The main characters were unlikeable, their romance dull, and too many peripheral characters wandered in and out of the action. Show Boat, with its riverboat setting, had been a natural for musical adaptation, and whereas Oscar Hammerstein II and Jerome Kern had succeeded in compressing the epic into a lively stage production, the creative team behind Saratoga was unable to wring much excitement from a romantic relationship stemming primarily from a mutual desire for vengeance.
The main characters were unappealing, their romance was monotonous, and numerous secondary figures came and went. Show Boat, set on a riverboat, had been an ideal candidate for musical adaptation, yet Oscar Hammerstein II and Jerome Kern managed to condense the grand narrative into an engaging stage production. However, the creative team behind Saratoga failed to generate much excitement from a romantic relationship that was largely driven by mutual hatred.