History MisaimedFandom / Theatre

* ''Myth/WilliamTell'', as adapted by Friedrich Schiller or Gioachino Rossini, is quite unambiguously a tale of freedom and justice triumphing over tyranny and despotism, as symbolised by Tell refusing to [[CargoCult bow down to a hat that the Duke Gessler had planted atop a pole (also known in German parlance as the 'Gesslerhut')]]. The only famous person who seemed to have missed the point was a certain UsefulNotes/HermannGoring, who had two catholic priests that had refused to greet him sent to Dachau, where they were forced to salute Göring's cap on a pole, in clear homage of Gessler's hat.

** When ''Theatre/TheThreepennyOpera'' first premiered in Berlin in 1928, it was a satirical indictment of the bourgeoisie. It was a major popular success among all audiences. The songs from this play and ''Theatre/TheRiseAndFallOfTheCityOfMahagonny'' were intended to have StylisticSuck and parody opera ended up becoming highly popular songs in their own right. This is especially the case with "Alabama Song" that was intentionally written by Brecht ''in bad English'' but ended up being CoveredUp by rock musicians like Music/TheDoors and Music/DavidBowie.

* The Tea Party likes to use "Tomorrow Belongs To Me" from ''Theatre/{{Cabaret}}'' as a rally song for "taking back the country." It is unknown how many of them know that the song was used to symbolically represent the rise of '''UsefulNotes/NaziGermany'''. (This is partly AdaptationDisplacement: in the stage version, the song only became associated with Nazis in a reprise.)
** "Tomorrow Belongs to Me" already suffers from MisaimedFandom by ''actual'' Neo-Nazis.

*** In both cases the quote is probably regarded as the important thing and as essentially true (the devil does not have to lie all the time). And while Leipzig (home of one of Germany's oldest universities that was not just Goethe's alma mater) may use the first quote to advertise itself, there was never a fandom for the character of ''Bürger Frosch''. Mephisto does have a bit of a fandom, however, and the actual ''Auerbachs Keller'' has erected statues of him and Faust next to its entrance.

** "Hath not a Jew eyes..." in particular - most scholars agree that the purpose of this soliloquy is to demonstrate that Shylock ''does not actually understand what a human being is'', since the only trait he describes unique to humans is vengeance, a vice associated with Jews. Now it's usually treated as a showcase of his humanity and how he's been wronged by Christianity.[[note]]Yet the main characters are just as sneaky and/or vengeful as Shylock is. This is really less Misaimed Fandom and more simple YMMV. [[FairForItsDay The social conventions of the time also feed into it,]] making it much harder to take Shylock at face value.[[/note]]

** ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'' is subjected to two different yet equally wrong misreadings, usually because people who talk about it seem to have not read it.

*** On the same note, "Brevity is the soul of wit". ''Hamlet'' is Shakespeare's longest, most verbose play, with the most psychological intricacy and some of the most well known quotations that have ever passed into common usage. [[BrokenAesop So formally speaking, "brevity" is NOT the soul of wit]]. It is also another line uttered by Polonius, who is the local OldWindbag.

** ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'' is subjected to two different yet equally wrong misreadings, usually because people who talk about it seem to have not read it. On the one hand, you get the MisaimedFandom who seems not to realize that Romeo and Juliet die, and it's a tragedy (hence, it is called [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet]]). On the other hand, you have people who assume it's not actually a love story and that Romeo and Juliet are just stupid over-dramatic teenagers who should have listened to their parents, even though those parents are too busy fighting out a completely pointless feud to really do any sort of parenting (which is a big cause of why Romeo and Juliet's relationship is doomed). Romeo and Juliet mishandled their love for each other, but they ''were'' in love.

** ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'' gets two helpings of this, usually because people who talk about it seem to have not read it. One the one hand, you get the MisaimedFandom who seems not to realize that Romeo and Juliet die, and it's a tragedy (hence, it is called The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin seriously]]). On the other hand, you have people who assume it's not actually a love story and that Romeo and Juliet are just stupid over-dramatic teenagers who should have listened to their parents, even though those parents are too busy being locked in a completely pointless feud to really do any sort of parenting (which is a big cause of why Romeo and Juliet's relationship is doomed) and even though their lines about being in love are some of the best poetry Shakespeare's written. Romeo and Juliet mishandled their love for each other, but they ''were'' in love.

** Nobody is quite sure whether ''Theatre/{{Coriolanus}}'' is meant to be a straightforward (if tragic) glorification of manliness and martial virtue or a {{Deconstruction}} thereof, but the trope applies either way, as the text has been both very popular among 20th-century fascists (who adored the hero for his rhetoric and badassery) ''and'' left-leaning revolutionary thinkers, like the aforementioned Bert Brecht (who adored the text for portraying the same hero as an absolute dumbass and the antithesis of functional society).

** When ''Theatre/TheThreepennyOpera'' first premiered in Berlin in 1928, it was a satirical indictment of the bourgeoisie. It was a major popular success among all audiences. The songs from this play and ''The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny'' were intended to have StylisticSuck and parody opera ended up becoming highly popular songs in their own right. This is especially the case with "Alabama Song" that was intentionally written by Brecht ''in bad English'' but ended up being CoveredUp by rock musicians like Music/TheDoors and Music/DavidBowie.

*** Proto-Feminist scholars once saw Portia as a positive female character since she demonstrates active agency, has more guile than the heroes and eloquently voices her views in law. Modern audiences see her as a DesignatedHero who is more or less party to state persecution of Jews and whose formerly beloved 'the quality of mercy' speech is one where she more or less states that Christians are more merciful than Jews, which a modern audience no longer sees as anything other than religious propaganda, and which considering the overall conceit of the play is nothing more than {{Hypocrisy}} and MoralMyopia.

** Nobody is quite sure whether ''Theatre/{{Coriolanus}}'' is meant to be a straightforward (if tragic) glorification of manliness and martial virtue or a {{Deconstruction}} thereof, but the trope applies either way, as the text has been both very popular among 20th-century fascists (who adored the hero for his rhetoric and being a {{Badass}}) ''and'' left-leaning revolutionary thinkers, like the aforementioned Bert Brecht (who adored the text for portraying the same hero as an absolute dumbass and the antithesis of functional society).

** Brecht of course would see most productions of the Threepenny Opera as ComicallyMissingThePoint since most of them are {{Bowdlerization}}, especially "The Ballad of Mack the Knife" which is famous for being a classic in the jazz repertoire as a swinging song about a womanizing dandy called "Mack the Knife" (and crooned by the likes of Music/LouisArmstrong, Music/BobbyDarin and Music/FrankSinatra). The original song is a MurderBallad about a SerialKiller, SerialRapist who commits acts [[WouldHurtAChild of arson that leads to the death of many orphans]] and the song and the opera in general is a portrayal of prostitution that criticizes the oppression of women who are forced into abusive relationships with pimps who would kill them without a second thought. The Bowdlerization more or less makes Mack the Knife a LoveableRogue in the mould of the original ''Theatre/TheBeggarsOpera'' and perpetuate the same romanticism that Brecht is criticizing.

** Nobody is quite sure whether ''Theatre/{{Coriolanus}}'' is meant to be a straightforward glorification of manliness and martial virtue or a {{Deconstruction}} thereof, but the trope applies either way, as the text has been both very popular among 20th-century fascists (who adored the hero for his rhetoric and being a {{Badass}}) ''and'' left-leaning revolutionary thinkers, like the aforementioned Bert Brecht (who adored the text for portraying the same hero as an absolute dumbass and the antithesis of functional society).

** Nobody is quite sure whether ''Theatre/{{Coriolanus}}'' is meant to be a straightforward glorification of manliness and martial virtue or a {{Deconstruction}} thereof, but the trope applies either way, as the text has been both very popular among 20th-century fascists (who adored the hero for his rhetoric and being a {{Badass}}) ''and'' left-leaning revolutionary thinkers, like the aforementioned Bert Brecht (who adore the text for portraying the same hero as an absolute dumbass and the antithesis of functional society).

** Nobody is quite sure whether ''Theatre/{{Coriolanus}}'' is meant to be a straightforward glorification of manliness and martial virtue or a {{Deconstruction}} thereof, but the trope applies either way, as the text has been both very popular among 20th-century fascists (who adored the hero for his rhetoric and being a {{Badass}}) ''and'' left-leaning revolutionary thinkers, like the aforementioned Bert Brecht (who adore the text for portraying the same hero as an absolute dumbass).

* The most famous quote of ''Theatre/NoExit'' is "Hell is other people!", showing [[ItWasHisSled the famous plot twist]] that the characters' IronicHell is just being stuck in a room with each other forever. It's often brought up was a justification for antisocial behavior, but the point of the story was that all the main characters are enormous jerks who are incapable of forming positive relationships. It wasn't that ''all'' social activity was bad, just social activity with toxic people.
* There are a few ''Theatre/BeMoreChill'' fans who think having a SQUIP ''would'' be helpful and cool, especially for those who struggle in social situations, even though the musical makes it pretty clear that [[BrainwashedAndCrazy the side]] [[DrivenToMadness effects]] seriously outweigh the short-term benefits.
* Much like the other adaptations, there are fans of ''Theatre/{{Beetlejuice}}'' that ship Beetlejuice with Lydia. This sect of the fandom is particularly odd because there's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwdE-mqXgNc an entire song in the musical]] when Lydia [[spoiler:agrees to marry him only as part of a plan to kill him]] dedicated to mocking the senseless idea of her being attracted to him, as well as highlighting the pedophilic overtones of the ship.
* People occasionally misintrepret ''Theatre/{{Chicago}}'' as feminist, most notably taking the "they had it comin'" refrain of "Cell Block Tango" at face value to frame it as a song about fighting abuse. In reality, the show is a satire on the American prison system and media circus, and while there's a good share of [[AssholeVictim Asshole Victims,]] most of the murder is a case of DisproportionateRetribution- one of the murderesses kills her husband for ''popping his gum.''
* "Theatre/TheBookOfMormon" - A lot of atheists love the musical despite the show having a message of being accepting of religious faith and showing faith in God in a very positive light.

*** On the same note, "Brevity is the soul of wit". ''Hamlet'' is Shakespeare's longest, most verbose play, with the most psychological intricacy and some of the most well known quotations that have ever passed into common usage. [[BrokenAesop So formally speaking, "brevity" is NOT the soul of wit]].

* Troy, the protagonist of ''Theatre/Fences'' is often held up as a "proper" man and father who raises his child with tough love and teaches him to respect authority, particularly with the famous "Why don't you like me" scene. What those fans tend to overlook is that Troy's behavior is mostly a result of his insecurities and overwhelming pride. Even though he tells his son that he doesn't ''have'' to like him, the truth is that he really does but cannot bring himself to be that vulnerable towards his son. And that behavior combined with him sabotaging his son's chances at playing football in college out of insecurity at the fact that HE wasn't able to play baseball professionally due to racism ultimately drives a wedge between him and his son that lasts until his death. This all combined with how he cheats on his wife paints the picture of a man who is not meant to be admired but to be pitied.

*** "Hath not a Jew eyes..." in particular - most scholars agree that the purpose of this soliloquy is to demonstrate that Shylock ''does not actually understand what a human being is'', since the only trait he describes unique to humans is vengeance, a vice associated with Jews. Now it's usually treated as a showcase of his humanity and how he's been wronged by Christianity.[[note]]Yet the main characters are just as sneaky and/or vengeful as Shylock is. This is really less Misaimed Fandom and more simple YMMV. [[FairForItsDay The social conventions of the time also feed into it,]] making it much harder to take Shylock at face value.[[/note]]

* "Theatre/TheBookOfMormon" - A lot of atheists love the musical despite the show having a message of being accepting of religious faith and showing faith in God in a very positive light.

* "Theatre/TheBookOfMormon" - A lot of atheists love thee musical despite the show having a message of being accepting of religious faith and showing faith in a very positive light.

* "Theatre/TheBookOfMormon" - A lot of atheist love thee musical despite the show having pro-religious message and showing faith in very positive light.

* "Theatre/TheBookOfMormon" - A lot of atheist love thee musical despite the show having pro-religious message and showing blind faith in very positive light.

* "Theatre/TheBookOfMormon" - Most Mormons love the show despite it being one big satire on their religion, while at the same time a lot of atheist love it despite the show having pro-religious message and showing blind faith in very positive light.

* Most Mormons love TheBookOfMormon despite the show having countless jokes at their expense, while at the same time a lot of atheist love it despite the show having pro-religious message and showing blind faith it in positive light. If there is one thing both religious and non-religious side agree on it appear to be this show.

* People occasionally misintrepret ''Theatre/{{Chicago}}'' as feminist, most notably taking the "they had it comin'" refrain of "Cell Block Tango" at face value to frame it as a song about fighting abuse. In reality, the show is a satire on the American prison system and media circus, and while there's a good share of [[AssholeVictim Asshole Victims,]] most of the murder is a case of DisproportionateRetribution- one of the murderesses kills her husband for ''popping his gum.''

* Much like the other adaptations, there are fans of ''Theatre/{{Beetlejuice}}'' that ship Beetlejuice with Lydia. This sect of the fandom is particularly odd because there's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwdE-mqXgNc an entire song in the musical]] when Lydia [[spoiler:agrees to marry him only as part of a plan to kill him]] dedicated to mocking the senseless idea of her being attracted to him, as well as highlighting the pedophilic overtones of the ship.

* Some fans of {{Theatre/Wicked}} actually believe that ''Wicked'' is the actual story of what happened and hate on ''Film/TheWizardOfOz'', and making the Wicked Witch out as a total victim, and Glinda as a manipulative ChessMaster. This was ''not'' Gregory Maguire's intention in the book the play is based on. He stated he wanted to heighten the mystery of the witch, not explain her. Elphaba is actually an AntiHero and WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds. What makes it even worse is that ''Wicked''/''Wizard Of Oz'' is ''not'' a chicken/egg situation. ''Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz'' and [[Film/TheWizardOfOz its famous movie adaptation]] came first.
** This depends a lot on whether you consider the book Wicked to be a different story from the musical Wicked - which a lot of people who are only fans of one of those do. In the musical, Elphaba is a fairly straightforward hero, albeit a KnightInSourArmor and ultimately a TragicHero. Fans who consider Glinda to be manipulative and evil are definitely [[RonTheDeathEater misguided]], though; Glinda was good and a true friend to Elphaba, even though she was the Wizard's PuppetKing.