Jokes, lines, or songs that dont sit right anymore

[bwaywrldmember6853]

Just thought this would be a quality discussion and I was thinking about it earlier, what are some jokes, lines, or songs that dont sit right in musicals/plays for you guys anymore due to our current state in the U.S., or stories from lines that have been taken out of shows in the past (i.e. Urinetown/9/11) a line that comes to mind for me is the “school shooter chic” line in Dear Evan Hansen. When I saw it last March, everyone in the audience kind of cringed when it was said. (I also saw a matinee, so maybe that had something to do with it.)

[Harpz2006]

That line would definitely not sit well this week especially- I mean it's not ever supposed to be comfortable but I think at this moment especially it may feel very weird. Agreed on that... I guess another that comes to mind is Guys and Dolls with Sky assuring Sarah the dulce de leches have barely any alcohol in them and she ends up extremely drunk and sleeping with him... always makes me cringe lately (I used to frequently sing Sarah in a touring concert production).

[adamgreer]

Ugg A Wugg.

Patti Columbo made it less cringeworthy in the Rigby revivals, but it’s still a little offensive, and I’m not Native American. 

[Itonlytakesajourney]

Anything with the brothers in Millie. I love the show, but god does it need extensive rewrites.

[Tag]

The Britney Spears lyric in Spamalot was famously removed during her breakdown in 2007.

[trpguyy]

Carousel

[annang]

The Pajama Game, and all of the musicals of the genre, "man develops crush on attractive female (usually subordinate) coworker, pursues her using the workplace as a ruse to spend time with her, and despite her repeated, firm, and professional insistence that she is focused on her career and doesn't want a workplace romance, she eventually relents and falls under his spell, and he gets to remain her boss and also sleep with her." 

[msmp]

Itonlytakesajourney said: "Anything with the brothers in Millie. I love the show, but god does it need extensive rewrites."

Literally my first thought too. For as well as Harriet Harris sings it, the entire "Muqin" number alone is cringeworthy 15 years on from the original.

[bryan32]

what about the song **** you god form the book of morman

 

[trpguyy]

bryan32 said: "what about the song **** you god form the book of morman"

What about it? It's intentionally offensive, and well-received by the audience. 

[msmp]

bryan32 said: "what about the song **** you god form the book of morman

"

I'd put this one in the category of intentionally over-the-top satire. Some of the portrayals of Ugandans in the show, on the other hand, are borderline offensive, even if the show is intended to be incredibly satirical.

[qolbinau]

The Book of Mormon needs to update itself to make explicit how Christianity has helped cause the AIDS crisis in Africa and influenced the passing of the Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Act. The musical, while important, is far too soft on religion. Showing Ugandans beating and killing gay people would probably be more accurate than their current portrayal in the musical.

[After Eight]

Msmp wrote: "I'd put this one in the category of intentionally over-the-top satire."

So if something is intentionally over-the-top offensive that makes it ok? We've had to endure too much crap based upon just such shoddy justification.

And as for Book of Mormon being "satire," well, hardly. It's nothing more than stupid, vulgar, juvenile trash. 

 

[ermengarde]

The lyrics of The Point of No Return in Phantom are incredibly disturbing

[SempreLiberal]

I think the “rape” (abduction) lines of “It Depends on What You Pay” from THE FANTASTICKS have already been rewritten.

[BroadwayBeebe]

Currently in a production of Anything Goes and we are getting a lot of negative feedback about the dialogue involving Luke and John and how Billy, Moon, and Reno disguise themselves in the final scene.

[SempreLiberal]

Was there something offensive about the “ice cream” and “dollar bills” lines from “Thr Movie in My Mind” in MISS SAIGON that were replaced in the revival?

[Lurker2]

“Donald Trump and I on the links and he’s my caddy” from In The Heights has a distinctly different meaning, though it certainly still fits.

[The Josh]

Lurker2 said: "“Donald Trump and I on the links and he’s my caddy” from In The Heights has a distinctly different meaning, though it certainly still fits. "

So, too, in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels; “I’m tired of being a chump, I wanna be like Trump”

[moira8]

PThespian said: "
I worked at DEH on Thurs night. There was an audible gasp/boo after the school shooter line. I worked there today and the line got a laugh."

Saw this again Friday and was hoping they removed that line. It was never funny, and drew gasps at Friday night’s performance too.

 

[Alex172005]

After Eight said: "Msmp wrote: "I'd put this one in the category of intentionally over-the-top satire."

So if something is intentionally over-the-top offensive that makes it ok? We've had to endure too much crap based upon justsuch shoddy justification.

And asfor Book of Mormon being "satire," well, hardly.It's nothing more thanstupid, vulgar, juveniletrash.

"

While I do think that Hasa Diga Eebowai was designed to shock audiences to some extent, I do think that the song serves an important purpose in setting up the difficult task ahead for the protagonists.

Also, I don’t think it’s fair to dismiss the show as “nothing more” than what you mentioned. If you pay close enough attention and read between the lines, the show is putting forth some important messages while giving us some laughs in the process.

I for one thought it was well made. You’re entitled to your opinion, of course, but I respectfully disagree with you. The show is fine and should be left as is.

[LizzieCurry]

I've hated the school shooter line in DEH ever since I saw it at Arena, and I expected it to get cut. I know it's supposed to be there and be shocking, but it's on the wrong side of distasteful.

[After Eight]

Alex172005 wrote:

"Also, I don’t think it’s fair to dismiss the show as “nothing more” than what you mentioned."

What's unfair about it? That's exactly what it is.

"If you pay close enough attention and read between the lines, the show is putting forth some important messages while giving us some laughs in the process."

If I laughed a half-dozen times, that's six more than I remember.

I, for one, am completely fed up with those who counter anyone's objections to whatever offensive crap is foisted upon us with such condescending put-downs as "But it's SUPPOSED to make you uncomfortable!," "If it offended you, then, it succeeded in its aim," "And that's what theatre is SUPPOSED to do, to get you out of your comfort zone." To the smug snots who spout such blather, I say lower your nose from the stratosphere, and go take a hike.

[lovebwy]

In the 1961 musical Let it Ride, there's a song called Broads Ain't People, which advocates beating women. I swear to God. There's a line in it also about Stanley Kowalski being a hero.

In Carnival, circa 1962, in the song Sword and a Rose and a Cape, there's a line telling Marco to "perpetrate a rape"

Between those two and The Fantastiks, the early 60s were messed up.

[Loopin’theloop]

I find the subject of addressing, the uncomfortable aspects of ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie’ really fascinating.

The creators had very good intentions. They tried very hard to right some of the movies many wrongs, regarding the Asian characters (Oriental 1 & 2 yikes) and I’m really interested to know, whether the updates were seen as problematic when the show opened or if we, as a society have just moved on even further (which in essence is quite a wonderful)

I know th creators have said, they felt they didn’t want to remove the characters entirely because they could create roles for an underrepresented minority, so far so well meaning but after that it all went a bit south. Clearly, they tried very, very hard indeed to make it work and had a lot of input from the original actors and the surtitle business was intended to allow the characters as much dignity as possible...

But one of the really big issues is, the characters aren’t funny. I absolutely understand why. The creators got stuck between a rock and hard place, if you make the characters really funny, do they just up as funny Chinese laundry men? If you don’t make them funny, then you lumber these two poor guys with thankless roles that appear every now and again in the midst of a zany old fashioned musical comedy and have to play a load of earnest scenes with surtitles. Obviously, they went for the latter but ouch, does the show slow down everytime it comes to their sections.

I’m not sure what the answer is. It could’ve been done that the characters spoke absolutely perfect English and were a step ahead of Mrs. Meets, only ‘acting’ for their own ends. But there is then the problem that they become true villains, if they are knowingly complicit...which they sort of are anyway but because they aren’t speaking English we sort of forgive them?! (Another issue, how many women have these two been responsible for shipping off?!)

I saw a student production recently that tackled Mrs. Meers. It wasn’t a full production but an end of term scene study, so therefore it was just bits and pieces from different shows with faculty and some industry people invited. Mrs. Meers was not shipping off girls into white slavery, she was just poisioning then with the tea and locking them in the basement, anytime they got a recall for a leading role or landed a job. She was trying to whipe out all the young actresses in New York in revenge for her failed career. It was actually wonderful. And felt closer to the movies goofy, off centre feel (much of which was lost with the translation to stage) The girls all escaped at the end. Three girls played Mrs. Meers, in different extracts, each with a different interpretation. One had a fake German accent, one Irish and one upper class British - all spoke in an American accent, when in their true persona.

Dick Scanlan, has written extensive notes in the schools editions, possibly the other licensesd scripts too, explaining his thinking behind Mrs. Meers but that if the group, still felt it problematic, she could have any accent, so long as it was a fake one. I assume the idea with what I saw, came from this. Although, you obviously wouldn’t get away with the changes to the script, in a licensed production but it was a worthy experiment.

In the world of the above imagined full version, perhaps the Asian characters could be undercover cops, posing as laundry men. But if they are bumbling cops, which if it takes them the full length of the show to get a handle on what is happening, they obviously are, then you still have to be very careful how they are represented.