Encores! Music News: Rob Berman & Red Press will leave after INTO THE WOODS

This isn't great news for those of us who feel Encores has lost its way...

Rob Berman will leave Encores! after conducting INTO THE WOODS this spring (though he will return as a Guest Conductor in the future). He will be missed!! "A successor will be announced later this spring." So I guess it's good that they'll continue to have a Resident MD? The Resident MD at Encores has a role in planning the season (now part of a very large committee) in addition to the traditional MD responsibilities on shows.

Seymour "Red" Press is an absolute f'n legend, and at the tender age of 98 I hope he can finally enjoy retirement. (No word if he's closing up shop in general, though he has several shows opening on Broadway this spring, contracted alongside his collaborator Kimberlee Wurtz).

For those who don't know, the "Music Coordinator" (or Orchestra Contractor) is the person responsible for hiring the orchestra players for a given production, working in close collaboration with the MD and the rest of the music team. It's a key role on Broadway.

Updated On: 3/30/22 at 12:06 PM

Looks like City Center is really "cleaning house" this season. If they plan to continue on the path they are headed in this season, they should really just take off the name "Encores" -- since it bears no resemblance to its original intent, Too bad.

HogansHero said: "I think that, no matter how one views the state of affairs on the double nickel, this news is not a surprise."

I'm kinda surprised they're even retaining a Resident Music Director, since so much emphasis has been taken away from scores. They could change course, but this indicates the role will be filled.

UWS10023 said: "I have never heard the double nickel expression before. Does it refer to people being pushed past their limit?"

I'll leave your second set of questions to others. Double nickel refers to the number 55. (I think it originates as a gambling term, rolling 2 5's with the dice.) City Center is on 55th Street. That's the only reference (and least the only one I intended LOL).

UWS10023 said: "I am also wondering what the duties of the president at City Center are? I noticed the current one who seemed to be popular is leaving as well. What is at the center of all of these people leaving? Is there at puppet master?"

One other point: Encores used to pretty much be a 2.5-person operation (Artistic Director, Music Director, and a bit of input/signoff from the President). The Encores team has now grown quite a lot –– some in the name of "equitability," but this just seems like too many cooks in the kitchen:

Encores! Artistic Leadership
Lear deBessonet | Artistic Director
Rob Berman | Music Director
Clint Ramos | Producing Creative Director
Josh Clayton | Supervisor of Music Administration & Score Restoration
Adrian Alea | Creative Associate

Creative Advisors
Camille A. Brown, Eisa Davis, and Robert O'Hara

Producer of Musical Theater
Jenny Gersten

Beyond those people working directly on Encores shows, there's a President and 7 VPs, general management, marketing, development, and various other departments –– all of whom are probably weighing in on certain elements of Encores and its financials.

Hi, I am just posting here instead of starting a new thread. I am going to the Encores! gala of Into the Woods and never went to Encores! before in my life. Any advice, especially about how early I should get to the theatre?

I just don't get the point of Encores! anymore. It originally wasn't just about revivals, it was about reviving forgotten shows, and restoring long-lost original orchestrations. I mean, why do we need Encores! to do, say, Into the Woods? The show is revived regularly. Even with Gypsy (which obviously worked out well for everyone involved), what was really the point? It isn't like Gypsy had disappeared or no one had ever heard it with the original orchestrations or anything. Did they even need that concert as a form of backer's auditions? I'm thinking "We've got Patti, we've got Gypsy" would have been enough to bankroll a full-scale revival. Encores! served an important, genuinely historic, function at one point. Now it's just a place where you stage a revival on the cheap and hope to drum up funds for a Broadway transfer.

Jack and Rob were the heart of Encores. I guess it makes sense that with both of them gone and a younger staff in place that things could evolve into something else. The new journey seems to emphasize inclusion and diversity. It seems the productions however, will have to maintain a sophistication and sense of professionalism or the subscriber base will not renew their memberships. Subscribers are well educated particularly with their vocal and instrumental knowledge.