Top 10 Most Unforgivable Moments in Broadway Musicals

When we first meet Curly in “Oklahoma!” he seems like a great guy. He’s handsome – played by the likes of Hugh Jackman, you’ve gotta be – and he has a genial spirit. He might be a bit of a cocky flirt when it comes to Laurey, but he seems to mean well. But then, we arrive at the song “Pore Jud is Daid.” Curly tries to convince Jud – the other suitor vying for Laurey’s attention – that maybe the world would be better off if he weren’t alive. You heard that right – Curly spends an entire song claiming Jud would be more appreciated by others if he were out of the picture. It’s a shockingly great character revelation for Curly, but pretty darn unforgivable.

We could justify the entirety of “Love Never Dies” being an entry. This musical was so bad that even Andrew Lloyd Webber himself couldn’t keep the negative press at bay. But we’ll try to keep our scope narrow, and focus on the death of Christine Daaé. The story takes place a decade years after the events of “The Phantom of the Opera,” and sees her married to Raoul with a kid named Gustave. Throughout the musical, she has almost no agency at all – less than in the original, if you can believe it. Her barely there storyline ends in an untimely death by firearm. The show is nonsensical at best, but the decision to kill off the main character in such a fashion is ludicrous.

Zoe might forgive Evan at the end of “Dear Evan Hansen.” But for us, it’s going to take a little more convincing. This incredibly popular musical chronicles the story of Evan Hansen, an anxiety-ridden teen who lies about being best friends with a classmate, Connor, who took his own life. His lie starts off small enough, but as the show goes on it’s impossible to justify. He becomes closer with the classmate’s family, even going so far as to date Connor’s sister, Zoe. When everything comes crashing down, Evan rightly gets a little comeuppance. But if we had our way, everyone would be a lot less quick to forgive this whole situation.

Imagine how you’d feel before a first date – excited, probably a little nervous, butterflies going haywire. Now imagine you learned that the other person only asked you out because they found you ugly. Here you have the plot of “Dogfight.” In the show, three marines decide to hold the titular event on the eve before they ship out. The idea is straightforward: whoever can swing the least ‘attractive’ date wins cash. Eddie, our main character, definitely evolves throughout and isn’t nearly as bad as his friends. Rose, the woman he asks out, eventually finds it in her heart to forgive him. But alas, we think we will just stay mad on her behalf.

Some plot points you can’t forgive because they don’t make sense, or they’re mean, or what have you. But some just make you unbearably sad. This is the case with Angel’s death in “Rent.” From the moment we meet Angel, it’s impossible to not be taken in by her effervescent charm. She and Collins quickly fall in love, bonding over their HIV positive status. Unfortunately, their relationship is cut short by her untimely passing. When Angel passes away, the gang of friends hold a funeral for her and perform “I’ll Cover You (Reprise)”. We dare anyone to make it through this scene without bawling their eyes out – Jonathan Larson, we get it, but we will never forgive you.

We love watching Rex Harrison sing – or really, speak – “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face” as much as the next person. But something about the end of “My Fair Lady” has just never sat right with us. In the musical, Professor Henry Higgins makes a bet that he can teach Eliza Doolittle to speak like a lady. He achieves his goal, but not without being a total jerk to her the entire time. Despite Higgins’ foolery, the two develop feelings for each other. He can’t get past his own hangups long enough to be a kind person towards Eliza – and yet, she still comes back to him in the end. We’ve never understood it – especially with Freddy Eynsford-Hill standing right there!

There’s no doubt that “Miss Saigon” is one of the most epic productions to ever hit the stage. But over the years, the show has become mired in controversy due to its misogynist and racist elements. And of course, for its casting – particularly that of Jonathan Pryce as the Engineer. In the show, The Engineer is the French-Vietnamese owner of the establishment where Kim works. Pryce, who originated the role on the West End, is a full-on white man. Despite this, he won both an Olivier and a Tony Award for his portrayal. 1989 wasn’t that long ago – we can’t believe this was allowed to happen.

Do you hear all those voices shouting “NO!” throughout “Say No To This”? That’s us as we watch Alexander Hamilton cheat on his lovely and adoring wife. It may be historically accurate, but that doesn’t mean it’s forgivable! Not only does Hamilton cheat on Eliza, but he keeps it a secret from her for quite some time. And not only does he keep it a secret, but he then publishes his infidelity in a public document in order to save face for something else entirely. These are the actions of an unwell man! Obviously, the two are brought back together through tragic events, but this is a transgression we will not forget.

To say this is not okay would be an understatement. If you’ve read the Bible – or you know, haven’t been living under a rock – you probably know that Judas betrayed Jesus and that action led to his crucifixion. Well, the same inexcusable events occur in “Godspell,” which premiered off-Broadway in 1971, eventually going to Broadway 5 years later. They also occur in the 1971 musical “Jesus Christ Superstar.” These guys loved writing about Jesus, and we get it! Judas’ decision is the ultimate act of betrayal, and it’s rife with dramatic tension. As we understand it, Jesus was a pretty forgiving guy. But if there was ever something to hold a grudge over, we’d say this is it.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Orpheus Turns, “Hadestown”
You Couldn’t Wait Like, One More Minute, Dude?

“A Little Fall of Rain,” “Les Misérables”
Marius Doesn’t Deserve You, Éponine!

“Here for You,” “9 to 5: The Musical”
Mr. Hart Got What He Deserved

Radames & Aida’s Fate, “Aida”
Why Did They Have to Die at the End?

We never expected a musical about gang warfare to give us happy, cuddly feelings. But some emotional beats in “West Side Story” are almost too much to bear. The fake-out of Maria’s death before Tony meets his untimely end is just about as unforgivable as it gets. But the Jets’ attempt to assault Anita is even worse. Towards the end, Anita tries to tell Tony that Maria is going to come meet him so they can run away, but that she’ll be a little late. She’s apprehended by the Jets, who are struggling with the death of their leader, Riff. They proceed to act out in unspeakable ways. Thankfully, Anita eventually escapes, but it leaves a terrible taste in the mouth of the viewer.

Did we miss any of your least favorite events in your favorite musicals? Let us know in the comments below.