its original legendarily quick Broadway closing, but based on *Dance a Little Closer* 's Original Cast Recording, I find at least as much merit in that unappreciated work, and I'd love to see a full production of it.
@@oliverbrownlow5615 I agree. While it's been a really long time since I've seen - and heard it - I recall that the score to "Dance a Little Closer" is actually quite good. I think that the show had major book problems, especially in the second act. While that's not uncommon in Broadway musicals, it was enough to scuttle this show.
Blake Jenner has actually been replaced by Paul Mescal in the film adaptation of Merrily We Roll Along, due to him admitting to abusing his ex-wife Melissa Benoist during their marriage.
These lists never include the 1959 musical "The Nervous Set" which sadly only lasted 23 performances. Despite decent reviews, a truly wonderful score and a timely plot involving beatniks this sweet little musical which had a pre-"I Dream of Jeanie" and "Dallas" Larry Hagman in the cast died. The soundtrack album did moderately well in sales. I wonder why this show flopped?
#1 - Frankenstein. One performance on 4 January 1981 at a then-record cost of $2 million for the performance (mostly on overdone special effects). Closed on opening night, that is. Next time you do a video, please research all material. Thank you.
About "Carrie": If a musical is so bad, it inspired the title of a book about Broadway flops, then it should be a lot higher than 6. Fortunately, the writers and producers were smart enough to call an emergency meeting to say, "Okay, how can we fix this?" The result was the 2012 musical version, which featured new songs, and the Sue Snell character acting as tour guide for the story, among other things.
It’s fascinating to see that in the history of Broadway, “It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Superman!” was not in the top 10 worst shows of all time. Granted, I enjoy it, but it’s objectively not good. But 139 performances is still pretty ok by comparison!
@@thewkovacs316 some of the songs are catchy. The charm is to look at the show in the same way as we watch the Adam West Batman: campy and fun. Just the novelty of Superman flying on stage was something to see.
It's a hugely entertaining show if you ignore the abominable ABC television production from the 1970's and perform it with the sincerity and elegance it requires.
Whoa you left out a whole *bunch* of shows (although, when it comes to flops, it’s hard to beat _Moose Murders_ ). And before we get started (as you say) there’s a correction. The critic lambasting _A Broadway Musical_ was Stewart Klein. The call letters for the station were WNEW - it didn’t become WNYW until 1986. _The Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public_ was another unloved sequel which ran 16 performances. Someone else mentioned _Via Galactica_ - that definitely should have been on the list. _Dude_ was Gerome Ragni’s follow up to _Hair_ . It racked up a total of 16 performances after disastrous rehearsals, disastrous previews and a disastrous opening. It was a disaster. It should definitely be on this list. Paul Simon’s _Capeman_ was another disaster but it lasted two months (almost exactly) so I suppose that doesn’t count. The venerable Cy Coleman’s _Welcome to the Club_ was another stinker only lasting 12 performances. For me the show that closed too soon was _Chess_ . It opened in April 1988 and closed in June just before I had saved enough to go see it. I actually saw the notice on the door of the Imperial Theatre when I went by at the end of June. “Step five: we open on Broadway and before you can say ‘step six’ we close on Broadway”.
I remember the Donny Osmond did a Broadway show called Little Johnny Jones that was so badly panned by critics that it closed after the initial performance
That was likely a remake of a show from the 20s that originally starred George Cohan in his first Broadway role... clearly, someone thought that Osmond was the "new George Cohan."
@@matthewhill5006 The original Broadway production of *Little Johnny Jones* starring George M. Cohan, his wife Ethel Levey, and his Mom, Dad, and sister, who comprised the rest of the famous "Four Cohans" act, opened on Broadway in 1904 and played only 52 performances, but it then went on tour and became a huge hit on the road as Cohan implemented revisions. It returned to New York in 1905 and 1907, playing more than 200 additional performances, which still sounds like a flop by modern standards, but the economics of Broadway was different then. The 1982 production starring Donny Osmond was definitely a revival of the George M. Cohan musical.
Broadway traditionally has not been a venue for children's entertainment and that's been one of my gripes about the theatre as it's trended the last 25 years.That also may explain the lack of quality and creativity it's seen during that time I also have a problem with turning Mickey Mouse ,goofy and the Flintstones into stage productions Long gone are the great play writers of the 20th century
A few Sondheim songs? It is one of his best scores! It was ahead of its time. With the political insanity that is going on today, it is more meaningful now than it was in the 1960s.
Not every movie needs a broadway musical. Enough said.
Now they're planning "The Karate Kid" musical and a few other inappropriate titles I can't think of off the top of my head. Anyone for "Last Tango In Paris," the melted butter musical?
@@xak999 Years ago in Chicago I saw a hilarious late night musical parody version of *The Karate Kid,* with lyrics sung to the soundtrack's instrumental selections.
@@xak999 😢 NOOOOO I WOUOD RATHER WATCH A MUSICAL ABOUT SOAP MAKING THEN A KARATE KID FUCKING MUSICAL 😭 😭
Amen
Agreed. And yet Thelma and Lousie is on it's way
Tuck Everlasting deserved a longer run. It’s such a beautiful story/musical. So happy it’s getting performed in high schools and community theatres.
*"Unless Disney is involved"*
OF COURSE!
I definitely agree!
I was in a community production of Tuck Everlasting last spring. The plot drags on forever but the music is fantastic especially Time and The Wheel.
Agreed. I was in it last year with my boyfriend. He played Angus and I played Mae.
A couple of the songs made my spotify musical list and I would rather listen to this than Cats or Phantom. I also loved the movie with Alexis Bledel.
True story -- I actually was at the one and only performance of your number one on this list "Moose Murders" back in 1983! I also saw another Broadway play you guys omitted from your list: "Teaneck Tanzie" with Andy Kaufman about wrestling. That play also closed opening day. In fact, one of the Moose Murder's reviews even said something like "Moose Murders made Teaneck Tanzie look like a masterpiece." Anyway, please don't ask me for details about MM -- I think I fell asleep... LOL
tanzi was a hit in the uk
probably would have been better off first opening off broadway...different type of crowd...different expectations
Aside from Andy Kaufman, "Teaneck Tanzi: The Venus Flytrap" also featured Debbie Harry of Blondie fame.
Cool!
I guess revivals aren't on the list. "Little Johnny Jones" closed on its one night, in 1982, Donny Osmond as the lead.
@@babsbybend I was wondering if anyone would mention Little Johnny Jones!
I saw a production of Anyone can Whistle at the Southwark Playhouse in London last year. Yes, it's weird. Undeniably. But it is also pretty amazing. And the music is terrific.
I saw 'Anyone Can Whistle' in tryouts in Philadelphia at the Forrest Theatre. I recall the sets being quite elaborate, but with Angela Lansbury and a superb cast, well, the story line was complicated and ahead of its time. I would have liked to see it again for clarity on the plotline.
The original cast album has always sold pretty respectably. Would probably be a hit if revived.
It went through significant changes between Philadelphia and Broadway. It might have looked all new to you. My mentor in the business said it wasn't the show that invented the old radio joke, but it certainly contributed to it lingering for so long. It went: "Announcer: First prize, a week in Philadelphia! Second prize... TWO weeks in Philadelphia!"
I love *Anyone Can Whistle,* and I love it exactly as originally written.
I recently saw a revival/updated production off WestEnd in London. I'm a big fan of the music... the story not so much. Pretty convoluted.
Anyone Can Whistle is my favorite Broadway flop. I'd love to see it in a revival.
There Won't Be Trumpets is one of my favorite songs...Heard it first on Streisand's Broadway album...didn't know it was written for Anyone Can Whistle.
I saw Tuck Everlasting on Broadway, when visiting from Melbourne Australia, having never heard of it prior. Loved it!
I had no idea that "High Fidelity" ever had a musical adaptation. You learn something new every day, right?!😉😁
True.
Sometimes Broadway musicals bomb simply because the audience wasn't in the mood at the time, and the cast album will make them wonder what they missed. (It's even more exciting when you find "Ed Sullivan Show" footage of a number from such shows; it's fun to see a cast album come to life.) That's why they should always film a performance; few shows are so bad they can't be sold to TV.
Right I seen some shows bomb when it come out but become a hit later.
@@brookelynnenewcomer943 That's what's happening with Merrily We Roll Along right now.
Tuck Everlasting was a gorgeous show with great choreography and performances and a stunningly emotional ending. It's really too bad that it didn't catch on.
Love the homage to _The Producers._ It's like all these shows were produced by Max Bialistock.
IMHO, it goes to show that not everything transfers well into a musical, and not every musical belongs on Broadway. Sometimes shows do better in smaller, more intimate spaces, with lower budgets.
As a big fan of Allan Sherman ("Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah", the Camp Granada song), I have to add his one Broadway effort, The Fig Leaves are Falling. A huge flop, it lasted 17 previews and just 4 performances before closing. This was despite being written with Albert Hague (Grinch soundtrack) and featuring Dorothy Loudon, Barry Nelson, and a very young David Cassidy. RCA released a 45 of Sherman singing 2 songs from it, but never officially released a full soundtrack. A soundtrack album made by Sherman and others to attract investors is a very rare collector's item. Several people did record the one semi-hit, "Did I Ever Really Live?", but even that realistically went nowhere.
I saw Kelley in a preview and Anyone Can Whistle. Back then, so many shows opened, it was hard to keep up. $9.90 in the orchestra, $2. way upstairs. It was a time.
$10 in 1964 is about $95 today - which is still a very cheap ticket.
@@jasonhays8644 In those days, all the delicatessens had twofor tickets on their checkout counters. These were for shows not in the habit of selling out. I sat many times in rear balcony $2 seats for a dollar. Even better, right before the curtain, I scanned the house for empty seats and moved down for a better view.
I think I would have liked to see Carrie. I don't like horror stories, but the score, from what I gathered, was great. "I'm not alone" is one of my favorite songs ever.
👏👏👏 yes
"[Actor Burgess] Meredith was set to direct and act in a musical, Happy as Larry, with choreography by Ann Sokolow and mobiles by Alexander Calder. Meredith persuaded [composer Edgard] Varèse to participate in the creation of this unconventional musical by composing a short dance. Varèse, out of friendship, agreed and subsequently referred to the piece as Dance for Burgess. The play closed immediately after its New York opening on January 6, 1950, and Varèse, subsequently, never bothered to have the piece published or performed."
My personal favorite for failed musicals is 1976’s “Home Sweet Homer,” which I saw on tour in 1975 as “Odyssey”. Eleven previews and one Sunday matinee as the opening, with the closing notice posted as soon as the curtain failed. Even on tour, there was clearly second act trouble, but Yul Brynner had some delightful comedic bits and I don’t regret the chance to see both him and Joan Diener on stage. But that it failed, not a big surprise.
Just like the " Carrie" musical that BOMBED so Hard; The anime series; Brynhildr in the Darkness (2014) BOMBED so Hard too during its initial released in 2014. Years later, both Horror settings gained Cult Classic. Carrie is one of the influences for Brynhildr in the Darkness (2014). If you love Carrie; then you should give Brynhildr in the Darkness ( 2014) a good Binge-Watch, at least once.
Of all the musicals you listed, it is Anyone Can Whistle that resonates still.
And Carrie, thanks to trends and shows like Riverdale helped its popularity grow.
Shows may not be
Understood when they are first put on stage. I believe that is the case with “anyone can whistle”. I find the show incredibly beautiful and a work of sheer genius. It is not an easy show to understand but given the right production I think it can have a huge impact. Sadly the original Broadway cast album is heavily cut so look for the complete recording it does exist own on the CD it will bring the show into a whole new light. It is one of Stephen Sondheim’s saddest amazing works for the theater. Someday it may get it’s just rewards
The fact that the two leads Lee Remick and Harry Guardino had no rhythmic or music sense or abilities didn't help either. This is why Remick's big first act number "There Won't Be Trumpets" had to be cut.
Typically for Sondheim, it was ahead of its time. Had it opened in 1969, not 1964, it might have made it.
I belonged to a youth-run summer theater group, and we mounted a production of Anyone Can Whistle in 1979, to moderate local success. We wrote to Dame Angela Lansbury about it and received an incredibly ki d and gracious letter in response, wishing us well. We sent her a bottle of "miracle water."
Remember when it was called "The Natives Are Restless?"
I think I saw once that even Sondheim said that the musical was problematic. That the book didn't work. I think the score is so great, but the book was dreadful.
@@jkrapenc1034 I agree. Audiences are so used to the 2 act format. And by that time audienced were tired of "Those damned dream ballets". "The Chase" in Brigadoon didn't work, nor did "The Jousts" in Camelot. So, the Cookie ballet in ACW was a goner. Sondheim supplied a good song for every opportunity...then we got Harry Guardino and Lee Remick.
It's a shame that "Anyone Can Whistle" wasn't on Broadway longer.. it's actually quite a good show in every way!
I have to say Tuck was a beautiful show with a great score and a fine cast. It deserved more time to find its audience IMHO
I was surprised not to see Frank Wildhorn's _Bonnie & Clyde_ on the list. It had successful out-of-town tryouts in San Diego, California, and Sarasota, Florida, but the snobby New York critics (who have it in for Wildhorn) tore it to shreds and it closed after one month. The joke is on them, because the show has had quite the afterlife. Since prematurely closing a decade ago, _Bonnie & Clyde_ has become popular with high schools/colleges and community/regional theaters. Also, it has had successful productions in Japan, South Korea, Germany, Czechia, Poland, Sweden, and Australia. A Brazilian production is set for this year. Last year, a limited West End engagement proved so successful that London is bringing it back this spring. The question now is: Will a Broadway revival (ever) follow?
Or "Dance of the Vampires", which like Carrie could be resuscitated successfully if they just simply did the original "Tanz" in English.
Oh. I saw a local production of it and didn't think it was too bad. I saw a production of Company in the same space and can only remember once cast member of either production. My partner fell in love with Company at that production and does not remember Bonnie and Clyde at all. Maybe you should trust him more than me. LOL
The Little Prince and the Aviator at the Alvin Theater. Written by Hugh Wheeler (Sweeney Todd, Irene, A Little Night Music), Music by John Barry (James Bond films), Lyrics by Don Black (Song and Dance, Aspects of Love, Sunset Boulevard), starring Michael York.
Closed January 17, 1982 after 20 previews. Never opened. That's a bomb; and I was there.
Then there was the 1981 adaptation of "Frankenstein" with John Carradine, John Glover and David Dukes which opened and closed the same night and at the time was the costliest flop ever to grace a Broadway stage.
"Cape Man" should be on the list. We went with another couple. The music was written by Paul Simon and to this day I think he owes us $300 for the tickets. At intermission, I was going on about what was wrong with the lighting, the scenery, the acting, etc. The family behind us said, "You're right" and they left. We, unfortunately, didn't. Near the end of the play, Cape Man dies. I remember thinking, "Thank god. It will be over soon." (Not soon enough.) I don't know if it ever got out of previews.
It did get out of previews; it only lasted for 68 performanes before closing.
I recall a Village Voice cartoon mocking Simon for blaming the critics, depicting someone telling him: 'Don't blame the critics when audiences respond with "The Sound of Silence".'
Ooh, good one, @@ronmackinnon9374 !
OMG- I saw Capeman too in previews. The odd thing is that on paper it looked good and the casting had great singers- but agree that the acting was bad.
It starred Marc Anthony, YES that Marc Anthony. Him singing Paul Simon songs, we were very excited... and then very disappointed...
The Grass Harp, a musical adaptation of a Truman Capote novella, opened on January 17, 2003, and had its final performance 2 days later on January 19, 2003. It had a decent score by Claibe Richardson (music) and Kenward Elmslie (lyrics), a stellar cast including Barbara Cook and Carol Brice, and a somewhat improbable plot, the crux of which revolved around a cure-all elixer and a tree house where the protagonists hide from commercialism. They managed to cut a good original cast recording, worth listening to, before folding up shop. The show survives through occasional local productions. (I know--I was in one.)
All correct, except for the dates: The Grass Harp opened on Broadway on November 2, 1971, a Tuesday, and closed the next Saturday, after seven performances. But it's actually a pretty good show, with a wonderful score and a great cast, including Cook, Brice, and the phenomenal Karen Morrow. The cast album is definitely worth a listen, with some really catchy "earworms" among the tunes. Morrow, as a lady evangelist, sings an amazing 12-minute song cycle practically all by herself (with a little help from Cook, Brice, and Russ Thacker)--but when you've got Morrow's pipes, you don't need a chorus behind you!
@@keikekaze After it flopped in both 1952 and 1968
@@tomservo56954 I think there's some confusion here. The original non-musical play, by Truman Capote, is what flopped in 1952. I'm not aware of any production of The Grass Harp on Broadway in 1968--in any version.
@@keikekaze You're right...that was an off-Broadway production
"Flahooly" - starring Yma Sumac and Barbara Cook - It was Barbara's first show and she went on to be a Broadway legend - at one time the cast album lp sold for big money -
That was the first musical I thought would be on the list! Supposedly Ella Logan, from Finian's Rainbow was going to be in it, but wisely bowed out before Bdwy. A rare dud from Yip Harburg. "You dirty Red!" 😉
Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Merrily We Roll Along, Amour, The Grass Harp, Leap of Faith, Onward Victoria, Oh Brother, Nick & Nora, just to name a few honorable mentions
Except Merrily has had an extended afterlife with numerous productions all over the world. There is a documentary called The Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened that profiles Merrily. It’s pretty good
Merrily is great, but it did bomb on Broadway.
How could you leave out Rachel lily rosenbloom? Jabari wrote it for Midler, who declined, but got Ellen Greene. Some great talent on that stage and many of the dancers were in Michael bennett’s tapes that led to a chorus line. And Peter allens’s legs diamond?
In 1975, there was a Broadway show called We Interrupt This Program, which closed after just one week. It was promoted with the line Not Recommended For Those With Low Panic Threshold.
It was about a group of terrorists who take over a Broadway theater during a performance.
I am miffed, even angry, that we were forgotten.
I was in the chorus of one of the biggest flops in the history of Broadway which had 4 previews and never had an opening night - 1966's "Holly Golightly"/"Breakfast At Tiffany's" starring Mary Tyler Moore and Richard Chamberlain and in a small featured role Sally Kellerman.
I am prejudiced - it should have been #1 on your list.
You are hilarious! Ms. Mojo pisses me off too. You tell her!
'Moose Murders' playwright Arthur Bicknell later wrote a memoir about the experience, entitled, 'Moose Murdered: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love My Brodway Bomb.' : )
There was the 1981 play "Frankenstein" which opened and closed on January 4, 1981 after 29 previews and one performance.
Thanks. But how could you not mention "Breakfast at Tiffany's" with Mary Tyler Moore and Richard Chamberlain, which closed after 4 previews. Or "La Strada" with Bernadette Peters, which closed after 1 performance?
The closing notice for "Kelly" was actually posted at intermission on its opening night!
I have to give an honourable mention here to "Keep Off The Grass," which starred Jimmy Durante, Ray Bolger, Jane Froman, Virginia O'Brien, Emmett Kelly, Ilka Chase and Jackie Gleason, who said, "That show closed so fast, I nearly got caught in the door." He made that observation in his now-classic TV apology for the infamous game show bomb "You're In The Picture." In reality, the show ran for 44 performances.
I got to see a rather lavish Orlando production of the musical Ben Hur (yeah, it really happened). The idea was to use the vacation destination as a place to preview possibly shows for Broadway. They had it all. Solid performances, costumes, sets, truly gifted singers, and some pretty nifty special effects. And that includes the chariots! The horses were fake, but they had puppet legs that were controlled by hands unseen and never lost pace. It didn't actually look like the movement of horse legs, but you had to admire the dedication. At final curtain, I happily added to the applause of an entertained crowd, but walked away kind of...meh. I mean, it wasn't awful. Would I ever see it again? Nah. Never heard a word about it after that.
Shogun the Musical had only 18 previews and 72 performances. It had many obstacles to overcome, including scenery falling on the leading man in the second act. Some of the effects (earthquake, horseback battle) were lauded, but ultimately a weak score and heavy ballet choreography, along with a difficult-to-follow plotline, proved too great to overcome.
I remember seeing Christopher Plummer in a musical version of Cyrano (in the Boston tryouts in 1973) which I enjoyed, but it only had 49 Broadway performances. I also saw Devour the Snow (luckily, they didn't try to make this a musical about the trial after the Donner Party deaths) on Broadway - they were giving out free tickets but it still cost too much: opened 11/7/79 and closed 11/10/79 (plus a few previews).
The Christopher Plummer musical version of *Cyrano* was recorded in a double-LP album, and it's definitely worth a listen.
One of my favorite broadway facts is that Carolee Carmello has been an imortal twice on broadway, both times lasting exactly 39 preformances (Tuck and also Lestat based on the Anne Rice novels with music by Elton John). She was also in Scandalous (the Kathy Lee Gifford musical) which lasted 29 preformances. For someone so talented, Carolee has made a career out of short run shows.
And she often got Tony nominations for them, sometimes literally being the only nominee from some of those productions.
I saw Scandalous when it previewed in Seattle, Back then, it was called Saving Aimee. The only reason I saw it was because the theater was giving away free tickets, I guess they weren’t selling that well. I think investors were there that night, because it was packed with people who got the same free tickets. But I really can’t remember hardly anything about it, except for maybe a song or 2. It just didn’t make an impact. Kathy Lee was at every performance. I met her after the show and she was lovely.
Barbara Cook, a legend regardless, was known for going from flop to flop, her one big Broadway hit was She Loves Me. She was also in the original production of Candide, but it was a huge flop until it was extensively re-written and revived in the early 70s.
@@rodneykingston6420 and you can't forget music man. Her voice on that album is a staple! It's fascinating how many flops each many amazing performers have been a part of. It's so much more common than the hit. (And more fun lol)
Such a talent!
Fun list. A couple of items:
Carolee Carmelo IS a big name
Strangely, in NY, the Supreme Court is their common court and the Court of Appeals is their highest court.
Love never Dies, a Phantom Story never made it to Broadway because London Audiences disliked it. An Australian Theater person worked with Andrew Lloyd Webber to adjust the play to fix parts that didn't work. Now it is incredible. I saw it when it was travelling the country and I loved it! If it does make it to Broadway, I think it could do well.
@@toffeestrange7706 Thank you for sharing your opinion. I loved it. Isn't it wonderful that we can agree to disagree in such a polite, unthreatening manor!
The thing that made High Fidelity as a movie great was the John Cusack hand picked soundtrack, the musical probably would have done better if it had the movie soundtrack instead of weak sauce original songs...might as well have made Clerks into a musical lol omfg
Spiderman Hold Back The Dark should have been on this list too
Spiderman was a truly terrible show--but it played 182 previews while they tried (unsuccessfully) to fix it, and by the time it opened it was already so notorious that it played two and a half years anyway! So, although it lost a lot of money, it doesn't really qualify as an "instant" flop.
Unless, perhaps, they happen to be housed in the smaller Broadway venues like the Helen Hayes or the Circle In The Square, musicals with more modest cast sizes like "High Fidelity" or "Amour" can still having fruitful runs Off-Broadway or in regional playhouses. "Reefer Madness" and "The Last Five Years" have yet to make it to Broadway, and they're both really, really good!
Michael Park was in the Tuck Everlasting musical right before he did Dear Evan Hansen. I've been a fan of his since he was on the soap opera As The World Turns. His roots are in Broadway, but I loved him so much as Jack Snyder on ATWT! You can also see Michael Park guest star in famous shows, he was on season 3 of Stranger Things, and another Netflix show called You. He just recently guest starred on Law And Order.
He graduated from the same college as me: Nazareth College in Rochester, New York. Of course, he went there long before I did.
We won't even mention "Getting Away with Murder" a play written by Stephen Sondheim and George Furth, which ran for 17 performances on Broadway in 1996.
While Moose Murders definitely deserves the top spot on this list - Frankenstein from 1981 deserves placement here. Another "one night" only wonder, it was a very fascinating and costly bomb.
I truly wish all these plays and musicals were recorded for prosterity. I love watching bootlegged stage shows as there's a wonderful immediacy to them as there was for live television. To this day, I would love to watch the original cast of The Music Man, Hello, Dolly!, Man of La Mancha, etc. perform their shows. I'm very happy for the time PBS broadcast productions.
I wish the OBC of Carrie had got to do a cast album, it has some great music in it.
There is a recording of Carrie. If you go on Amazon music or UA-cam, you will find it. The song When There is No One by Marin Mazzie gives me the chills. It’s absolutely gorgeous
It's not the Original Broadway Cast, and I personally don't like some of the changes made to it. Plus it's not the same with Out For Blood the original Act 2 opening number missing, I love that song!
@@davidhumphrey1040 Yeah this one is 2012 I believe. Don’t know the song you refer to. Sounds great
I greatly appreciate the 2012 revival, but my favorite was the 1988, it's amazing, i defend it, and I'm grateful UA-cam has it all
My family had a copy of the Anyone Can Whistle soundtrack at one of our old houses. It was a giveaway item, I think, for test-driving a car.
One huge point you're missing - possibly you've never lived in NY. The big legendary flops - Carrie and Moose Murders exemplify this - sell HUGELY just before they close. When the word goes out that a show is going to be a legendary, history-making bomb - EVERYONE in the industry (we're not talking tourists, New Jersey, Long Island, Upper East Siders, but the people who work, care, and really crave the professionalism of Broadway) wants to see it before it disappears "forever." I remember 'Carrie' and particularly 'Moose Murders' - I was living there at the time: and you couldn't get in for the last performances - the shows completely sold out. Legs Diamond. Home Sweet Homer. Gorey Stories. Etc. Crowds flocking, but only to see really spectacular train wrecks.
Since Moose Murders only had one performance, it hardly seems likely that it was sold out. Otherwise it wouldn't have closed after only the one. And the audience didn't know that the first performance would be the last.
@@mattbosley3531 Thanks, I was about to make that same point.
@@mattbosley3531 There were 13 previews - no doubt that was when the word got around in the industry.
How about "Breakfast at Tiffany's," which didn't even make it to opening night?
I think the list only included those that made it out of previews to have at least one Broadway performance before closing (while they mentioned a musical version of 'Lolita' that never opened on Broadway, that was only in the context of talking about the stage adaptation that quickly opened and closed ten years later).
Or Prettybelle which closed out of town.
@@jasonhays8644 I'd never heard of it until you mentioned it, and I just looked it up. I'd file that under the category of "Who wants that?"
At intermission, a humongous patron in my aisle at Tuck Everlasting, fell on me in his rush to the men's room. He broke my wrist and I spent the usual 6 weeks in an unforgettable fashion arm cast. But I don't remember most of the show's cast.
Boulbil and Schoenberg created Martin Guerre in 1995 and it failed. They did a reboot a couple of years later. I did not see either, but I do own the soundtracks for both. The original is gorgeous. Songs like When Will Someone Hear, Working on the Land, Martin Guerre, and Bethlehem (stunning) are beautiful and are in the original. It was very hard to get when I bought it and now it’s on Amazon Music and Apple
I also like the original, though I found some of the lyrics clunkly, like in 'Tell me to Go.' Still, a great song and mostly great music. I just don't think it works as a musical.
Growing up in Philadelphia, I had the great opportunity to see a few flops trying out prior to moving (or not) to Broadway including Miss Moffat (with Bette Davis), Ari, the musical adaptation of The Exodus, Home Sweet Homer, and 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. It was also fun to see how much a show could change from Philadelphia to Broadway including Irene, Chicago, and Sugar to name just a few.
Home Sweet Homer was titled "Odyssey" in Philly.
There is a legendary London flop, which probably doesn't count because it was a revue rather than a musical, but the "Intimate Revue" of 1930 was a hilarious (but in the worst way) confection that had battling stage hands, half cocked set changes, incomprehensible songs, and so many scenes that it had to be abridged (it basically had to finish two thirds of the way through). It is a legendary, massive, glorious flop.
Paradise Square absolutely deserved a longer run. Its a shame it not only didnt do well but is dealing with all these legal issues.
Carrie was ahead of it's time and it only closed because the producer withdrew all his money from the accounts and they couldnt pay anyone. I think if it had held on for a bit longer, it could have become something. But then it wouldnt have become the cult favourite that it was. The 2015 London productionwas superb, with orchestrations more like the original and a fabulous cast. Thankfully there is a pro shot of it here on YT.
To be fair, Carrie would’ve run longer despite the negative reviews. It had the largest presale of a Broadway show at the time. But the producer stole the money and ran off to Germany. The actors, crew, and musicians ended up not even being paid.
Good research, good clips. You did your homework on this one.
Charles Strouse had another huge flop with Rags in 1986, also with esteemed colleagues. Book was Joseph Stein (Fiddler on the Roof), and lyrics were by Stephen Schwartz. Not only that, it marked the Broadway debut of famed opera star Teresa Stratas. Sort of a sequel to Fiddler, it tells the story of what happens to the Russian immigrants after getting to the US. But it also told too many other storys. It closed after 18 previews and 4 perfs. Personally, I think it's a terrific score.
Don't forget that on opening night when all the critics were there, leading lady Theresa Strada refused to go on making it the only show in history to open with an understudy in the leading role.
@@xak999 why wouldn't she go on?
Vesna VK: In Ken Mendlebaum's book, "Not Since Carrie" his compendium of flops, Theresa Strata was described as 'the contemptuous, cancellation-prone Opera Diva, Theresa Strata. We believe she wasn't confident enough in her performance. A Broadway musical is a long way from the Opera, where she made her home. She may have thought the material was too weak for her talent, ("Rags" had a few numbers that were excellent however). She might have just been scared out of her wits. But during it's 4 performance run, enough Tony Award voters caught the show to get Strata nominated for Best Actress in a Musical. She didn't win. There is a cast album and Charles Strouse wrote the notes himself, and they described his score and show incredibly well.
*Rags* was a remarkable show whose considerable virtues would likely be better appreciated in an opera house presentation.
@@xak999 thank you! What a story. I'll have to look for the cast album.
I did a production of Anyone Can Whistle. Underrated Sondheim that should have done better than it did.
My prediction is that it will be revived to great success in the future
I was at a performance of Bring Back Birdie when it was on Bway. The cast was excellent, the show very polished and well-rehearsed, and the charisma and dancing of the two leads carried the show (Donald O'Connor, even at his age, was spectacular!!) I think the difficulty was that ultimately there was not a lot of substance and heart to the book. It seemed like a flimsy Brady Bunch or Eight Is Enough reunion TV movie. Which is the issue with most sequels ...they have to be able to stand on their own merits without leaning too much into the original storyline. Otherwise, you are not drawn into the characters.
Carrie and Rebecca to name two.
Rebecca is getting a West End revival!
@Caitlyn Carvalho typical woke whiny baby behavior. Times were different back then. You can't change the past, no matter how many statues you remove/vandalize.
@@EpixAndroid it’s actually it’s west end premiere. The show has never been professionally performed in English.
Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark lasted 3 years.
Never heard of any of these being on Broadway. Very happy Angela Lansbury got her start in one of these though!
In chronological order (with # of performances):
'Anyone Can Whistle' - 1964 (9)
'Kelly' - 1965 (1)
'A Teaspoon Every Four Hours' - 1969 (1)
'A Broadway Musical' - 1978 (1)
'Bring Back Birdie' - 1981 (4)
'Lolita' - 1981 (12)
'Moose Murders' - 1983 (1)
'Carrie' - 1988 (5)
'High Fidelity' - 2006 (13)
'Tuck Everlasting' - 2016 (39)
Of these shows, the only ones which were NOT musicals were 'A Teaspoon Every Four Hours,' 'Lolita' (a musical version of which from 1971 -- as noted -- did not even make it to Broadway), and 'Moose Murders'.
A Teaspoon Every Four Hours and Moose Murders were also not musicals.
@@keikekaze Thanks for catching that. I've made the correction above.
I was expecting to see numerous shows in this list that weren't: In My Life, Glory Days and The Story of My Life, The Red Shoes, Shogun, you could makes a video on this topic last hours!
I saw Shogun. So bad it’s memorable.
@Mr. Hilary i wish i had. I was in NYC when it was on, but went to see something else. There is barely anything about it online and I'd love to see some of the staging.
@@DDTC73 , I only remember the staging for the musical number Karma, because we joked they had borrowed the Les Miserables choreography for One Day More. I regret not seeing Carrie.
I wish you had included something about Nick & Nora. That poor thing. Three months of previews (I think) and 9 performances only. Such a great cast though.
Who in their right mind would think Carrie would translate to a musical?
Good grief…
Repo! The Genetic Opera definitely deserved a spot on this list
Repo! was never on Broadway though
@@BroadwayMe Sorry! I've seen articles about Playbill talking about the show so I thought it was previewed
Tuck Everlasting truly deserved better, I love it sm
Hello-
a point should be made between shows that flopped hard because they were well bad shows and shows that were actually decent enough but flopped because they weren't adequately/properly advertised and or promoted.
Tuck was so good it needed to stay longer
Breakfast at Tiffany’s was such a flop it never even technically opened. It didn’t get past the preview stage. And it was gonna star Mary Tyler Moore and Richard Chamberlain.
Who could ever forget "Censored Scenes from King Kong"...? Op: 3/6/80, Cl: 3/9/80. Princess Theatre. Cast included Carrie Fisher.
I appreciate. That you go back
Many youtube lists
Think history started 2001
You forgot NICK AND NORA. It opened, then closed the same night.
It actually ran 9 performances. And 71 preview performances.
Another show which survives as a fantastically interesting Original Cast Album, and which I'd love to see revived. Book by Arthur Laurents, music by Charles Strouse, and lyrics by Richard Maltby, jr.
It's such a crying shame Carrie bombed so hard, and I'm certainly glad it got that 2012 rework and revival, it seems to have revived the show's reputation a little. I'd love to have seen the original, and I've heard that one production which was also sort of a special effects show brought back some of the old material. *That* would have been nice to see too.
Carrie the musical is such a cult classic among theater actors, though. I’ve seen several high school, college, and small theaters perform that play and it’s always such a good time. I recommend looking up theaters in your area to see if it’s being performed near you. Usually your best bet is in the fall around Halloween.
I saw Carrie a while ago at my local theatre, it was amazing!
One musical that should be on the list is
Good Time Charley staring Joel Grey( about 1977)
A musical about Charlemagne and Joan of Arch uniting France.
So bad, I worked on the costumes for that production. They gave everyone at the costume shop tickets to pad the house.
What's a little ironic is that "Anyone Can Whistle" financially bombed, but it's a great community musical because all it needs is three solid leads.
10: Tuck Everlasting
9: High Fidelity
8: Lolita
7: Anyone Can Whistle
6: Carrie
5: Bring Back Birdie
4: A Broadway Musical
3: Kelly
2: A Teaspoon Every Four Hours
1: Moose Murders
I saw Chess on Broadway in 1988. It was a huge success in the UK, but then they rewrote it to up the drama and emotion for the U.S. audience. It flopped. It ran 44 performances. At the time, it was one of the most expensive flops of all time. Its failure was overshadowed by the failure of Carrie, however, which had opened and closed about a month earlier.
I saw Chess on Broadway too. I actually really enjoyed it. I also saw Nick and Nora, Teddy&Alice, and Shogun.
What was 'Chess' about?
Two other shows I would add that I had the opportunity to see in previews are:
- "Dance a Little Closer" (1983), yet another flop from Charles Strouse with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner. based on Robert E. Sherwood's 1936 antiwar comedy "Idiot's Delight." It is is set on New Year's Eve "in the avoidable future" in the grand Alpine Barclay Palace Hotel, where the guests find themselves in the midst of a potential nuclear Armageddon.. Yeah... It closed on opening night, leading Broadway wags to nickname it "Close a Little Faster."
- "Merrily We Roll Along" (1981) from Stephen Sondheim, George Furth, and Harold Prince who had struck gold with "Company" a decade earlier. It is based on the 1934 play of the same name by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart and tells the story of how the lives and friendships of three friends, Frank, Charley, and Mary, change over 20 years, told in reverse chronological order and moving from cynicism to innocence. The score is gorgeous, but the production was plagued with problems, many detailed in Lonny Price's wonderful documentary "Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened," Unlike most flops, however, "Merrily We Roll Along" has had a vigorous afterlife with a current hit New York Theatre Workshop production starring Jonathan Groff as Frank, Lindsay Mendez as Mary, and Daniel Radcliffe as Charley set to move to Broadway in the fall, and a film adaptation directed by Richard Linklater to be filmed over 20 years, allowing the actors to age with their characters. Ben Platt, Blake Jenner, and Beanie Feldstein are attached to play Charley, Frank, and Mary, respectively.
*Merrily We Roll Along* has continued to merrily roll along since its original legendarily quick Broadway closing, but based on *Dance a Little Closer* 's Original Cast Recording, I find at least as much merit in that unappreciated work, and I'd love to see a full production of it.
@@oliverbrownlow5615 I agree. While it's been a really long time since I've seen - and heard it - I recall that the score to "Dance a Little Closer" is actually quite good. I think that the show had major book problems, especially in the second act. While that's not uncommon in Broadway musicals, it was enough to scuttle this show.
Blake Jenner has actually been replaced by Paul Mescal in the film adaptation of Merrily We Roll Along, due to him admitting to abusing his ex-wife Melissa Benoist during their marriage.
R.I.P. Angela Lansberry
Broadway Shows don’t get cancelled. They close.
What about Via Galactica? That was one of the most expensive flops of its time and starred the wonderful Raul Julia.
These lists never include the 1959 musical "The Nervous Set" which sadly only lasted 23 performances. Despite decent reviews, a truly wonderful score and a timely plot involving beatniks this sweet little musical which had a pre-"I Dream of Jeanie" and "Dallas" Larry Hagman in the cast died. The soundtrack album did moderately well in sales. I wonder why this show flopped?
"Ballad of the Sad Young Men" was actually recorded by quite a artists at the time including Roberta Flack and became something of a hit song.
@@gljm Also, the song "Let's Have Fun" from this show is a great jazz tune and was recorded by several acts & jazz artists in 1959-61.
#1 - Frankenstein. One performance on 4 January 1981 at a then-record cost of $2 million for the performance (mostly on overdone special effects). Closed on opening night, that is. Next time you do a video, please research all material. Thank you.
About "Carrie": If a musical is so bad, it inspired the title of a book about Broadway flops, then it should be a lot higher than 6. Fortunately, the writers and producers were smart enough to call an emergency meeting to say, "Okay, how can we fix this?" The result was the 2012 musical version, which featured new songs, and the Sue Snell character acting as tour guide for the story, among other things.
Frankenstein (1981) Cost two million dollars and closed the same night.
It’s fascinating to see that in the history of Broadway, “It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Superman!” was not in the top 10 worst shows of all time. Granted, I enjoy it, but it’s objectively not good. But 139 performances is still pretty ok by comparison!
it's amazing it went that long
@@thewkovacs316 some of the songs are catchy. The charm is to look at the show in the same way as we watch the Adam West Batman: campy and fun. Just the novelty of Superman flying on stage was something to see.
It's a hugely entertaining show if you ignore the abominable ABC television production from the 1970's and perform it with the sincerity and elegance it requires.
Whoa you left out a whole *bunch* of shows (although, when it comes to flops, it’s hard to beat _Moose Murders_ ). And before we get started (as you say) there’s a correction. The critic lambasting _A Broadway Musical_ was Stewart Klein. The call letters for the station were WNEW - it didn’t become WNYW until 1986. _The Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public_ was another unloved sequel which ran 16 performances. Someone else mentioned _Via Galactica_ - that definitely should have been on the list.
_Dude_ was Gerome Ragni’s follow up to _Hair_ . It racked up a total of 16 performances after disastrous rehearsals, disastrous previews and a disastrous opening. It was a disaster. It should definitely be on this list.
Paul Simon’s _Capeman_ was another disaster but it lasted two months (almost exactly) so I suppose that doesn’t count. The venerable Cy Coleman’s _Welcome to the Club_ was another stinker only lasting 12 performances.
For me the show that closed too soon was _Chess_ . It opened in April 1988 and closed in June just before I had saved enough to go see it. I actually saw the notice on the door of the Imperial Theatre when I went by at the end of June.
“Step five: we open on Broadway and before you can say ‘step six’ we close on Broadway”.
Don’t forget Legs Diamond.
@@patbulfin5459 yes
I also remember loving Starmites, and that musical didn't last too long either.
I remember that they did a big number from this at the Tony Awards that year and after it was over it was like 10 people applauded.
I remember the Donny Osmond did a Broadway show called Little Johnny Jones that was so badly panned by critics that it closed after the initial performance
One wonders if they wrote their reviews before entering the theatre.
That was likely a remake of a show from the 20s that originally starred George Cohan in his first Broadway role... clearly, someone thought that Osmond was the "new George Cohan."
@@matthewhill5006 The original Broadway production of *Little Johnny Jones* starring George M. Cohan, his wife Ethel Levey, and his Mom, Dad, and sister, who comprised the rest of the famous "Four Cohans" act, opened on Broadway in 1904 and played only 52 performances, but it then went on tour and became a huge hit on the road as Cohan implemented revisions. It returned to New York in 1905 and 1907, playing more than 200 additional performances, which still sounds like a flop by modern standards, but the economics of Broadway was different then. The 1982 production starring Donny Osmond was definitely a revival of the George M. Cohan musical.
Broadway traditionally has not been a venue for children's entertainment and that's been one of my gripes about the theatre as it's trended the last 25 years.That also may explain the lack of quality and creativity it's seen during that time
I also have a problem with turning Mickey Mouse ,goofy and the Flintstones into stage productions
Long gone are the great play writers of the 20th century
There are not stage productions of anything you listed
They should do a musical about a President with dementia that bumbles his country into nuclear annihilation. That could be a hit with the right music
A few Sondheim songs? It is one of his best scores! It was ahead of its time. With the political insanity that is going on today, it is more meaningful now than it was in the 1960s.
Bro definitely "Anyone Can Whistle " one of my favorite Sondheim plays.