| I enjoyed the Encores! production of THE LIFE more than many people, but the musical did not need Billy Porter to inject "life" into it. The original production of THE LIFE was exquisitely directed by Michael Blakemore, with one of Cy Coleman's best scores, and a great cast. He was one of B'way's most versatile composers, and effortlessly pulled off a batch of powerful rhythm and blues songs. The original production was gritty, realistic and tonally unified. The Encores! is all over the place, veering from pathos to parody to unintentionally hilarious agitprop. That said, the material that he didn't mess with is strong, as was (most of) the cast, and there were many highlights, none of which had anything to do with the bizarre rewrites, which, rather than setting up the songs, undermined many of them. As for the man putting his coat over the speaker, he did this, conspicuously, during the last few notes of "The Oldest Profession," and it was ugly and unfair to Ledisi. |
