Podcast Summary: The Worst Shows Mickey-Jo Saw in 2025

Podcast: MickeyJoTheatre
Host: MickeyJoTheatre
Date: January 3, 2026
Theme: Reviews of Disappointing Plays and Musicals from 2025

Episode Overview

In this annual tradition, Mickey Jo (MickeyJoTheatre), one of the leading voices in theatre criticism on social media, counts down his least favorite shows of the past year across the West End, Broadway, the Edinburgh Fringe, and beyond. Framed with his signature humor and candid delivery, Mickey Jo reflects on the disappointments, misfires, and lessons from 2025’s theatrical landscape—emphasizing how more can often be learned from failed productions than the great ones.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Why Do a “Worst of the Year” List?

• Philosophy: Mickey Jo believes more lessons can be learned from failures than successes:

  "There's actually more for theatre makers and audiences alike to learn and understand from a negative review. I think you learn more from the mistakes, from the misfires..." (03:15)

• Approach: List is presented chronologically, not ranked, as “ranking seems a bit much” (04:05)

Disappointment vs. Boredom

• Insight:

  "The worst thing a piece of theatre can be is disappointing, because boring...you just waste a couple hours. Disappointing—that's going to haunt you." (05:35)

The List: Mickey Jo’s Most Disappointing Shows of 2025

1. The Tempest (Jamie Lloyd, Theatre Royal Drury Lane, starring Sigourney Weaver)

• Major Critique: Fatally dull, relentlessly bleak, missing charm, magic, and joy.
• Audience Walkouts:

  "I'm worried that those people are going to walk out of that theater and never walk back in to another Shakespeare play, possibly to another theater." (08:02)

• Memorable Moment: Multiple walkouts during the first act:

  "I wasn't joking when I spoke about the people that actually stood up halfway through the first act and sidled out...not even staying until the interval. That's gotta hurt." (08:35)

2. The Maids (Reading Rep Theatre)

• Key Point: Blurred lines between fantasy and reality led to baffling confusion.
• Genre Struggle:

  "Honestly, it just felt like we were dusting while we waited for Godot..." (10:22)

• Redeeming Features: Strong performances, inventive set, but overall “disappointingly baffling.”

3. Oedipus (Old Vic, after Robert Icke’s version)

• Main Problem: Incoherent storytelling, lack of plausible ignorance, protagonist seems clueless.
• Notable Quote:

  "He just literally seems dumb. And you hate to come down on the side of religious zealots, but after that moment...maybe the man should be publicly shamed and have his eyes plucked out..." (12:25)

• Tonality Issue: Flippancy and silliness undermine Greek tragedy.

4. White Rose (London, after a New York run)

• Problematic Writing: Overuse of platitudes, unearned emotional moments, shapeless narrative.
• Sharp Insight:

  "We resort to a lot of metaphorical platitudes. We talk a lot about the stars and the sky...None of it really speaks to their situation." (13:55)

5. Redwood (Broadway, starring Idina Menzel)

• No Strong Story or Songs:

  "At its most basic, a musical needs two things to be successful. It needs a good story and good songs. And I would contend, disappointingly, this doesn't really have either." (15:20)

• Memorable Moment: Idina belting while flying—a nod to Wicked, but lacking substance.

6. Alfred Hitchcock Presents (Theatre Royal Bath)

• Critique: Dreary, lacked suspense or justification as a musical—“worthy of Hitchcock” but didn’t deliver.
• Expectation vs. Reality:

  "I thought this was going to be really fantastic. And it really was not." (16:44)

7. Floyd Collins (Lincoln Center, NYC)

• Spatial Disconnect: Staging undermined claustrophobia needed for the story.
• Notable Description:

  "[Floyd] lies in a very still reclined position on a rock that looks a little bit like a sun lounger or a business class airplane seat..." (18:50)

8. The Little Mermaid (Paper Mill Playhouse, New Jersey)

• Problem: Poor material for stage version, baffling changes from the movie.
• Key Observation:

  "I had never realized just how poor the material is for the stage production...My biggest issue, however, all of the changes made to the screenplay for the book of the stage musical." (20:03)

9. World’s Greatest Lover (Edinburgh Fringe)

• Six Copycat Without Substance: Styling after Six but lacking message or originality.
• Memorable Review:

  "Four different Lotharios from history are brought together by St. Valentine... clutching so clearly at Six’s very successful formula... what they have missed is that there is a terrific substance and a message behind all of that in a show like Six. And that is what is sadly lacking here." (21:25)

10. Othello (New Production)

• Fatal Misinterpretation: Production treated as a comedy, inappropriate audience laughter during tragic moments.
• Striking Note:

  "Even as Desdemona is being strangled by her husband...that is getting a little bit of a laugh from the audience...we shouldn't be chuckling about it." (23:18)

11. The Queen of Versailles (Broadway)

• Deliberately Apolitical Approach: Afraid to alienate audiences, ambiguity leading to a toothless narrative.
• Key Quote:

  "One person...can walk away going, gosh, what a cautionary tale. The person sat next to them...can walk out...say, wow, what a woman...Let's go get a Chick-fil-A and kick a minority. I don't know." (25:30)

12. Chess (Broadway Revival)

• Misguided Production: Lost the show's allegorical power, opted for pantomime and lazy jokes instead.
• Memorable Critique:

  "So the entire production is deeply misguided, has lost any sense of the show's identity, and offers barely anything for fans of the material to enjoy." (29:31)

• Structural Issues:

  "Honestly, this is by far the worst version of the material I’ve ever seen." (31:12)

13. Freaky Friday (Musical Adaptation)

• Identity Crisis: Unsure audience, songs with "eye-rolling" lyrics, pacing issues.
• Quote:

  “It's the kind of lyric that makes my eyes roll all into the back of my skull, at which point I can't see anything that's happening on stage." (32:40)

• Final Assessment:

  "I just don't really know who it's for... But that honestly feels like the caliber of the material." (33:50)

14. Pippin (Upstairs at the Gatehouse, London)

• Lack of Creative Vision: No cohesive directorial concept, elements lifted from other productions.
• Critical Observation:

  "Any creative vision here felt neither cohesive nor particularly persuasive." (35:45)

• Kindness Towards Fringes: Recognizes challenging conditions but expects more innovation.

15. The Last Five Years (Broadway Revival with Nick Jonas & Adrienne Warren) [“Worst of the Year” Prize]

• Confusing Staging: Over-explanatory graphics, lack of inferred storytelling.
• Disappointing Performances:

  "If the two of them sounded great and were giving great performances, I could almost excuse a production this deeply confusing… But I don’t think either of them are." (37:41)

• Final Cut:

  "Overall, the problem with this show is that as a piece of theatrical storytelling, it's really bad. But simply as a showcase of the score, it's also disappointing, and I could almost excuse a production this deeply confusing if the two of them sounded great and were giving great performances. But I don't think either of them are." (38:00)

Concluding Reflections & Tone

• Mickey Jo reiterates subjectivity:

  "These are just my opinions and there were from other critics, great reviews for many of the shows on this list." (15:45)

• Rambunctiously witty, often self-deprecating; never mean-spirited but unsparingly honest.
• Encourages listeners to share their own disappointments and highlights, inviting discussion.

Notable Quotes Recap

• “I think the worst thing a piece of theatre can be is disappointing, because boring…you just waste a couple hours of your life…Disappointing—that’s going to haunt you…” (05:35)
• On “The Tempest”: “Technically, we’re on an island, but we may as well be in purgatory.” (09:00)
• On “Redwood”: “Eat, Pray, Tree, whatever. Redwood. Gone but not forgotten. Except for the score, which I can confidently tell you, entirely forgotten. Could not sing you a bar from that show.” (16:05)
• On “World’s Greatest Lover”: “The entire format for this show was a boy band made up of deceased historical figures sharing a purgatorial space…” (22:10)
• On “Chess”: "The arbiter tells the audience early on, you're going to think this is ludicrous. And so, unsurprisingly, we do." (30:10)
• On “Last Five Years”: “You have to imagine at this point in the show’s life, there are a lot of people seeing it on Broadway who already know that hers is moving backwards, his is moving forwards. But for those that don’t, they’re about to spend a very puzzling 90 minutes.” (37:00)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 03:15 – The value of reviewing the worst shows
• 08:02 – Audience walkouts during The Tempest
• 12:25 – Problems with storytelling in Oedipus
• 15:20 – Redwood: No strong songs or story
• 18:50 – Floyd Collins staging issues
• 23:18 – Othello as unintentional comedy
• 29:31 – Chess: Dissecting a troubled Broadway revival
• 37:00 – Last Five Years: Clumsy storytelling and performances

Final Thoughts

Mickey Jo’s “Worst of” episode brims with sharp critical insight, theater geek humor, and a sense of genuine hope that theater can—and will—learn from these stumbles. The episode is a candid, entertaining chronicle of the year’s theatrical misfires, providing both aspiring theater-makers and fans juicy talking points for 2026.