Funny Face (1927) Gershwin Keep Shufflin' (1928 ) Fats Waller Treasure Girl (1928 ) Gershwin Simple Simon (1930) Rodgers/Hart Jubilee (1935) Porter Red, Hot and Blue (1936) Porter I'd Rather Be Right (1937) Rodgers/Hart Hooray For What! (1937) Arlen Between the Devil (1937) Schwartz/Dietz Higher and Higher (1940) Rodgers/Hart Hold on to Your Hats (1940) Lane/Harburg The Day Before Spring (1945) Lerner/Loewe Billion Dollar Baby (1945) Comden/Green Love Life (1948 ) Weill Texas, Li'l Darlin' (1949) Mercer Carnival in Flanders (1953) Rome The Vamp (1955) The Conquering Hero (1961) Charlap Hot Spot (1963) M Rodgers/Sondheim Foxy (1964) Mercer A Time for Singing (1966) The Fig Leaves Are Falling (1969) Sherman Rachael Lily Rosenbloom and Don't You Ever Forget It (1973) Home Sweet Homer (1976) Mitch Leigh A History of the American Film (1978 ) Durang A Broadway Musical (1978 ) Strouse Saravā (1979) Mitch Leigh Oh Brother! (1981) M Valenti Smile (1986) Ashman/Hamlisch
I know this is recent, but I've never seen Rags and I would like to see it. I know it probably won't happen, but boy I'd love it if it could (please, please, please!).
I'd also like Funny Face and On Your Toes. I'd also like "Do I Hear a Waltz?".
Huss417, Jerry Mitchell and John Breglio are very actively developing a commercial revival of BALLROOM with Tyne Daly, so don't expect to see it being done at Encores! any time soon.
Everytime Encores asked I always told them I wanted to see Coco. I had always wanted to see Dixie Carter take a stab at the role, but that won't be possible now.
Rags
Goldilocks
I would also like to see them take on some of the lesser known off-Broadway musicals:
Three Guys Naked From The Waist Down Zombie Prom The Green Heart Bat Boy Ruthless I'm Getting My Act Together one of the Howard Crabtree musicals Cowgirls Gunmetal Blues
And maybe someone can tell me, what was the off-Broadway musical from the 1990s that starred the young black girl? I remember the advertising but I can't remember the name.
I actually think Encores Mission statement expressly prevents them from doing any Off Broadway musicals or even shows that closed in previews.
There are lots of great suggestions here. A few are being held by producers for commercial revival (BALLROOM, CARMEN JONES); a few others have been declined for Encores presentation by the Estates who control them (GOLDEN APPLE, LOVE LIFE).
Somebody on ATC mentioned that FIORELLO is apparently being considered, which would make it the first Encores show to be repeated...
I think all the Styne shows suggested would be a lot of fun. SUGAR seems like an especially appealing choice given that Encores likes doing titles with some familiar source material...
I could see "Do I Hear a Waltz?" being considered since it's a never done Sondheim and Rodgers.
I'd love an all Herman season with Milk and Honey, Mack and Mabel, and Dear World (Ebersole please!) with Dolly or Mame being a Summer Stars. I keep hearing Herman refuses to let them simply because he'd be admitting the shows are unrevivable or flops.
I saw one of the readings of BALLROOM with Tyne Daly and she was absolutely wonderful and heartbreaking. I hope they are able to pull it together financially, though I think its probably a tough sell to investors. Actually doing it first at Encores, to me, makes a lot of sense...
Jerry Herman is another who apparently doesn't want Encores to do his shows because he is holding out for commercial revivals. He has let his shows be done at Reprise in Los Angeles.
If that's true, that's foolish of Herman, since Encores shows have a history of transfer. In fact, it may provide an easier route to getting a production on Broadway for most of these shows.
Oh I agree. But I actually think for a few of those titles (MACK AND MABEL, DEAR WORLD) there are commercial producers who are controlling the rights; Herman did some clever contingency things when he brokered the revival rights to his bigger titles (LA CAGE, DOLLY, MAME) that I think required the optioning at the same time of some of the lesser titles in his canon.
Goth - I think the requirement is just that it had to have 'opened on Broadway.' Of course requirements are made to be broken and Encores did do that 'original' Ziegfeld musical so you never know.
I'd still like to see them do It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's Superman! The score is fun. And I've always wanted to see something down with Rachel Lily Rosenbloom out of sheer curiousity! That title has always intrigued me but so little of it is available to hear.
While I really wanted the commercial revival (which I'm sure is still being considered), I DO! I DO! starring Martin Short and Bernadette Peters would be good for encores.
Also, would love to see them do DOLLY! or Superman.
Rachel Lily Rosenbloom would be a treat, but doesn't seem to be the kind of show Encores would touch now--if they ever would have. Didn't they do Billion Dollar Baby before--I think the show is underated, and it would particularly be a treat to see if they could recreate some of the Robbins' dances--for some reason I assumed the recent-ish recording stemmed from them.
Always wondered why they didn't do Love Life, seems such an obvious choice. I wonder why the rights are being retained?
It seems like at some point they should finish their obscure Rodgers and Hammerstein scores with Me and Juliet though I admit the show really isn't that interesting.
Do I Hear a Waltz' score is largely pretty great I think and would be a good choice, though the revised version (from where the Pasadena recording stems) is performed a bit more now. Howabout No Strings?
I would like to see them go back to doing a few more obscure titles though--many of their choices lately seem to be them just wanting to do a great show, even if it's not obscure--which is fine I guess.
joined:3/3/10
Posted: 5/15/12 at 01:40pm