This very entertaining survey of flop Broadway musicals is not just a list of mega-bombs that were hated by critics and public alike, but a serious look at what went wrong with certain projects that should have and could have been great. Mandelbaum makes it clear that if is often simply more fun to watch, dissect and laugh about major Broadway disasters than it is projects of genuine quality, and that there are people who are sorrier they never got to see "Carrie" on Broadway than the latest hot ticket offering. But Mandelbaum also discusses why some musicals seemed doomed to failure from the outset due to bad ideas or unlikely source material and why others had great ideas, librettos or scores but still made little dent at the box office. Along the way you're given information about shows you may never have heard of and closed early that were still worthwhile or had excellent scores, many of which were recorded. However, in the final chapter Mandelbaum discusses shows that didn't deserve the ignominy of failure, but for me he almost overturns the whole book with his singling out Jerome Moross' The Golden Apple, a through-sung borderline opera that updates the story of the Odyssey to a post-Civil War period. With a terrible book and only one really memorable song (and a couple of other decent ones) amidst a lot of dribble, it's hard to believe Mandelbaum actually thinks this is a masterwork. Candide, yes; Apple no. Oh well, to each his own.
The book was published nearly thirty years ago -- how time flies! -- so the reader has to supply his own postscripts. For instance, Peter Allen bombed on Broadway in Legs Diamond -- he not only starred but did the songs -- yet years later the show about Allen (The Boy from Oz) was a success. There have been numerous revivals of Carrie at various theater companies. The bomb At the Grand was retooled into the successful Grand Hotel, even using some of the same songs. And so on.
Verdict: Engaging, informative, thoughtful look at what makes some shows succeed while others fail. ***.
I am one of those people who wishes they could have seen Carrie on Broadway--with Betty Buckley as the mother? WOW!! (At least I got to see the great Miss Buckley do Sunset Boulevard in 1997--she was f'ing amazing!!). The dePalma film is one of my all time favorite horror movies.
ReplyDeleteDoes this book mention the musical version of Breakfast at Tiffany's starring Mary Tyler Moore and Richard Chamberlain that very quickly flopped? That is another I wish I could have seen. (Years later, I did see Chamberlain live on stage in LA opposite Brooke Shields in a stage version of The Exorcist, believe it or not!).
-C
Are you kidding me? Chamberlain and Shields in "The Exorcist?" On stage? I hope it wasn't a musical!
ReplyDeleteYes this book does examine the Broadway version of "Breakfast" -- also known as "Holly Golightly."It sunk Moore's chances of becoming a Broadway star.
De Palma's "Carrie" remains one of my all-time favorite horror flicks as well. The remakes have never come close.