City Center Encores! 2023-24 season: PAL JOEY • ONCE UPON A MATTRESS • JELLY'S LAST JAM • TITANIC- Page 2

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 5/31/23 at 3:49pm

whatever2 said: ">Intrigued by PAL JOEY, its new characters, and the incorporation of other Rodgers & Hart songs.

According to the wikipedia page for the movie version of Pal Joey, the added R&H songs listed on the City Center website were also additions to the movie."

The City Center website lists two songs. One was written for Pal Joey, one was written for Babes in Arms.

The initial NYT announcement of this Broadway-aimed revival said the following, but we should take with a grain of salt because that was almost 2 years ago and now Daniel “Koa” Beaty has been added as a co-bookwriter:

"In addition to an original score best known for “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered” and “I Could Write a Book,” they plan to add other songs by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, including “Where or When,” “The Lady Is a Tramp,” “It Never Entered My Mind,” “My Heart Stood Still,” “Falling in Love With Love” and “There’s a Small Hotel.”"

[inception]

Posted: 5/31/23 at 4:16pm

When the casting notice went out for Pal Joey I had hopes for a full revival; so I'm a bit disappointed it is just for this gala with no guarantee of more - though I do understand the financial risks a full commercial revival would entail. Here's hoping it becomes a sensation. 

I don't understand what any of the hint images on Twitter earlier had to do with the shows that ended up being announced?

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 5/31/23 at 4:26pm

inception said: "When the casting notice went out for Pal Joey I had hopes for a full revival; so I'm a bit disappointed it is just for this gala with no guarantee of more - though I do understand the financial risks a full commercial revival would entail. Here's hoping it becomes a sensation.

I don't understand what any of the hint images on Twitter earlier had to do with the shows that ended up being announced?"

The hint images are from the key art that NYCC created. So it was vague, especially for Mattress.

I assume the commercial producers who first announced this revival are still behind it, and if this is well received it could get to Broadway in this format.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 5/31/23 at 4:52pm

Now I’m excited to see who will play the silent King in MATTRESS. Could we be lucky enough to get master clown Bill Irwin??? 

[Kad]

Posted: 5/31/23 at 10:41pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Now I’m excited to see who will play the silent King in MATTRESS. Could we be lucky enough to get master clown Bill Irwin???"

Irwin would be brilliant casting. The whole cast better be full of wonderful character actors and clowns, or else it just doesn’t work.

and I’m glad it’s being adapted by Sherman-Palladino. The book needs punching up, badly. It could even be condensed into one act 

 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 5/31/23 at 11:10pm

The jokes about "a girl named Fred" (which gets a whole novelty number about how she's not like other girls) probably don't play very well in 2023, too. But that's also one of the big songs in the show.

[qafgenius122]

Posted: 5/31/23 at 11:11pm

The excitement I have at FINALLY hearing the score of Titanic LIVE, one of my absolute favoites, and from the Encores! Orchestra no less, is OFF THE CHARTS! I don't care who they cast, I am here for that score!

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 5/31/23 at 11:17pm

qafgenius122 said: "The excitement I have at FINALLY hearing the score of Titanic LIVE, one of my absolute favoites, and from the Encores! Orchestra no less, is OFF THE CHARTS! I don't care who they cast, I am here for that score!"

no, titanic is being done with karaoke tracks now. it's a radical new concept. 

:3

[UWS10023]

Posted: 6/1/23 at 1:46am

City Center decided not to continue the summer off center series because it was losing too much money. There definitely seems to be an attempt to cast and pick shows for the Encores season with an eye on possible transfers and selling more tickets.

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 8/22/23 at 1:07pm

The 3 Encores! productions will all have 2-week runs:

https://playbill.com/article/encores-productions-of-once-upon-a-mattress-jellys-last-jam-and-titanic-will-all-have-2-week-runs

 

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 8/22/23 at 1:23pm

Once upon a Mattress single tickets will go on sale to members at noon on 10/10/23 and 10/17/23 to the public.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 8/22/23 at 1:23pm

TaffyDavenport said: "The 3 Encores! productions will all have 2-week runs:

https://playbill.com/article/encores-productions-of-once-upon-a-mattress-jellys-last-jam-and-titanic-will-all-have-2-week-runs"

Huh. Interesting.

Mattress should do fine due to Foster, but it could be a struggle to fill the other titles unless WOM is really good or they get legitimate stars. Perhaps press night won’t have to be the first perf for a paying audience now, too.

Wonder if this will impact production budgets and rehearsal time?

[JSquared2]

Posted: 8/22/23 at 1:39pm

JELLY in particular is going to need 1 or 2 MAJOR stars to sell a 2-week run.  Jared Grimes would be great -- but wouldn't sell any tickets.  I doubt Myles Frost taps.

 

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 8/22/23 at 2:08pm

I'm not going to be in the city for either of the first two shows. I love Once Upon a Mattress and I've been curious about Jelly's Last Jam for years but not enough to be in the city over the winter. Do the fall/winter Encores shows really do that much better than off-Center? 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 8/22/23 at 2:14pm

JSquared2 said: "JELLY in particular is going to need 1 or 2 MAJOR stars to sell a 2-week run. Jared Grimes would be great -- but wouldn't sell any tickets. I doubt Myles Frost taps."

Myles Frost is playing MJ in London which starts previews March 6, 2024.

I doubt there's anyone who sells enough tix to make a huge difference and can dance the part...Corbin Bleu might be the closest thing to a "star." Jared Grimes or Daniel Watts would be good if NYCC just wants a talented dancer/singer who doesn't sell beyond niche theatre fans.

Savion graduating to Older Jelly? But that would mean he's doing 2 NYCC shows in one season.

Updated On: 8/22/23 at 02:14 PM

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 8/22/23 at 2:20pm

VintageSnarker said: "I'm not going to be in the city for either of the first two shows. I love Once Upon a Mattress and I've been curious about Jelly's Last Jam for years but not enough to be in the city over the winter. Do the fall/winter Encores shows really do that much better than off-Center?"

It's Winter/Spring for the regular Encores season with a City Center gala production in the Fall.

Off-Center happened during the summer time when a lot of their prime ticketbuyers are out of town, it would be foolish for City Center to rely on tourists (which are flocking to the big Tony winners), and they were mostly doing esoteric Off-Broadway shows.

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 8/22/23 at 2:28pm

Thanks for the explanation. I guess I usually see the fall gall show and I was spoiled this year with Piazza moving to June when I didn't have anything else going on. I wish Jelly's Last Jam was the spring show instead so I could see it, but I'll survive.

Side note: The website is really impossible to read today. It feels like more comments than usual are being pulled out into unreadable one character strands. Did they change the ad placement or something?

[ACL2006]

Posted: 8/22/23 at 2:52pm

Mattress and Titanic will definitely sellout for their two week runs. Always thought Encores should have done certain popular shows for 2 weeks 

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 10/10/23 at 12:31pm

https://www.instagram.com/p/CyOWX7dOFme/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/10/23 at 12:38pm

Oh, this annoys me. Presale happening now and it looks like every performance the first week of each of the runs is heavily sold out but then magically there's a lot of availability for the second weeks. And that's for all 3 shows. So it appears they're holding back sales for the first week and only putting "good" seats onsale for members for the end of the runs. 

[BCfitasafiddle]

Posted: 10/10/23 at 12:38pm

Casting Updates:

Once Upon a Mattress - Michael Urie as Prince Dauntless

Jelly's Last Jam - Joaquina Kalukango as Anita, Billy Porter as Chimney Man, Mamie Duncan-Gibbs, Stephanie Pope Lofgren, and Allison M. Williams as The Original Hunnies.

Titanic - Bonnie Milligan as Alice Beane.

 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/10/23 at 12:41pm

Michael Urie is inspired casting for that. I'm still crossing my fingers and toes for Donna Murphy as the Queen. I need that more than anything else.

Updated On: 10/10/23 at 12:41 PM

[musikman]

Posted: 10/10/23 at 1:06pm

Jordan Catalano said: "Michael Urie is inspired casting for that. I'm still crossing my fingers and toes for Donna Murphy as the Queen. I need that more than anything else."

1000%

[HenryTDobson]

Posted: 10/10/23 at 1:08pm

musikman said: "Jordan Catalano said: "Michael Urie is inspired casting for that. I'm still crossing my fingers and toes for Donna Murphy as the Queen. I need that more than anything else."

1000%"

Yes but also Beth Leavel....

Updated On: 10/10/23 at 01:08 PM

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/10/23 at 1:10pm

For me personally, Donna as the queen has been maybe my #1 theater dream.