ENCORES 25

[jayinchelsea]

Posted: 6/20/17 at 5:22pm

Totally bummed about the choices, talk about lazy! Neither ME AND MY GIRL or GRAND HOTEL are great shows, or have great scores, so why these choices? Where are the still unproduced shows of Rodgers and Hart, or Jerome Kern? Or WIDCAT or some of the other shows of the 40s, 50s and 60s that are waiting to be seen? The best show of this past season, by far, was THE NEW YORKERS, from Cole Porter. Were there really no better choices, or is Jack Viertel just too lazy to do the work? Yes, some of these old scores need to be found and reorchestrated, but that was the whole point of Encores, wasn't it? After BIG RIVER this past season, why not just do CATS or LES MIZ?

[JSquared2]

Posted: 6/20/17 at 5:27pm

Because they have a LOT of tickets to sell, and it's Show BUSINESS, not Show "Let's Produce a Bunch of Old Forgotten Shows That No One Except For A Few Dozen Old Theatre Queens Care About" !! 

[GeorgeandDot]

Posted: 6/20/17 at 5:28pm

But I like Grand Hotel........

Seriously though, I agree that some of those really old gems need to be dusted off before they start doing shows like Big River.

[Kimbo]

Posted: 6/20/17 at 6:05pm

jayinchelsea said: "The best show of this past season, by far, was THE NEW YORKERS, from Cole Porter. Were there really no better choices, or is Jack Viertel just too lazy to do the work? "

Your message is condescending and self-contradictory.  "The New Yorkers" was the most lavish restoration job Encores has ever done, for which Jack Viertel himself (for whom it had been a passion project for years) wrote the new book adaptation - so you can hardly accuse him of being lazy by holding up that show as an example.

At the same time, as "a product of painstaking theater archaeology" (Brantley's review), it was easily the most expensive show of the season, and I believe the one that made the least money.  Long story short, if we want restorations and rare shows like St. Louis Woman, Cabin in the Sky and The New Yorkers, and expensive shows like On Your Toes, The Golden Apple and The Most Happy Fella, then we're occasionally going to have seasons where the choices (to some) may feel a bit more familiar or less special.  You're of course entitled not to subscribe to those seasons and wait for Wildcat or whatever else you prefer.

[Huss417]

Posted: 6/20/17 at 6:15pm

As a subscriber since the first season no matter what has been on the stage it is still some of the best talent you will see. Not saying all have been great but has been the best subscription I have ever had in my life. There is no way over 25 seasons you are going to please everyone.

[TheSassySam]

Posted: 6/20/17 at 6:48pm

Musicals Tonight's season might be more toward your interests this year: The Apple Tree, Bells are Ringing, The Boys from Syracuse, Anything Goes and Calamity Jane!

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 6/20/17 at 7:31pm

Grand Hotel isn't a good score? While I don't think (and I know they're not in the regular Encores season but still) Brigadoon, Assassins, and Little Shop of Horrors are really neglected, I feel like in light of some recent conversations, I should point out that Big River and Little Shop of Horrors mean more diverse casting. Sure they did better with The Golden Apple... and barely with Assassins and 1776. But let's be honest. They don't try really hard with colorblind casting when it comes to the older shows in particular. 

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 6/20/17 at 7:53pm

I feel like I post this in every thread about Encores! when the issue of diversity in casting comes up. They're not perfect, and need to do more in terms of color blind casting for leading roles, but I think Encores! has done a pretty good job with regards to diversity. The ensemble is always diverse, they've done multiple all-black shows (Purlie and Cabin in the Sky come to mind), AND they've done shows that explicitly call for diverse casts (like Finian's Rainbow, Lost in the Stars, and Big River). I say they're better off than a lot of other productions. 

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 6/21/17 at 2:03am

I love GRAND HOTEL and am excited to see an encores treatment, but I do agree it's otherwise kindof a "meh" season. ME AND MY GIRL has never interested me even as someone who loves shows of that era, plus it's not even an American musical. While I think the third show is a fun idea, putting it as part of the main season is questionable. Didn't they used to reserve that type of thing for galas?

As for THE NEW YORKERS, while I admire the effort that went into presenting it, based on the song-list, comments from people that saw it and certain other resources it seems like there was considerable interpolation into the score, which I think is more against the Encores! mission than representing more popular or modern shows.

[jayinchelsea]

Posted: 6/21/17 at 3:27am

JSquared2 said: "Because they have a LOT of tickets to sell, and it's Show BUSINESS, not Show "Let's Produce a Bunch of Old Forgotten Shows That No One Except For A Few Dozen Old Theatre Queens Care About" !! 

Wow, what the f**k is your problem? To quote Encores! mission from their website, their aim  "celebrates the rarely heard works of America’s most important composers and lyricists"  and has generally been to revive shows that are forgotten or not revivable, and neither ME AND MY GIRL or GRAND HOTEL fall into that category. True, neither did shows like CHICAGO, but that really was an exception. And yes, I am one of those "Old Theatre Queens" who has been supporting Broadway shows since the late 1950s, and proud of it!  So lose the attitude, no one is attacking you.

I have renewed my subscription for next season, but at these prices, yeah, I think I have the right to complain. And yes, the "Hey Look Me Over" show really is what the City Center galas used to be about. But that's the only one of the shows I'm looking forward to.

 

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 6/21/17 at 8:28am

To my knowledge, when has there been a major production of Grand Hotel or Me and My Girl ? I can't really think about it. So, I welcome Encores for doing those shows. 

Would I rather they do a season of "Me & Juliet", "Come Summer", "Prettybelle", "Wild and Wonderful", "King of Hearts" and "Carnival in Flanders"? Hell yes, but we have no idea why they choose what they choose outside of seeing tickets. 

[Cat Guy]

Posted: 6/21/17 at 11:09am

fashionguru_23 said: "To my knowledge, when has there been a major production of Grand Hotel or Me and My Girl ? I can't really think about it. So, I welcome Encores for doing those shows."

 

I saw Tommy and Twiggy in "My One and Only" and I loved it.  What's not to love about a boy and a girl and a puddle of water?

 

 

[Cesare2]

Posted: 6/21/17 at 11:27am

I'm giving up my subscription.   Next season's choices don't interest me at all.  I've been seeing Broadway shows since the 1970s.  I saw Grand Hotel twice, decided not to see Me and My Girl.  Invariably, for me, seeing Encores do a show whose original production I already saw proves disappointing. I saw the Makarova revival of On Your Toes three times; I couldn't stand the Encores production.  Even the 1975 Chicago was so much better than the long running Encores production.

[jayinchelsea]

Posted: 6/21/17 at 11:52am

Kimbo said: "jayinchelsea said: "The best show of this past season, by far, was THE NEW YORKERS, from Cole Porter. Were there really no better choices, or is Jack Viertel just too lazy to do the work? "

Your message is condescending and self-contradictory.  "The New Yorkers" was the most lavish restoration job Encores has ever done, for which Jack Viertel himself (for whom it had been a passion project for years) wrote the new book adaptation - so you can hardly accuse him of being lazy by holding up that show as an example.

At the same time, as "a product of painstaking theater archaeology" (Brantley's review), it was easily the most expensive show of the season, and I believe the one that made the least money.  Long story short, if we want restorations and rare shows like St. Louis Woman, Cabin in the Sky and The New Yorkers, and expensive shows like On Your Toes, The Golden Apple and The Most Happy Fella, then we're occasionally going to have seasons where the choices (to some) may feel a bit more familiar or less special.  You're of course entitled not to subscribe to those seasons and wait for Wildcat or whatever else you prefer.

Guess I wasn't totally clear. THE NEW YORKERS was wonderful; I was referring to ME AND MY GIRL and GRAND HOTEL as "lazy" choices, not the great Cole Porter show, which was painstakingly and beautifully realized. Look, I've been going to Encores! since day one, and I applaud what they have done. Was just hoping we might see some more adventurous choices in the new season.

"

 

[newintown]

Posted: 6/21/17 at 12:08pm

I subscribed from the first season through 2014, but abandoned it after that, because:

1) earlier seasons sort of followed a mission of presenting scores that either hadn't been recorded (or hadn't been recorded well), or that most living theatre-goers had had little-to-no chance of hearing done live. As they drifted further and further from that paradigm, my interest waned;

2) as the years went on, Encores began amplifying/miking the orchestra more and more, resulting in a sound that didn't match the original orchestrators' intentions (writing, as they did, for acoustic orchestras). Most people, I know don't care a rat's ass about this sort of thing, but a few of us do, and when a harp is a loud as a brass section, things just feel wrong;

3) Casting seems, to me, to have become increasingly sketchy, with performers of  - let's say dubious skill often being used (when, I would guess, the better talent initially considered proved to be unavailable).

And if course, the price of subscriptions rose rather quickly to almost-Broadway ticket prices. Eventually, it seemed to me that I wasn't getting what I wanted. However, I doubt that my seats went unsold.

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 6/21/17 at 12:22pm

Could a case be made that 25 years ago when Encores started, that these shows were obviously too "new", and now we have reached a point where we can bring things back that now have aged?

Going forward, could we see "Triumph of Love", 'The Capeman", etc.?

[Willy Loman2]

Posted: 6/21/17 at 12:48pm

Would love to see Wilcat!  

[gypsy101]

Posted: 6/21/17 at 1:10pm

JSquared2 said: "Because they have a LOT of tickets to sell, and it's Show BUSINESS, not Show "Let's Produce a Bunch of Old Forgotten Shows That No One Except For A Few Dozen Old Theatre Queens Care About" !! "

except isn't that kind of what encores what supposed to be about

[JSquared2]

Posted: 6/21/17 at 1:24pm

VintageSnarker said: "Grand Hotel isn't a good score? While I don't think (and I know they're not in the regular Encores season but still) Brigadoon, Assassins, and Little Shop of Horrors are really neglected, I feel like in light of some recent conversations, I should point out that Big River and Little Shop of Horrors mean more diverse casting. Sure they did better with The Golden Apple... and barely with Assassins and 1776. But let's be honest. They don't try really hard with colorblind casting when it comes to the older shows in particular. "

BRIGADOON (and SUNDAY IN THE PARK last year) have zero to do with Encores. Those are both City Center productions.  ASSASSINS and LITTLE SHOP are/were both part of the summer series for off-Broadway shows --- which is also separate from Encores and Jack Viertel.

 

[Ado Annie D'Ysquith]

Posted: 6/21/17 at 3:00pm

It could be worse, they could be doing JERRY SPRINGER THE OPERA.

Damnit, New Group...

[JAS]

Posted: 6/25/17 at 10:39am

JSquared2 said: "Because they have a LOT of tickets to sell, and it's Show BUSINESS, not Show "Let's Produce a Bunch of Old Forgotten Shows That No One Except For A Few Dozen Old Theatre Queens Care About" !! 

Jesus, what an unnecessarily condescending comment! Encores! IS, indeed, a business venture--thanks for the clarification--but it is a venture with a very specific motive. The 2018 season is NOT representative of what the Encores! mission claims. And while YOU, JSquared2, may think next season is somehow commercial and popular, there are MANY here who would disagree.

 

Let's discuss, first and foremost, the decision to do Me and My Girl.  I don't think ANYONE would be foolish enough to think we're getting the original script and score. We're going to get the brilliantly re-worked Stephen Fry version from the 80s.  Oh, and it's BRITISH. Not an American show, but a BRITISH show.  I've always hoped for a West End-themed Encores! season, but are there no more American musicals to do? Not one?  I wonder what big star asked Viertel to mount this for him?

Grand Hotel's score is terrific, but what made it dazzle was Tommy Tune's staging. Will the piece be as interesting without it?

And a review? Come on......I love 'em, but they couldn't find another full show to produce?

I think Viertel and the Encores! team dropped the ball this time.

 

[Ragged Tear]

Posted: 6/27/17 at 9:16am

I'm also letting my subscription lapse after 22 seasons. It's a combination of not being excited to attend the shows any longer, and my continuing distaste for Jack Viertel's tone-deaf attack on the New York Times review of BIG RIVER.