Encores 2021 Season

Shoot, I'm only going off the clips I've seen and the character breakdowns, but Lilias would probably be even more appropriate for Sonja now then she was in the nineties! (Though there are some fabulous actresses who could take on the role.)

I absolutely loved THE LIFE and if I had to name my favorite flop that I actually saw, I'd probably go with that one. But it wasn't a great show. It jumped off the stage and the performances were great but there was a definite air of - not camp, exactly, but it both was and wasn't taking itself seriously somehow. It felt like an A cast doing a C+ show with a cracking score.

I don't think there's enough meat or substance there for it to be an actual realistic show about that time and place. I fear trying to make it live up to today's social standards and be a "responsible" look at the street culture of the early '80s is just going to remove whatever made it exciting in the first place. 

And Sonya would have a grand total of a lot higher than 15,000 if Lilias were to play the role today, much as I love her. My memory is that during the applause for "Oldest Profession" she full-on chugged an entire mug of beer in one long gulp and got even more applause. And "My Body" is one of the all-time great production numbers I've seen onstage. I'll be excited to see who they cast.

I'd like to put in my huge applause for "The Tap Dance Kid."  It is most definitely a B musical, but it had some great aspects to it.  One of the elements I appreciated the most was not allowing the father to sing until his final moment.  And boy did it pay off.  Henry Kreiger was coming off his huge success of Dreamgirls.  His score for Tap Dance Kid is so underrated, mainly because after Dreamgirls everything is really downhill.  His collaborators this time did not have the powerful vision of Michael Bennett and Tom Eyen, so what began as a kitchen sink family drama pretty much stayed a kitchen sink family drama.  The late British director Vivian Matalon was the director and is a perfect example of the reason we need more representation in the theatre. Kenny Leon has a chance to resurrect this rarely produced show. I am so excited for this.