Runaways at Encores Off-Center

[WhizzerMarvin]

I thought Enron would be the first and last time I saw people dancing around a stage in velociraptor masks, but I was wrong!

It was wonderful to see such a gloriously diverse cast of incredibly talented young actors all on stage together, but (and it's a big but) the show is a stinker. The show is like a hybrid of Hair and Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope, except without a strong score. And at the end of the day isn't the point of Encores to show off really wonderful scores? 

The monologues were very dated, often causing them to lose what edge they once might have had. There were a couple ok songs, but most of it was lackluster, reminding me why the cast recording sits dusty on my shelf. 

The last half really dragged and I was tricked by several endings, only to be plunged into despair that another monologue had begun. 

On top of all this the audience around me was the pits. Seemed like all family members with bouquets of flowers ready to hoot and holler after their child performed. So much talking and cell phone use. The ushers tried their best, but it was hopeless. One usher came over and said to a man, "Turn your phone off," to which he replied, "Who are you, the FBI?" 

Rough crowd. Rough show. Still not as bad as Irma, but it ranks down there with it as one of the lesser Encores. 

[gleek4114]

I guess I'm glad I decided to pass on this one for my trip. I was tempted by the heavily discounted seats, but I guess my gut was right after listening to a bit of the cast album. As always, thanks for your review Whizzer!

[perfectlymarvelous]

I respect Whizzer's assessment but I have to disagree with it. I absolutely loved what I saw tonight. It's definitely not a traditional musical in any sense of the word; it has more in common with devised theatre than anything else. Some of the references are a bit dated but I didn't really find it distracting. I also appreciated the very conscious diversity of the cast, and I thought all the kids were great and I genuinely enjoyed watching each of them. 

I was in the mezzanine and I didn't notice anything terribly egregious re: audience behavior except for someone recording one number on their phone...my only complaint about the audience was the applause after musical numbers where there clearly wasn't meant to be applause. 

[Scarywarhol]

I love the cast album and Liz Swados, and am genuinely sad I'll miss this. But it is definitely an artifact and a strange fit for a huge space, more so than most Encores. 

[WhizzerMarvin]

I always respect and look forward to your opinions, perfectlymarvelous. I'm glad you were able to see something in Runaways that I couldn't. Despite the kids being so great I just couldn't connect with or become drawn into the material. 

[Jordan Catalano]

I've been debating seeing this but now I think I'll definitely pass. This sounds like a production and an audience I can do without having to endure. 

[perfectlymarvelous]

WhizzerMarvin said: "I always respect and look forward to your opinions, perfectlymarvelous. I'm glad you were able to see something in Runaways that I couldn't. Despite the kids being so great I just couldn't connect with or become drawn into the material. "

High praise from you, sir! :) Your reviews are always well thought out and fair and I appreciate them whether or not I agree with them. 

It's definitely a piece that you're either going to be into or you're not; the friend I was with and another friend who was there tonight both loved it as well. I honestly have to think on what exactly hooked me about it, but it may just be that intangible thing that sometimes happens when a show really grips you. I'm also a great lover of musicals that push the form outward in some way. They're always really fascinating to me on an intellectual and artistic level, even if they don't totally work. Runaways obliterates the box and incorporates so many different styles of music and performance, and there's also something to be said for the impact of having genuine youthful energy on a stage. I also think it's important to note that Liz Swados was only 27 when she wrote and directed this show, and her youth definitely shows in ways that are both positive and not. Overall though it was effective for me, and I think it's worth looking at because of how wildly different it is from pretty much anything else in the canon, whether or not someone finds it personally satisfying. 

[mikem]

I am intrigued by the big difference of opinion!  What time was the show over?  I may see it this weekend.

[SmoothLover]

Why did Whizzer start a new thread?

[Scarywarhol]

There is usually a new thread for individual Encores shows once they go up 

[SmoothLover]

It is the kind of show that is meant for a small dilapidated East Village theatre. So in presenting it at City Center it becomes more of a concert version than an experience. And given that some of the talent is raw (which kind of works) some are working in broad strokes to either fill the space or find their characters. The talent was all over the map and the direction was so so.
 

[WhizzerMarvin]

Perfectly, I agree with being interested in shows that break the mold form-wise, but I wonder how much Runaways actually did do anything new. Are you familiar with Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope, which played on Broadway from April '72-October '74 (1065 performances)? The York just put on a great production at Mufti and I thought Runaways really piggybacked on a lot of what Vinnette Carroll and Micki Grant created with I Can't Cope. (It was a revue type show with monologues and songs about black struggles and life in 1970s NYC.)

I think it also pulled a lot from A Chorus Line, which had just opened a few years prior too. 

SmoothLover, I searched for a Runaways thread and couldn't find one. My apologies if someone put up their thoughts before mine. 

[WhizzerMarvin]

Did anyone here see the original Broadway production? It ran 274 performances, which is nothing to sneeze at, and was nominated for 5 Tonys (Musical, Book, Score, Direction and Choreography). 

[Scarywarhol]

It's probably worth nothing that the show was conceived as something of a PSA with absolutely no designs on Broadway. Social work for youth through art is a big part of Swados' career in theater and other forms (even a nice novel, Flamboyant). Maybe I enjoy the cast album so much because it is a fascinating time capsule and because it feels so honestly rough and sincere. I don't know how I'd feel about a big new production. Sad to miss it, but maybe it's for the best after all...

[neonlightsxo]

"It is the kind of show that is meant for a small dilapidated East Village theatre. So in presenting it at City Center it becomes more of a concert version than an experience. "

 

That is basically the point of Encores Off-Center.

[perfectlymarvelous]

WhizzerMarvin said: "Perfectly, I agree with being interested in shows that break the mold form-wise, but I wonder how much Runaways actually did do anything new. Are you familiar with Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope, which played on Broadway from April '72-October '74 (1065 performances)? The York just put on a great production at Mufti and I thought Runaways really piggybacked on a lot of what Vinnette Carroll and Micki Grant created with I Can't Cope. (It was a revue type show with monologues and songs about black struggles and life in 1970s NYC.)

I think it also pulled a lot from A Chorus Line, which had just opened a few years prior too."

I am not at all familiar with Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope, but I do agree with the Chorus Line comparison. 

[Kad]

I saw the final dress on Tuesday and I quite enjoyed it. The cast of kids is truly phenomenal. Yes, my interest did wane in the final third, since the show has no real through-line and it's really sort of a collage with not much in the way of character, and I acknowledge that Swados' music is idiosyncratic and may not be for all tastes. I thought the piece is definitely worth revisiting- some aspects of it dated, but at its heart very much relevant. The diverse cast, with actors of all types, and prominent use of ASL and Spanish, is really what makes this worth seeing, though. That is a hard working and talented group and they really sell this show.

[givesmevoice]

Kad said: "I saw the final dress on Tuesday and I quite enjoyed it. The cast of kids is truly phenomenal. Yes, my interest did wane in the final third, since the show has no real through-line and it's really sort of a collage with not much in the way of character, and I acknowledge that Swados' music is idiosyncratic and may not be for all tastes. I thought the piece is definitely worth revisiting- some aspects of it dated, but at its heart very much relevant. The diverse cast, with actors of all types, and prominent use of ASL and Spanish, is really what makes this worth seeing, though. That is a hard working and talented group and they really sell this show."

This sums up why I really liked the show, although I felt that I got much more into it as the show went on. What an incredibly talented group of [mostly local] kids they assembled! I also didn't realize until I was reading the essay in the Playbill that one of the girls is original cast member Trini Alvarado's daughter.

[Kad]

The program provided at the dress rehearsal gave no information about the kids- no bios, just a cast list. Does the full program contain bios? I was really curious about the backgrounds of the cast.

[CarlosAlberto]

Awww, my heart just sank. I'm sorry you had such a bad experience at the show Whizzer.

 

[givesmevoice]

Kad said: "The program provided at the dress rehearsal gave no information about the kids- no bios, just a cast list. Does the full program contain bios? I was really curious about the backgrounds of the cast."

Yes, there are bios in the full Playbill. Not being involved in youth theater, I was surprised at the range of shows some of these kids have done. This page on City Center's website also has little info cards on all of the kids, but doesn't include theater credits.

[KathyNYC2]

Would love to see this but I am out of town right now. May be back in time for Sat night. Wondering if I'll be able to get a ticket last minute....

[WhizzerMarvin]

CarlosAlberto said: "Awww, my heart just sank. I'm sorry you had such a bad experience at the show Whizzer.

 

Aww, thanks, but it does seem like I'm the outlier here, so if you were on the fence maybe you should still go see it. The bad audience members around me clearly affected my enjoyment, but my dislike of the show ran much deeper than the distractions nearby. Oh well- here's hoping I like the jamboree and Mr. Rosewater more!  

 

[PalJoey]

Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope was a thrilling theater event. It was not only the work of Micki Grant, who wrote the book, music and lyrics, but also the gifted director, Vinnette Carroll, who conceived the show and who became the first African-American woman to direct on Broadway. The choreography was by the equally gifted George Faison, who had choreographed Purlie and went on to choreograph The Wiz (brilliantly!).

[smidge]

WhizzerMarvin said: "CarlosAlberto said: "Awww, my heart just sank. I'm sorry you had such a bad experience at the show Whizzer.

 

Aww, thanks, but it does seem like I'm the outlier here, so if you were on the fence maybe you should still go see it. The bad audience members around me clearly affected my enjoyment, but my dislike of the show ran much deeper than the distractions nearby. Oh well- here's hoping I like the jamboree and Mr. Rosewater more!  

 Sorry to go off topic but has anyone heard any rumors about who might be at the Jamboree besides Foster, Groff and Tesori?

 

"

 

[Wilmingtom]

I saw the original production. The cast, as with Encores, was fantastic.  The show perhaps had more resonance when it opened as the City was in such a sorry, dangerous state.  It was going bankrupt and the show followed the Summer of Sam.  The thought of those kids out on the streets may have been more unsettling than it is today.  The score has a couple nice, heartfelt numbers but after while, it has a sameness about it, as do the monologues. .It is nowhere near the achievement of ...I Can't Cope.