Jokes In Musicals That...Just Don't Work?

[HamilHansen]

I'm curious if there are any musical theater "jokes" (song wise or book wise) that didn't age well, have soured, or are currently just awful and don't land. 

[HamilHansen]

i"m sorry to everyone if I seem to be bombarding the boards recently, I just love Broadway like all of you and love sparking interesting (in my opinion at least) discussions. 

[Rogerdellibovi]

Might be controversial but in Tootsie: “I’m a man in love! Pass me my bra!” Fell sooooo flat it sounds like a joke that would be made on Disney channel or by a third grade boy. For a show that had some great one-liners there were a couple that just made me roll my eyes.

[alex814]

Does anyone remember when Mean Girls first opened? I wonder if the line Regina’s mom says about the “Japanese closet organizing” landed as well as it did after Netflix released Marie Kondo’s Tidying Up series.

[TotallyEffed]

alex814 said: "Does anyone remember when Mean Girls first opened? I wonder if the line Regina’s mom says about the “Japanese closet organizing” landed as well as it did after Netflix released Marie Kondo’s Tidying Up series."

I didn’t find a single joke in that show to be funny.

[SomethingPeculiar]

Sometimes, there are jokes that don't work outside of the era of the show. In Mame and Bye Bye Birdie, for example, most 2019 audiences aren't going to laugh at jokes about Peter Lawford, Alice Toklas, Sammy Kaye, and Amos & Andy.

There were some insidery jokes in It's Only A Play that I'm sure went over the general public's head.

[Call_me_jorge]

Showing the dismembered body of veruca salt

[TotallyEffed]

Call_me_jorge said: "Showing the dismembered body of veruca salt"

LOL

[GeorgeandDot]

Call_me_jorge said: "Showing the dismembered body of veruca salt"

DEAR GOD THAT IMAGE IS SEARED INTO MY MEMORY

 

[BroadwayRox3588]

Dear Evan Hansen - "Love the outfit, Connor! Very school shooter-chic.

Just...no. There has been way too much gun violence in this country as of late, for that joke to be funny anymore. I saw the show on tour a couple weeks ago, and the theatre was filled with nervous laughter, as if they weren't sure whether they were supposed to laugh.

[qolbinau]

TotallyEffed said: "alex814 said: "Does anyone remember when Mean Girls first opened? I wonder if the line Regina’s mom says about the “Japanese closet organizing” landed as well as it did after Netflix released Marie Kondo’s Tidying Up series."

I didn’t find a single joke in that show to be funny."

You didn’t find the line about the ‘woke’ seniors who did an essay on intersectional veganism or whatever it is funny? The mean girls script is very witty. Highly underrated musical. 

—-

I have seen n2n 10+ times and I’m always puzzled why people don’t often laugh at the “my husband’s waiting in the car” line. 

[Brit33444]

Christine's whole character in BMC...

[VivianDarkbloom2]

Jorge, that’s exactly what I was going to say. No one laughed, everything got really quiet. It was the worst-landing joke I’ve ever seen on Broadway and I’ve been seeing shows for 25 years straight.

[carolinaguy]

BroadwayRox3588 said: "Dear Evan Hansen- "Love the outfit, Connor! Very school shooter-chic.

Just...no. There has been way too much gun violence in this country as of late, for that joke to be funny anymore. I saw the show on tour a couple weeks ago, and the theatre was filled with nervous laughter, as if they weren't sure whether they were supposed to laugh."

This was the first thing that popped to mind for me. They really do need to change that line. I'm fine with a show pushing the envelope, but that's too far. Not only is it in poor taste, it derails the show for a scene or two.

[temms]

GRAZIELLA: I and Velma ain't kid stuff, neither. Are we, Vel?
VELMA: No thank you-oo, ooblee-oo
GRAZIELLA: And you can punctuate it?
VELMA: Ooo!

?????

[HamilHansen]

Call_me_jorge said: "Showing the dismembered body of veruca salt"

Oh God, Jorge, I forgot about that monstrosity of a "joke"

[TheQuibbler]

The entire book of Beetlejuice.

[NYCblurb]

qolbinau said: "TotallyEffed said: "alex814 said: "Does anyone remember when Mean Girls first opened? I wonder if the line Regina’s mom says about the “Japanese closet organizing” landed as well as it did after Netflix released Marie Kondo’s Tidying Up series."

I didn’t find a single joke in that show to be funny."

You didn’t find the line about the ?woke’ seniors who did an essay on intersectional veganism or whatever it is funny? The mean girls script is very witty. Highly underrated musical.

—-

I have seen n2n 10+ times and I’m always puzzled why people don’t often laugh at the “my husband’s waiting in the car” line."

I thought this was fun - the graveyard of jokes from TOOTSIE the musical over the years as it came headed to Broadway:

https://www.facebook.com/TootsieMusical/videos/2338323089561006/

[TotallyEffed]

qolbinau said:

I have seen n2n 10+ times and I’m always puzzled why people don’t often laugh at the “my husband’s waiting in the car” line."

I still don’t get that joke, actually. Is it a joke?

[nasty_khakis]

TotallyEffed said: "qolbinau said:

I have seen n2n 10+ times and I’m always puzzled why people don’t often laugh at the “my husband’s waiting in the car” line."

I still don’t get that joke, actually. Is it a joke?"

Yes, it is. At least how Ripley/Marin played it. They said it like they were a wife in an older movie who has an affair. The joke is she thinks Dr Madden is hitting on her so she pretends to be a movie heroine saying "Dr, we couldn't possibly make love right now! My husband is right outside! We could be caught it's so dangerous!" 

[TotallyEffed]

But the joke doesn’t make sense to me that way because the doctor said he was sure it’s the MEDICINE’S fault she’s not having a desire for sex, not her marriage.

[Phillytheatreguy10]

Charlie's line in Kinky Boots, "I've never been good at anything, accept maybe snogging" always landed with a thud the 8 times I saw it. I don't think it translates to American audiences. 

[nasty_khakis]

TotallyEffed said: "But the joke doesn’t make sense to me that way because the doctor said he was sure it’s the MEDICINE’S fault she’s not having a desire for sex, not her marriage."

It does. She thinks the doctor is bringing up her sex drive because he's coming on to her. I'm not saying it's a clear baffo-socko laugh riot of a joke, but it's a joke.

[qolbinau]

Yeah part of the joke is that she takes his line to be hitting on her, when he clearly wasn't. But to be fair I don't blame anyone that doesn't seem to get it because audiences just don't seem to really get it, either. I'm surprised they didn't think about adjusting that line in previews. 

[Tom5]

Maybe I'm humor warped but I thought the line "I'm a man in love! Hand me my bra!" was very funny. My problem with Tootsie was that it buried the story lead by exchanging all of America with a single Broadway house.