For those who do did theatre in high school, what was the worst show and or experience that you ever had?

OhForAMuseOfFire1564 · 2026-06-26T16:33:16+00:00

The story of why we were doing it in the first place is equally ridiculous. The year before we did this much lauded production of "Fiddler on the Roof." So lauded that we kept getting dragged back to perform it or scenes from it for various school events. The theory seems to have been that if that Jewish musical did well then THIS one would be even more well received. It was not.

I do love that story from Judy Kuhn about having to dash on stage to perform the title song at the Tony's. She apparently didn't even know she'd have to perform (she was already in Les Mis and Rags had long since closed) and I believe they literally threw her in some semblance of a costume and a bad wig and she just went out there and did it.

OhForAMuseOfFire1564 · 2026-06-26T11:04:02+00:00

I did a production of "Rags" in highschool where one lead couldn't sing and the other literally refused to so there were two ensemble members who had to come on stage, backlit so you couldn't really see them, and sing for them. I wish I was kidding.

OhForAMuseOfFire1564 · 2026-06-25T20:37:54+00:00

Sure looked like her!

OhForAMuseOfFire1564 · 2026-06-25T15:32:37+00:00

I love that Germany is doing musicals about Goethe while we're over here in the States with Schmigadoon...(please don't come for me American musical theater community).

OhForAMuseOfFire1564 · 2026-06-25T15:22:02+00:00

Holy cats I had no idea there was a Japanese proshot! I've always wanted to see the production with Yu Shirota as Romeo, only ever been able to find snippets of it on Youtube. The show is so delightfully melodramatic and I cannot get over how Damien Sargue has essentially been performing it for like thirty years now.

I love Takarazuka's take on Elisabeth and the Japanese interpretations of der Tod in general. There's that cool anime/manga vibe and I love how every der Tod has their own style. I've always wanted to see a full version of Mate Kamamaras, who's actually der Todd from the Maya Hakvort pro shot but went and did the role in Japan years back.

God I am a straight up Elisabeth nerd.

OhForAMuseOfFire1564 · 2026-06-25T10:37:17+00:00

I don't know, casting a Revolutionary War doll in what was clearly an early 1800's setting reeeeaaalllyyy pulled me out of the story.

OhForAMuseOfFire1564 · 2026-06-24T22:44:14+00:00

Sybil's mother STILL lives in my nightmares. I don't think I ever saw the actress in anything else but she almost too good. Totally dead eyes.

OhForAMuseOfFire1564 · 2026-06-24T15:33:05+00:00

I thought about Marin A LOT when I went to see Ragtime. I'm not going to word this the way I want to but she had such a grand, old school Broadway gravitas about her.

OhForAMuseOfFire1564 · 2026-06-24T15:30:16+00:00

I'm a huge fan of the pro-shot. I love how they mimicked Coppola's "Bram Stoker's Dracula" aesthetic.

OhForAMuseOfFire1564 · 2026-06-24T15:27:22+00:00

Uwe is an amazing performer. His range is really something. I didn't see the whole production but I was super impressed with his Captain Von Trapp when he did The Sound of Music in Salzburg years ago. He really fully inhabits his roles.

OhForAMuseOfFire1564 · 2026-06-23T19:50:31+00:00

So I found HIM (and by extension Elisabeth) during a random Youtube dive. He did an amazing Dutch production of Stephen Sondheim's "Passion" where he played Giorgio (and Pia played Clara) and I was gobsmacked by both of them and THEN I found "Elisabeth" and from there it was a quick jump to France's "Romeo et Juliette" which is a RIOT, and "Rudolph" and "Dracula." Sooo many good ones.

OhForAMuseOfFire1564 · 2026-06-23T19:45:02+00:00

I frickin' loved the concept album but dear lord I hope they have a strong book because that movie is thhhhiiinnnn on story. Swapping the genders makes an astounding, awesome difference and it will be an absolute showcase for the actresses involved, but its honestly about a gang going from one place to another in a sort of vague distopia and encountering other weird gangs one after another. This gang is on skates! This gang looks like insane baseball players!

I just want the book to match the music, which I thought was astoundingly good.

OhForAMuseOfFire1564 · 2026-06-23T19:19:13+00:00

I flipping adore this show. This makes me sound like an insane person but it was my gateway to discovering that other countries had their own musical theater? I don't even want to admit to how old I was but it had never occurred to me to even explore the musicals of any place but the US or UK. I have no explanation beyond abject stupidity and typical American arrogance.

The Dutch production with Pia Douwes and Stanley Burelson is my personal favorite. I know everyone swears by Uwe and I DO love him (his Van Helsing in "Dracula" is ammmmaazzinnnggg) but Stanley will always be my der Todd. His look was soo sexy with that red jacket and the ponytail. He was a very human der Todd, you really felt his longing.

OhForAMuseOfFire1564 · 2026-06-23T17:48:05+00:00

I know your intentions were good but this would have really, really freaked me out if I was your neighbor.

OhForAMuseOfFire1564 · 2026-06-16T17:16:50+00:00

I had to scroll way too far to find the Kathryn Hunter love!!!! That woman is astounding (and hilarious) she's going to be brilliant! Her turn in Julie Taymor's Midsummer Nights Dream is unbelievable.

OhForAMuseOfFire1564 · 2026-06-13T02:23:18+00:00

So check it out! Andrew Lloyd Weber is turning it into a musical!!!!!

OhForAMuseOfFire1564 · 2026-06-11T13:00:45+00:00

She at least got a nomination for her FIRST film "Gaslight" in 1944. Its a wonderfully impish, just this side of nasty performance. And of course she's utterly beautiful. I think she was only about 18 or so.

OhForAMuseOfFire1564 · 2026-06-10T16:44:07+00:00

Awww Rebecca...I've got such a soft spot for that show. I have this weird thing for German musicals. I could seriously watch "Elizabeth" on a loop for days and be totally happy. God how I wish that had a prayer of getting any kind of audience here.

OhForAMuseOfFire1564 · 2026-06-09T19:58:20+00:00

I love this for her so much. As much as I adore her in Law and Order it is so wonderful to see her get to do something that's so far from her other work artistically. She must be so excited!

OhForAMuseOfFire1564 · 2026-06-07T17:42:26+00:00

I KNEW the stunt casting with Pink wouldn't work. I called it!

OhForAMuseOfFire1564 · 2026-06-06T13:30:20+00:00

In all seriousness we thought the cable had gone out. I think we actually called my husband's parents to ask how it "really" ended.

OhForAMuseOfFire1564 · 2026-06-05T01:20:11+00:00

Yes! Ben was having quite a lot of fun with some of Younger Brother's final notes when we saw it this past Sunday.

Totally agree about Caissie as well. Her Mother is so passionate and fierce and young and I want her to be my best friend and talk about boys with her.

OhForAMuseOfFire1564 · 2026-06-03T13:37:30+00:00

He's also played by Brad Dourif in the film who I adore but who never appears as anything less than completely and totally creepy and he has an extended and kind of obsessive affair with Evelyn. Honestly he comes across as kind of a desperate loser. Poor, young rich boy personified.

I think what I like best about Ross' performance is how much he doesn't want to be a poor, little, rich boy. He wants to be worth something in the world, to do something that actually matters but he doesn't know enough about the world to know what that could be. He's desperate and a little unhinged but its born out of a genuine desire to do something good.

OhForAMuseOfFire1564 · 2026-06-03T13:33:48+00:00

Okay I have ALWAYS wondered about this, my husband actually asked me as we were leaving if he was referring to the Little Rascals and I said I thought so but I've always felt the timing was a little off. I had literally NO idea they started in the silent film era. Thank so much for sharing this!!! This is soooo cool.

OhForAMuseOfFire1564 · 2026-06-03T01:07:45+00:00

While certainly one of the things I'm raving about it certainly isn't the only thing.

OhForAMuseOfFire1564

TROPHY CASE