Unexpected Flops

[Wee Thomas2]

Odd Couple, with Lane and Broderick I thought would draw tourists until they tired of it.

I also thought it might be good.

[dramamama611]

I'm with Snafu. You don't put your money in expecting a show to flop.

[ErinDillyFan]

The Little Mermaid
Shrek
Taboo
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

[Wilmingtom]

A Doll's Life
Merrily We Roll Along
Grind

[NoName3]

Allegro
Mr. President
All American
Jennie
Kean
The Girl Who Came to Supper
The Happiest Girl in the World
Holly Golightly aka Breakfast at Tiffany's
Timbuktu!

Timbuktu! was a sumptuous all black revisal of Kismet designed and directed by Geoffrey Holder with Eartha Kitt fabulous as Lalume and Melba Moore as Marsinah. It was wonderful and I never understood its mixed reviews and short run.

All American was Charles Strouse and Lee Adams' first show after Bye Bye Birdie with book by Mel Brooks and directed by Joshua Logan. Ray Bolger starred as a college professor whose engineering techniques are adopted by the football team, propelling them to a winning streak. The football players had a big locker room production number called Physical Fitness which Logan wanted them to perform in jockstraps. By the time the show opened for try-outs in conservative 1962 Boston, however, they were wearing gym shorts and football pants.

[chrisampm2]

Odd Couple - critical disappointment, extended run, not a commercial flop.

[theatregeek02]

Some shows are expected to do very well and succeed but some, HOLLER IF YA HEAR ME, for example , are just expected to be flops. That would be an example of an expected flop. But some shows with a lot of hype before opening, such as ROCKY or BULLETS, were unexpected to close as soon as they did.

[Play Esq.]

Millie
42nd street
Spider-Man

[buffy27]

Wonderland for sure. It had so much potential. I sat in the first row when I saw it and loved it.

[AKarp2013]

"Wonderland for sure. It had so much potential."

Wonderland did not even have a sliver of potential.

[mjohnson2]

No, WONDERLAND did not have any potential. Wild horn shows have always flopped and this one had the disadvantage of being even more horrendous than most of his shows, though not quite as bad as BONNIE AND CLYDE.

[Nateholder]

Bullets. Yes.


I knew Bridges would be a major flop from the very beginning. I'm pretty sure everybody who wasn't a fan knew it too.
Rocky even more so.

[Mister Matt]

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Legally Blonde
Young Frankenstein
The Little Mermaid
Little Shop of Horrors
Thoroughly Modern Millie
Rocky Horror Show
Ragtime
Jekyll & Hyde
Victor/Victoria
Sunset Boulevard
Kiss of the Spider Woman
Meet Me in St. Louis
Jerome Robbins' Broadway
Starlight Express
Mystery of Edwin Drood
Woman of the Year
On the Twentieth Century
Mack and Mabel
Over Here!
Gigi
Follies
Coco
Zorba
How Now Dow Jones
Hallelujah, Baby!
It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman!
On a Clear Day, You Can See Forever
Fade-Out Fade-In
Little Me
Mr. President
Do Re Mi
Wildcat
Take Me Along
Destry Rides Again
Happy Hunting
Mr. Wonderful
The Golden Apple
Paint Your Wagon
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Lost in the Stars
Miss Liberty
Allegro
Street Scene
St. Louis Woman
Porgy and Bess

[Jon]

STEEL PIER -a record twelve Tony nominations - no wins. Unfortunately, it was the same season as the CHICAGO revival, and the general consensus was Old Kander & Ebb > new Kander & Ebb.

[NewSynchopation]

Mister Matt, KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN, WOMAN OF THE YEAR, and DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS all recouped

[Speed]

THE ODD COUPLE with Nathan and Matthew was a massive hit.

[Timmer]

"STEEL PIER -a record twelve Tony nominations - no wins."

but it did give us one of the great Broadway songs.

[Mr. Nowack]

^^^^^^
And the best overture of the '90s.

[Timmer]

I think the only musical that was expected to flop was "Springtime for Hitler" and it didn't.

[luvbrdway]

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