Top 10 Broadway Shows That Bombed So Hard They Cancelled Them Immediately 

Not every movie needs a broadway musical. Enough said.

Tuck Everlasting deserved a longer run. It’s such a beautiful story/musical. So happy it’s getting performed in high schools and community theatres.

True story -- I actually was at the one and only performance of your number one on this list "Moose Murders" back in 1983! I also saw another Broadway play you guys omitted from your list: "Teaneck Tanzie" with Andy Kaufman about wrestling. That play also closed opening day. In fact, one of the Moose Murder's reviews even said something like "Moose Murders made Teaneck Tanzie look like a masterpiece." Anyway, please don't ask me for details about MM -- I think I fell asleep... LOL

I saw a production of Anyone can Whistle at the Southwark Playhouse in London last year. Yes, it's weird. Undeniably. But it is also pretty amazing. And the music is terrific.

Anyone Can Whistle is my favorite Broadway flop. I'd love to see it in a revival.

Sometimes Broadway musicals bomb simply because the audience wasn't in the mood at the time, and the cast album will make them wonder what they missed. (It's even more exciting when you find "Ed Sullivan Show" footage of a number from such shows; it's fun to see a cast album come to life.) That's why they should always film a performance; few shows are so bad they can't be sold to TV.

I saw 'Anyone Can Whistle' in tryouts in Philadelphia at the Forrest Theatre. I recall the sets being quite elaborate, but with Angela Lansbury and a superb cast, well, the story line was complicated and ahead of its time. I would have liked to see it again for clarity on the plotline.

Love the homage to _The Producers._ It's like all these shows were produced by Max Bialistock.

I think I would have liked to see Carrie. I don't like horror stories, but the score, from what I gathered, was great. "I'm not alone" is one of my favorite songs ever.

I had no idea that "High Fidelity" ever had a musical adaptation. You learn something new every day, right?!😉😁

IMHO, it goes to show that not everything transfers well into a musical, and not every musical belongs on Broadway. Sometimes shows do better in smaller, more intimate spaces, with lower budgets.

One huge point you're missing - possibly you've never lived in NY. The big legendary flops - Carrie and Moose Murders exemplify this - sell HUGELY just before they close. When the word goes out that a show is going to be a legendary, history-making bomb - EVERYONE in the industry (we're not talking tourists, New Jersey, Long Island, Upper East Siders, but the people who work, care, and really crave the professionalism of Broadway) wants to see it before it disappears "forever." I remember 'Carrie' and particularly 'Moose Murders' - I was living there at the time: and you couldn't get in for the last performances - the shows completely sold out. Legs Diamond. Home Sweet Homer. Gorey Stories. Etc. Crowds flocking, but only to see really spectacular train wrecks.

Tuck Everlasting was a gorgeous show with great choreography and performances and a stunningly emotional ending. It's really too bad that it didn't catch on.

I saw Tuck Everlasting on Broadway, when visiting from Melbourne Australia, having never heard of it prior. Loved it!

I am miffed, even angry, that we were forgotten. I was in the chorus of one of the biggest flops in the history of Broadway which had 4 previews and never had an opening night - 1966's "Holly Golightly"/"Breakfast At Tiffany's" starring Mary Tyler Moore and Richard Chamberlain and in a small featured role Sally Kellerman. I am prejudiced - it should have been #1 on your list.

Shows may not be Understood when they are first put on stage. I believe that is the case with “anyone can whistle”. I find the show incredibly beautiful and a work of sheer genius. It is not an easy show to understand but given the right production I think it can have a huge impact. Sadly the original Broadway cast album is heavily cut so look for the complete recording it does exist own on the CD it will bring the show into a whole new light. It is one of Stephen Sondheim’s saddest amazing works for the theater. Someday it may get it’s just rewards

I have to say Tuck was a beautiful show with a great score and a fine cast. It deserved more time to find its audience IMHO

"Cape Man" should be on the list. We went with another couple. The music was written by Paul Simon and to this day I think he owes us $300 for the tickets. At intermission, I was going on about what was wrong with the lighting, the scenery, the acting, etc. The family behind us said, "You're right" and they left. We, unfortunately, didn't. Near the end of the play, Cape Man dies. I remember thinking, "Thank god. It will be over soon." (Not soon enough.) I don't know if it ever got out of previews.

I was surprised not to see Frank Wildhorn's _Bonnie & Clyde_ on the list. It had successful out-of-town tryouts in San Diego, California, and Sarasota, Florida, but the snobby New York critics (who have it in for Wildhorn) tore it to shreds and it closed after one month. The joke is on them, because the show has had quite the afterlife. Since prematurely closing a decade ago, _Bonnie & Clyde_ has become popular with high schools/colleges and community/regional theaters. Also, it has had successful productions in Japan, South Korea, Germany, Czechia, Poland, Sweden, and Australia. A Brazilian production is set for this year. Last year, a limited West End engagement proved so successful that London is bringing it back this spring. The question now is: Will a Broadway revival (ever) follow?

Of all the musicals you listed, it is Anyone Can Whistle that resonates still.

It's a shame that "Anyone Can Whistle" wasn't on Broadway longer.. it's actually quite a good show in every way!

Just like the " Carrie" musical that BOMBED so Hard; The anime series; Brynhildr in the Darkness (2014) BOMBED so Hard too during its initial released in 2014. Years later, both Horror settings gained Cult Classic. Carrie is one of the influences for Brynhildr in the Darkness (2014). If you love Carrie; then you should give Brynhildr in the Darkness ( 2014) a good Binge-Watch, at least once.

I saw Kelley in a preview and Anyone Can Whistle. Back then, so many shows opened, it was hard to keep up. $9.90 in the orchestra, $2. way upstairs. It was a time.

The thing that made High Fidelity as a movie great was the John Cusack hand picked soundtrack, the musical probably would have done better if it had the movie soundtrack instead of weak sauce original songs...might as well have made Clerks into a musical lol omfg Spiderman Hold Back The Dark should have been on this list too

"Flahooly" - starring Yma Sumac and Barbara Cook - It was Barbara's first show and she went on to be a Broadway legend - at one time the cast album lp sold for big money -

"[Actor Burgess] Meredith was set to direct and act in a musical, Happy as Larry, with choreography by Ann Sokolow and mobiles by Alexander Calder. Meredith persuaded [composer Edgard] Varèse to participate in the creation of this unconventional musical by composing a short dance. Varèse, out of friendship, agreed and subsequently referred to the piece as Dance for Burgess. The play closed immediately after its New York opening on January 6, 1950, and Varèse, subsequently, never bothered to have the piece published or performed."

Then there was the 1981 adaptation of "Frankenstein" with John Carradine, John Glover and David Dukes which opened and closed the same night and at the time was the costliest flop ever to grace a Broadway stage.

As a big fan of Allan Sherman ("Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah", the Camp Granada song), I have to add his one Broadway effort, The Fig Leaves are Falling. A huge flop, it lasted 17 previews and just 4 performances before closing. This was despite being written with Albert Hague (Grinch soundtrack) and featuring Dorothy Loudon, Barry Nelson, and a very young David Cassidy. RCA released a 45 of Sherman singing 2 songs from it, but never officially released a full soundtrack. A soundtrack album made by Sherman and others to attract investors is a very rare collector's item. Several people did record the one semi-hit, "Did I Ever Really Live?", but even that realistically went nowhere.

How could you leave out Rachel lily rosenbloom? Jabari wrote it for Midler, who declined, but got Ellen Greene. Some great talent on that stage and many of the dancers were in Michael bennett’s tapes that led to a chorus line. And Peter allens’s legs diamond?

My personal favorite for failed musicals is 1976’s “Home Sweet Homer,” which I saw on tour in 1975 as “Odyssey”. Eleven previews and one Sunday matinee as the opening, with the closing notice posted as soon as the curtain failed. Even on tour, there was clearly second act trouble, but Yul Brynner had some delightful comedic bits and I don’t regret the chance to see both him and Joan Diener on stage. But that it failed, not a big surprise.

Thanks. But how could you not mention "Breakfast at Tiffany's" with Mary Tyler Moore and Richard Chamberlain, which closed after 4 previews. Or "La Strada" with Bernadette Peters, which closed after 1 performance?

In 1975, there was a Broadway show called We Interrupt This Program, which closed after just one week. It was promoted with the line Not Recommended For Those With Low Panic Threshold.

I got to see a rather lavish Orlando production of the musical Ben Hur (yeah, it really happened). The idea was to use the vacation destination as a place to preview possibly shows for Broadway. They had it all. Solid performances, costumes, sets, truly gifted singers, and some pretty nifty special effects. And that includes the chariots! The horses were fake, but they had puppet legs that were controlled by hands unseen and never lost pace. It didn't actually look like the movement of horse legs, but you had to admire the dedication. At final curtain, I happily added to the applause of an entertained crowd, but walked away kind of...meh. I mean, it wasn't awful. Would I ever see it again? Nah. Never heard a word about it after that.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Merrily We Roll Along, Amour, The Grass Harp, Leap of Faith, Onward Victoria, Oh Brother, Nick & Nora, just to name a few honorable mentions

The Little Prince and the Aviator at the Alvin Theater. Written by Hugh Wheeler (Sweeney Todd, Irene, A Little Night Music), Music by John Barry (James Bond films), Lyrics by Don Black (Song and Dance, Aspects of Love, Sunset Boulevard), starring Michael York. Closed January 17, 1982 after 20 previews. Never opened. That's a bomb; and I was there.

How about "Breakfast at Tiffany's," which didn't even make it to opening night?

Love never Dies, a Phantom Story never made it to Broadway because London Audiences disliked it. An Australian Theater person worked with Andrew Lloyd Webber to adjust the play to fix parts that didn't work. Now it is incredible. I saw it when it was travelling the country and I loved it! If it does make it to Broadway, I think it could do well.

I did a production of Anyone Can Whistle. Underrated Sondheim that should have done better than it did.

The Grass Harp, a musical adaptation of a Truman Capote novella, opened on January 17, 2003, and had its final performance 2 days later on January 19, 2003. It had a decent score by Claibe Richardson (music) and Kenward Elmslie (lyrics), a stellar cast including Barbara Cook and Carol Brice, and a somewhat improbable plot, the crux of which revolved around a cure-all elixer and a tree house where the protagonists hide from commercialism. They managed to cut a good original cast recording, worth listening to, before folding up shop. The show survives through occasional local productions. (I know--I was in one.)

I have to give an honourable mention here to "Keep Off The Grass," which starred Jimmy Durante, Ray Bolger, Jane Froman, Virginia O'Brien, Emmett Kelly, Ilka Chase and Jackie Gleason, who said, "That show closed so fast, I nearly got caught in the door." He made that observation in his now-classic TV apology for the infamous game show bomb "You're In The Picture." In reality, the show ran for 44 performances.

Carrie and Rebecca to name two.

While Moose Murders definitely deserves the top spot on this list - Frankenstein from 1981 deserves placement here. Another "one night" only wonder, it was a very fascinating and costly bomb.

There was the 1981 play "Frankenstein" which opened and closed on January 4, 1981 after 29 previews and one performance.

I wish the OBC of Carrie had got to do a cast album, it has some great music in it.

I truly wish all these plays and musicals were recorded for prosterity. I love watching bootlegged stage shows as there's a wonderful immediacy to them as there was for live television. To this day, I would love to watch the original cast of The Music Man, Hello, Dolly!, Man of La Mancha, etc. perform their shows. I'm very happy for the time PBS broadcast productions.

Never heard of any of these being on Broadway. Very happy Angela Lansbury got her start in one of these though!

Unless, perhaps, they happen to be housed in the smaller Broadway venues like the Helen Hayes or the Circle In The Square, musicals with more modest cast sizes like "High Fidelity" or "Amour" can still having fruitful runs Off-Broadway or in regional playhouses. "Reefer Madness" and "The Last Five Years" have yet to make it to Broadway, and they're both really, really good!

One of my favorite broadway facts is that Carolee Carmello has been an imortal twice on broadway, both times lasting exactly 39 preformances (Tuck and also Lestat based on the Anne Rice novels with music by Elton John). She was also in Scandalous (the Kathy Lee Gifford musical) which lasted 29 preformances. For someone so talented, Carolee has made a career out of short run shows.

#1 - Frankenstein. One performance on 4 January 1981 at a then-record cost of $2 million for the performance (mostly on overdone special effects). Closed on opening night, that is. Next time you do a video, please research all material. Thank you.

Good research, good clips. You did your homework on this one.

I wish you had included something about Nick & Nora. That poor thing. Three months of previews (I think) and 9 performances only. Such a great cast though.

I remember seeing Christopher Plummer in a musical version of Cyrano (in the Boston tryouts in 1973) which I enjoyed, but it only had 49 Broadway performances. I also saw Devour the Snow (luckily, they didn't try to make this a musical about the trial after the Donner Party deaths) on Broadway - they were giving out free tickets but it still cost too much: opened 11/7/79 and closed 11/10/79 (plus a few previews).

Breakfast at Tiffany’s was such a flop it never even technically opened. It didn’t get past the preview stage. And it was gonna star Mary Tyler Moore and Richard Chamberlain.

The closing notice for "Kelly" was actually posted at intermission on its opening night!

At intermission, a humongous patron in my aisle at Tuck Everlasting, fell on me in his rush to the men's room. He broke my wrist and I spent the usual 6 weeks in an unforgettable fashion arm cast. But I don't remember most of the show's cast.

We won't even mention "Getting Away with Murder" a play written by Stephen Sondheim and George Furth, which ran for 17 performances on Broadway in 1996.

'Moose Murders' playwright Arthur Bicknell later wrote a memoir about the experience, entitled, 'Moose Murdered: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love My Brodway Bomb.' : )

Fun list. A couple of items: Carolee Carmelo IS a big name Strangely, in NY, the Supreme Court is their common court and the Court of Appeals is their highest court.

Broadway Shows don’t get cancelled. They close.

Whoa you left out a whole *bunch* of shows (although, when it comes to flops, it’s hard to beat _Moose Murders_ ). And before we get started (as you say) there’s a correction. The critic lambasting _A Broadway Musical_ was Stewart Klein. The call letters for the station were WNEW - it didn’t become WNYW until 1986. _The Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public_ was another unloved sequel which ran 16 performances. Someone else mentioned _Via Galactica_ - that definitely should have been on the list. _Dude_ was Gerome Ragni’s follow up to _Hair_ . It racked up a total of 16 performances after disastrous rehearsals, disastrous previews and a disastrous opening. It was a disaster. It should definitely be on this list. Paul Simon’s _Capeman_ was another disaster but it lasted two months (almost exactly) so I suppose that doesn’t count. The venerable Cy Coleman’s _Welcome to the Club_ was another stinker only lasting 12 performances. For me the show that closed too soon was _Chess_ . It opened in April 1988 and closed in June just before I had saved enough to go see it. I actually saw the notice on the door of the Imperial Theatre when I went by at the end of June. “Step five: we open on Broadway and before you can say ‘step six’ we close on Broadway”.

Carrie was ahead of it's time and it only closed because the producer withdrew all his money from the accounts and they couldnt pay anyone. I think if it had held on for a bit longer, it could have become something. But then it wouldnt have become the cult favourite that it was. The 2015 London productionwas superb, with orchestrations more like the original and a fabulous cast. Thankfully there is a pro shot of it here on YT.

Shogun the Musical had only 18 previews and 72 performances. It had many obstacles to overcome, including scenery falling on the leading man in the second act. Some of the effects (earthquake, horseback battle) were lauded, but ultimately a weak score and heavy ballet choreography, along with a difficult-to-follow plotline, proved too great to overcome.

There is a legendary London flop, which probably doesn't count because it was a revue rather than a musical, but the "Intimate Revue" of 1930 was a hilarious (but in the worst way) confection that had battling stage hands, half cocked set changes, incomprehensible songs, and so many scenes that it had to be abridged (it basically had to finish two thirds of the way through). It is a legendary, massive, glorious flop.

Who in their right mind would think Carrie would translate to a musical? Good grief…

Michael Park was in the Tuck Everlasting musical right before he did Dear Evan Hansen. I've been a fan of his since he was on the soap opera As The World Turns. His roots are in Broadway, but I loved him so much as Jack Snyder on ATWT! You can also see Michael Park guest star in famous shows, he was on season 3 of Stranger Things, and another Netflix show called You. He just recently guest starred on Law And Order.

Paradise Square absolutely deserved a longer run. Its a shame it not only didnt do well but is dealing with all these legal issues.

Charles Strouse had another huge flop with Rags in 1986, also with esteemed colleagues. Book was Joseph Stein (Fiddler on the Roof), and lyrics were by Stephen Schwartz. Not only that, it marked the Broadway debut of famed opera star Teresa Stratas. Sort of a sequel to Fiddler, it tells the story of what happens to the Russian immigrants after getting to the US. But it also told too many other storys. It closed after 18 previews and 4 perfs. Personally, I think it's a terrific score.

Who could ever forget "Censored Scenes from King Kong"...? Op: 3/6/80, Cl: 3/9/80. Princess Theatre. Cast included Carrie Fisher.

the comments hating on Carrie have obviously not seen the revival of it- it was AMAZING

You forgot NICK AND NORA. It opened, then closed the same night.

My family had a copy of the Anyone Can Whistle soundtrack at one of our old houses. It was a giveaway item, I think, for test-driving a car.

In chronological order (with # of performances): 'Anyone Can Whistle' - 1964 (9) 'Kelly' - 1965 (1) 'A Teaspoon Every Four Hours' - 1969 (1) 'A Broadway Musical' - 1978 (1) 'Bring Back Birdie' - 1981 (4) 'Lolita' - 1981 (12) 'Moose Murders' - 1983 (1) 'Carrie' - 1988 (5) 'High Fidelity' - 2006 (13) 'Tuck Everlasting' - 2016 (39) Of these shows, the only ones which were NOT musicals were 'A Teaspoon Every Four Hours,' 'Lolita' (a musical version of which from 1971 -- as noted -- did not even make it to Broadway), and 'Moose Murders'.

Boulbil and Schoenberg created Martin Guerre in 1995 and it failed. They did a reboot a couple of years later. I did not see either, but I do own the soundtracks for both. The original is gorgeous. Songs like When Will Someone Hear, Working on the Land, Martin Guerre, and Bethlehem (stunning) are beautiful and are in the original. It was very hard to get when I bought it and now it’s on Amazon Music and Apple

I was at a performance of Bring Back Birdie when it was on Bway. The cast was excellent, the show very polished and well-rehearsed, and the charisma and dancing of the two leads carried the show (Donald O'Connor, even at his age, was spectacular!!) I think the difficulty was that ultimately there was not a lot of substance and heart to the book. It seemed like a flimsy Brady Bunch or Eight Is Enough reunion TV movie. Which is the issue with most sequels ...they have to be able to stand on their own merits without leaning too much into the original storyline. Otherwise, you are not drawn into the characters.

R.I.P. Angela Lansberry

Repo! The Genetic Opera definitely deserved a spot on this list

I’m not sure how you do a list like this and leave off Legs Diamond…legendary flop and the show that cost us the Mark Hellinger

Two other shows I would add that I had the opportunity to see in previews are: - "Dance a Little Closer" (1983), yet another flop from Charles Strouse with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner. based on Robert E. Sherwood's 1936 antiwar comedy "Idiot's Delight." It is is set on New Year's Eve "in the avoidable future" in the grand Alpine Barclay Palace Hotel, where the guests find themselves in the midst of a potential nuclear Armageddon.. Yeah... It closed on opening night, leading Broadway wags to nickname it "Close a Little Faster." - "Merrily We Roll Along" (1981) from Stephen Sondheim, George Furth, and Harold Prince who had struck gold with "Company" a decade earlier. It is based on the 1934 play of the same name by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart and tells the story of how the lives and friendships of three friends, Frank, Charley, and Mary, change over 20 years, told in reverse chronological order and moving from cynicism to innocence. The score is gorgeous, but the production was plagued with problems, many detailed in Lonny Price's wonderful documentary "Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened," Unlike most flops, however, "Merrily We Roll Along" has had a vigorous afterlife with a current hit New York Theatre Workshop production starring Jonathan Groff as Frank, Lindsay Mendez as Mary, and Daniel Radcliffe as Charley set to move to Broadway in the fall, and a film adaptation directed by Richard Linklater to be filmed over 20 years, allowing the actors to age with their characters. Ben Platt, Blake Jenner, and Beanie Feldstein are attached to play Charley, Frank, and Mary, respectively.

I was expecting to see numerous shows in this list that weren't: In My Life, Glory Days and The Story of My Life, The Red Shoes, Shogun, you could makes a video on this topic last hours!

These lists never include the 1959 musical "The Nervous Set" which sadly only lasted 23 performances. Despite decent reviews, a truly wonderful score and a timely plot involving beatniks this sweet little musical which had a pre-"I Dream of Jeanie" and "Dallas" Larry Hagman in the cast died. The soundtrack album did moderately well in sales. I wonder why this show flopped?

It’s fascinating to see that in the history of Broadway, “It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Superman!” was not in the top 10 worst shows of all time. Granted, I enjoy it, but it’s objectively not good. But 139 performances is still pretty ok by comparison!

great video

What about Via Galactica? That was one of the most expensive flops of its time and starred the wonderful Raul Julia.

Carrie the musical is such a cult classic among theater actors, though. I’ve seen several high school, college, and small theaters perform that play and it’s always such a good time. I recommend looking up theaters in your area to see if it’s being performed near you. Usually your best bet is in the fall around Halloween.

Growing up in Philadelphia, I had the great opportunity to see a few flops trying out prior to moving (or not) to Broadway including Miss Moffat (with Bette Davis), Ari, the musical adaptation of The Exodus, Home Sweet Homer, and 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. It was also fun to see how much a show could change from Philadelphia to Broadway including Irene, Chicago, and Sugar to name just a few.

Hello- a point should be made between shows that flopped hard because they were well bad shows and shows that were actually decent enough but flopped because they weren't adequately/properly advertised and or promoted.

To be fair, Carrie would’ve run longer despite the negative reviews. It had the largest presale of a Broadway show at the time. But the producer stole the money and ran off to Germany. The actors, crew, and musicians ended up not even being paid.

I saw Chess on Broadway in 1988. It was a huge success in the UK, but then they rewrote it to up the drama and emotion for the U.S. audience. It flopped. It ran 44 performances. At the time, it was one of the most expensive flops of all time. Its failure was overshadowed by the failure of Carrie, however, which had opened and closed about a month earlier.

I appreciate. That you go back Many youtube lists Think history started 2001

It's such a crying shame Carrie bombed so hard, and I'm certainly glad it got that 2012 rework and revival, it seems to have revived the show's reputation a little. I'd love to have seen the original, and I've heard that one production which was also sort of a special effects show brought back some of the old material. *That* would have been nice to see too.

I really like Carrie. I wish it did better

Tuck Everlasting truly deserved better, I love it sm

What's a little ironic is that "Anyone Can Whistle" financially bombed, but it's a great community musical because all it needs is three solid leads.

Broadway traditionally has not been a venue for children's entertainment and that's been one of my gripes about the theatre as it's trended the last 25 years.That also may explain the lack of quality and creativity it's seen during that time I also have a problem with turning Mickey Mouse ,goofy and the Flintstones into stage productions Long gone are the great play writers of the 20th century

I also remember loving Starmites, and that musical didn't last too long either.

I have a few bombs in my time. I took my mom to see Annie 2 Miss Hanigan revenge. The set got more applause then the cast. I've also seen Teddy a musical about Teddy Roosevelt. Using only Souza marches. I saw Satchmo . It closed out of town. And yes I saw Legs Diamond.

One musical that should be on the list is Good Time Charley staring Joel Grey( about 1977) A musical about Charlemagne and Joan of Arch uniting France. So bad, I worked on the costumes for that production. They gave everyone at the costume shop tickets to pad the house.

10: Tuck Everlasting 9: High Fidelity 8: Lolita 7: Anyone Can Whistle 6: Carrie 5: Bring Back Birdie 4: A Broadway Musical 3: Kelly 2: A Teaspoon Every Four Hours 1: Moose Murders

I've seen one or two that stunk so badly, they didn't even make this list.

You know I was looking for a list like this.