HIGH SPIRITS at Encores!- Page 3

[quizking101]

Posted: 2/15/26 at 3:36pm

bwayphreak234 said: "ColorTheHours048 hit the nail on the head and took the words right out of mouth.

I did not enjoy this. The entire thing felt stale and strangely lifeless. Yes, the material is undeniably dated, but strong direction can often make even the oldest and dustiestof shows worth reviving. That is not the case here.

Aside from the illustrious Katrina Lenk, the performances across the board were a mess. Most of the cast appeared bored out of their minds. Andrea Martin stumbled over her lines more than once even with the script in hand. Steven Pasquale and Phillipa Soo seemed visibly over it, and they both playedthe material with a kind of detached embarrassment.

With so many overlooked musical gems waiting to be rediscovered, the decision by Encores! to mount this particular title is puzzling."

This is my second time seeing it and I actually felt myself drifting off around the exact same time both times (midway through Act I - oddly at “Go Into Your Trance” up to “I Know Your Heart”. Katrina Lenk is truly the life of this production.

Andrea Martin seemed to bungle lines still and Pasquale did have the same reaction, but I’m not sure why the tripping up is still happening on the last day on the run. 

I think this maybe wasn’t the ideal show to just do as a semi-staged concert. There are elements of farce and wit in the source material that, if not adeptly staged, can make most of the proceedings seem absolutely flaccid and I think that was the problem here.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 2/15/26 at 5:04pm

So, Martin went up on her lines at every performance reported on here…? In the immortal words of Alyssa Edwards, I smell a stunt. 

Updated On: 2/15/26 at 05:04 PM

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 2/15/26 at 5:18pm

Andrea really couldn’t be bothered with this one lol

In Blithe Spirit it is such a wonderful role. In the musical it’s quite horrible with dreadful, silly songs.

Lenk was the best I’ve ever seen her.

The three leads voices blended beautifully. I would love an album of them singing these songs.

[Merkin2]

Posted: 2/16/26 at 6:11am

Are we supposed to glean anything from his deceased wife coming back?  Or is it all just silly nonsense?  I enjoyed it either way.   I didn’t really care for the ending where everyone dies though. At one point, I thought Katrina and Phillipa were going to go into Death Becomes Her territory and end it with a duet. 
 

Katrina sounded terrific, I thought she was tremendous in Company, I didn’t care that she was flat on Being Alive, but she sounded great in every number she sang in this. 

[fosterfan2]

Posted: 2/16/26 at 12:43pm

Katrina's current vocal coach is Joan Lader,who also works with Patti LuPone and Kristin Chenoweth. I remember her mentioning it in an interview when Company returned  after the shutdown. She really does sound great.

[nycward]

Posted: 2/16/26 at 12:59pm

I enjoyed this considerably mostly because It's a title that I thought I'd never see staged. Much to enjoy if you enter a Time Machine and return to 1964. I did have trouble with the ending because Blythe Spirit does not end that way. There he is left being tormented by both of the ghosts which is a funny ending and offers much room for physical comedy and special effects to end the show on a high note. Was this the actual ending of the musical or was this tinkering by the director? I doubt that the narrator existed in the original so I've been assuming that the ending was played with as well. Am I right?

[singerunlimited]

Posted: 2/16/26 at 1:11pm

How is Rachel Dratch in this? Does her role sing at all?

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 2/16/26 at 1:19pm

She is barely in it, if she sings it's only a line or two. She was funny as always, though.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 2/16/26 at 1:26pm

singerunlimited said: "How is Rachel Dratch in this? Does her role sing at all?"

Was - the production ended yesterday: Sunday February 15, 2026.  

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 2/16/26 at 4:15pm

nycward said: "I enjoyed this considerably mostly because It's a title that I thought I'd never see staged. Much to enjoy if you enter a Time Machine and return to 1964. I did have trouble with the ending because Blythe Spirit does not end that way. There he is left being tormented by both of the ghosts which is a funny ending and offers much room for physical comedy and special effects to end the show on a high note. Was this the actual ending of the musical or was this tinkering by the director? Idoubt that the narratorexisted in the originalso I've been assuming that the ending was played with as well. Am I right?"

The ending wasn’t altered. Ruth, Charles, and Madame Arcati all die and join Elvira in the celestial world.