Share your unpopular opinions here!

Yeah but every musical has a book. Even if there's no dialogue in it, there is still an overal story structure. For instance "Grizabella is alone in the moonlight and thinks back about when she was beautiful". I don't know Cats well enough to know what happens in that show besides a bunch of cats dancing and singing. But however thin the plot, if there is a plot, there's a book. Even ballets have books.

Jekyll and Hyde ran for 4 years and is very succesful in the international/ touring/ regional/ highschool fronts, Kinky Boots hasn't reached that yet on either count- so there is no knowing which will outlive/ be more succesful the other.

There are many examples though that I and Baemax listed in this thread for the most succesful shows, non Jukebox, currently running or otherwise- that have very poor books but memorable scores.

I would be interested to see (or look into) statistics for this though.

If you do look into it, please let us know what you find. The thing about a show with a good book standing a better chance than one with a good score is something I've read multiple times, and it makes sense. But I don't know if it's actually statistically correct.

And I think your irony detector is broken.

I still owe you an answer to this.

I never cared much about Sondheim. But after I read all the positive posts and rave reviews in the old board about Sondheim, I bought two cast recordings (I think it was Sweeney Todd and Into the Woods) and listened to them. A few songs into them, my ears were bleeding and I was grimacing with pain. Horrible doesn't even come close, and while I can usually understand people appreciating things I don't, it is completely beyond my undestanding how anyone can enjoy Sondheim.

My first exposure to his material was so bad that I promised to myself to never ever see a show that Sondheim is involved in, irrespective of whether he wrote songs only, lyrics only or both.

I was worried I had offended you.

I think you were just exposed poorly- Sondheim, I think, is very hit or miss. Sweeny Todd, at least musically, very much an aquiered taste, but I like the show well enough. Never listen to a recording though (but have watched the Lupone concert twice)

Into the Woods bores me, I've listened to the Obc, and only watched half the movie.

I LOVE Passion (if I could play any role in my lifetime it would be Fosca) but its such a weird show and many people booed it at the theatre so make of it what you will.

You haven't said what you thought of West Side Story, you must have heard at least snippets of it.

I'd really suggest watching Gypsy- the music is Jule Styne and not at all reminiscent of Sondheim's "same ol tune" music- its a light easy going musical score, quite clever. The lyrics are very strong, and suprisingly not pretentious, as I find Sondheim sometime goes. And the book is, as I said, probably the best book a musical ever had that I'd seen.
I have a free link to Imelda's- It's a good production and she's very good in it. Just in case you change your mind

I'm not a Sondheim fanatic by any means- but I really do recommend it. You can blame me and ignore for the rest on our days of it sucks too ><

But thank you for answering either way

I think Mama Rose is a role that needs to be got "exactly right" in order for us to care about her. While I haven't seen LuPone in this and thus don't feel like I can pass judgement, I could see how she might have overegged the pudding and thus just irritated people.

When it comes to Sondheim I'm in two minds. I'm in the camp who cares more for a good book and intelligent lyrics than good music. Not that I don't welcome good music, but inane lyrics and a dumb story turn me off way more. I know many are able to "switch their brain off" and go with the flow, enjoy the music, etc. but when the characterization thoroughly irritates me, it's more than I can handle, for example Boublil/Schoenberg's whiny I-need-a-man-women or Wildhorn's trivialization of European history.

Once in a while Sondheim is excellent at storytelling - Passion for example, when done right, is a fantastic theatrical piece where I don't mind the lack of easy tunes at all. Same with Sweeney Todd, A Little Night Music or the first act of Into the Wood (I think it sags terribly in the second act). But sometimes I feel like he wants to be too clever. And unfortunately some of his shows seem rather dated now. I only saw a cinema broadcast of the Company concert from New York (with Neil Patrick Harris) but I hated it intensely for its vibe that a man (or woman) can only ever be happy in a relationship. But that's just me, I guess.

Yes for all the Passion love! Favourite weird musical of mine!

I think where Company gets away with it is it's clearly presenting all this as Bobby's view. As a single person myself, I don't feel judged by the show, I just feel that Bobby's telling himself a lot of lies until he finally realises that actually he would like to be in a relationship after all.

I guess that makes sense, Baemax. As someone who's been (happily) single for a very long time, I find that I'm constantly and even today struggling with being judged for that. Why don't you have a boyfriend? Why don't you go on dates? How can you exist? And so on.

And Musical Theatre is generally a rather sappy romantic genre with many love stories - which I am okay with. When it's a well-done love story I happily cheer for the couple on stage. But when I watched the Company concert, I just felt like being judged all over again and that my life choice is a questionable and even "wrong" one and sometimes it just gets too much.

I suppose it's what I like about A Little Night Music, where Sondheim shows a much more cynical and in my view more honest/realistic picture of relationships. Oh well, maybe some day they WILL do a Company where Bobby remains true to himself and sings the original version.

Did I mention that Patti LuPone was the wrong choice for Evita?

Oh, I struggle with this one, though otherwise enjoy Sondheim (with the exception of A Funny Thing Happened.....).  I went to see it at the Donmar and really wanted to like it but couldn't wrap my ears round the music.  Perhaps I should try listending to the CD a few times.

My favourite Sondheim is Pacific Overtures though.  Sorry, wandered off the topic of unpopular opinons a bit here.