Me and My Girl, the final production of this Encores! season, is very…Encores!
Those familiar with this 25-year-old off-Broadway company will know exactly what that means; the rest of you will have to wait for me to finish my long think-piece regarding Encores! that’s been gestating since Write All Nite’s infancy. One day it shall see the light of day, I promise you that loyal readers!
But while I’m here, why not power-rank the Encores! season that was:
- Brigadoon
- Me and My Girl
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3. Grand Hotel
(This revue-phobic, nostalgia-allergic critic couldn’t bring himself to see Hey, Look Me Over! Then again, nothing could be worse than Grand Hotel, which I hope was conveyed by the cavernous gap between 2 and 3 in the list above).
As much as naysayers love to lambast the musical theatre scene for being so enamored with its own past, Encores! — along with its sister (and superior) program Encores! Off-Center, which focuses on smaller fare far removed from its big-brother’s usual Golden Age of Fluff bent — have really cornered the market on musical revivals. This season, there have been so few other off-Broadway musical revivals. And since only three were on Broadway this year, it feels like an unearned reputation.
One more thought before I go:
Christian Borle would make a good BeetleJuice in the upcoming musical adaptation.
The cast hasn’t been announced for its pre-Broadway tryout in Washington D.C. (note: nowadays, every musical adapted from an existing property produced outside the Great White Way is considered a pre-Broadway tryout, which doesn’t mean any will necessarily make it to the main stem; if aspirations were the same as reality, I’d be writing for The New York Times right now). Alex Brightman — mostly known for ripping off Jack Black in the School of Rock musical — has played the part in workshops, and he’s a fine choice too…as long as he’s capable of doing anything more than mooching off the antics of Tenacious D’s frontman (who, by the by, just announced a new tour!).
Reviving that shtick could work for BeetleJuice…but will just make me want to see a Black-led Beetlejuice scored by THE D!!!!!! Which will tragically never happen!!!
