The London premiere of FLOP! The Best Songs From The Worst Musicals has been announced, created and performed by Australian cabaret artist Arthur Hull. It will come into the capital after runs at Edinburgh and Adelaine Fringes.
“Funny, fast-paced and packed with surprising facts, FLOP! is a high-octane cabaret that celebrates Broadway and West End musicals that failed spectacularly.”
Where: Wilton’s Music Hall
When: 24-26 Sep
Ticket link: https://wiltons.org.uk/whats-on/flop-the-best-songs-from-the-worst-musicals/
Arthur tells us more about the show.
FLOP! is a collection of the disasters and failures of the musical stage. What made you showcase these songs?
I’ve spent my life watching all of those ‘hits of Broadway’ type shows, where someone comes out and sings every song that you would expect: Phantom, Cats, etc.
But being a longtime fan and self-proclaimed musical theatre nerd, I know of so many extraordinary songs from musicals that failed commercially, financially or critically. I wanted to give these songs a second chance and the respect that they deserve.
Just because a show flopped doesn’t necessarily mean it is bad!
Many flop musicals have left a decent song behind. Do you have a favourite from the dustbin of terrible shows?
My favourite song to sing in FLOP! has to be “Do It For Our Country” from Grease 2. It is an insane premise with T-bird Louis singing to Pink Lady Sharon, appealing to her sense of patriotism as a reason for them to sleep together!
With all that is going on in the world, playing around with the nature of American patriotism in a wholly ironic and satirical way is just so much fun – and on top of all this, it’s an absolute banger!
What can audiences expect from FLOP!?
If you love musicals, you will love FLOP! I delve into the history and reasons behind some of the biggest musical Flops of all time, including Carrie, Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark and the travesty which was Cats the Movie (even Andrew Lloyd-Webber hated it)… and many more obscure and hidden gems.
If you don’t like musical theatre, that’s ok too! It’s an hour of me singing truly brilliant songs while trying my hardest to be charming and witty. There’s something in this show for everyone and if I can shine a little light on a musical or a song I love, then I’ve done my job. I hope people leave the theatre wanting to add some new tunes to their Spotify playlist.
Your show is pretty much a one-person endeavour that has popped up across the world in festivals. Are you still in love with musicals after all that?
Performing is my passion, my life. I’ve wanted to do this for as long as I remember. I’m so lucky to get to do what I do – it’s a total dream come true. So yes, I am still head over heels in love with everything musical theatre and the arts. Even if it sometimes frustrates me… but isn’t that what being in love is like sometimes?
It’s said four out of every five shows fail – as you assembled this show, did you find any that deserved a second look?
Absolutely! All of the shows in FLOP! have redeeming qualities even if, as a whole package, they were misguided. One that springs to mind is King Kong. Plagued by a terrible book and years of rewrites, it failed both in Australia (where I saw it at 11 years old) and on Broadway.
But the King Kong puppet was a complete masterpiece. 18-foot tall and controlled by 12 acrobatic puppeteers, it was a marvel of technical engineering and incredible visual storytelling. If someone were to come along and fix the book, the score and the structure, maybe King Kong could make a comeback…
I’d love to see that monkey again.