Shows You Walked Out On... That Everyone Else Seemed to Love

[CurtainUp2]

Posted: 9/20/04 at 1:22pm

I've only walked out of a handful of shows in my many years of theatre-going (and always at intermission), but the two most popular shows I guess would have to be the revival of "Grease", which was an audience favorite, and "The Grapes of Wrath", which won critical acclaim as well as the Pulitzer Prize and a 'Best Play' Tony.

Other shows that I've walked out on...
The Scarlett Pimpernel
A Streetcar Named Desire (revival with Jessica Lange)
Steel Pier
Follies (revival)

[LittleFish8386]

Posted: 9/20/04 at 1:28pm

Scarlet Pimpernel?!?!? are youi kidding me?

I've never walked out of a show or movie, no matter how bad it is. As soon as you yourself become a performer, you begin to understand the time, energy and effort it takes to put anything on the stage---regardless of what people think of it. Because of that, I refuse to leave a show when I dont like it because its rude, and I'll stay to support my fellow actors and commend them on a job well done (even if it wasnt well done---)

Not like I never wanted to leave a show---Contact rings a bell. Updated On: 9/20/04 at 01:28 PM

[Mamie]

Posted: 9/20/04 at 1:29pm

I left both "The Full Monty" and "Miss Saigon" at intermission. I just decided that one hour of my life was worth more than just sitting there. I really disliked both of those shows intensely.

[LittleFish8386]

Posted: 9/20/04 at 1:31pm

I am really surprised at everyone's choices?? Miss Saigon, now?

Yet, we all seem to love the genius that is Wicked and Brooklyn?

something is wrong here.

[kissmycookie]

Posted: 9/20/04 at 1:36pm

I have yet to actually walk out of a performance. The thought of wasting the precious money spent on a ticket has been that barrier. But it is as if I haven't wanted to walk out... "Salome: The Reading," comes to mind...

[touchmeinthemorning]

Posted: 9/20/04 at 1:41pm

Perestroika.

Not because it was badly written, but because it was written so well, and this equity cast was butchering it.

[thirdrowcenter]

Posted: 9/20/04 at 1:48pm

I could swear I've answered this question at least twice.

NOISES OFF

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 9/20/04 at 2:08pm

I'm sorry, but sometimes there is a level of incompetence on the stage that's just so insulting to an audience that it's simply not worth enduring beyond one act. It's bad enough that a show has wasted an hour of my time -- I'm not about to allow it to waste two. That said, I tend to stay anyway for most bad shows, out of morbid curiosity, if nothing else. I've seen over 800 (mostly professional) productions and off the top of my head, the only ones I walked out on at intermission were:

The Fantasticks -- absolutely painful. Over the course of those 40 years obviously some casts were better than others -- this one was a real turkey. I left at intermission and half the rest of the audience walked out with me, shaking their heads and muttering to themselves (I even overheard some cursing).

Closer Than Ever -- Found the entire to be experience grating and, I'm sorry, I just hated every one of the songs in the first act. Couldn't wait to leave at intermission.

Hair -- A recent college production I saw was so ineptly sung, acted and directed, that it was an insult to the material.

I'm sure there are a couple of others that I've just completely blocked out altogether.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 9/20/04 at 2:15pm

Marie Christine. Love Audra, hated the show.

[magruder]

Posted: 9/20/04 at 2:17pm

I bolted out of a college production of Pacific Overtures in mid-Act One. First sign that it was going to be a misguided evening was the female narrator.

Updated On: 9/20/04 at 02:17 PM

[CurtainUp2]

Posted: 9/20/04 at 2:23pm

The shows I've walked out on are very few and far between. (At last count, I've seen somewhere in the neighborhood of 500 professional productions.) But the way I see it is... it's my money and my time. I'd rather throw away the money I've spent rather than throw away another minute of my time enduring something that I find dreadfully boring, badly acted, or otherwise painful to watch. My time is very valuable to me. What I think is rude and insulting to the performers is walking out during a performance or a curtain call. If I leave, I leave during the intermission.

Posted: 9/20/04 at 2:23pm

A number of years ago I walked out on a college production of "Three Penny Opera" at Barat College in Lake Forest, IL. Barat, by the way, is going out of business. Anyhow. I was about to walk out when another audience member got up from the front row and started to leave (middle of the first act) the young jerk playing one of the main characters (in character) starting yelling at him like "ah, who needs ya?" The audience member he was yelling at was a local weathly person (lots of those in Lake Forest) who had just donated a big check to the school's summer theater program... oops.

About a year ago I walked out of a high school prodcution of Les Miserables. It was unfortunate because this school had spent a lot of time and money on the technical aspect (had a turntable and everything) but high schools kids just can't sing Les Miz. At least you're not going to have a ValJean, Javert, Cosette, etc. etc. all at one high school. I'm afraid it's ruined the show for me forever.

[VivaBohemia]

Posted: 9/20/04 at 2:32pm

Fortunately Ive never walked out of a professional production. I did almost leave during a High School production of Jekyll and Hyde. Its a difficult score for High School, and the three main Roles, Jekyll/Hyde, Lucy and for the life of me I cant remember the characters name of the other lead role, were insanely horrible. They couldnt belt, they couldnt even carry the tune properly. Lucy sounded like someone was killing a cow.

And you'd think they would have at least had a decent Jekyll and he couldnt sing either. The only thing I loved was their set design.

[LittleFish8386]

Posted: 9/20/04 at 3:28pm

Emma, Emma Paroo I believe


Which always makes me think of the Music Man---I nearly walked out of my production of the Music Man, and I was in the show. God we were horrible.

[Anastasia_Beaverhausen]

Posted: 9/20/04 at 3:32pm

Sweet Smell of Success - NYC
Jolson - Sacramento

Really wanted to leave, but made the trip to SF for it:

Hans Christian Anderson (HORRID!!!!) Updated On: 9/20/04 at 03:32 PM

[StickToPriest]

Posted: 9/20/04 at 3:57pm

My grandparents walked out of SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE after the first act. And it was when Bernadette and Mandy were still in it!!

I told them that they were insane.

[cvapb]

Posted: 9/20/04 at 4:01pm

Wonderful Town.. I loathed it. It was horrible, in my opinion.

[defy_gravity]

Posted: 9/20/04 at 4:02pm

I don't walk out on anything, no matter how bad it is. Being a performer, I would take that as a serious insult if someone did that to me, and I try to show them the same common respect.
Besides, if I pay $100+ for a play, I'm not gonna waste my oney by walking out.
But I don't get out much to see musicals anyways. But when I do... I would never walk out.

[redhotinnyc2]

Posted: 9/20/04 at 4:03pm

Phantom of the Opera and Urban Cowboy

[joeyjoe]

Posted: 9/20/04 at 4:12pm

i enjoyed Urban Cowboy, on free tickets...

redhot, i thought you also walked out on Civil War and Blood Brothers...

[redhotinnyc2]

Posted: 9/20/04 at 4:23pm

No joeyjoe - I actually sat through the entire productions of both of those shows and would have rather slit my wrists.
Those are shows I SHOULD have walked out on.

[BroadwayDiva]

Posted: 9/20/04 at 4:30pm

I have never walked out on a show before, but I was VERY close to walking out of Thoroughly Modern Millie. I could not stand the show, yet the audience loved every second of it.

[Effie]

Posted: 9/20/04 at 4:44pm

Victor Victoria.

I slept through act two of Sunset Blvd. Does that count?

[buddha2]

Posted: 9/20/04 at 4:48pm

I have never and probably never will leave a show before the end.
If I had the initial interest to buy tickets and get there then I'm staying to the end, even if it about kills me(Dance of the Vampires the most recent of memory)

[JakeB]

Posted: 9/20/04 at 4:57pm

I get a lot of free tickets to professional productions and I do leave about 2 or 3 a year. It just completely depends. So far this year I've only walked out of two, but if I hadn't have been with other people - about 2 more.

If you turn on a TV programme and you don't like it, you switch over. That's my argument for why I shouldn't stay at something I'm not enjoying.