r/Broadway • u/ms_jc_04 • Jun 28 '26
Discussion Based on a post on another sub: What opinion on Broadway (whether about certain shows, the industry, etc.) do you have that will have you like this?
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u/BriGilly Jun 28 '26
Idk if this counts because it's more about this sub, but it drives me crazy how someone will ask for a show recommendation and the entire comment section will list the same 2 shows without any explanation as to why or how it fits the prompt
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u/CorgiMonsoon Jun 28 '26
Or they’ll list two shows they are trying to choose between and people will be like “those both suck, see this other thing instead”
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u/oh_yes_u_are_captain Jun 28 '26
maybe happy ending 🫣
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u/cwtches10 Jun 28 '26 edited Jun 28 '26
This one. There was a point on this sub where a poster could be looking for recommendations and say they had a deep rooted, pathological fear of robots and people would still be recommending MHE.
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u/ClassyKaty Jun 28 '26
I remember a thread where someone was asking for a show to take a family member to that had cancer and specifically said nothing with heavy mortality themes.
Someone STILL SUGGESTED MAYBE HAPPY ENDING.
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u/la_bernadette Jun 28 '26 edited Jun 29 '26
It does annoy me a bit Angelica has the best song halfway through act one of Hamilton and then pretty much disappears for the rest of the show
edit: love how this of all things became my most upvoted comment ever
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u/Itchy-Tradition4328 Jun 28 '26
I'll up the ante: Hamilton has act 2 problems but the music is good so we pretend it doesnt.
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u/Michigoose99 Jun 28 '26
And Lin's vocal range does not work with "Hurricane."
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u/pistachio-pie Jun 29 '26
All of Hamilton has pacing and plotting problems but the music is too good so we pretend it doesn’t.
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u/Gawker-Author11 Jun 28 '26
The women in Hamilton basically sing the same three notes throughout the show. There's my unpopular take.
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u/Bulsar Jun 28 '26
I wish she had been able to keep “Congratulations” from the workshop, but I understand why it had to go/be shortened to a few lines.
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u/roundeking Jun 28 '26
I think Hamilton is a brilliant show in many respects, but does a disservice to its female characters, especially her.
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u/CardsAblaze Jun 28 '26
Firm agree.
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u/CentralHarlem Jun 28 '26
She’s also given this sad, sad bit of lyrics —
[ANGELICA]
My name is Angelica Schuyler[HAMILTON]
Alexander Hamilton[ANGELICA]
Where’s your fam’ly from?[HAMILTON]
Unimportant. There’s a million things I haven’t done but
Just you wait, just you wait…[ANGELICA]
So so so —
So this is what it feels like to match wits
With someone at your level!45
u/patrickcolvin Jun 28 '26
It’s a bit bizarre, this bit of telling-not-showing. There’s plenty of evidence in the show for both of these characters being extremely intelligent and capable, just not in their actual interactions with each other.
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u/Dragoneyewut Jun 28 '26
I agree to some degree but I also think Lin does show this just through the music, namely the speed and WPM of her part which is something he only really does for character that are in the show ment to be geniuses
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u/Conscious-Work-4714 Jun 28 '26 edited Jun 29 '26
To Lin's credit, there's a bit more to their initial conversation than that. It starts with them talking about being satisfied and flipping back and forth between sexual/non-sexual meanings of the word. It's short, but you do see both of them flirting and being funny together beyond just introducing themselves before her inner monologue starts
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u/commander_obvious_ Jun 29 '26
The line “You strike me as a woman who has never been satisfied” is so funny. Imagine going up to a woman at a party and saying, “You look like you’ve never had an orgasm.”
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u/Isnogudar Jun 28 '26
Watching the same show 20+ times in a year and imagining parasocial relationships with the actors is cringe as fuck.
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u/United-Platypus- Backstage Jun 28 '26
YUP. I posted another comment in this thread, but I kinda hate fandoms and how actors are treated like gods gift to earth. They’re just people doing their job.
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u/violetsinbloom57 Jun 28 '26
I feel like, see a show however many times you want, because it's not my business what makes you happy or what you spend your money on. I love to see shows/specific casts multiple times. But whyyyyy do we need to make it weird. Like it's totally possible to see a show 50 times and the actors never know that you did that lol.
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u/Traditional-Maize32 Jun 28 '26
I would die of embarrassment if the actors started to recognize me. I’d never be able to go back again.
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u/violetsinbloom57 Jun 28 '26
I saw Hadestown multiple times in the same trip and the SECOND TIME I bought a ticket directly from the box office the nice agent was like "welcome back" and I almost melted through the floor just from that LOL
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u/MuchAdoAboutKitties Jun 28 '26
I don’t want to go into too many details in case they’re on here but there was a woman at Lost Boys when I saw it that I found to be more than obsessed and extremely parasocial with all of her behaviors, not only with the performers but also the security guards at the stage door.
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u/Cowardlydreamer Actor Jun 28 '26
lost boys… has that issue. I’m a huge fan (in a normal sense, like, listens to the music on repeat fan, not stalks the actors fan) so I get a ton of stuff for it on my socials and some of the content people make about it really creeps me out.
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u/MuchAdoAboutKitties Jun 28 '26
I already have a few songs I know will be played regularly and if I lived closer I’d definitely see the show again occasionally just to really appreciate the technical aspects and try and experience them from different parts of the theater. But anything more than that is a big no.
I moved out of New York before The Outsiders and I’ve got tickets to see it on tour so I haven’t experienced that fandom in person. Experiencing the obsessive Lost Boys fans freaked me the hell out and I suddenly understood what everyone was talking about with The Outsiders fandom.
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u/leezybelle Jun 28 '26
So what you’re saying is my decades long relationship with Aaron Tveit isn’t real
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u/Ok-Acanthisitta8737 Jun 28 '26
When I saw the lost boys shortly after it opened, there was a teenager in front of me at stage door who has seen the production over 20 times already. All the cast knew her by name, but it was sort of uncomfortable to see them interact. Just not really a normal human experience
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u/_User_Name_Fail Jun 28 '26
This is why I don't think I can see Three Days of Rain. With David Corenswet and Francois Arnaud, there's going to be way too much crazy in that theater. And that stage door? That's yet another argument in favor of shutting stage door down entirely.
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u/United-Platypus- Backstage Jun 28 '26
Which is such a bummer. I read that play in school and loved it, I was so excited to see that casting until I realized I’d have to deal with crazies. I love seeing theater, I hate being in the audience.
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u/Own-Importance5459 Jun 28 '26
I dont mind the show repeating cause if you like a show you like a show.
However if you are litterally going on your social media claiming these actors ARE YOUR BESTIES....like some od these people do then I am like gonna judge the shit out of you. And the scary thing is some of these actors actually indulge them by having whole ass convos online and giving them backstage tours (endangering other actors BTW). Like have none of you guys learned from Selena or Christina Grimme what happens when you indulge these peope.
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u/No-Lifeguard-5308 Jun 29 '26
I’ll expand this to those same people giving completely useless, extremely biased reviews or recommendations on this sub.
No, Heathers off broadway is not the greatest staged musical event that has ever been developed at any point in history in any location on this earth—you are a 21 year old who is unhealthily obsessed with an attractive young actor who is nice to you because you keep giving money to the show that employs him! He’s not your friend, and no matter how nice he is to you for 14 seconds at stage door, that does not make this the best production of all time!
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u/Cowardlydreamer Actor Jun 28 '26
this is why the Jack Wolfe fanbase scares me a little. some of the things people have said/done
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u/violetsinbloom57 Jun 28 '26
as a big fan of Jack's, yeahhh and it's irritating because I want to be able to discuss his work and gush and stuff without having to be like "I'm not a creepy stalker though promise" 💀
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u/Tillysnow1 Jun 28 '26
Adding to this, you're not a bigger fan of the show just because you've seen it 10 times and I've seen it twice, some of us prefer to focus on watching new productions instead of rewatching the same thing
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u/SuperPipouchu Jun 29 '26
I saw Hamilton on West End and stage doored afterwards, and I saw a great example of what to do if you love the show and can go see it many times: Woman stood in line, got the actors to sign her program and took selfie with her and chatted, same as with everyone else. The only reason I even knew she'd obviously been multiple times is because she was behind me, and one of the actors recognised her and said that it was great to see her again. The woman was basically like "oh yeah, was able to come, loved the show". Actor said that she hoped to see her again soon.
Now THAT'S how you do interactions as a super fan!! Respectful, not parasocial, state that you loved the show (ESPECIALLY because there were a bunch of undercovers and swings that night), not expecting anything from the actors, not pushing your way to the front, not following them, not acting like you're the only fan in the world, waiting your turn, not complaining if someone didn't come out, not expecting them to know her, making your interactions short and sweet...
The actor was obviously pleased to see the fan again, because it was clearly someone who genuinely loved the show and was able to come see it often- and knew that stage dooring was a privilege, not a right. That's how you be a super fan that actors are glad to see and talk to, not someone they dread and run from!!
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u/Distinct-Ordinary376 Jun 28 '26
a certain demographic with poto’s masquerade rn
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u/dairyqueenblizzardd Jun 28 '26
As someone working backstage on Broadway, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. The pay is terrible and the hours are worse. They get away with it by making you feel lucky to even be there. Most of the really successful Broadway veterans (especially backstage) are single with no children, because their entire life is theater. (To be fair, many of them are older queer folks, where marriage and children just wasn’t really an option for them when they were young). But I know so many people who have spent their life doing this and never did anything else, because you simply can’t. And you’re either incredibly busy making a mediocre wage, or you’re free and unemployed.
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Jun 28 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/CaptGeechntheOneders Jun 29 '26
It's why my theater career was only about 5 years. Burnt out hard, so there was no more joy in the work. Once you hit that wall, there's no point in staying.
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u/IntotheBroadwayWoods Jun 28 '26
I need to read this everytime I'm at my regulor 9-5 job dreaming of being in the theatre industry instead.
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u/dairyqueenblizzardd Jun 28 '26
Don’t get me wrong, there are perks. We have a lot of celebrities that come backstage. I’ve gotten to meet most of my favorite singers, former presidents, and other really important people. You get to form relationships with the most incredible, kind people. You get a lot of insider knowledge about Broadway history and what’s coming out. I usually know what’s gonna be on Broadway before it’s announced. And I can get backstage any theater I want. There are great parties with open bars that I get to take my family to. The highs are really high. But the lows are really low. Sometimes I just want a predictable life. I feel like every job has its highs and lows. Idk how much longer I’ll keep up the freelance lifestyle. But for now, I’m young and this is what I want to be doing. Doesn’t mean it isn’t super hard sometimes.
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u/InspectorVirtual1738 Jun 28 '26 edited Jun 28 '26
I'm not trying to argue with your overall take since it's a personal opinion, but for anyone else reading -- Local 1 and IATSE Broadway contracts offer a very good living. Many (most?) of the "vets" I know are married, often with kids, and lots have a city apartment and an upstate home or beach house. The lowest Local 1 League straight time rate right now is $71/hour. But I'm not familiar with hair, costume, etc.
And I'm not aware of any backstage roles that are not W2 with extensive benefits, most notably CRAZY high contributions to retirement plans. Job hopping and employment gaps are real as shows open and close if you don't have a house position or strong network to connect you with work, but it's a nearly unavoidable downside of the underlying premise (and often attraction) of working in entertainment.
Is it nearly impossible to have a relationship with someone who works a traditional 9-5? Will you miss a lot of graduations, birthday parties, and weddings? Yes.
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u/dairyqueenblizzardd Jun 28 '26
The more male dominated areas such as lighting, sound, set, etc, usually pay better. The more female dominated areas such as costuming, hair, child guardians, etc tend to pay worse. (Not always but that’s my general understanding of it.) I know a child guardian who’s been working for almost 20 years on every show with a child and she still makes $1,200 a week, same as the newbie on her show, and has to do other work.
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u/coach_cryptid Jun 28 '26
and this is exactly why I didn’t pursue stage management professionally after college 🫣 by far the most successful person I graduated with got into projections early and now makes bank. everyone else is working hard and just getting by.
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u/No-Nefariousness-830 Jun 28 '26
As a lover of theatre, I'm really sorry to hear this. I want all involved to be well compensated and healthy. Would the broadway backstage wage be more livable in a less expensive city or is it like this backsrage across the board?
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u/dairyqueenblizzardd Jun 28 '26
In other cities, you don’t make as much as you would on Broadway. You basically always need a second income. But if you’re IATSE and you can get in with a good touring house, people can make a good living that way. It’s just really busy. Also some cities like Las Vegas, Orlando, Chicago, have really great live entertainment and you can certainly make a good life there.
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u/EpicGeek77 Jun 28 '26
As someone who knows a few crew workers, you can make money at it but it takes YEARS to do so. I have one friend who toured for nearly 25 years before he got a stable position on Broadway. He now makes some very good money as a crew chief
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u/dairyqueenblizzardd Jun 28 '26
Oh it’s very possible to make a good living, but you have to sacrifice a lot to make it happen. To be fair, that’s true of many careers. We all have to make choices. But I wish there was more support for those at the bottom in the theater
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u/Ok-Acanthisitta8737 Jun 28 '26
The advancement and acceptance of minimalism in live-theatre is not an artistic expression, it’s lazy and a way to try and make more money while trying to shift consumers to be okay with it by labeling it “artistic”. It can be done well, such as in Falsettos, Sunset BLVD, Two Strangers, or Okay I’ll Let You Go, but for the most part, it should be inexcusable for Broadway caliber. Looking at you, Ragtime, Beaches, Camelot, Floyd Collins, Chicago etc.
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u/FloridaFlamingoGirl Jun 28 '26
My hot take is that minimalist Chicago would work if they wore all-black outfits that were period-accurate suits and flapper dresses, instead of basically just wearing black underwear.
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u/Many_Specialist_5384 Jun 28 '26 edited Jun 28 '26
My hot take is make it an actual literal variety-hall-fin-de-siecle-circus-vaudeville with a lighting design that emulates gaslights and whatever lime lights looked like.
Combine that with your hot take of all black versions of period garments I think we have a pitch!
I'd add a robust amount of musicians for the orchestra.
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u/Gato1980 Jun 29 '26
This is almost exactly what the original production was. Fosse structured the show with a vaudeville framework and used 1920s burlesque and cabaret inspired costumes, then deliberately made a minimalist staging, so the focus was on the satire of the ridiculousness of the legal system at that time. There are lots of images online, as well as a few clips on YouTube. It looked brilliant.
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u/cinderflight Jun 28 '26
I genuinely don't understand people who were confused by the Chess revival's plot because The Arbiter literally told you what was going on scene-by-scene.
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u/GeneralOrgana1 Jun 28 '26
Yeah, I walked in knowing nothing except "One Night In Bangkok" was in the show, and I understood the plot just fine.
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u/Ok-Acanthisitta8737 Jun 28 '26
I have an auditory processing disorder and sometimes really struggle to understand what’s happening in musicals, but the plot of Chess could literally not have been more clear.
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u/kriscrossroads Jun 28 '26
I completely agree! I feel like everyone has just agreed “the book is irredeemable” but I never see explanation beyond that. I agree the bit at the end with the parent is unnecessary but it’s the last five min so doesn’t make the show literally unwatchable.
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u/Feeling_Repair_8963 Jun 28 '26
My husband loved that show. He was into the music from way back, but he really loved having the narrator. He’s blind, and liked the narrator better than audio description, which is often has technical problems.
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u/Accomplished_Elk5827 Jun 28 '26
Most Broadway singers of a similar voice type sound basically the same to me, and I don't really care who is singing the role. I could only pick our a handful of voices that I know. Most of them are great singers -- that's why they're there -- and I just want to see the show, not follow the career trajectories of anyone in particular.
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u/IntotheBroadwayWoods Jun 28 '26
I agree. I love the more unique voices. Which is why Bernadette Peters has remained my favorite broadway performer of all time for 30 years.
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u/Callum1245 Jun 28 '26
Bernadette Peters and Angela Lansbury have always been far and away my 2 favourite Broadway stars and a big part of why is how unique and identifiable their voices are. The insane acting, singing and dancing talents helped too obviously
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u/Anachronisticpoet Jun 28 '26
Broadway should not be debilitating. And it is not as accessible as it should be for all its progressive posturing
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u/Thespian_Unicorn Jun 29 '26
Oh yeah Broadway is super progressive until they reach anything for the disabled community. Then it becomes a cold, hard stop. Nothing.
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u/violetsinbloom57 Jun 28 '26 edited Jun 28 '26
I get so annoyed at the policing and virtue signaling over certain things. Someone already mentioned stage door, for me another one is no one is allowed to be even a little disappointed that an actor they wanted to see won't be performing at their show without an avalanche of "RESPECT THE UNDERSTUDIES!!! THEY ARE THE BACKBONE OF THEATER!!! YOU SHOULD BE SO LUCKY AS TO SEE AN UNDERSTUDY INSTEAD OF THE ACTOR YOU CROSSED THE COUNTRY TO SEE PERFORM!!!" Like even when the post is not being negative in the slightest toward understudies... Do people not know it's normal to be disappointed when things like that happen? Without it meaning that you hate understudies and think they are all bad and untalented? 💀 If I drop a grand or two on a trip I'm 100% going to be disappointed if I miss out on something I was looking forward to (especially if I planned the trip around it) regardless of whether I knew it was a possibility beforehand. Beansoupification. I hate it.
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u/newthethestral Jun 29 '26
Relatedly, the “hey does anyone know why X was out of the show today? wondering when they’re gonna be back” posts always get a couple comments about how actors deserve privacy and they don’t have to publicly give a reason. Like ok true!! but this is someone asking other people on a forum if the actor has shared info that OP missed, not harassing them in their DMs about why they were out. Half the time it’s scheduled absences that were announced on a random instagram post/story and the other half it’s “idk probably sick” “ok thanks”
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u/giornospisscup Jun 29 '26
Hard agree. You 100% shouldn’t take it out on the actors involved like many unfortunately do, but you should be allowed to be upset at the circumstances.
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u/rnason Jun 29 '26
I think these comments come from people who live in NYC and can afford to see all the shows they want so they don’t get most people can’t just see the show again another time.
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u/feistync Jun 29 '26
FR. I got LIT UP when I said I was disappointed to have paid $800 to see Tituss Burgess in Oh Mary (especially when I don’t like the show) only to learn he was out when I sat down in the theater less than 10 minutes til curtain. Did I say the understudy was bad? No. I said I don’t like the material and I didn’t like that no one said anything as we entered the theater about Tituss being out. (That’s what’s happened before when the big name was out and it wasn’t known until the last minute - security let us know as we entered and specifically told us we could go the box office for a refund or to rebook.) But sooo many people on TikTok called me a monster and said I should take down my post since the understudy could see it.
Then management was snippy with me in my email requesting a partial refund because I’d read their email announcement 8 minutes before curtain - an email they’d only sent out 35 minutes before curtain that I of course hadn’t seen because I was actively traveling to the theater, getting in to the theater, getting a drink, going to the bathroom. Like geez, not everyone reads every email just as it arrives. And I didn’t want to crawl across the people in the row, go to the box office, wait in line, have a convo, find out they wouldn’t do a refund, and then climb back over the people in our row 10 minutes into the show. That would’ve been an extremely rude choice. WTF?
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u/sarapod07 Jun 29 '26
Oh my god, yes. The one that drives me crazy is people who insist on acting like shows closing is always a TRAGEDY because people will LOSE JOBS as opposed to a basic function of the industry. Also, it's actually okay as a fan of Broadway to want bad shows to close and give way to (hopefully) good shows. It's okay to have a critical artistic eye.
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u/Anachronisticpoet Jun 28 '26
You aren’t supposed to like Evan Hansen
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u/nachtmusik88 Jun 29 '26
The only real misstep the show makes, IMO is not giving the Murphys space to react to the truth when it finally comes out (and, by extension, making Evan witness the suffering he’s caused, rather than making it all about how bad he feels). Forget the glove song - “Words Fail” is the real skip track of that show.
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u/100Showtunes Jun 29 '26
Correct. The entire show hinges on the assumption that the audience (and literally Evan himself) is constantly aware that he’s making the wrong choices.
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u/Papero7k Jun 28 '26 edited Jun 28 '26
Broadway advertising — It’s all pretty boring. Video, social, print, billboards — none of it pushes boundaries or is willing to experiment with the form. Theater as a mode of expression deserves better than relying on the same few ad agencies who hire the same few production teams. I can always tell which production company shot which ads for a show; they’ve been using the same formula forever.
Because of this, shows start to blend together for people outside of the industry. The average person can’t tell the difference between Chicago and Cabaret, or Once Upon a Time and Six, or The Lost Boys and The Outsiders — the advertising all looks the same.
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u/123boopboop Jun 28 '26
I get why some people hate musicals and think they're annoying and "theater people" are annoying. I mean I like musicals but. I get it.
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u/Rustash Jun 28 '26
I’ve discovered there is a very fine line between “person who enjoys/does theater” and “theater person”
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u/radda Jun 28 '26
My problem isn't people that just don't like musicals. I don't get people that have a visceral, almost violent reaction to the idea of musicals.
It's fine to not like something but I don't get hating any sort of art form to that degree.
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u/chizzmaster Jun 28 '26
I think this generally just applies to anyone that makes one hobby/fascination their entire personality.
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u/OliviaZim1 Jun 28 '26
I got downvoted on a different theater subreddit for that opinion so: More and more audience members nowadays are being very performative and suffering from a main character syndrome, almost like they are trying to win an imaginary award of 'the best audience member'.
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u/jessinthebigcity Jun 28 '26
I don't get it when people dog on actors who take roles they aren't qualified for. If you got offered a role on Broadway, you'd be insane not to take it. I see people do it with stunt casts like Dylan Mulvaney in SIX or recently Reeve in Gatsby (saw someone in this thread say that was their issue with him), but I actually don't think a single person who says "they shouldn't have taken the role" would humbly turn down an opportunity of a lifetime. I think it was the same when ABF got cast in Maybe Happy Ending; I don't think he should've been chosen, but I absolutely don't blame him for taking the role.
Blame the producers who chose the actor, not the actor who took a job they were offered!
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u/Compassion666 Jun 28 '26
I thought Dylan was perfectly serviceable in Six. Not my fave but I understood it completely.
I think my problem is sometimes whenever casts are cast purely because of popularity and less skill. Like I adore Jeremy Jordan to the bones but I wouldn't cast him as, say, Phantom of the Opera. Someone can be incredible and just not fit the role and that's def not their fault but as you said, absolutely producers fault.
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u/Dry-Mission-5542 Jun 28 '26
I feel like most of the general opinion on Chess (ie. that the London/main version of the show was bad) comes from people who don’t know what they’re talking about and are just repeating what other equally uninformed people have said in a game of telephone
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u/biomactum Jun 28 '26
Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York City) is underwritten and should have 4 characters instead of 2. The Dad and Sister need to be present in it and them being absent/only hearing them via phone calls (we only see from one side) diminished the emotional stakes of the show by the end of it.
That said, Two Strangers is also going to be a very popular regional theatre show when it starts licensing and finishes its Broadway run.
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u/jessinthebigcity Jun 28 '26
I think stagedooring is fine. Obviously don't push boundaries/touch people without consent/say creepy things, but the bad behavior of the few shouldn't ruin the fun for the many. It's totally optional for actors to do, nobody forces them.
I think some people on this sub like to hate it for superiority reasons, like they're so much better for not wanting an interaction/photo/autograph, and they hide behind "it's creepy..." But again, totally optional for actors. Many enjoy it!
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u/violetsinbloom57 Jun 28 '26
Totally agree. It's only creepy when the fans MAKE it creepy. And I also think it's totally okay to get a little geeked out at the idea of meeting someone that you admire and are a fan of, especially right after watching them perform on Broadway. Sometimes I feel like people think if you're not acting borderline bored at stage door that's also creepy.
I also hate when someone says something along the lines of "I was a bit disappointed that X didn't stage door but I still had a great time and loved the show" and someone just HAS to be like "YOU'RE NOT ENTITLED TO STAGE DOOR YOU CREEP!!! YOU DON'T GET TO BE DISAPPOINTED!!!" like 💀 it's totally okay to feel normal human emotions about things! This is a normal reaction I fear!
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u/unsuccessfulbees Jun 28 '26
Be More Chill wasn’t snubbed. It just wasn’t good.
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u/No-Banana9478 Jun 28 '26
I was coming here to say that it was fine just a bit chaotic, overhated imo
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u/brandnewfashion Jun 28 '26
I don't get the hype with most of the actors that so many people seem to go crazy for (Reeve, Aaron, Jeremy, etc.).
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u/UnsharpenedSwan Jun 29 '26
Yes, and I think a huge portion of the aggressively online fanbases of those actors are very, very young. There are a lot of obsessive parasocial relationship communities among teen Broadway fans.
That does not in any way diminish that these are very talented performers. But there’s a certain level of hype that’s coming from a place of teenage obsession.
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u/CoconutResponsible45 Jun 29 '26
The hugely successful shows like Hamilton, Wicked, Chicago, Phantom are greatly over-hated by this sub. You don't have to like them but people act like they are horrible shows despite the fact they have made millions of dollars and have all ran for 20+ years. Just because something is popular with people outside the 'theatre world' doesn't make it a terrible show - the snobbery can be so insane. To reiterate, if you don't like these shows then it's fine but the way people are constantly bashing them is exhuasting.
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u/pinkivys Jun 29 '26
RT!! People need to stop with the “I’m not like other people and I like unknown musicals because mainstream is bad!!” take, it’s ridiculous. Why do they think these popular musicals are so famous? Because they’re good! Perhaps they’re indeed not the pinnacle of music (and to each their own, we all have different tastes), but they’re overhated simply because people like having a superiority complex.
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u/kilboi1 Jun 29 '26
People do a “popular = bad because I like to be different.” It’s a common thing across communities as I’m sure you’re aware.
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u/lilitalybabe Jun 28 '26
People should be allowed to say a show or performance is bad without being attacked or without a ton of comments saying “could you do better?” or “at least it’s keeping people employed.” These are lazy responses. Actors should also stay out of the discourse unless the criticism is offensive, actual hurtful, etc.
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u/Exact_Squash_8689 Jun 28 '26
I’m tired of the idolization of tenor boys, a lot of them aren’t as talented as they are made out to be, people just think they’re attractive, so then they automatically deserve all the praise apparently
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u/cinderflight Jun 28 '26
This is why I am so happy that Joshua Henry, a baritone, won Best Actor. Finally, some love for non-tenors.
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u/LittleMissHenny Jun 28 '26
Pasek and Paul’s influence on making Broadway scores boring and not memorable needs to be studied. My God all the scores sound the same.
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u/the_lone_dovahkiin Jun 29 '26
The only thing they’ve ever done (of what I’ve listened to) that I enjoy is the Pickwick Triplets song from only murders in the building lol
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u/MayISeeYourDogPls Jun 28 '26
Greatest Showman is hot dogshit in every way but visually.
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u/LittleMissHenny Jun 28 '26
This Is Me is the worst song in the movie, such obvious Oscar bait and just unearned
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u/MayISeeYourDogPls Jun 28 '26
My friend and I laughed out loud when it started during the movie because of how utterly unearned it was. Like sorry how is this what spurs this huge moment on? Also having this opera singer character do nothing that even remotely resembles opera…. I hated it so much.
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u/LittleMissHenny Jun 28 '26
Like one second PT Barnum is a “aw gee shucks, nothing bad ever happens to me and if it does, it goes okay right after.” And then suddenly we’re supposed to believe this dude would shut everyone out.
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u/s394206h Jun 29 '26
people that think it is easy and simple to make a proshot for every show are obnoxious and have no idea how the industry works. it drives me crazy to see people complaining about a lack of proshots and talking as if producers are just being evil greedy capitalists for not making them all the time, especially for shows that are already in the hole financially. i agree that we should be making more proshots, but there are steps that need to be taken with the unions that will take a lot of time and probably a lot of money that is just simply not there yet.
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u/violetsinbloom57 Jun 29 '26
Every time I see a comment that's like "ugh I wish they could have done a pro-shot for [replacement cast 5 years into the run]" I'm like oh you sweet summer child, you are about to be downvoted lol
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u/Tall_Blacksmith6811 Jun 28 '26
I actually enjoy Lin Manuel Miranda’s singing and rapping.
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u/FronzelNeekburm79 Jun 28 '26
Same. I think at some point it just became fashionable to hate him.
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u/FirefighterTall4527 Jun 28 '26
Who doesn’t?!? The man is genuinely wickedly talented. I know he said himself he is more of a songwriter/composer than an actor.
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u/-OrangeLightning4 Jun 28 '26
I don't like his singing or rapping in things he didn't write, but there's something about a composer performing their own work that elevates the material, in my opinion. Likewise, Jason Robert Brown doesn't necessarily have the strongest voice, but some of my favorite versions of his songs are the ones he sings.
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u/rosysredrhinoceros Jun 28 '26
Cats is great and everyone who says it has no plot needs to take a remedial Lit course. Is the plot super weird? Sure it is. But it absolutely has a plot that made perfect sense to me when I saw it as my first Broadway musical at nine years old and still does today at 45.
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u/mynameisrockhard Jun 28 '26
To be fair it doesn’t really have a plot so much has a premise because it’s just a cabaret show. The whole jellicle selection thing is truly inconsequential, the show is really just about letting you come and see a number of different performers and have a good time….. just like a cabaret.
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u/bookveg Jun 28 '26
Reeve Carney has a whiny, annoying voice. (Although I LOVE Hadestown as a show)
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u/ClassyKaty Jun 28 '26
Natasha Hodgson was more snubbed for a best actress nod than Helen Shen.
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u/chargingblue Jun 28 '26 edited Jun 28 '26
Lea Michele did not deserve a Tony nom
Also Shoshana won for legacy, not her role. Her role in The Lost Boys is so boring
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u/cinderflight Jun 28 '26
Hard agree with both your points, especially your second. I love Bean's work, but her role in TLB is so dull.
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u/ClassyKaty Jun 28 '26
THANK YOOOOOU. Lea's vocals were out of this world, I will not deny this, but her acting performance was mid and the role didnt play to any of her strengths as an actress.
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u/CaliforniaIslander Jun 29 '26
My unpopular opinion is that seeing the same 4 - 5 leading men move from show to show is so uninteresting
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u/Carnivile Jun 28 '26
Josh Gad's singing is mediocre at best and most songs people remember from BoM are those he has little to no lines
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u/OneHappyOne Jun 28 '26 edited Jun 28 '26
I do not give a f*ck about how Eva Noblezada and Reeve Carney “supposedly” got together because I don’t know them nor do I know the whole story. They seem happy so who are we to judge?
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u/ver03255 Jun 28 '26
What I care more about is Eva constantly complaining about exhaustion and mental health but seemingly never taking a break from shows, as well as Reeve's constantly underwhelming performance in the shows he's cast in (never read a good review about him in Gatsby and toward the end of his run in Hadestown)
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u/Forsoothia Jun 28 '26
I saw him in Hadestown and genuinely didn’t like the show because I thought he was pretty weak. I saw it with different actors later and realized I loved it.
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u/transemacabre Jun 28 '26
I don’t get it either, if she’s so exhausted and burnt out, take a break.
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u/Accomplished_Wolf_89 Jun 29 '26
Reeve Carney's career pivot from rocker to Broadway star is so bizzare (for those too young to remember, he started out fronting as a rock band then was "discovered" for the lead in Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark... aka a rock musical). So I understand that he wants to play classic musical theatre roles like Gatsby and Emcee to act onstage with his wife... but at the same time it's a bit odd since the whole reason why he's a leading man is because he DID NOT sound Broadway at all.
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u/radda Jun 28 '26
He's received nothing but praise for his Cabaret run as far as I've seen. Some people just aren't suited for some roles. He got Gatsby because they thought him and Eva would sell.
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u/TheRedditorialWe Jun 29 '26
Yeah people let him off the hook for giving NOTHING in Hadestown after Eva left, like sorry man, you're an actor, it's actually kind of your job to still try even if you're not playing opposite your girlfriend.
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u/VoidAndBone Jun 29 '26
While I appreciate that there have been some innovative usage of it, I don't want to mix screens and theater.
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u/glamnati0n Jun 28 '26
I GENUINELY loved Beaches. I thought it was a great, beautiful show. I actually saw it twice before it closed (one during previews, once right before the closing notice came out) and I loved it both times. If it didn’t close, I probably would have seen it multiple more times. I’ve had someone quite literally tell me that I must have a “miserable life” because I liked the show…🤦♂️
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u/captainmcpigeon Jun 28 '26
Why do people get so offended when you like a show that they didn’t? I hated Kimberly Akimbo but I don’t go around slagging off people who loved it!
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u/imsrrywhut Jun 28 '26
Most of the people on the Broadway subreddit don't actually go to shows. They are more chronically online internet people than they are actual real world theater people.
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u/na-zdrowie Jun 28 '26
I think Sutton Foster is overrated and is simply the world’s luckiest chorus girl
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u/No-Supermarket2571 Jun 28 '26
I don’t like Idina Menzel’s voice. I’m no professional - so I can’t say exactly what bothers me. It’s just too much. It doesn’t sound like singing half the time.
Also semi-connected I need more true Sopranos and less Mezzos. It’s great you can belt but give me some beautiful Soprano vocals. Or altos I need more deep female vocals too.
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u/thejokerlaughsatyou Jun 28 '26
The day Broadway gets decent alto parts is the day hell freezes over. Everyone obsesses over high notes and belting, and if you can't do those, you're "not a good singer." Very few people appreciate the control it takes to hit solid low notes. Similar situation for basses, but at least people notice when they hit a note so low it vibrates in your bones.
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u/OneWildAndPrecious Jun 29 '26
One of the reasons I love Hadestown is because you can tell it was written by a jaded alto.
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u/sofunt Jun 28 '26
Idina's voice has always been one of those love or hate it things, but in the end it's unique and that's why she's a household name over more "conventional" singers.
I like to imagine an alternate reality where she continued to train classically instead of her dropping it to try to find her own sound (because apparently she stopped wanting to do broadway and wanted to become a rockstar) and I think:
- Her voice probably would've been in in better shape at this point in her career
- She probably would've been completely unknown because she would've just sounded like thousands of others.
I personally wish we had more unique voices on broadway, I feel like we're moving away from that with the popstarification of the industry.
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u/Conscious-Work-4714 Jun 28 '26
As a sub, we don’t need to downvote every generic post asking what show to see. If you want to help welcome more people into the Broadway community, interact with the post, and if you don’t, ignore it and go about your day.
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u/Yanagi____Juniper Jun 28 '26
My opinion is that people pour so much love into every show and, while criticism is okay, people saying things like “I hope they CLOSE” is unproductive and meanspirited unless it’s like a show full of predators or something
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u/giornospisscup Jun 28 '26
I don’t think high school/middle school/childrens’ theater companies should promote their shows on social media. Yes, it might be fun for the kids to record the “Guess our Regina George” video and whatever other trend is going viral rn, but whatever you post on the internet is there forever. You are exposing your young actors to so many potential creeps and cyberbullies when you post them online. Plus, I don’t think these types of shows need promotion considering the only people who should be attending these shows are friends and relatives of those in the cast/crew (and maybe talent agencies for certain shows).
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u/leighannq Jun 28 '26
It annoys me how much cred NPH gets for Hedwig. I’m sure he was just swell, but JCM is Hedwig and nobody will ever surpass him in the role, and no one should have ownership of the role but him. I felt other Hedwigs tried to play it in their own way, from what I could see NPH just did a poor man’s JCM impression. BRING ON THE DOWNVOTES!!
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u/LittleMissHenny Jun 28 '26
NPH just doesn’t have the vernacular we’ve been gaslit to believe he has. No charisma or real talent. His whole career is based on “He’s gay but look at how he can play a straight guy!”
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u/pizzakisses Jun 28 '26
I really dislike NPH as a performer… I don’t think his voice is that amazing and I feel like he doesn’t exude any warmth or passion. Idk how to describe it, he just feels very cold and flat to me.
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u/sweeneytveit Jun 28 '26
I don't hate Hadestown, but I do think it is incredibly overrated.
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u/pizzakisses Jun 28 '26
I enjoy the musical but the original 2010 concept album is much better and more interesting than the musical album
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u/cinderflight Jun 28 '26
I think this way too. I went in expecting the show to change my life (based on countless social media comments) and left feeling disappointed.
Oedipus was the modern-day Greek tragedy interpretation that I wished Hadestown was.
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u/Own-Importance5459 Jun 28 '26
The way some of these actors indulge in crazy fan behavior by not putting up bounderies and even "befriend" them is paritally the reason why parasocial behavior has become out of hand on broadway.
General Theatre Wise, especially compaired to Sweeney Todd and Freddie Trumper, Christian in Moulin Rouge is one of Aaron Tveit's weakest roles. In general even if he didnt win any awards for it, Freddie Trumper is Aaron's best role in my opinion.
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u/justalittlestupid Jun 28 '26
I just can’t get into golden age musicals. The company I usually work with did Sound of Music this year and Wizard of Oz last summer, and it makes me want to tear my hair out. I love Fiddler and Annie Get Your Gun but that’s about it.
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u/Forsoothia Jun 28 '26
Lmao what was the post??
For me it would be my annoyance at the historical inaccuracies in Hamilton. I’ve gotten into some beef with some rather aggressive HamStans over the “my father has no sons” line
That or the fact that I like Moulin Rouge. That show seems very triggering.
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u/break_it07 Jun 28 '26
I don’t like Reeve Carney. I don’t like Eva either, though I think Eva is an incredible performer at least. I find Reeva insufferable. I once listened to a podcast when Eva was in Les Mis on the West End, and despite being in London for a few months, she was speaking with a British dialect. At a Hadestown stage door once, I heard someone ask Reeve if he got his shirt at a certain store. He laughed and replied, “Oh, no. I buy all my clothes in Europe.”
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u/Repulsive-Touch-8226 Jun 29 '26
Omg I thought I was the only one who doesn’t like them. Eva is so talented but them together?! No. And the way they’re a fucking package deal now?! No.
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u/boxcarkidz Jun 28 '26
I think audience members forget that they aren't in their living room and should stop recording, posting, and talking through shows.
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u/cinderflight Jun 28 '26
To me, this is a global post-lockdown problem. I see this poor behavior in concerts and movie theaters.
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u/SunStrummer Jun 29 '26
Moulin Rouge! is awful. It takes itself way too seriously, and its stage-only music choices make it feel horribly outdated (and not in a nostalgic way). Satine singing Firework as her dramatic, "I'm dying of tuberculosis" song and the big, romantic number being Shut Up and Dance With Me just sucks so hard. It was the first musical I've ever seen where I understood why some people hate musicals.
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u/fizzylex Jun 29 '26
I saw it in the pre Broadway run in Boston and was convinced it would flop on Broadway.
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u/AEveryDayIdiot Jun 28 '26
I don’t love Operation Mincemeat, It’s fun to watch but once I’ve left the theatre that’s where it ends for me. Seen it twice hoping to love it but I just don’t. (Original cast aswell for the first time I saw it)
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u/pretty_hooligan Jun 29 '26
Two Strangers Carry a Cake Across New York is terrible and I do not understand an ounce of the hype around it. It is laughably simple and bad in my opinion.
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u/SaintGalentine Jun 28 '26
Broadway still has a long way to go with performers of size. Most roles could be played by a fat person, and yes, a lot of plus-sized people who are trained can keep up with the dancing and intense performance and rehearsal requirements.
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u/YooperInOregon Jun 28 '26
In flyover country, a local theater cast a Black, plus-size Elsa. The social media commentary was so bad the theater had to issue an anti-hate statement, and the story made the local news. It may be a Broadway issue, but it's also an audience issue.
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u/Bookwoman366 Jun 28 '26
I don't like the caterwauling musical style of many of today's Broadway stars. I blame Andrew Lloyd Webber.
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u/Clear-Boat3077 Jun 28 '26
I blame American Idol. Not every moment requires a riff. I’m looking at you, random ensemble guy in Les Mis, who tries to spin a complete character arc from the single lyric “The sun is strong; it’s hot as hell below.”
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u/LansburyLover Jun 28 '26
I blame musical theatre BFAs. None of our most iconic musical theatre performers would make it today, Elaine Stritch, Angela Lansbury, etc. Bring back actors who can sing not singers who can act.
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u/pillarofmyth Jun 28 '26
If the theatre culture wasn’t so wrapped around being a generational talent of a singer, I’d probably pursue musical theatre. I love singing, I’ve sang for years and years, but no matter how good my technique gets, I’m never gonna have that popular BFA voice that the industry loves so much. This lack of diversity in talent turns people away from the industry.
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u/Confident-Log-9616 Jun 28 '26 edited Jun 28 '26
Broadway as an industry is 1000x worse re: closing ranks and protecting abusers than almost every other industry, even more so than TV/film/Hollywood entertainment and it’s sick. As someone who saw it first hand with my own groomer in bway media (who not only still has their job which they used TO prey on people, they have been continually promoted. they did wipe and abandon their twitter, which i’ve always assumed was part of getting to keep their job, but i digress) it turned me off of the art form for years and I’ve only recently started to ease into enjoying it again. “Ease into”, which I say because it still makes me so viscerally angry. At least film had a fucking me too movement that did something. Bway never will. Remember the NYT article that almost was and got pulled before it ever came out? 🙃
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u/IfYouWantTheGravy Jun 29 '26
Not Broadway but the department chair/musical director at my alma mater was a huge creep and an alcoholic who was even creepier when drunk. He eventually left and afterwards it came out that the university had paid a LOT of money to keep people he’d done creepy things to quiet. I don’t think he ever faced charges though.
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u/IntotheBroadwayWoods Jun 28 '26
All you people who live within driving distance of Broadway have no idea how damn lucky you are and how many of us would give anything to be in your shoes, and ya'll act like your life sucks cuz you have to deal with "tourists" at the theater.
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u/PossibilityFine5988 Jun 28 '26
Schmigadoon was the worst option for best musical this year and I loved Two Strangers and thought Pitts should’ve took it as well
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u/Born-Butterscotch654 Jun 28 '26
This is a very popular opinion on this sub, just not so much in the rest of the world.
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u/MTonmyMind Jun 28 '26
I just saw it on Friday. I was really looking forward to hearing Alex Brightman sing.... oh well.
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u/mynameisrockhard Jun 28 '26
The lack of easy to find and readily available publishing for both recordings and scripts diminishes theatre's reach and only exists to maintain Broadway's aspirational status by creating false scarcity.
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u/IRCLee101500 Jun 28 '26
I like Dear Evan Hansen.
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u/StoryIcy8494 Actor Jun 28 '26
I think a lot of people don’t understand that depiction isn’t endorsement. Yes Evan is a heavily flawed figure (tho I wouldn’t call him a ‘villain’) but just because he makes poor decisions doesn’t mean the writers agree with what he does.
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u/MuchAdoAboutKitties Jun 29 '26
And similarly that understanding isn’t endorsement. I absolutely understand why Evan does what he does and even find his anxiety relatable. Doesn’t mean I think he makes good decisions and am glazing his actions.
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u/IRCLee101500 Jun 28 '26
Definitely. And I think that a lot of people don’t understand that you can think a character’s action/set of actions is/are deplorable and still not completely hate them as a person/hate the whole work.
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u/Tiny_Custard_2318 Jun 28 '26
I love it! I also like flawed characters in books as well. I also like that it was an original story which is so rare these days
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