Everybody isn't going to like everything.
That's why putting up works on Broadway is such a gamble.
I understand everything can't be "Hamilton" or "Wicked," and those shows have detractors as well...
But Broadway is still the best.
RedditorMicahxfrancowanted to compare notes on some of the worst stories ever to hit a Broadway stage. They asked:
"What is the worst Broadway show you’ve ever seen? I just saw Diana the Musical and now I want to know if there’s anything worse or equally as bad as that crap show."
Cats. Why is that still thing? And I'm sorry but Les Miz... too depressing.
Not so Pretty...
Julia Roberts Shopping GIF by SundanceTVGiphy"Worst is so hard to narrow down. Right now I'm going to say Pretty Woman or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."
yabasicjanet
Bad Bullets
"Bullets over Broadway. Got discount tickets and still wanted my money back. Although close tie with Paramour. That show had a lot of potential was the writing was so messy it brought the whole thing down."
herbiepunchbuggy
"I also saw Bullets Over Broadway and consider it one of those 'certainly not the best I’ve seen, but far form the worst.'. I’m actually a little surprised by the level of hate it’s getting in this thread!"
"I mean I’m certainly not going to defend it, and I basically remember nothing about it, but I feel it was more meh than godawful (for me personally the godawfuls are Dr Zhivago, Finian’s Rainbow, and Dear Evan Hansen). One of the stars of Bullets Over Broadway, Nick Cordero, was a very early-on and really very tragic casualty to Covid."
FancyPigeonIsFancy
"threesome with conjoined twins"
"It might have been the theater being cramped and me being tired, but Side Show was not a good time for me. All I really remember is the opening song (which had some actual cool makeup) and the 'threesome with conjoined twins' sequence."
"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was also pathetic, besides Christian Borle of course. Never getting over the set of the chocolate river being stuck inside a giant tiny glass cube instead of being an actual set."
hyperjengirl
No Shade but...
"Spider Man in previews. I was working it—handing out marketing surveys—so I got to slip into an empty seat once I was done taping all the surveys to seats. I felt sorry for anyone who paid for those seats. No shade to Reeve Carney or Patrick Page; they did what they could with horrendous material."
smol_lydia
Never Again
Robert De Niro Yes GIF by Tony AwardsGiphy"A Bronx Tale made me rethink my love of theatre."
svtxcvnb
"Didn’t love it, but in retrospect, I’m glad I had a chance to see Nick Cordero. He was great in it."
skymasterson2016
Thankfully I skipped all of those shows. I heard the same word of mouth.
WAR
this is a war GIF by All SaintsGiphy"War Paint. 100% the only show I've regretted paying to see."
IceCreamAttachment
Bad Jazz
"I had some friends visiting from Chicago, and I took them to see... Chicago with Christie Brinkley as Roxy Hart. IT WAS SO BAD. I mean Chicago isn't like Shakespeare or something, but the music is good and it's pretty unoffensive. This made me actively mad and embarrassed that this is what my friends saw on their first trip to Broadway!! I still feel so angry about it when I see Christie Brinkley on TV lol. She played Jerry's wife on Parks and Rec and it totally ruined the joke for me!!"
Mean-Responsibility4
“use your imagination.”
"The Bye Bye Birdie revival with John Stamos and Gina Gershon. Man was that just jaw-droppingly bad on so many levels. Allie Trimm as Kim was the one good thing about it. But I just felt terrible for everyone else, including the audience."
"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory too - mostly just the massive letdown of what could’ve been a production spectacle for the ages, and instead was 'use your imagination.' I also really loathed Hand to God and could not figure out why people around me were laughing. I thought it was so stupid."
At_the_Roundhouse
And yet...
"'In My Life' was astonishing. I saw it with some other actor types in an almost empty theater and it beggars description, it was so terrible. And yet... There was a sweet moment where the characters were in a recording booth that actually worked. The show was idiotic, the plot was insane, none of the characters made any sense but there was still this one lovely moment. If was definitely the worst show I've ever seen, but even the worst show had one magical thing in it, which is kinda wonderful."
gideonsean
Oh Puppets
"I just saw Mrs. Doubtfire… I know it’s still in previews, but the set almost fell down at one point. Everyone gasped. I just feel it would have been a better comedic play than a musical. But so far this season, that was my least favorite."
lgaudio1
"I just saw Mrs. Doubtfire too and I would like to beg Broadway to stop doing these movie to musical adaptations."
fairlyfocal
If Nothing...
“'If/Then' and then a pre-Broadway run of 'Roman Holiday.'"
BrilliantBluebird6
"I was looking for if/then. I saw it in DC before it went to Broadway and it wasn’t until intermission that I understood sort of what was going on. I couldn’t understand why scenes were basically being done twice. I was looking forward to a mini Rent reunion and was so disappointed."
blackknight1
Head West
audrey tautou amelie breaks the 4th wall GIF by MauditGiphy"The original Broadway 'Amélie.' However, the West End revival is one of my favorite shows of all time. Sadly it closed a few months ago."
euveginiadoubtfire
Huge disappointment...
"I tried to watch the new Pride and Prejudice musical during lockdown. I’m a huge Austen buff. But this was just… so ridiculously literal and explanatory… When the source material is so subtle! Austen never has to tell you that Lizzie is strong, smart and independent. You figure it out on your own."
"Here she literally starts by singing a number called « Headstrong » which is her going « Hi! I’m STRONG and refuse to conform to SOCIETAL NORMS ». It’s like all the characters know they’re in a show and feel the need to explain their personality to you instead of going about their lives. I couldn’t watch past the first couple scenes. Huge disappointment."
Litchee
“your ticketed seat”
"Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville I went with my mom on opening weekend and they had set malfunctions, stagehands literally running onto the stage while the actors were performing. The ushers were overly dogmatic about staying in 'your ticketed seat' even though the theater was a third full. It was quite the experience."
jimhoss
Please Die
"I know this show has it’s defenders, but Love Never Dies is the only show that I’ve walked out of, it was so bad but also so boring? I also saw the tour of Aladdin a few years back and I low key hated it. However, I’m not really the target audience, so I don’t mind (plus I got $20 seats)."
mneale324
Not Well Used
"I really wasn’t a fan of the 2018 revival of Carousel. To give it the benefit of the doubt, I did see it while it was still in previews. But there were times where it felt I was watching a high school production. It had a fabulous cast that was not very well-utilized. The choreography was simply incredible, though."
oofouchmybones27
So Many
advice preach GIF by Robert E BlackmonGiphy"Toss up between West side story revival and first date. Gettin’ the band back together was rough as well. But I actually thought the Diana revival was campy fun so different strokes for different folks I guess."
LightningLilac
Angst Issues
"This will probably stir up controversy, but I absolutely hated Be More Chill. George Salazar’s song carried the whole damn show and was the only enjoyable part of it."
Sperberino_
"The only reason it’s so popular is because it takes place in high school and somewhat mentions mental health. Angsty theater teens flock to that shit. I know I did. That’s the only reason it’s so highly rated."
CouselaBananaHammock
Well everything, everytime is not gonna be a hit. And more often than not we'll never understand why something was a hit.
But please keep supporting the theatre!!
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Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
Experiencing death is a fascinating and frightening idea.
Who doesn't want to know what is waiting for us on the other side?
But so many of us want to know and then come back and live a little longer.
It would be so great to be sure there is something else.
But the whole dying part is not that great, so we'll have to rely on other people's accounts.
Redditor AlaskaStiletto wanted to hear from everyone who has returned to life, so they asked:
"Redditors who have 'died' and come back to life, what did you see?"
Sensations
Happy Good Vibes GIF by Major League SoccerGiphy"My dad's heart stopped when he had a heart attack and he had to be brought back to life. He kept the paper copy of the heart monitor which shows he flatlined. He said he felt an overwhelming sensation of peace, like nothing he had felt before."
PeachesnPain
Recovery
"I had surgical complications in 2010 that caused a great deal of blood loss. As a result, I had extremely low blood pressure and could barely stay awake. I remember feeling like I was surrounded by loved ones who had passed. They were in a circle around me and I knew they were there to guide me onwards. I told them I was not ready to go because my kids needed me and I came back."
"My nurse later said she was afraid she’d find me dead every time she came into the room."
"It took months, and blood transfusions, but I recovered."
good_golly99
Take Me Back
"Overwhelming peace and happiness. A bright airy and floating feeling. I live a very stressful life. Imagine finding out the person you have had a crush on reveals they have the same feelings for you and then you win the lotto later that day - that was the feeling I had."
"I never feared death afterward and am relieved when I hear of people dying after suffering from an illness."
rayrayrayray
Free
The Light Minnie GIF by (G)I-DLEGiphy"I had a heart surgery with near-death experience, for me at least (well the possibility that those effects are caused by morphine is also there) I just saw black and nothing else but it was warm and I had such inner peace, its weird as I sometimes still think about it and wish this feeling of being so light and free again."
TooReDTooHigh
This is why I hate surgery.
You just never know.
Shocked
Giphy"More of a near-death experience. I was electrocuted. I felt like I was in a deep hole looking straight up in the sky. My life flashed before me. Felt sad for my family, but I had a deep sense of peace."
Admirable_Buyer6528
The SOB
"Nursing in the ICU, we’ve had people try to die on us many times during the years, some successfully. One guy stood out to me. His heart stopped. We called a code, are working on him, and suddenly he comes to. We hadn’t vented him yet, so he was able to talk, and he started screaming, 'Don’t let them take me, don’t let them take me, they are coming,' he was scared and yelling."
"Then he yelled a little more, as we tried to calm him down, he screamed, 'No, No,' and gestured towards the end of the bed, and died again. We didn’t get him back. It was seriously creepy. We called his son to tell him the news, and the son said basically, 'Good, he was an SOB.'”
1-cupcake-at-a-time
Colors
"My sister died and said it was extremely peaceful. She said it was very loud like a train station and lots of talking and she was stuck in this area that was like a curtain with lots of beautiful colors (colors that you don’t see in real life according to her) a man told her 'He was sorry, but she had to go back as it wasn’t her time.'"
Hannah_LL7
"I had a really similar experience except I was in an endless garden with flowers that were colors I had never seen before. It was quiet and peaceful and a woman in a dress looked at me, shook her head, and just said 'Not yet.' As I was coming back, it was extremely loud, like everyone in the world was trying to talk all at once. It was all very disorienting but it changed my perspective on life!"
huntokarrr
The Fog
"I was in a gray fog with a girl who looked a lot like a young version of my grandmother (who was still alive) but dressed like a pioneer in the 1800s she didn't say anything but kept pulling me towards an opening in the wall. I kept refusing to go because I was so tired."
"I finally got tired of her nagging and went and that's when I came to. I had bled out during a c-section and my heart could not beat without blood. They had to deliver the baby and sew up the bleeders. refill me with blood before they could restart my heart so, like, at least 12 minutes gone."
Fluffy-Hotel-5184
Through the Walls
"My spouse was dead for a couple of minutes one miserable night. She maintains that she saw nothing, but only heard people talking about her like through a wall. The only thing she remembers for absolute certain was begging an ER nurse that she didn't want to die."
"She's quite alive and well today."
Hot-Refrigerator6583
Well let's all be happy to be alive.
It seems to be all we have.
Trying to lose weight is a struggle understood by many people regardless of size.
The goal of reaching a healthy weight may seem unattainable, but with diet and exercise, it can pay off through persistence and discipline.
Seeing the pounds gradually drop off can also be a great motivator and incentivize people to stay the course.
Those who've achieved their respective weight goals shared their experiences when Redditor apprenti8455 asked:
"People who lost a lot of weight, what surprises you the most now?"
Redditors didn't see these coming.
Shiver Me Timbers
"I’m always cold now!"
– Telrom_1
"I had a coworker lose over 130 pounds five or six years ago. I’ve never seen him without a jacket on since."
– r7ndom
"140 lbs lost here starting just before COVID, I feel like that little old lady that's always cold, damn this top comment was on point lmao."
– mr_remy
Drawing Concern
"I lost 100 pounds over a year and a half but since I’m old(70’s) it seems few people comment on it because (I think) they think I’m wasting away from some terminal illness."
– dee-fondy
"Congrats on the weight loss! It’s honestly a real accomplishment 🙂"
"Working in oncology, I can never comment on someone’s weight loss unless I specifically know it was on purpose, regardless of their age. I think it kind of ruffles feathers at times, but like I don’t want to congratulate someone for having cancer or something. It’s a weird place to be in."
– LizardofDeath
Unleashing Insults
"I remember when I lost the first big chunk of weight (around 50 lbs) it was like it gave some people license to talk sh*t about the 'old' me. Old coworkers, friends, made a lot of not just negative, but harsh comments about what I used to look like. One person I met after the big loss saw a picture of me prior and said, 'Wow, we wouldn’t even be friends!'”
"It wasn’t extremely common, but I was a little alarmed by some of the attention. My weight has been up and down since then, but every time I gain a little it gets me a little down thinking about those things people said."
– alanamablamaspama
Not Everything Goes After Losing Weight
"The loose skin is a bit unexpected."
– KeltarCentauri
"I haven’t experienced it myself, but surgery to remove skin takes a long time to recover. Longer than bariatric surgery and usually isn’t covered by insurance unless you have both."
– KatMagic1977
"It definitely does take a long time to recover. My Dad dropped a little over 200 pounds a few years back and decided to go through with skin removal surgery to deal with the excess. His procedure was extensive, as in he had skin taken from just about every part of his body excluding his head, and he went through hell for weeks in recovery, and he was bedridden for a lot of it."
– Jaew96
These Redditors shared their pleasantly surprising experiences.
Shopping
"I can buy clothes in any store I want."
– WaySavvyD
"When I lost weight I was dying to go find cute, smaller clothes and I really struggled. As someone who had always been restricted to one or two stores that catered to plus-sized clothing, a full mall of shops with items in my size was daunting. Too many options and not enough knowledge of brands that were good vs cheap. I usually went home pretty frustrated."
– ganache98012
No More Symptoms
"Lost about 80 pounds in the past year and a half, biggest thing that I’ve noticed that I haven’t seen mentioned on here yet is my acid reflux and heartburn are basically gone. I used to be popping tums every couple hours and now they just sit in the medicine cabinet collecting dust."
– colleennicole93
Expanding Capabilities
"I'm all for not judging people by their appearance and I recognise that there are unhealthy, unachievable beauty standards, but one thing that is undeniable is that I can just do stuff now. Just stamina and flexibility alone are worth it, appearance is tertiary at best."
– Ramblonius
People Change Their Tune
"How much nicer people are to you."
"My feet weren't 'wide' they were 'fat.'"
– LiZZygsu
"Have to agree. Lost 220 lbs, people make eye contact and hold open doors and stuff"
"And on the foot thing, I also lost a full shoe size numerically and also wear regular width now 😅"
– awholedamngarden
It's gonna take some getting used to.
Bones Everywhere
"Having bones. Collarbones, wrist bones, knee bones, hip bones, ribs. I have so many bones sticking out everywhere and it’s weird as hell."
– Princess-Pancake-97
"I noticed the shadow of my ribs the other day and it threw me, there’s a whole skeleton in here."
– bekastrange
Knee Pillow
"Right?! And they’re so … pointy! Now I get why people sleep with pillows between their legs - the knee bones laying on top of each other (side sleeper here) is weird and jarring."
– snic2030
"I lost only 40 pounds within the last year or so. I’m struggling to relate to most of these comments as I feel like I just 'slimmed down' rather than dropped a ton. But wow, the pillow between the knees at night. YES! I can relate to this. I think a lot of my weight was in my thighs. I never needed to do this up until recently."
– Strongbad23
More Mobility
"I’ve lost 100 lbs since 2020. It’s a collection of little things that surprise me. For at least 10 years I couldn’t put on socks, or tie my shoes. I couldn’t bend over and pick something up. I couldn’t climb a ladder to fix something. Simple things like that I can do now that fascinate me."
"Edit: Some additional little things are sitting in a chair with arms, sitting in a booth in a restaurant, being able to shop in a normal store AND not needing to buy the biggest size there, being able to easily wipe my butt, and looking down and being able to see my penis."
– dma1965
People making significant changes, whether for mental or physical health, can surely find a newfound perspective on life.
But they can also discover different issues they never saw coming.
That being said, overcoming any challenge in life is laudable, especially if it leads to gaining confidence and ditching insecurities.