Encores! 2023: LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA with Ruthie Ann Miles, DEAR WORLD with Donna Murphy, and OLIVER!- Page 2

[Emmeline Carter]

Posted: 6/14/22 at 2:50pm

I would love to see Auli'i Cravalho as Clara in The Light in the Piazza!! It would be cool if they gave another Disney star an Off-broadway debut after Julia Lester in Into the Woods.

As for Ashley Park, I think she would instead make an amazing Nancy in Oliver!

Updated On: 6/14/22 at 02:50 PM

[verywellthensigh]

Posted: 6/14/22 at 3:08pm

Dear World is a twee mess that'll probably never work but to hear that score with a full orchestra and Murphy leading should be a treat.  It'll be interesting to see how Oliver! has aged. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 6/14/22 at 3:26pm

Sauja said: "I’m reading up a bit on Dear World (which I confess I don’t know), and it sort of sounds like the creators were ultimately more fond of a revised version of the show that opened years later. Is that at all an accurate read of the situation? And if so, do we think we’ll get the revised “chamber musical” version?"

Nobody knows. (Or if they do, they're not sharing!) It could be a pared-down version of the original book, a hybrid of the David Thompson book with original orchestrations, a new revisal of the original book, or something else. I only know the score of DEAR WORLD, but it might be a situation where cutting down the book to the barest minimum (like SUPERMAN a few years ago) serves this show the best.

There were also a lot of hands involved in directing the original production, as well as meddling by the producer Alex Cohen. First it was Lucia Victor (Gower Champion's assistant) with choreo by Donald Saddler, then it was Peter Glenville, and ultimately Joe Layton got the directing credit.

Updated On: 6/14/22 at 03:26 PM

[JSquared2]

Posted: 6/14/22 at 3:29pm

VintageSnarker said: "Who would be young enough to play Clara? Eva Noblezada? It would be nice if they highlighted an "unknown" actress. After Samantha Williams and Justin Cooley recently proved themselves fresh out of school, I'd love to see another young talent. Plenty of opportunity for "star" casting in the other adult roles.

I'm excited about the season and wary about what they might do to these shows. I love "As Long As He Needs Me" but Oliver! is the show I'll wait on getting tickets for. I could see them wanting to mess with Nancy and Clara the most, though I agree that Oliver! would also make for a good Publicworks/community theater style show that they might leave mostly untouched aside from Nancy."

 

Nancy will now be a gay trans sex worker, who steps out of character in Act 2 and makes a speech to the audience about the Second Amendment.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/14/22 at 3:33pm

I don’t think City Center really cares anymore about what people want but hopefully they’re at least aware that “Dear World” has been at the top of the want-list for many many many people since the beginning of Encores!, and they treat it with at least a bit of respect, for those people. 

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 6/14/22 at 3:33pm

I wouldn't be opposed to Nancy reconceived as a Molly Boy or portrayed by a trans actress. Why not? 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 6/14/22 at 3:43pm

Jordan Catalano said: "I don’t think City Center really cares anymore about what people want but hopefully they’re at least aware that “Dear World” has been at the top of the want-list for many many many people since the beginning of Encores!, and they treat it with at least a bit of respect, for those people."

City Center cares about trying to appeal to about 14,000 ticketbuyers per production, sustaining its programming, and making the venture worthwhile. That happened with 1/3 of its productions last year, and I have no doubt that the team learned a lot from the sales and reviews of the first two productions of the season.

Ultimately I hope this DEAR WORLD will be a grand showcase of the score, its leading lady, and Jerry Herman's greatest overture.

[UWS10023]

Posted: 6/14/22 at 3:44pm

Oliver must be the “community” production.

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 6/14/22 at 9:00pm

Drag Race fans will get this, but not sure why they left out Ruthie Ann Miles playing Light:

[Synecdoche2]

Posted: 6/14/22 at 9:14pm

Taffy, I think it's because "Dear" and "Ben Platt" are both part of the quote. They left off Oliver, too.

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 6/14/22 at 9:17pm

Ah, that makes sense. I wouldn't expect them to have anything for Oliver!, since no casting has been announced, and it would ruin the joke, anyway.

Updated On: 6/14/22 at 09:17 PM

[uncageg]

Posted: 6/14/22 at 9:26pm

Sally Durant Plummer said: "Damn,I wish the season looked like this when I was a subscriber.

Exciting! Though wonder if people might be a little iffy about Guettel... Separate the art from the artist, I say."

"Iffy about Guettel"? What did I miss?

 

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 6/14/22 at 9:39pm

During the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings he tweeted:

“Kavanaugh is qualified. This accusation lacks
credibility and is suspiciously timed.And I'm
a liberal Democrat.”

Which, reasonably, angered many of his fans.

[Robbie2]

Posted: 6/14/22 at 11:06pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Globefan said: "Maybe Ashley Park will play Clara Johnson"

She's only 8 years younger than Ruthie Ann! Would be weird to have a Clara who's older than the character and a Margaret who's younger."

Well that won't happen they are basically in the same age group LOL 

[Robbie2]

Posted: 6/14/22 at 11:08pm

ClydeBarrow said: "Which show are they going to Billy Porter this season?"

Please no - Billy needs to stay away from Encores and directing - thank you!

[UWS10023]

Posted: 6/14/22 at 11:14pm

It is interesting that the least talked about choice is running for two weeks. The dance articles indicated that this coming season would be Arlene Shuler’s last which was odd because she spent a large part of spring saying goodbye.

 

 

Updated On: 6/14/22 at 11:14 PM

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 6/14/22 at 11:27pm

UWS10023 said: "It is interesting that the least talked about choice is running for two weeks."

I don't see how Oliver! sells for 2 weeks without bona fide stars (not merely reliable Broadway folk). The two-week run of Evita was terribly sold. Woods sold because of Bareilles and Sondheim.

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 6/15/22 at 1:27am

Robbie2 said: "ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Globefan said: "Maybe Ashley Park will play Clara Johnson"

She's only 8 years younger than Ruthie Ann! Would be weird to have a Clara who's older than the character and a Margaret who's younger."

Well that won't happen they are basically in the same age group LOL"


The age issue aside (Margaret should be 45 - 50, Miles is 39 but appears younger), I am curious if they will make this “color conscious” casting or “color blind.” Will the actors playing Clara and Roy also be Asian? And would they use Southern accents? The 1950’s Southern-ness of the Johnson family seems so integral to their characters I’m not sure how it would work. Not looking to argue, just genuinely curious what Chay Yew’s approach to the story will be.

[Dolly80]

Posted: 6/15/22 at 2:17am

Does Ruthie have the voice for this role? I don’t think so.

[barcelona20]

Posted: 6/15/22 at 7:59am

Dolly80 said: "Does Ruthie have the voice for this role? I don’t think so."

That was my thought as well.  I'm guessing her version of Margaret will be much more subdued.

 

[Georgeanddot2]

Posted: 6/15/22 at 8:30am

What's special about musical theater is that it's so inherently absurd that pretty much anyone could play anything so I don't see why Ruthie couldn't play a 1950's southern belle.

[BritCrit]

Posted: 6/15/22 at 10:29am

SonofRobbieJ said: "I wouldn't be opposed to Nancy reconceived as a Molly Boy or portrayed by a trans actress. Why not?"

I see no issue with gender-diverse casting for Nancy. My main concern with Oliver! is ensuring that they cast a Jewish actor as Fagin. In the original production and film, Lionel Bart and Ron Moody allowed their more comical interpretation of Fagin to come across as a "reclaiming" of the problematic Jewish crook.(along the lines of the countless more sympathetic takes on Shylock we've seen in recent years). However, since Ron Moody, Fagin has rarely been played by Jewish actors, so this sense of ownership has been diminished. In recent months, several hit plays and musicals have featured overtly Jewish themes and subject matter, and it would be nice to place Oliver back into Jewish theatre history...

DeBessonett is a solid choice to direct Oliver! given her experience helming Annie Live! last year. Although it had its share of flaws, it showed she could adapt a family-friendly, rags-to-riches musical in a reasonably faithful way, and the fact she restored the sociopolitical themes omitted from the other Annie adaptations gives me some confidence she she will be able to do something interesting with the socio-political elements of Oliver!...

 

[jbird5]

Posted: 6/15/22 at 10:23pm

I’m not sure of the optics of a trans actor playing a character who is violently killed.

[Synecdoche2]

Posted: 6/15/22 at 11:36pm

jbird5 said: "I’m not sure of the optics of a trans actor playing a character who is violently killed."

Perhaps she can pull a gun out and shoot Sikes in the head, instead.

[Quinn Wilson]

Posted: 6/16/22 at 4:35am

Perhaps we shouldn’t joke about gun violence