Recent flops that will be future Encores! shows...- Page 2

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 5/19/14 at 8:26am

I know Piazza can't technically be considered a flop or a hit because it wasn't produced commercially, but I threw it in there because it would sound sublime with the Encores orchestra and be perfect for their mission. Kelli would indeed make a wonderful Margaret someday.

[Sauja]

Posted: 5/19/14 at 8:45am

I was listening to the Marie Christine recording for the first time this morning and actually thinking a) how beautiful it is, b) how it feels like it could be a great Encores choice someday, and c) I wonder how they'll (eventually) handle non-profit shows.

What I would love to see (and can't decide if it would be a great marketing choice or the worst one ever) would be for Encores and Encores Off to do the two Wild Parties in the same season.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 5/19/14 at 8:57am

I agree that Marie Christine will make a great Encores. Who would you cast as the lead? It's so difficult for me to divorce the score from Audra, but maybe Marin Mazzie could take it on?

[tazber]

Posted: 5/19/14 at 9:03am

I was thinking Grey Gardens, but then I thought it was too popular for Encores to consider.

I would love for them to do Cy Coleman's Welcome to the Club, but it's such an awful show I can't really see them considering it.

But "In the Name of Love" is one his best songs.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 5/19/14 at 9:06am

Not too recent, but I think it's about time they consider tackling KISS OF THE SPIDERWOMAN and PASSION.
They will probably do LaChiusa's THE WILD PARTY at some point, gorgeous score.

[tazber]

Posted: 5/19/14 at 9:10am

Dance a Little Closer would be an ideal candidate.

A great score that is so under-appreciated.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 5/19/14 at 9:11am

Encores doesn't limit themselves to only producing flops. I mean they just did The Most Happy Fella and have included hits like Promises, Promises, Bye, Bye Birdie and Fiorello. I think Grey Gardens fits in, despite it having a popular regional life.

If CSC hadn't just done Passion I would have put it at the top of their must-do list. Spiderwoman is a great choice!

I LOVE the score/OBCR to Dance a Little Closer. Maybe the book is a mess, but the score has many underappreciated gems.

Updated On: 5/19/14 at 09:11 AM

[ljay889]

Posted: 5/19/14 at 9:12am

SPIDER WOMAN is so deserving of a full revival, but I'd take anything. PASSION just had a stunning off-Broadway revival, but I could still see Encores doing it one day.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 5/19/14 at 9:41am

How could Marin Mazzie play Marie Christine? Her race is integral to the plot.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 5/19/14 at 10:08am

Oh duh!! Haha, I was thinking merely in who could handle the vocal demands.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 5/19/14 at 10:12am

The purpose of Encores is not to reproduce Flops.
Mostly it is to do GOOD shows that are not regularly produced.

A lot of the shows people are listing like WOMEN ON THE VERGE and BONNIE AND CLYDE were terrible shows. It's not Encores job to re-do these shows and try to make them better. There are plenty of great shows that they should do but the usually go with "safer" projects.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 5/19/14 at 10:58am

"The purpose of Encores is not to reproduce Flops.
Mostly it is to do GOOD shows that are not regularly produced.

A lot of the shows people are listing like WOMEN ON THE VERGE and BONNIE AND CLYDE were terrible shows. It's not Encores job to re-do these shows and try to make them better. There are plenty of great shows that they should do but the usually go with "safer" projects."

Agreed.

Plus a number of the shows mentioned are being produced pretty regularly. It's hard to call Seussical, for one example, a forgotten but lovely score when it is one of the most licensed titles in MTI's catalog. The Light in the Piazza also gets staged on a somewhat regular basis, so I would see it more likely to be talked about for a full revival rather than a week long concert staging.

[ljay889]

Posted: 5/19/14 at 11:03am

VERGE suffered from overproduction, miscasting, and horrible word of mouth. The score gained plenty of attention and affection once the cast recording was released. Yazbek received a Tony nomination months after closing, shutting out scores from still running shows.

With a tweaked book and less spectacle, I think that it could truly be a wonderful show, and I only wish more regional theaters had the guts to take a stab at it.

[little_sally]

Posted: 5/19/14 at 3:47pm

Caroline, or Change

[perfectlymarvelous]

Posted: 5/19/14 at 4:19pm

re: Marie Christine, after seeing Bryonha Marie Parham as the Beggar Woman in Sweeney Todd at the NY Phil I'd love to hear her take on that score. Her voice is stunning and I think she could act the part as well.

[newintown]

Posted: 5/19/14 at 4:27pm

IN the last 20 years, musical theatre orchestras have become smaller and smaller and more and more heavily miked, which seems perhaps to be contrary to the Encores idea of showcasing the orchestra as well as the score.

Even Light in the Piazza, a score for which the generic words "lush" and "sweeping" are thrown about, only had 16 players (large for today).

Several other shows mentioned in this thread have even fewer players than the relatively (by Encores standards) small Irma la Douce (at 10).

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 5/19/14 at 4:59pm

I loved everything about Women on the Verge. Maybe it's because I'm an Almodovar fan, but I loved that the staging LOOKED like an Almodovar film and the book and score captured this spirit of his work. I found it fresh and delightful from start to finish and the score sublime. It was far and away my favorite show that season.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 5/19/14 at 6:07pm

I forgot about the CSC PASSION revival, I really wish I had seen it but it produced a beautiful cast recording.
Ljay, some Broadway revivals start at Encores!, maybe if they did a really top notch KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN, then we can finally see the show revived on Broadway? If there was a show that ever called for Rob Marshall, it's this one (and he has a history with it obviously, and in my mind, his work in SPIDER WOMAN highly influenced his vision of the CHICAGO film).

[ljay889]

Posted: 5/20/14 at 10:13am

It was far and away my favorite show that season.

Mine too. Those disastrous early previews and negative word of mouth absolutely killed any chance the show had.

It may sound silly, but I knew it was going to be such a special score when I heard the opening notes of the overture at an early preview. I was instantly hooked. It's without a doubt Yazbek's best work. It was so thrilling to see him get that well deserved Tony nomination, especially given that the cast recording was up in the air for a while. Once it was recorded and released, many people warmed up to this great score.

On another note, it kind of sucks that the Encores! Summer Stars series died. I saw all three, and while they weren't perfect, they were a lot fun.

Updated On: 5/20/14 at 10:13 AM

[mamaleh]

Posted: 5/20/14 at 12:12pm

I liked WOMEN ON THE VERGE in previews and became even fonder of it after opening. Very wise of them to move the upbeat, fun "Madrid" to the opening spot, perfectly setting the scene and tone. Besides, Danny Burstein, as the cabbie, does such a great job on it.

To that list, even though they're not recent, I would add MAGGIE FLYNN and WALKING HAPPY.

Updated On: 5/20/14 at 12:12 PM

[broadway_show_fan]

Posted: 5/20/14 at 12:21pm

whizzer, you're now my new best friend after putting the idea in my head of PIAZZA with that amazing Encores orchestra. Gasp.

I would love to see SEE WHAT I WANNA SEE for off-Center but holy hell it would be like watching ants on stage from that balcony.

What about BERNARDA ALBA?
Years from now, perhaps off-Center could also tackle QUEEN OF THE MIST.

Wow, clearly I'm a LaChiusa fan...

[dreaming]

Posted: 5/20/14 at 12:25pm

I'd like to see CSC tackle Light in its intimate setting. It's a chamber piece, really. And I think it would be an interesting one there.

Other idea: a full scale revival. (I have a dream cast but I'll hold that thought.)

[broadway_show_fan]

Posted: 5/20/14 at 12:40pm

Dreaming ... do tell your dream cast! Or at least divulge who's your Margaret, Clara, Fabrizio?

[ljay889]

Posted: 5/20/14 at 12:46pm

It's only inevitable that Kelli O'Hara will play Margaret someday. It'll be a fabulous full circle moment in an ideal role for her.

[broadway_show_fan]

Posted: 5/20/14 at 1:02pm

I can't wait for the day that Kelli is Margaret. Taking what I saw of that beautiful show + what I just saw Kelli do with the role of Francesca, that's a Tony win waiting to happen.