History Horrible / Theater

* ''Film/BillAndTed's Halloween Adventure'' is part of Ride/UniversalStudios' ''Theatre/HalloweenHorrorNights'' theme event. The play typically features Bill and Ted going on some comic adventure that's ostensibly in line with either Halloween or the Universal stable; for the 2013 production at the Hollywood park, this was Bill and Ted being whisked away to Oz.[[note]]For what it's worth, the Orlando show wasn't nearly as Horrible, owing to different creative teams at the two parks; maybe Hollywood should take cues from Orlando in 2014. (It was themed around the ''Franchise/EvilDead'' remake and a BrainwashedAndCrazy Music/TaylorSwift creating a Deadite army out of teen pop stars.)[[/note]] It was also outstandingly horrible. The humor involved would be one level of it, as most of it is made up of tired pop-culture references the likes of which might make Creator/SeltzerAndFriedberg feel some modicum of shame.\\\

What truly pushed it over the edge, however, was how it dove into material that could be deemed ridden with UnfortunateImplications if one thought the writers had the subtlety to "imply" anything. It included: Superman getting hit with "pixie dust" and turning into a CampGay stereotype, making Bill and Ted uncomfortable before he leaves the stage to submit to the whims of a similarly fey Creator/GeorgeTakei; [[UsefulNotes/NorthKorea Kim Jong-un]] [[AsianSpeekeeEngrish mixing up his "L"s and "R"s]]; [[Film/AnchormanTheLegendOfRonBurgundy Ron Burgundy]] making comparisons between Munchkin Land, "a very colorful place full of lots of unemployed people who barely speak English," and Van Nuys; and the strong implication that WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph is [[BlackComedyRape going to rape]] an unconscious Music/NickiMinaj. ''Vice'' magazine [[http://www.vice.com/read/the-bill-and-ted-show-at-universal-studios-is-super-homophobic-and-also-racist-and-terrible wrote a scathing article about the production]], and coincidentally enough, [[http://www.avclub.com/articles/universal-studios-shuts-down-bill-and-ted-show-aft,104691/ Universal decided to pull the show a few days later.]]

* Possibly the worst act in the history of show business was the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherry_Sisters Cherry Sisters]], who created a routine of morality skits and songs intended to be variously patriotic and uplifting, called "Something Good, Something Sad". The sad part, to which the sisters were oblivious, is they had no talent whatsoever. While their neighbors in Marion, Iowa, received them politely, the rest of Iowa and the Midwest thought otherwise, and hurled voluminous amounts of rotten produce and eggs, plus the occasional hard object, at the sisters. After one of them was sprayed in the face with a fire extinguisher, theater managers interposed a wire mesh curtain between the Cherries and their audience. Despite universally bad reviews, the sisters firmly believed that the fault was neither in their stars nor themselves, but in their detractors, whom the sisters thought could not appreciate wholesome entertainment. In 1896, Oscar Hammerstein I booked the sisters to play his new Olympia Music Hall in New York City, which was not doing well due to poor location. According to ''Variety'', he did so because he reasoned that if he couldn't draw crowds with the best acts, he would try his luck with the worst. For several weeks, the Cherry Sisters played to packed houses. They continued to ignore bad reviews (which now included ''The New York Times'') and thrown objects, declaring that if so many people came to see them they must be the best act in the country. After this engagement, the sisters returned to Iowa and to savage audiences and reviewers alike. After newspapers all over Iowa reprinted a particularly nasty item from the ''Odebolt Chronicle'' in 1898 which began by describing the Cherry Sisters' physical appearance in unflattering terms, the sisters sued that paper and the ''Des Moines Register'' for libel. The trial included a performance of the act, and judgment was given in favor of the defending newspapers. Undaunted, the sisters appealed, and on May 28, 1901, the Iowa Supreme Court delivered a stinging rebuke to the sisters. This ruling is cited to this day as a major precedent in cases involving theatrical and other critics. Despite losing their suit, the Cherries continued to perform until one of them suddenly died in 1903. ''Variety'' described them as "the worst act in America". Mercifully, none of the sisters married or had children, and the only sound recording of one of the sisters vanished decades ago. For the next fifty years, vaudevillians and others would describe a bad act as "a road company of the Cherry Sisters".

* Andrew Lloyd Webber's ''ThePhantomOfTheOpera'' had quite a few [[TheMockbuster mockbusters]] in the wake of its success, but a 1991 Florida production (which even used a similar poster design to the Webber production) was actually videotaped and made it to DVD at the TurnOfTheMillennium, preserving its painfully bad writing, predictably bad songs, and ridiculous ending.

Theater is a hard art form to pull off. If done well, it comes off as enjoyable and masterfully done. Then there's the examples which calling them high school worthy would be an [[InsultToRocks insult to high school productions]], especially seeing as some high school productions are fantastic.

* One would think that a stage musical based off of ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' would be a recipe for success, right? Not so, if the 2006 production was any indication. After being unable to find a suitable British theatre to mount the production, the producers (who had spent an estimated $27 million on elaborate effects, licensing fees and rotating sets) decided to stage a test run in Toronto, [[CanadaEh Canada]]. The reviews, however, were scathing. Despite being scored by the film's composer (Howard Shore) and featuring a cast of heavyweight dramatic actors, the musical was a plodding, confusing mess that haphazardly cut out large chunks of the source material (even though the musical was almost ''four hours'' long). The rest was filled with overwrought narration, hammy performances and ridiculous effects (the Balrog is represented by a large tissue-paper blow-up doll that is backed by wind blowing into the audience's faces). [[http://www.macleans.ca/article.jsp?content=20070709_107127_107127 The producers promised Toronto's mayor that "The Nerds Would Come"]] - in the end, the show was panned by audiences as well as critics, closed down after five months (despite the producers promising the show would run much, much longer) and resulted in a financial loss for both the producers (who opened the show in [[http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/theatre/story/2007/06/19/uk-lotr-opening.html London]] a year later, to the exact same result) and the city of Toronto.

* Possibly the worst act in the history of show business was the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherry_Sisters Cherry Sisters]], who created a routine of morality skits and songs intended to be variously patriotic and uplifting, called "Something Good, Something Sad". The sad part, to which the sisters were oblivious, is they had no talent whatsoever. While their neighbors in Marion, Iowa, received them politely, the rest of Iowa and the Midwest thought otherwise, and hurled voluminous amounts of rotten produce and eggs, plus the occasional hard object, at the sisters. After one of them was sprayed in the face with a fire extinguisher, theater managers interposed a wire mesh curtain between the Cherries and their audience. Despite universally bad reviews, the sisters firmly believed that the fault was neither in their stars nor themselves, but in their detractors, whom the sisters thought could not appreciate wholesome entertainment. In 1896, Oscar Hammerstein I booked the sisters to play his new Olympia Music Hall in New York City, which was not doing well due to poor location. According to ''Variety'', he did so because he reasoned that if he couldn't draw crowds with the best acts, he would try his luck with the worst. For several weeks, the Cherry Sisters played to packed houses. They continued to ignore bad reviews (which now included ''The New York Times'') and thrown objects, declaring that if so many people came to see them they must be the best act in the country. After this engagement, the sisters returned to Iowa and to savage audiences and reviewers alike. After newspapers all over Iowa reprinted a particularly nasty item from the ''Odebolt Chronicle'' in 1898 which began by describing the Cherry Sisters' physical appearance in unflattering terms, the sisters sued that paper and the ''Des Moines Register'' for libel. The trial included a performance of the act, and judgment was given in favor of the defending newspapers. Undaunted, the sisters appealed, and on May 28, 1901, the Iowa Supreme Court delivered a stinging rebuke to the sisters.
This ruling is cited to this day as a major precedent in cases involving theatrical and other critics. Despite losing their suit, the Cherries continued to perform until one of them suddenly died in 1903. ''Variety'' described them as "the worst act in America". Mercifully, none of the sisters married or had children, and the only sound recording of one of the sisters vanished decades ago. For the next fifty years, vaudevillians and others would describe a bad act as "a road company of the Cherry Sisters".

* Possibly the worst act in the history of show business was the Cherry Sisters, who created a routine of morality skits and songs intended to be variously patriotic and uplifting, called "Something Good, Something Sad". The sad part, to which the sisters were oblivious, is they had no talent whatsoever. While their neighbors in Marion, Iowa, received them politely, the rest of Iowa and the Midwest thought otherwise, and hurled voluminous amounts of rotten produce and eggs, plus the occasional hard object, at the sisters. After one of them was sprayed in the face with a fire extinguisher, theater managers interposed a wire mesh curtain between the Cherries and their audience. Despite universally bad reviews, the sisters firmly believed that the fault was neither in their stars nor themselves, but in their detractors, whom the sisters thought could not appreciate wholesome entertainment. In 1896, Oscar Hammerstein I booked the sisters to play his new Olympia Music Hall in New York City, which was not doing well due to poor location. According to ''Variety'', he did so because he reasoned that if he couldn't draw crowds with the best acts, he would try his luck with the worst. For several weeks, the Cherry Sisters played to packed houses. They continued to ignore bad reviews (which now included ''The New York Times'') and thrown objects, declaring that if so many people came to see them they must be the best act in the country. After this engagement, the sisters returned to Iowa and to savage audiences and reviewers alike. After newspapers all over Iowa reprinted a particularly nasty item from the ''Odebolt Chronicle'' in 1898 which began by describing the Cherry Sisters' physical appearance in unflattering terms, the sisters sued that paper and the ''Des Moines Register'' for libel. The trial included a performance of the act, and judgment was given in favor of the defending newspapers. Undaunted, the sisters appealed, and on May 28, 1901, the Iowa Supreme Court delivered a stinging rebuke to the sisters, concluding:\\\
"Ridicule is often the strongest weapon in the hands of a public writer; and, if it be fairly used, the presumption of malice which would otherwise arise is rebutted, and it becomes necessary to introduce evidence of actual malice, or of some indirect motive or wish to gratify private spite. There is a manifest distinction between matters of fact and comment on or criticism of undisputed facts or conduct. Unless this be true, liberty of speech and of the press guarantied by the Constitution is nothing more than a name. If there ever was a case justifying ridicule and sarcasm,--aye, even gross exaggeration,--it is the one now before us. According to the record, the performance given by the plaintiff and the company of which she was a member was not only childish, but ridiculous in the extreme. A dramatic critic should be allowed considerable license in such a case. The public should be informed as to the character of the entertainment, and, in the absence of proof of actual malice, the publication should be held privileged. There is another rule of general application, now well known to the profession, that is involved, and that is that a motion to direct a verdict should be sustained when it clearly appears to the trial judge that it would be his duty to set aside a verdict in favor of the party on whom the burden of proof rests…. Viewing the evidence in the light of the rules heretofore announced, and remembering that the trial court had the plaintiff before it and saw her repeat some of the performances given by her on the stage, we are of the opinion that there was no error in directing a verdict for the defendants. Affirmed." --''Cherry v. Des Moines Register, et. al.'', 114 Iowa 298, 86 N. W. 323\\\

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* Back in the 1800s, someone made a production called ''The Play Without An "A"'', the script being made without words with an "A" in them. The end result was really difficult to perform. Nowadays it ''might'' be considered SoBadItsGood, but it was produced in France at a time when everyone was very high society and thought humor was impudent and disgraceful. The play only had one performance, because the audience was so disgusted by it they rioted and stopped the show. It hasn't seen the light of day since.

* The first version of ''Theatre/SpiderManTurnOffTheDark''. The second version of the show opened to a lukewarm reception in mid-2011 and fits on the [[SoBadItsGood other end of the spectrum]]. The original version, which went into previews in the fall of 2010, suffered from severe bouts of AdaptationDisplacement and CriticalResearchFailure, glacial pacing, craptacular music, and terrifyingly wooden acting. It also had a most cringeworthy example of a Greek chorus: a "geek chorus" of teenagers writing a comic book. Audiences routinely condemned it and it didn't fare much better with critics who chose not to wait for the constantly postponed official opening and instead reviewed it during this preview period. The majority of the previews also had massive technical issues (one incident caught on video involved Spider Man's wire harness breaking and the performer falling a considerable height). Director Julie Taymor was fired and songwriters Bono & The Edge threatened to disown it unless it was retooled considerably. The result was much better received by audiences. Critics still hated it, but not as much, and it garnered a small fanbase before closing in January 2013.

* Joe Brooks' ''In My Life'' was a mercifully short lived broadway musical, and his last before the legal troubles hit him later in his life. The show concerned a man with Tourette's Syndrome and a brain tumor. Supporting characters included his bike-riding dead sister and a guardian angel, who was a transvestite. The show was rife with UnfortunateImplications and disgustingly corny boy-band ballads, painful dialogue and disgusting attempts to turn the subject matter into a happy-go-lucky matter (a sample lyric: ''"Here's a little rumour/Someone's got a tumor"''). To make things worse, there were nonsensical amounts of MindScrew, including a character who collects dolls made out of seashells and eats gummy bears for breakfast, and a finale featuring a giant lemon. Your [[YourHeadAsplode head will explode]] trying to make sense of the thing. The show opened to critical and audience slamming, making it to the top spot of many "Worst Musicals of the year" list, and no one was sorry when it was closed down due to disastrous reception after a month.
* One would think that a stage musical based off of ''LordOfTheRings'' would be a recipe for success, right? Not so, if the 2006 production was any indication. After being unable to find a suitable British theatre to mount the production, the producers (who had spent an estimated $27 million on elaborate effects, licensing fees and rotating sets) decided to stage a test run in Toronto, [[CanadaEh Canada]]. The reviews, however, were scathing. Despite being scored by the film's composer (Howard Shore) and featuring a cast of heavyweight dramatic actors, the musical was a plodding, confusing mess that haphazardly cut out large chunks of the source material (even though the musical was almost ''four hours'' long). The rest was filled with overwrought narration, hammy performances and ridiculous effects (the Balrog is represented by a large tissue-paper blow-up doll that is backed by wind blowing into the audience's faces). [[http://www.macleans.ca/article.jsp?content=20070709_107127_107127 The producers promised Toronto's mayor that "The Nerds Would Come"]] - in the end, the show was panned by audiences as well as critics, closed down after five months (despite the producers promising the show would run much, much longer) and resulted in a financial loss for both the producers (who opened the show in [[http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/theatre/story/2007/06/19/uk-lotr-opening.html London]] a year later, to the exact same result) and the city of Toronto.

* The first version of ''Theatre/SpiderManTurnOffTheDark''. The second version of the show opened to a lukewarm reception and fits on the [[SoBadItsGood other end of the spectrum]]. The original version suffered from severe bouts of AdaptationDisplacement and CriticalResearchFailure, glacial pacing, craptacular music and terrifyingly wooden acting. It also had the most cringeworthy example of a Greek chorus which consisted of a group of teenagers (a "geek chorus") writing a comic book. Audiences routinely condemned it and it didn't fare much better with critics who chose not to wait for the constantly postponed official opening and instead reviewed it during this preview period. The majority of the previews had massive technical issues (one incident caught on video involved Spider Man's wire harness breaking and the performer falling a considerable height). Director Julie Taymor was fired and songwriters Bono & The Edge threatened to disown it unless it was retooled considerably. Which it was, and the result was much better received by audiences. Critics still hated it, but not as much, and the show has fans and continues to attract more people today.
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What truly pushes it over the edge, however, is how it dives into material that could be deemed ridden with UnfortunateImplications if one thought the writers had the subtlety to "imply" anything, such as: Superman getting hit with "pixie dust" and turning into a CampGay stereotype, making Bill and Ted uncomfortable before he leaves the stage to submit to the whims of a similarly fey Creator/GeorgeTakei; [[UsefulNotes/NorthKorea Kim Jong-un]] [[AsianSpeekeeEngrish mixing up his "L"s and "R"s]]; [[Film/AnchormanTheLegendOfRonBurgundy Ron Burgundy]] making comparisons between Munchkin Land, "a very colorful place full of lots of unemployed people who barely speak English," and Van Nuys; and the strong implication that WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph is [[BlackComedyRape going to rape]] an unconscious Music/NickiMinaj. ''Vice'' magazine [[http://www.vice.com/read/the-bill-and-ted-show-at-universal-studios-is-super-homophobic-and-also-racist-and-terrible wrote a scathing article about the production]], and coincidentally enough, [[http://www.avclub.com/articles/universal-studios-shuts-down-bill-and-ted-show-aft,104691/ Universal decided to pull the show a few days later.]]

* ''BillAndTed's Halloween Adventure'' is part of UniversalStudios' Theatre/HalloweenHorrorNights theme event. The play typically features Bill and Ted going on some comic adventure that's ostensibly in line with either Halloween or the Universal stable; for the 2013 production at the Hollywood park, this was Bill and Ted being whisked away to Oz.[[note]]For what it's worth, the Orlando show wasn't nearly as Horrible, owing to different creative teams at the two parks; maybe Hollywood should take cues from Orlando in 2014. (It was themed around the ''Franchise/EvilDead'' remake and a BrainwashedAndCrazy Music/TaylorSwift creating a Deadite army out of teen pop stars.)[[/note]] It was also outstandingly horrible. The humor involved would be one level of it, as most of it's made up of tired pop culture references the likes of which might make Creator/SeltzerAndFriedberg feel some modicum of shame.\\
\\
What truly pushes it over the edge, however, is how it dives into material that could be deemed ridden with UnfortunateImplications if one thought the writers had the subtlety to "imply" anything, such as: Superman getting hit with "pixie dust" and turning into a CampGay stereotype, making Bill and Ted uncomfortable before he leaves the stage to submit to the whims of a similarly fey GeorgeTakei; [[UsefulNotes/NorthKorea Kim Jong-un]] [[AsianSpeekeeEngrish mixing up his "L"s and "R"s]]; [[Film/AnchormanTheLegendOfRonBurgundy Ron Burgundy]] making comparisons between Munchkin Land, "a very colorful place full of lots of unemployed people who barely speak English," and Van Nuys; and the strong implication that WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph is [[BlackComedyRape going to rape]] an unconscious Music/NickiMinaj. ''Vice'' magazine [[http://www.vice.com/read/the-bill-and-ted-show-at-universal-studios-is-super-homophobic-and-also-racist-and-terrible wrote a scathing article about the production]], and coincidentally enough, [[http://www.avclub.com/articles/universal-studios-shuts-down-bill-and-ted-show-aft,104691/ Universal decided to pull the show a few days later.]]

* ''BillAndTed's Halloween Adventure'' is part of UniversalStudios' Theatre/HalloweenHorrorNights theme event. The play typically features Bill and Ted going on some comic adventure that's ostensibly in line with either Halloween or the Universal stable; for the 2013 production at the Hollywood park, this was Bill and Ted being whisked away to Oz.[[note]]For what it's worth, the Orlando show wasn't nearly as Horrible, owing to different creative teams at the two parks; maybe Hollywood should take cues from Orlando in 2014. (It was themed around the ''Franchise/EvilDead'' remake and a BrainwashedAndCrazy Music/TaylorSwift creating a Deadite army out of teen pop stars.)[[/note]] It was also outstandingly horrible. The humor involved would be one level of it, as most of it's made up of tired pop culture references the likes of which might make Creator/SeltzerAndFriedberg feel some modicum of shame. What truly pushes it over the edge, however, is how it dives into material that could be deemed ridden with UnfortunateImplications if one thought the writers had the subtlety to "imply" anything, such as: Superman getting hit with "pixie dust" and turning into a CampGay stereotype, making Bill and Ted uncomfortable before he leaves the stage to submit to the whims of a similarly fey GeorgeTakei; [[UsefulNotes/NorthKorea Kim Jong-un]] [[AsianSpeekeeEngrish mixing up his "L"s and "R"s]]; [[Film/AnchormanTheLegendOfRonBurgundy Ron Burgundy]] making comparisons between Munchkin Land, "a very colorful place full of lots of unemployed people who barely speak English," and Van Nuys; and the strong implication that WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph is [[BlackComedyRape going to rape]] an unconscious Music/NickiMinaj. ''Vice'' magazine [[http://www.vice.com/read/the-bill-and-ted-show-at-universal-studios-is-super-homophobic-and-also-racist-and-terrible wrote a scathing article about the production]], and coincidentally enough, [[http://www.avclub.com/articles/universal-studios-shuts-down-bill-and-ted-show-aft,104691/ Universal decided to pull the show a few days later.]]

* ''BillAndTed's Halloween Adventure'' is part of UniversalStudios' Theatre/HollywoodHorrorNights theme event. The play typically features Bill and Ted going on some comic adventure that's ostensibly in line with either Halloween or the Universal stable; for the 2013 production at the Hollywood park, this was Bill and Ted being whisked away to Oz.[[note]]For what it's worth, the Orlando show wasn't nearly as Horrible, owing to different creative teams at the two parks; maybe Hollywood should take cues from Orlando in 2014. (It was themed around the ''Franchise/EvilDead'' remake and a BrainwashedAndCrazy Music/TaylorSwift creating a Deadite army out of teen pop stars.)[[/note]] It was also outstandingly horrible. The humor involved would be one level of it, as most of it's made up of tired pop culture references the likes of which might make Creator/SeltzerAndFriedberg feel some modicum of shame. What truly pushes it over the edge, however, is how it dives into material that could be deemed ridden with UnfortunateImplications if one thought the writers had the subtlety to "imply" anything, such as: Superman getting hit with "pixie dust" and turning into a CampGay stereotype, making Bill and Ted uncomfortable before he leaves the stage to submit to the whims of a similarly fey GeorgeTakei; [[UsefulNotes/NorthKorea Kim Jong-un]] [[AsianSpeekeeEngrish mixing up his "L"s and "R"s]]; [[Film/AnchormanTheLegendOfRonBurgundy Ron Burgundy]] making comparisons between Munchkin Land, "a very colorful place full of lots of unemployed people who barely speak English," and Van Nuys; and the strong implication that WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph is [[BlackComedyRape going to rape]] an unconscious Music/NickiMinaj. ''Vice'' magazine [[http://www.vice.com/read/the-bill-and-ted-show-at-universal-studios-is-super-homophobic-and-also-racist-and-terrible wrote a scathing article about the production]], and coincidentally enough, [[http://www.avclub.com/articles/universal-studios-shuts-down-bill-and-ted-show-aft,104691/ Universal decided to pull the show a few days later.]]

* ''[[BillAndTed Bill and Ted]]'s Halloween Adventure'' was part of Universal Studios' Hollywood Horror Nights theme event in Los Angeles. The play typically features Bill and Ted going on some adventure that's ostensibly in line with either Halloween or the Universal stable; for the 2013 production, this was Bill and Ted being whisked away to Oz. It was also outstandingly horrible. The humor involved would be one level of it, as most of it's made up of tired pop culture references the likes of which might make SeltzerAndFriedberg feel some modicum of shame. But then it dives into material that could be deemed ridden with UnfortunateImplications if one thought the writers had the subtlety to "imply" anything, such as: Superman getting hit with "pixie dust" and turning into a CampGay stereotype, making Bill and Ted uncomfortable before he leaves the stage to submit to the whims of a similarly fey GeorgeTakei; Kim Jong-Un mixing up his "L"s and "R"s; [[AnchormanTheLegendOfRonBurgundy Ron Burgundy]] making comparisons between Munchkin Land, "a very colorful place full of lots of unemployed people who barely speak English," and Van Nuys; and the strong implication that WreckItRalph is [[BlackComedyRape going to rape an unconscious Nicki Minaj]]. Vice Magazine [[http://www.vice.com/read/the-bill-and-ted-show-at-universal-studios-is-super-homophobic-and-also-racist-and-terrible wrote a scathing article about the production]] and, coincidentally enough, [[http://www.avclub.com/articles/universal-studios-shuts-down-bill-and-ted-show-aft,104691/ Universal decided to pull the show a few days later]].

* ''[[BillAndTed Bill and Ted]]'s Halloween Adventure'' was part of Universal Studios' Hollywood Horror Nights theme event in Los Angeles. The play that features Bill and Ted going on some adventure; for the 2013 production, this was Bill and Ted being whisked away to Oz. It was also outstandingly horrible. The humor involved would be one level of it, as most of it's made up of tired pop culture references the likes of which might make SeltzerAndFriedberg feel some modicum of shame. But then it dives into material that could be deemed ridden with UnfortunateImplications if one thought the writers had the subtlety to "imply" anything, such as: Superman getting hit with "pixie dust" and turning into a CampGay stereotype, making Bill and Ted uncomfortable before he leaves the stage to submit to the whims of a similarly fey GeorgeTakei; Kim Jong-Un mixing up his "L"s and "R"s; [[AnchormanTheLegendOfRonBurgundy Ron Burgundy]] making comparisons between Munchkin Land, "a very colorful place full of lots of unemployed people who barely speak English," and Van Nuys; and the strong implication that WreckItRalph is [[BlackComedyRape going to rape an unconscious Nicki Minaj]]. Vice Magazine [[http://www.vice.com/read/the-bill-and-ted-show-at-universal-studios-is-super-homophobic-and-also-racist-and-terrible wrote a scathing article about the production]] and, coincidentally enough, [[http://www.avclub.com/articles/universal-studios-shuts-down-bill-and-ted-show-aft,104691/ Universal decided to pull the show a few days later]].

** In the wake of their success with their seasonal production ''{{Wintuk}}'' in New York City, they made a stab at an off-Broadway resident show. The result was ''Theatre/BananaShpeel'', a production so bad it didn't even appeal to die-hard fans of Cirque, or even Guy Laliberte ''himself''. The show was a twist on vaudeville humour, and promised a mix of slapstick and acrobatics. Instead, the show consisted of an annoying JerkAss running around [[ChewingTheScenery shouting nonsense]], lame bathroom humour, stupid slapstick gags about being spat on or slapped, and maybe two Cirque-ish setpieces. The show flopped in its 2009 tryout run in Chicago and even after a substantial retool opened to condemnation from audiences and critics in New York. Hoping to spark interest, a tour was attempted, but it made it only to one stop in Canada before being shut down for good. With ''Theatre/CrissAngelBelieve'' getting panned hardcore, ''ZAIA'' struggling to sell tickets in China, and ''OVO'' and ''Theatre/VivaElvis'' getting mixed receptions in North America, this further ran Cirque's reputation into the ground. Thankfully the company managed to make a comeback creatively with 2010's ''Totem'', and even made a happy return to the Big Apple with ''Zarkana'' in 2011.
** The current version of ''Theatre/CrissAngelBelieve''. The first version was poorly received, but it has its fans. In 2010, he dropped the acrobatics and storyline, and reduced it to a lame-ass stand-up comedy show with one dance act and lame tricks that can be seen at an elementary school talent show -- doves appear from his jacket and so forth. Worse, there's ''still'' a hideous amount of SpecialEffectsFailure (wire harnesses visible, trapdoors obvious), and he often makes racist remarks and embarrasses people in the audience (but not in the traditional Cirque way, where the poor bastard still has fun regardless). It's baffling that it bears the Cirque namesake now; it only continues to run because of the 10-year contract Angel signed with the Luxor resort.

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* Acclaimed company CirqueDuSoleil are known for their usually well-reviewed productions, but when they stray too far from their comfort zone...

** The current version of ''Theatre/CrissAngelBelieve''. The first version was poorly received, but it has its fans. In 2010, he dropped the acrobatics and storyline, and reduced it to a lame ass stand-up comedy show with one dance act and lame tricks that can be seen at an elementary school talent show -- doves appear from his jacket and so forth. Worse, there's ''still'' a hideous amount of SpecialEffectsFailure (wire harnesses visible, trapdoors obvious), and he often makes racist remarks and embarrasses people in the audience (but not in the traditional Cirque way, where the poor bastard still has fun regardless). It's baffling that it bears the Cirque namesake now; it only continues to run because of the 10-year contract Angel signed with the Luxor resort.

** In the wake of their success with their seasonal production ''{{Wintuk}}'' in New York City, they made a stab at an off-Broadway resident show. The result was ''BananaShpeel'', a production so bad it didn't even appeal to die-hard fans of Cirque, or even Guy Laliberte ''himself''. The show was a twist on vaudeville humour, and promised a mix of slapstick and acrobatics. Instead, the show consisted of an annoying JerkAss running around [[ChewingTheScenery shouting nonsense]], lame bathroom humour, stupid slapstick gags about being spat on or slapped, and maybe two Cirque-ish setpieces. The show flopped in its 2009 tryout run in Chicago and even after a substantial retool opened to condemnation from audiences and critics in New York. Hoping to spark interest, a tour was attempted, but it made it only to one stop in Canada before being shut down for good. With ''Theatre/CrissAngelBelieve'' getting panned hardcore, ''ZAIA'' struggling to sell tickets in China, and ''OVO'' and ''Theatre/VivaElvis'' getting mixed receptions in North America, this further ran Cirque's reputation into the ground. Thankfully the company managed to make a comeback creatively with 2010's ''Totem'', and even made a happy return to the Big Apple with ''Zarkana'' in 2011.

** In the wake of their success with their seasonal production ''{{Wintuk}}'' in New York City, they made a stab at an off-Broadway resident show. The result was ''BananaShpeel'', a production so bad it didn't even appeal to die-hard fans of Cirque, or even Guy Laliberte ''himself''. The show was a twist on vaudeville humour, and promised a mix of slapstick and acrobatics. Instead, the show consisted of an annoying JerkAss running around [[ChewingTheScenery shouting nonsense]], lame bathroom humour, stupid slapstick gags about being spat on or slapped, and maybe two Cirque-ish setpieces. The show flopped in its 2009 tryout run in Chicago and even after a substantial retool opened to condemnation from audiences and critics in New York. Hoping to spark interest, a tour was attempted, but it made it only to one stop in Canada before being shut down for good. With ''Theatre/CrissAngelBelieve'' getting panned hardcore, ''ZAIA'' struggling to sell tickets in China, and ''OVO'' and ''VivaElvis'' getting mixed receptions in North America, this further ran Cirque's reputation into the ground. Thankfully the company managed to make a comeback creatively with 2010's ''Totem'', and even made a happy return to the Big Apple with ''{{Zarkana}}'' in 2011.

** In the wake of their success with their seasonal production ''{{Wintuk}}'' in New York City, they made a stab at an off-Broadway resident show. The result was ''BananaShpeel'', a production so bad it didn't even appeal to die-hard fans of Cirque, or even Guy Laliberte ''himself''. The show was a twist on vaudeville humour, and promised a mix of slapstick and acrobatics. Instead, the show consisted of an annoying JerkAss running around [[ChewingTheScenery shouting nonsense]], lame bathroom humour, stupid slapstick gags about being spat on or slapped, and maybe two Cirque-ish setpieces. The show flopped in its 2009 tryout run in Chicago and even after a substantial retool opened to condemnation from audiences and critics in New York. Hoping to spark interest, a tour was attempted, but it made it only to one stop in Canada before being shut down for good. With ''CrissAngelBelieve'' getting panned hardcore, ''ZAIA'' struggling to sell tickets in China, and ''OVO'' and ''VivaElvis'' getting mixed receptions in North America, this further ran Cirque's reputation into the ground. Thankfully the company managed to make a comeback creatively with 2010's ''Totem'', and even made a happy return to the Big Apple with ''{{Zarkana}}'' in 2011.