The difference with STEEL PIER is that it requires almost the entire cast, including most of the leads to dance in extended sequences that replicate the dance marathon. The only characters who don't dance are the sleazy promoter (the Gregory Harrison role) and his assistant/flunky. So there couldn't be simultaneous rehearsals going on for the leads and the ensemble dancers, which would require a lot more rehearsal than usual. And, since the dance marathon is the centerpiece of the show, I'm not sure it would work to try to cut down those sequences in an adaptation.
If this was OG Encores! from the first few years with the cast in formal wear and carrying scripts while standing in front of mics, it might work. But the Encores! of the past few years have, essentially, been full productions that occasionally pay lip service to the original concept by sometimes having cast members carrying a book with them. That difference in conception is EVERYTHING when you consider a piece like STEEL PIER. I wonder how the current Encores! audiences would react if they went back to the old way...would there be a revolt at the ticket prices being charged for a concert reading of a show? |
