Cringe moments in otherwise great shows

[morosco]

Dot and that mechanical pop open costume at the beginning of the original production of SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE.

[blaxx]

Annaleigh Ashford in Sunday In The Park With George.

[iluvtheatertrash]

I thought Annaleigh was wonderful.

[TotallyEffed]

I love that magic dress.

[Alex Kulak2]

TotallyEffed said: "I love that magic dress."

"You Can Be As Loud As The Hell You Want (When You're Making Love)" from Avenue Q, although I think it's intentionally supposed to be over the top and cringy.

[BrodyFosse123]

morosco said: "Dot and that mechanical pop open costumeat the beginning of the original production of SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE."

How the hell is this effect cringeworthy?  It’s one helluva innovative on-stage costume change:



 

[devonian.t]

The witch levitation in the original Into the Woods

[Sampatches]

Jessie Mueller and Andy Karl’s yellow face makeup in Drood :|

[Laurapattifan]

The baby being thrown off the train in Bright Star.

[Jarethan]

Laurapattifan said: "The baby being thrown off the train in Bright Star."

I second that it was a cringer --  we also knew it was coming for most of the show -- but I disagree that it was a great show.  I actually enjoyed it, but thought that it was pretty mediocre.

Probably a minority opinion, but I thought A Sentimental man was a cringer in Wicked.  

The Midas Touch in Bells Are Ringing.

For me. Little Lamb in Gypsy.  I know it has a purpose, but that does not keep me from cringing every time I see Gypsy.

In the musical Sound of Music, not the movie, Maria and Mother Abbess singing My Favorite Things has always made me cringe.

In the original SITPWG, the Chromulume scene in Act 2 made me cringe.

 

 

[PutonyourWarPaint]

An audience member's ringing phone they refuse to address.

[darquegk]

Community theatre productions of the Wizard of Oz where the Tin Man pumps his elbows and goes “Toot Toot,” because they wanted the moment where he spouts steam but couldn’t afford a special effect.

[aimeric]

"I Shall Scream" from Oliver!  Much of Oliver! is cringe camp for me, but that's the only one that makes me physically cringe when I hear it come on.

 

[Alex Kulak2]

The original "Vietnamese" lyrics in Miss Saigon that were just gibberish.

[Sutton Ross]

iluvtheatertrash said: "I thought Annaleigh was wonderful. "

She was. Absolutely no discussion with that one .

When Jim Parson's character gets drunk and then racist in The Boys in the Band. Not knowing a thing about this show beforehand, it was very cringe. 

[rattleNwoolypenguin]

I hate the Eliza gasp. 

I really hate it. 

[RW3]

'The Mysterious Orient' part of "The Five-Fifteen" and "Hominy Grits" from Grey Gardens

[Tag]

blaxx said: "Annaleigh Ashford in Sunday In The Park With George."

#truth

[SpookyFish13]

aimeric said: ""I Shall Scream" fromOliver! Much of Oliver! iscringe camp for me, but that's the only one that makes me physically cringe when I hear it come on.

"

I was going to mention this exact song!
Also, in Mean Girls, the line from “Stop” that turns child p*** into a punch line...... The whole audience was visibly uncomfortable when that happened... 

[blaxx]

Tag said: "blaxx said: "Annaleigh Ashford in Sunday In The Park With George."

#truth"

#sotrue   

She completely ruined an otherwise good production.

[qolbinau]

I wouldn’t go far to say she completely ruined it but it was a very disappointing performance for me given the standards set by Bernadette, the surely countless alternatives available and everything else that was good about that production.

[Hot Pants]

That dress was great
So was Annaleigh

[AlexxGee]

The Prom when Barry said d*ke after “Changing Lives Reprise.” I love the show but that moment??? Unnecessary.

[MollyJeanneMusic]

AlexxGee said: "The Prom when Barry said d*ke after “Changing Lives Reprise.” I love the show but that moment??? Unnecessary."

I wouldn't call Mean Girls a "great show" in the same sense of others on this list, but it does the same thing - in one of the only songs I can listen to from the show, "World Burn," the entire ENSEMBLE screams the word when reading from the Burn Book.  It's not a great moment for the show, and I always mute my speaker for that one second when I listen to the song.  It's also pretty egregious considering they changed the line in that same song where Regina calls herself a sl*t, supposedly because it was "too offensive," although I think it's just because of the rhyme with "Regina is a fugly cow/Hey Cady, how ya like me now".

[blaxx]

qolbinau said: "I wouldn’t go far to say she completely ruined it but it was a very disappointing performance for me given the standards set by Bernadette, the surely countless alternatives available and everything else that was good about that production. "

Not only her, but Jenna Russell was stunning too. Ashford was a disgrace compared to the first two.