5 Big Broadway Flops You Can Now Stream Online

In an industry characterized by more failures than successes, Broadway has seen its fair share of short-lived flops. What might fail on Broadway, however, could still become a huge success when exposed to a much wider audience. 

Today we're looking at some of Broadway's biggest flops that have been filmed for release (with most still being available to own/stream today). Did these shows manage to find success beyond the Great White Way?

Here's our pick for the 5 Broadway flops you can now stream:

5. Passion

Duration of Broadway run: 52 Previews, 280 Performances (May 9, 1994 - Jan 07, 1995)

Why it failed: Stephen Sondheim's romantic musical Passion is perhaps the biggest box office disappointment on our list. Unlike most shows that had short runs on Broadway, Passion received rave reviews from New York critics when it opened at Broadway's Plymouth Theatre (today The Schoenfeld) and even won the Tony Award for Best Musical. Unfortunately, the musical was a tough sell (as most Sondheim musicals are in their initial runs) and failed to find an audience. The show closed just 5 months after opening.

The live capture: In hopes of giving the show life beyond the Broadway stage, producers filmed the musical days after closing, without an audience (unlike Diana, this capture actually managed to make that work). Passion later aired on PBS' Great Performances series and was also released on VHS and DVD by Image Entertainment, preserving the beauty of Donna Murphy and Marin Mazzie for generations to come. While the home release is currently out of print, copies can still be purchased from third-party sellers from time to time.

Here's how you can still watch Passion now.

4. Allegiance

Duration of Broadway run: 37 Previews, 111 Performances (Nov 8, 2015 - Feb 14, 2016)

Why it failed: Allegiance, a musical set during the Japanese American internment of World War II, was a tough sell from the beginning of its run. While Allegiance opened on Broadway during the busy 2015 holiday season, the show didn't manage to find an audience fast enough to survive the deadly winter months of January and February. Producers tried to market the show as a joyful musical, while the subject matter was dealing with war and death. Reviews were also not too kind to the musical, with Variety's Marilyn Stasio writing: "In their sincere efforts to “humanize” their complex historical material, the creatives have oversimplified and reduced it to generic themes." The documentary "Allegiance to Broadway" details the show's struggle to stay on Broadway. The documentary was released together with the pro-shot of the musical and experts from it can be found online.

The live capture: The live capture of Allegiance was released to cinemas the year after the show's closing, and had an unprecedented cinematic premiere resulting in the highest-grossing one-night Broadway musical event to date for Fathom Events. The show went on to have at least three return engagements in cinemas due to its initial success and was finally released on DVD in 2019. As the capture was done with a tight budget, the film itself does not feature the same picture or sound quality of similar Broadway pro-shots we're used to, but we're still glad producers decided to give the show another chance at life by releasing it to a wider audience. The musical will open in London next year with some of the original Broadway cast returning to reprise their roles.

Allegiance is now available as a standalone DVD and can also be streamed online.

3. From Here To Eternity

Duration of London run: September 30, 2013 - March 29, 2014

Why it failed: While From Here to Eternity never made it to Broadway, New York plans were certainly on the producer's mind when they opened the show in London nearly 10 years ago. The musical tells the story of G Company, in particular First Sergeant Milt Warden, who begins an affair with his captain's wife Karen. Tim Rice’s adaptation of the classic 1951 novel and 1953 Oscar-winning film starring Burt Lancaster and Frank Sinatra received mostly negative reviews when it opened at London's Shaftesbury Theatre. In his review for Variety, David Benedict said: "Impressively stylized choreography and punchy lighting cues ignite “G Company Blues,” the opening number of lyricist-producer Tim Rice’s new tuner “From Here To Eternity.” Surprising though its expressive dynamism is, the sad news is that it’s downhill from there. Helmer Tamara Harvey sends in the troops of a notably well-synced creative team, but although their vigorous attacks create impact, they cannot sustain tension when book, music, and lyrics are so thin." 

The live capture: The musical was filmed during its last week of performances in hopes of the show gaining some momentum towards a US premiere. While the show did eventually open in 2016 at the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival in New York, it didn't manage to get to Broadway. A revised version of the musical opened earlier this year at the Charing Cross Theatre in London. The new UK production was significantly different from the filmed original, with a completely rewritten book and lots of changes to the show's score. That, however, did not impress critics, and the revised edition received mostly mixed reviews.

From Here to Eternity was recently released on DVD from Liberator Films. The musical is also streaming online.

2. Little Women the Musical

Duration of Broadway run: 55 Previews, 137 Performances (Jan 23, 2005 - May 22, 2005)

Why it failed: Opening on Broadway in a very competitive season that included musicals such as Spamalot, Sweeney Todd, and The Color Purple, Little Women fought hard to find its audience. Reviews for the production were mostly mixed, with Ben Brantley of the New York Times writing in his review: "Watching this shorthand account of four sisters...is like speed reading Alcott's evergreen novel of 1868. You glean the most salient traits of the principal characters...without the shading and detail that made these elements feel true to life in the book...Since the characters do not acquire full personalities, you don't feel emotionally invested in them." Sutton Foster's star power did not manage to draw audiences to the Virginia Theater (today August Wilson) and the show closed quickly after 137 performances.

The live capture: Following its short Broadway run, the musical launched a 30-city US tour that starred Maureen McGovern. It was not seen on a professional stage since, until being revived by London's Park Theatre in 2021. The filmed version is one of our favorites of 2022, and the new intimate setting for the musical works. Lydia White as Jo is also a complete powerhouse that makes this capture worthwhile.

Little Women the Musical is now streaming online.

1. Diana The Musical

Duration of Broadway run: 25 Previews, 34 Performances (Nov 17, 2021 - Dec 19, 2021)

Why it failed: With its Broadway opening delayed several times due to the ongoing pandemic, Diana was the first Broadway musical to premiere on a streaming platform before even starting previews on Broadway. Unfortunately for producers, reactions to the live capture were catastrophic with an overall Rotten Tomatoes score of 12%. Negative word of mouth soon spread among theatergoers, which in turn resulted in some rushing to the Longacre Theatre to witness the camp show live or others completely canceling their trips. When the excitement from the Netflix airing died down, so did Diana's advance sales, and the musical closed right before the holiday season of 2021.

The live capture: Diana was captured as a Netflix original and the resulting film is a very expensive-looking capture. The cast was all on top of their game, but filming the show in an empty theater really killed the atmosphere the show needed to thrive on screen. Lyrics such as "Snap, click, snap, click, just one peek / You're the hottest one he's had all week!" also didn't help matters. Either way, we're happy we have a record of the terrific Jeanna de Waal singing the closing number "If".

Diana is now streaming online through Netflix.

Check out more Broadway flops (and hits) in our complete database of filmed musicals.