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| re: THE LIFE | |
| Posted by: Phaedrusnyc 08:59 am EDT 03/15/22 | |
| In reply to: re: THE LIFE - PlazaBoy 06:47 pm EDT 03/14/22 | |
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| When I saw the original production I also was a little nonplussed by it; especially things like "Hooker's Ball," which feels like it belongs in an entirely different (and much worse) show. And there's obviously a reason it didn't run that can't entirely be blamed on the Disneyfication of Broadway and the Giulianification of Midtown. But it ultimately leaves the questions of "why this?" and "why now?" Again, not opposed to revising problematic works if it can be done in a way that adds value to the show. But the fact is, no one was demanding "The Life"; It ain't "Oklahoma!" It isn't even something with hit songs that people know out of the context of the show. Without this revival , the life of "The Life" would be over; it would only live on in people's CD collections and the memories of people who are now, at minimum, zooming toward middle age. So why dig up the corpse of a nearly forgotten show to redo it unless you, personally, were so traumatized by it that you need to spite it? The only people who care about the show are people who love it despite its flaws or people who already dislike it so much that they aren't going to be interested in seeing it. If you need a lesser Cy Coleman show, there's "Barnum," "Seesaw," "I Love My Wife," "Will Rogers Follies"--hell, even "Welcome to the Club" is probably an easier show to "fix" than this one is. It's just an odd move. I get that City Center now needs to put its money where its mouth is as far as the public promises of anti-racism, but surely there were better candidates than this one. If APAC could manage a decent production of "Raisin" it's hard to imagine City Center can't. |
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| re: THE LIFE | |
| Posted by: standingO 06:33 pm EDT 03/15/22 | |
| In reply to: re: THE LIFE - Phaedrusnyc 08:59 am EDT 03/15/22 | |
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| I think, and have thought for years, that THE LIFE is perfect for the Encores mission as I assumed it to be: showcase great music from shows which are unlikely to be revived on Broadway. The show has its merits and a four-performance showcase to highlight them is justified. If we are drawing comparisons to Rodgers and Hammerstein, the more apt show would be SWEET THURSDAY (also a too-happy look at “the life”) which Encores did a few years ago. Obviously it’s great when Encores pulls off a CHICAGO or WONDERFUL TOWN but sometimes getting to see a curiosity is the payoff. If Billy Porter pulls off something more with the show, I’m all for it. And if he doesn’t, hopefully the show’s good moments still come across well. I won’t be able to attend - so selfishly I hope there’s an official Album or future life for the show. Another 1997 candidate for consideration- Steel Pier. There’s some good music in there as well although I didn’t see the show in its original run. |
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| re: THE LIFE | |
| Posted by: Phaedrusnyc 10:54 am EDT 03/17/22 | |
| In reply to: re: THE LIFE - standingO 06:33 pm EDT 03/15/22 | |
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| Oh, I agree with every point you made. The issue is that "the Encores mission as [you] assumed it to be" is not the case anymore. Encores has changed its mission. Five years ago I would have been very excited. But this show has been completely rewritten from what I hear. So the question becomes, "Why?" Do something new or do something that doesn't require a complete teardown if Encores is no longer about presenting an "encore" of something. It's just baffling that someone who comes across in interviews as a person who LOATHES the original version of this would waste his own time and everyone else's redoing it when he could be presenting his own POV in a new musical. If you don't LIKE "The Life," just let a sleeping dog lie. | |
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| re: THE LIFE | |
| Posted by: Chazwaza 06:43 pm EDT 03/15/22 | |
| In reply to: re: THE LIFE - standingO 06:33 pm EDT 03/15/22 | |
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| Honestly I'm not sure I am for Billy Porter pulling off something good with his revisions, not at Encores. I'm very much for it somewhere else. But the entire POINT of Encores and the reason so many of us love it is because it is one of the few, if not ONLY places a wonderful score from a rarely-seen and probably unfixable show (and certainly unlikely to ever be revived in NYC in its original version) can be produced, let alone with a full orchestra and top tier cast. Let Porter do his massively revamped version of the show somewhere else, I'm sure some notable theater would have done it. That isn't what Encores is for. |
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