Encore! - General Discussion

[Meredith Quill]

https://disneyplusoriginals.disney.com/show/encore

Quote

Executive Producer Kristen Bell brings together former castmates of a high school musical, tasking them with re-creating their original performance in a high school reunion like no other. Emotions run high as the former students face faded friendships, former flames, self-doubt, and killer choreography. Through it all, these unlikely groups of friends—with the help of Broadway's best—just might pull off a standing-ovation-worthy performance of beloved musicals like "The Sound of Music," "Beauty and the Beast," "Annie" and more.

[Primetimer]

Just posted:

Encore! Will Fill the Great British Baking Show-Sized Hole in Your Heart
Kristen Bell's heartwarming new Disney+ reality series is truly focused on personal improvement.

https://www.primetimer.com/features/let-encore-fill-the-great-british-bake-off-sized-hole-in-your-heart

[Arynm]

Yay! I went to college with some of the people in the GA episode so I am so excited!! I haven't watched the show yet, I think the GA one is last.

[Lyinfait]

This show makes me nostalgic for my theater days. I wish I could have the opportunity to do something like this. I like that it is not drawn out, a new cast and show each episode. I'm only two episodes in but enjoying the show. I am surprised that no one kept up any singing or dance though. 

[ZenMoonPi]

I've seen the first two episodes so far.

Adam the musical director is fun to watch. I get the feeling he's somewhere between trying to curb his instinct to push for perfection and just letting the cast enjoy what they're doing.  He's a treat to watch.

The Texas cast seemed to have a lot more baggage. Maybe they were younger than the California Annie people?  So far, it seems like everyone is glad to be there and happy to do the show. Having said that, a little bit of Brittany went a long way!

[Fake Jan Brady]

On 11/27/2019 at 10:21 AM, ZenMoonPi said:

Having said that, a little bit of Brittany went a long way!

Brittany really missed her calling as a Busy Phillips impersonator.

Episode three ['The Sound of Music'] was a knockout; that entire cast had such a great attitude and their respect for their old school moved me. 

I love that no matter how many years have passed, everyone carries a bit of high school around with them.

[Machiabelly]

My wife and I have only watched the first episode, but we enjoyed it and will watch the rest.

[ZenMoonPi]

14 hours ago, Machiabelly said:

My wife and I have only watched the first episode, but we enjoyed it and will watch the rest.

The first episode is actually the best.

They really, really need to drop the group therapy stuff, ie. "What would you tell your 16-year-old self?"  By the Flint episode, I was thinking, "Oy with the tears already!"  Having said that, the Flint cast was probably the least polished and yet they had the strongest sense of conviction when it came to their performances.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I love musicals and I love reunions (did anyone else watch that high school reunion show circa 2004?) so when this show was announced a few months ago, I was so excited to watch it. Then I forgot about its existence until today.

I am one of those weird people whose brain reserves lots of space for things like "choreography from high school" which leaves no room for things like "where I left my keys five minutes ago." Even though I haven't actually done any of the routines I learned in high school in years, I still have the choreography memorized. It's an entirely useless skill unless my high school decides to apply to do this show and keep the original staging (and even then it will only be useful for about a week).

It was not surprising to me that some of the people from Annie were not great singers. Not everyone who is in a high school musical is an amazing soloist. You have to take what you can get when you cast and sometimes you just need bodies to fill the roles and be on stage (I say this as someone who was in show choir and the musical - sometimes we took tone deaf guys who had two left feet because we just needed people). Add in a couple decades of not singing (unless you count singing along with the radio in the car) and it's not surprising that some of these people are not the greatest singers.  What was surprising was just how bad some of them were at singing (Miss Hannigan was tone deaf which I guess worked since she was supposed to be drunk)

I liked that the first episode was a show from the 90s so they had more distance from high school and the play. It seemed weird that they brought up so many potential issues (the homecoming king and queen who broke up, the two girls who had a fight and hadn't spoken since high school) and then nothing really came of it. But I'd rather have that background info so we know some things about the various cast members and then no producer forced drama. If this were a different reality show, these pairs would have been forced to sit down and hash out what happened. I'm glad that they're just focusing on putting the show on and letting whatever comes up happen on its own.

I'm from San Diego so I can tell you that Santana High School in Santee is about an hour away from Moonlight Amphitheatre in Vista (where they had rehearsal) and the Avo Playhouse (where the performance was held). I guess it's not a huge deal since not everyone in the play still lives in Santee but I wonder why they didn't use a theater closer to Santee, especially because the Avo Playhouse looks smaller than the theater at my old high school. Belching Beaver Brewery is in Vista and it's one of the newer breweries in the San Diego area so it definitely wasn't around when these people were in high school. I'm not saying everything has to be a literal trip down memory lane, but I thought it was interesting that they stayed out of Santee. Poor Benaiah. I can't imagine growing up gay in Santee.

I felt bad for the poor makeup girl who kept trying to convince him to completely shave his head. He'd already shaved so short that it seemed like that extra millimeter of hair that was left on his head wouldn't be a huge deal. Then it made sense why they'd brought up his cancer earlier.

Heh, I also felt for the musical director. He knew he was working with a cast that had some clunkers (in terms of their singing skills) and he was just cheerfully trying to help them be as good as he could get them to be in just a few days. They're lucky that the girls playing Annie and Molly/Lily were still good singers.

According to the internet, the Annie performance took place in March. I can't imagine doing all this work and then waiting so long to see the episode air!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Hahahaha, I loved that when Gaston said he made a huge mistake when he performed Beauty and the Beast in high school, they immediately cut to the footage of him doing it. I laughed again when they did the same when Brittany said she had lots of accidents onstage in high school. I don't mean that in a mean way either. If you perform, you WILL make a mistake at some point. There's no shame in it. Even professionals on Broadway make mistakes. That's what happens in live theater. It's just a matter of how quickly you can recover.

While I agree that a little bit of Brittany goes a long way, I did appreciate her self awareness. When she said she thought she was God's gift to theater in high school and admitted that she was jealous when Desiree was cast as Belle, she won some honesty points with me. At least she didn't try to pretend to be humble for the cameras.

I liked that the musical director chose a song from the year that this group originally performed Beauty and the Beast. You'd think that would have made it easy for all of them to sing along but a lot of them had trouble with both the words and the melody.

I laughed when someone said they couldn't believe Zane still had the program from the musical. I have every program from every performance my sisters and I have ever done. They're in a box and they're all in chronological order.

Listen to Desiree (or her aunt) - turn down your headphones/earbuds!  You shouldn't be constantly saying, "What?" when you're under 30.

I don't mind that the director asked what advice they would give their 16 year old selves but I didn't like the way he told them to regress back to their high school selves by asking them if they were popular, loners, etc. I get it as an acting exercise but it's not necessary to ask adults go back to their high school selves to perform a musical.

I totally cracked up when Zane was listing all the things he's not good at (cues, notes, etc) and Adam's response was, "Okay, so music." He is so unrelentingly positive even when he's honestly assessing their abilities. I loved when he said Zane has a big voice but he isn't the best singer, and then he added that neither was Carol Channing.

I felt for Brittany when she had an allergic rash. I have had that happen to me and one of the most frustrating things is when I know I haven't eaten or touched anything new so I have NO idea what caused it. At least if I knew what made it happen, I could avoid it in the future!

OMG, Susan Egan!!! I got to see her perform last year and she was amazing. I loved watching her coach Desiree.

I felt bad for Ben when his Lumiere pants started falling off while he was onstage and he had to crab walk into the wings, but I still laughed. That's all you can really do when you have a costume malfunction (although normally you don't have candlestick hands so you can at least hold up your costume until you get offstage).

What I really liked about this cast is that it was clear they were really taking in the experience as it happened. It's so easy to let the moments fly by when they're happening so I loved seeing that they were watching the audience, crying backstage because the show was halfway over, etc.

The other thing I loved about this episode was that it clearly reignited their love for the theater. When one of them said after the show, "Am I just supposed to go home and pretend this didn't happen?" I went awwwww! I hope some of them find an outlet for their love of the arts.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I loved how excited the Sound of Music cast was to see everyone. I found it interesting that Joi, the cast member who went on to perform on Broadway, played the baroness who has only one song in the entire show.

I cracked up when Sam said he's about to turn 44 but he could play 17 as Friedrich.

I loved that they drove around Flint together to see what had changed. I do the same when I go home to visit my mom and I'm always surprised by how many businesses have come and gone.

I also liked that they went back to their closed high school. It was sad, but I understand the urge to see what it looks like now. It was sweet to see how much going back reinvigorated them.

I felt bad for Michelle when her mother showed up to rehearsal. It's embarrassing enough when that happens when you're a kid so I can only imagine how much more embarrassing when that happens when you're in your 40s.

I liked Roger the vocal coach. I grew up as a dancer so I'm used to receiving physical corrections. Everything he did was helpful. He had a mixed bag to work with (I was wondering how he would get Amy to sing Leisl's song in time for the show).

Seeing Joi, Amy, and Lisa hug Sam when he told them that he was HIV positive made me go awwwww. In the first episode, I was surprised that no one got up to hug the guy who was talking about his parents split up and left him to be raised by his grandmother. That guy was crying and everyone just sat there looking at him.

When Kristy was freaking out over being able to hit that final note in Climb Every Mountain, I thought why don't they just change the key since it's a solo? And lo and behold, they changed the key for the show.

I loved how proud they all were of each other. This cast seemed the most supportive and the closest.

[Lyinfait]

Thank you, ElectricBoogaloo for adding your perspective to the forum. I enjoyed your posts.

Annie Get Your Gun episode had a different feel. Strange drama and new details we haven't seen before. I don't remember seeing audience recruitment before. 

I still don't see the point of facing high school self. It does not get them into character, I just think it is the show's way of bringing in drama. This cast had enough of that. Tantrum? Tears over high school romance? I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as usual. 

Edited December 8, 2019 by Lyinfait

[EdnasEdibles]

Did anyone watch the Oklahoma! one? My high school did that musical so I was excited about this one because I remembered all the songs as they sang them. I thought this was an interesting one as they'd had to recast the leads. The husband/wife couple were interesting. Maybe she was nervous for the camera or maybe she's more reserved as a person but I was glad when they read her old yearbook because for a while there it seemed like he was really really into her and she was like "This is fine" These leads had the best voices of any of the shows. 

The guy in the wheelchair interested me the most. I loved seeing him talk with Ali Stroker and I liked seeing him do his big song in a different way. 

[ZenMoonPi]

On 12/3/2019 at 5:52 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I'm glad that they're just focusing on putting the show on and letting whatever comes up happen on its own.

This, so much this.

[jmonique]

Re: Episode 7, Godspell:

In the interest of full disclosure, I skipped right on past regressing a bunch of grown adults back to their 17-year-old selves. 

Beyond that, I thought this cast was maybe the most talented of those reunited thus far. Setting the story in the Harlem Renaissance made for some gorgeous costuming and an amazing set.

[shoregirl]

I really enjoy this show,I think my favorite part might be seeing the cast's families in the audience particularly their kids who have never seen their parents perform. Its so sweet.

 

[Jillibean]

On 12/17/2019 at 1:16 PM, EdnasEdibles said:

Did anyone watch the Oklahoma! one? My high school did that musical so I was excited about this one because I remembered all the songs as they sang them. I thought this was an interesting one as they'd had to recast the leads. The husband/wife couple were interesting. Maybe she was nervous for the camera or maybe she's more reserved as a person but I was glad when they read her old yearbook because for a while there it seemed like he was really really into her and she was like "This is fine" These leads had the best voices of any of the shows. . 

I thought the husband/wife team who played the leads were incredibly good, especially him. It’s funny that in high school the other two guys were competing over the big roles, because his voice was so great and effortless that he could probably perform professionally if he wanted to. His acting seemed really on target also. And he seemed to be besotted with his wife, which was very sweet.

While it wasn’t really addressed, there seemed to be a strange undercurrent of tension between Laura and her theater teacher parents, from their casting her in the ensemble originally (and with that voice, no less) to the story about her mom telling her not to break up with her boyfriend because it might affect the show, to her mom apparently giving her kissing tips on stage. It seemed to culminate in that little moment where the mom asked the dad if he had seen her mistake, and the dad blaming it on Laura not coming in her with cue. The mistake that WE saw had nothing to do with Laura. The mom simply started her line at the wrong time and had to be cut off by the reprise of the song. The whole thing just made me glad that Laura’s husband seems so very loving and supportive, because from this very small snippet I felt for her with regard to her parents. 

While there was a slight exploitative feel to the whole wheelchair storyline (gee, can’t believe he got cast as Will Parker again! It’s almost like they were ALWAYS going to have him play the same role, just this time in a wheelchair), it was still incredibly moving to see his family in the audience watching him perform his solo dance number. That said, why would they use a choreographer who had no experience in working with someone in a wheelchair?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I got behind because of the holiday craziness but I finally had a chance to watch the Grease episode. My high school did Grease my freshman year. I wasn't in it (at my school it was basically unheard of for freshmen or sophomores to get cast) but I worked on the stage crew so I had show memorized from months of rehearsal.

It's always interesting to see performances of Grease because there are several different versions. A lot of schools do the versions that incorporate songs from the movie version because it's more well known. Some versions are cleaner than others (changing the lyrics to Greased Lightning is one of the most common changes).

This is the first show where they included anyone from the ensemble, which was nice.

Poor Erin. I can't imagine how much she's been through and I really can't imagine having a high school reunion AND doing a show with a brain tumor. That girl is tough.

AJ tried to rationalize his wife's concern about him kissing a girl during the play but I was like good lord, woman, you're 40-something years old so you must be able to comprehend that this is ACTING. She sounded like a jealous and immature 12 year old.

I was impressed that the cast was rehearsing on their own, but I understand Anton's frustration that they couldn't make it through a whole scene because they would get distracted and start talking.

Hahaha, I was with Tina - their time would have been better spent rehearsing than doing those sense memory exercises. I totally cracked up when someone asked Anton if he wanted to meet with someone in hair/makeup about his butt.

I was trying to figure out how Sandy got cast in the first place because she was by far the worst singer in the cast (despite one of the other girls - Erin? claiming that she was the worst). Then I saw the footage from the origial production and it looks like she got cast because she had a passing resemblance to Olivia Newton John in the movie version.

I always love seeing the kids/spouses/parents looking so proud in the audience. It's really sweet to see. I know we get the same reactions in every episode, but I still love it.

[ZenMoonPi]

I just finished the Godspell episode. It was amazing. The amount of talent on that stage and the exploration they engaged in to make it happen... I was impressed and moved.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I'm still catching up but I watched the Annie Get Your Gun episode last night. I thought there would be some major drama between Ameigh and Al once she revealed that they broke up after she found out that he was cheating on her. I felt bad for her because she clearly wanted an explanation and a sincere apology so she could get some closure and he was pretty clueless. He specifically took her aside to ask if there was any animosity but when she flat out told him that he broke her heart, he just didn't say anything while she sat there crying. It took so long before he eventually said, "17 year old me is sorry." Girl, if this is the kind of response you're getting, thank your lucky stars that you broke up when you did. 

I definitely gave her points for nerve when she said she wanted to be considered for the role of Annie even though Laine was there. I thought she would have to blow everyone's minds with her auditions in order for that to happen, so it was pretty brave of her to step up and ask for the opportunity. 

I was surprised by how much drama Chris brought. Dude, you knew that you had five days to put on this production so maybe you should have taken your script home and memorized your lines on your own. The director wasn't picking on you for telling you that you need to be off book. The show is the day after tomorrow so you need to stop relying on the script. But to storm out like that? So unprofessional.

On a side note, it annoys me when stay at home dads list all of the things they do because that's the stuff that moms do without going on and on about it. And how many of those things was your wife doing when you were both employed?

Awww, I thought it was cute that Chris asked Julissa to be his girlfriend her first day at school. Pretty bold move on his part! I laughed when she said that she turned him down but that they've been friends ever since.

I wonder if there's more to Al's story about quitting the theater. He got accepted to Juilliard but stopped acting and singing?

I really wanted to hear more about David's Broadway career! How could they have him mention it and then not give us more details?

It seemed strange that they had to recruit people to come see the show. I wonder if they've done that for previous episodes but they just didn't show it? But going to a kids' theater group and a senior center were definitely smart strategies to get people in the seats!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Oklahoma!

It always cracks me up to see choir kids sing because you can really see them enunciating (I say this as a former choir kid).

@Jillibean, I agreed with your comments about this episode. The one thing I was willing to let slide was the slightly exploitive feeling of Woody's story, and only because if they hadn't addressed it, that would have been a huge elephant in the room. The other reason I ended up giving it a pass was that Woody was clearly okay with discussing it. If he had been struggling to talk about it or uncomfortable, then I would have felt it was crossing the line.

I still remember Ali Stroker from the Glee Project so it's been great to see her go from doing that to being on Glee and then going on to Broadway. I'm glad that she and Woody met and had a chance to talk. And thank goodness she talked to him about some of the moves and techniques he could use for choreography since the girl they hired to do the choreography for the show had no experience with it.

While I thought it was cute how smitten Laura and Chris were with each other, but a small part of me got a little worried when he said he still couldn't believe that he was married to THE LAURA LINDAHL. It makes me wonder how much of his interest in her is getting attention from someone who was so popular in high school. I knew someone who was in a similar situation. The girl was very popular in high school and after college, she reconnected with a guy who she went to high school with but they hadn't been in the same social circles back then. They ended up dating for a few months but he was always saying, "I can't believe I'm dating JANE SMITH." It made me feel like he was more in awe of the concept of finally dating the hot popular girl than he was in her. But then after hearing some of the anecdotes about her parents and seeing the way Laura got blamed for her mother's mistake onstage, I was just glad that she has someone like Chris who clearly adores her and supports her.

I think if not for Woody, the big dramatic story would have been about Jim and his 25 years of substance abuse.

Bonus points for having everyone sing "More Than Words."

Edited December 24, 2019 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Godspell!

Ha, Roenia cracked me up when she said she only joined drama because she didn't want to do chores. Then I laughed when Kevin asked why he was there because he wasn't even in Godspell. HA! And who was it who said he became a police officer because he got turned down at Popeye's? Kevin?

In all the previous episodes, there was at least one person in the cast who had questionable singing skills. In this cast, however, we didn't have a single tone deaf person in the cast. I also loved how much fun everyone had during the dance party. And high five for using "All My Life" as the singalong song. That song was inescapable back then!

I loved the costumes! And I loved that there was no drama. They came together, had fun, rehearsed, and put on a great show. The end. That's all I want when I watch this show.

[Jillibean]

On 12/21/2019 at 9:34 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I was trying to figure out how Sandy got cast in the first place because she was by far the worst singer in the cast (despite one of the other girls - Erin? claiming that she was the worst). Then I saw the footage from the origial production and it looks like she got cast because she had a passing resemblance to Olivia Newton John in the movie version.

I had the exact same series of thoughts about the woman who played Sandy. She definitely looked the part, but she couldn’t sing at all. What a frustrating way to cast a high school show. There were some pretty good singers in that cast whom you could have stuck a wig on and had a better overall show. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Fiddler is definitely not one of my favorite musicals so I was a little meh about watching this episode. I mean, I really enjoy the show in general but I like it a little more when it's a show that I really like.

Not specific to this episode but now that we're mre than halfway through the season, I've noticed that it cracks me up when the female cast members talk about how everyone had a crush on one of the male cast members in high school and then in walks a perfectly unremarkable looking adult. I'm not saying any of these guys were unattractive but I think it says a lot about the mythos that people can create around the popular kids. I saw that happen in the freshman dorms in college too. There were some people who were universally considered to be hot but realistically they were just normal looking and people usually found them attractive because of their personalities.

I loved some of the looks on the guys' faces while rehearsing the bottle dance.

I continue to love Adam the music director. And is Roger Love the same vocal coach they had in a previous episode? Either way, I like him too.

The two aspects of the show that I would like them to eliminate is the "go back to your high school self" exercise and the newer "let's go out in public and try to get people to come to the show." I find both an unnecessary waste of time. I'd rather watch more rehearsal or see more of the actual show at the end of the episode.

I'm glad that the Fiddler episode was genuinely drama free. We had some tears from the guy whose mom died, but that was about it (and no interpersonal drama between the cast members!).

I thought it was cute and very typical that the high school teacher's students were not so secretly hoping that he would mess up a little so they could laugh at him.

Next week is Pippin!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Pippin is not my favorite musical, but I have a soft spot for it because we sang "Corner of the Sky" in my sixth grade choir. I'm kind of surprised this was the first performing arts school we saw. I guess the producers didn't want to make it seem like it was too easy for all of the casts to put on their shows in a week.

Wow, Rickey Tripp (this week's choreographer) has a pretty impressive resume. I continue to love Adam the music director.

I liked that Kim was able to say that Phil was her first love but that breaking up was the right thing to do since she left for college - no bitterness or anger, just an honest assessment.

I cracked up when everyone said that they were afraid of Kelly in high school. Dori's "Like a Virgin" also cracked me up.

OMG Stephen Schwartz! I can't imagine performing a show in front of the person who wrote those songs.

Whew, I was so relieved that Michael was okay and could perform. It's always scary when someone has unexpected health issues.

I loved seeing Karter and Michael dancing backstage while Kelly was performing her big number. That is something I definitely remember from being in various performing groups. And so cute to see Dori's teenage son singing along in the audience while his mom was performing.

[Linderhill]

I watched the latest episode with the group that performed "High School Musical."  wow, I think this was the worst one so far.  I don't think any of these people sang a note in tune.  

[ElectricBoogaloo]

4 hours ago, Linderhill said:

I watched the latest episode with the group that performed "High School Musical."  wow, I think this was the worst one so far.  I don't think any of these people sang a note in tune.  

I wasn't super excited to watch this episode because High School Musical is not my thing, but your description is REALLY not making me want to watch it.

[Lyinfait]

12 hours ago, Linderhill said:

I watched the latest episode with the group that performed "High School Musical."  wow, I think this was the worst one so far.  I don't think any of these people sang a note in tune.  

Not just me then! I thought I was being cranky, being both unfamiliar with the music and tired but I kept cringing throughout the entire show. All of the songs seemed out of tune and they were not helped with the addition of the pros either! That final performance was not great. However, I am glad they had the opportunity to relive a happy moment and give their small town an event to look forward to--I kept thinking big fish, small pond when it came to casting. One of the cast members said best when she stated something like you had to be everything and be the best because there wasn't anyone else. I think casting options were very limited and this was the end result. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

16 hours ago, Lyinfait said:

I kept thinking big fish, small pond when it came to casting. One of the cast members said best when she stated something like you had to be everything and be the best because there wasn't anyone else. I think casting options were very limited and this was the end result. 

So true. I went to a very small college and then I transferred to a very large university. At the small college, you could participate in just about any activity you were interested in because they needed enough people to field a whole team. I know people who joined varsity sports teams even though they had never played before. I knew one girl (who by her own admission wasn't super coordinated) who made the cheer team even tough she had never done cheer, dance, or other sports in her entire life (there was an official audition but it was basically can you learn this very simple cheer and perform it without falling down?). I joined the yearbook staff even though I had no experience with layouts or graphic or anything even remotely yearbook related. In contrast, the large university I attended was only D3 but because it had such a large student population, it was still pretty competitive to get on a team.

I went to a pretty large high school (almost 1000 people in my freshman class) and it was still a struggle to find enough guys for choir and the musicals, so I can only imagine how limited the choices are in a small town.

Ha, I still haven't made time to watch this episode. I guess it's supposed to appeal to the younger crowd since HSM was such a thing, but it does nothing for me. I'll probably talk myself into watching it by

[EdnasEdibles]

This episode was kind of the most unintentionally funny for me. First, none of them could sing at all. The guy who lives in Chicago and wants to be an actor was taking this all way too seriously. Like he was very upset when he didn't get the lead and it's like "I don't think that's going to pave the way for you to be on Broadway, buddy."  I also kind of wanted to lovingly shake the girl who was still pining after her high school boyfriend. I got the feeling that when she watches the episode she is going to be surprised when she hears him talk about how he's kissed men and women and is figuring himself out but doesn't like labels. I feel like maybe she had no idea all of that has been going on the past 15 years. 

I did like that the girl who had the injury before the show got to finally be in the show. That did make me tear up a little. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Wow, you guys were not kidding. First of all, a population of 917 for the entire town? My freshman class in high school had more people than that! And only 200 people total in a K-12 school - that definitely explains the talent level/casting choices. I'm always interested in people from small towns like this. Some people like Devin love it and want to raise their kids there. Other people get out as soon as they can.

I liked that they brought in three HSM people for the creative team. And yay for bringing Roger Love back! He is really good at getting the singers to understand what he's talking about and getting results from them (or at least getting some improvements from this cast). Unfortunately not even a session with Roger was enough to get everyone in tune. In previous episodes, there have been one or two cast members per show who weren't great singers but this cast was consistently flat in their singing from beginning to end. I appreciated all of their enthusiasm and I'm sure this was super exciting for their entire town (not just the cast), but it was hard for me to listen to the singing.

When I saw that Katie is a wedding planner and that Betsy is in wedding event sales, I wondered if they worked together. Then Betsy said she hadn't seen anyone but Matt in the past ten years so I was like ha, she was one of the people who got the hell out of Dodge!

I understand that your first boyfriend will always have a special place in your heart, but I got a little bit of secondhand embarrassment when Betsy said that she always wondered what would happen if she and Matt gave their relationship another try. And that was even before the cameras cut to Matt telling the other group of people that they're in brother/sister mode now.

When she told her mom that Matt said he hopes she finds someone who she's more compatible with, I was like damn, even her mom knew it was over. I knew that he didn't feel that way about her the moment he walked into the gym on the first day because if he had been interested in her, he would have made a beeline for her and hugged her first and he hugged just about everyone else first.

I agree about Adam - calm down there, dude. Playing Troy/Chad in High School Musical as a 30 year old is not going to be the stepping stone into an acting career that he seemed to think it would be. And honestly, his singing was not that great. I totally support anyone who wants to sing/dance/perform, but that doesn't mean you should quit your perfectly good job and try to pursue this full time.

I can't believe that Betsy and Kayla didn't know that Abby and Adam had dated. A senior girl dating a freshman boy would have been scandalous even at my huge high school.

I cringed just hearing everyone talk about Allison's injury. I'm glad she finally got to play the role that she was supposed to have back in high school. I really felt for her when she said that everyone just tried to get through dealing with her injury but no one ever really talked about it. It was really clear that she still needs to deal with the emotional fallout. And I also felt bad for her when she said that she felt like she let everyone down because with so few people, they knew they had to wear a lot of hats. That's a lot of pressure for kids to feel.

Next week is Anything Goes so I'm looking forward to some epic tap dancing.

[Lyinfait]

On 1/13/2020 at 11:36 AM, EdnasEdibles said:

I also kind of wanted to lovingly shake the girl who was still pining after her high school boyfriend. I got the feeling that when she watches the episode she is going to be surprised when she hears him talk about how he's kissed men and women and is figuring himself out but doesn't like labels. I feel like maybe she had no idea all of that has been going on the past 15 years. 

I thought the editing was hilarious. It seemed that every word out of her mouth was some variation of how they dated and stayed in touch. Or asking who else dated as a way to get the conversation back on the topic of who she used to date. She is definitely going to be surprised by the playback. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

3 hours ago, Lyinfait said:

asking who else dated as a way to get the conversation back on the topic of who she used to date.

OMG I totally cracked up when she did that because it was so obvious that she was only bringing it up because she thought that she could subtly segue into talking about her relationship with Matt again.

[Lyinfait]

On 1/14/2020 at 1:44 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I'm always interested in people from small towns like this. Some people like Devin love it and want to raise their kids there. Other people get out as soon as they can.

I liked that they brought in three HSM people for the creative team. And yay for bringing Roger Love back! He is really good at getting the singers to understand what he's talking about and getting results from them (or at least getting some improvements from this cast). Unfortunately not even a session with Roger was enough to get everyone in tune. In previous episodes, there have been one or two cast members per show who weren't great singers but this cast was consistently flat in their singing from beginning to end. I appreciated all of their enthusiasm and I'm sure this was super exciting for their entire town (not just the cast), but it was hard for me to listen to the singing.

When I saw that Katie is a wedding planner and that Betsy is in wedding event sales, I wondered if they worked together. Then Betsy said she hadn't seen anyone but Matt in the past ten years so I was like ha, she was one of the people who got the hell out of Dodge!

I understand that your first boyfriend will always have a special place in your heart, but I got a little bit of secondhand embarrassment when Betsy said that she always wondered what would happen if she and Matt gave their relationship another try. And that was even before the cameras cut to Matt telling the other group of people that they're in brother/sister mode now.

When she told her mom that Matt said he hopes she finds someone who she's more compatible with, I was like damn, even her mom knew it was over. I knew that he didn't feel that way about her the moment he walked into the gym on the first day because if he had been interested in her, he would have made a beeline for her and hugged her first and he hugged just about everyone else first.

I agree about Adam - calm down there, dude. Playing Troy/Chad in High School Musical as a 30 year old is not going to be the stepping stone into an acting career that he seemed to think it would be. And honestly, his singing was not that great. I totally support anyone who wants to sing/dance/perform, but that doesn't mean you should quit your perfectly good job and try to pursue this full time.

I can't believe that Betsy and Kayla didn't know that Abby and Adam had dated. A senior girl dating a freshman boy would have been scandalous even at my huge high school.

I cringed just hearing everyone talk about Allison's injury. I'm glad she finally got to play the role that she was supposed to have back in high school. I really felt for her when she said that everyone just tried to get through dealing with her injury but no one ever really talked about it. It was really clear that she still needs to deal with the emotional fallout. And I also felt bad for her when she said that she felt like she let everyone down because with so few people, they knew they had to wear a lot of hats. That's a lot of pressure for kids to feel.

Next week is Anything Goes so I'm looking forward to some epic tap dancing.

 

5 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

OMG I totally cracked up when she did that because it was so obvious that she was only bringing it up because she thought that she could subtly segue into talking about her relationship with Matt again.

If there were ever an appropriate time to get in touch with their high school selves it was this episode. This cast was 30 or approaching it but felt quite young. If I didn't know that high school was 12 years ago, I would have guessed they had only recently graduated, 5 years ago max. Many of the wounds and wants seemed fresh. I cannot believe no one had really addressed Allison's injury, particularly the long lasting impact of the injury itself and lost opportunities during the time she was injured. Was she not able to audition for sports teams in college, get scouted, how was she changed? I felt bad for her that she was carrying this weight and guilt around without it being addressed. Even now, reliving the show, they still didn't really address it (that I remember! But it is entirely possible that I wasn't paying attention). Therapy is definitely what she needs. 

Yes, Betsey was fixated on that high school romance. Again, on and off again for a couple years but not 12! I feel like they kept in touch, maybe had dinner occasionally when he was in town and that kept the hope alive. Everything she said made it clear that she was hoping for a romantic reunion and Matt made it clear that he had no such desires. The editing also made it seem that he was as fixated on describing and not defining his sexuality as Betsey was on their relationship. Which makes her oblivion a bit awe-inspiring actually. 

Kayla with her HSM plastered door and guilt about being the lead without truly "deserving/earning" the role. I heard the cast sing and you deserve to be there just as much as anyone else! 

The mom of three who was embarrassed about having so many kids so young...

Adam was smart to get a lesson from Roger Love. I like his style, he helps techniques click for me whenever he teaches the cast. 

Everyone was taking it very seriously. I do not take HSM seriously at all so maybe that was the disconnect for me. While the encore is therapeutic for some cast members, there is usually the joy of reunion and reliving a time gone by too. Wow, how much we have grown and changed since then. 

I was not part of drama in high school. My school didn't even put on shows so this is not an option for me but it is fun to think about getting to redo some of shows I did do after high school. I wonder how the encores are chosen?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

11 minutes ago, Lyinfait said:

I wonder how the encores are chosen?

I remember when they were asking people to submit applications to be on the show but I do wonder how they chose the groups that ended up on the show. I wonder how many of them were chosen for potential drama (ex-boyfriends/girlfriends or people who weren't friends anymore).

[shoregirl]

 As much as I disliked last week's episode is how much I lived this week's episode. This cast could really sing. I thought the woman playing Reno Sweeney was particularly amazing. This was probably my favorite episode in large part because this was one of the shows I was part of in high school and there was definitely a nostalgia factor. 

[jmonique]

Oddly, I really enjoy this show, but the formula is starting to get to me. I did like that they gave a bunch of 60+-year-olds the freedom to not panic if the show wasn't 100% perfect; that was different and fun.

That being said, this cast was amazingly talented. Definitely in the top two for me in regards to actually being people I'd want to hear and watch in a musical!

[FurBabyMama]

I’m sort of in love with this show. I went to a high school with a strong focus on performing arts, and although I auditioned for a musical at one point I was nowhere near talented enough for the show. But I did get to be in the orchestra! I love watching them recreate the shows and I wish that I had the chance to do something like this. 
 

I loved the latest episode. I love how they didn’t take themselves too seriously and everyone involved knows that this is just for fun, they’re not going to be perfect and that’s ok. I think this was the first time we saw them asking for lines during the show and the guy who kept forgetting had everyone cracking up! And these people had talent. Probably the most talented bunch of singers so far. 

[ZenMoonPi]

I just watched the HSM episode. It was a relief to not see the therapy session this time. Maybe because the whole things seemed to be one protracted session.

think this one made me the saddest. Betsey has no 'dar, bless her heart. Adam needed to calm down.  Then there was Kayla...

Did anyone else get ht vibe that the cast was mostly popular kids and Kayla was the outlier? The "you and Us" language that was used when her castmates talked to her about her role made it seem like she was not fully a part of the group.  Betsey's reaction to Kayla's response to her question about dating pointed to that, too.

I'm with whoever said they liked the show better when it was all about the play.

Edited January 18, 2020 by ZenMoonPi
spelling, syntax

[SuzySmith]

I am in love with this show.  While I didn’t do theater in high school, DD is VERY active at her school.  I especially loved Pippin as her school did it last year.  We had to watch Fastrada (her role) especially.  I think one of the things that is nice is it shows that, no matter how dark high school gets for some of these people, they can get through and have a happy life after.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I know I said I was looking forward to a lot of tap dancing in this episode, but once I learned that the cast performed this show in 1975 I was like nah, it's okay. I'm nowhere near their age but I know that tap can be a real killer on your joints and I didn't want anyone to get hurt with overambitious choreography. I was glad that Brittany gave them tap that would challenge them without overexerting them.

But the singing did not have me worried for a minute because they were all great. I was really impressed that they all sounded so good after all these years.

I was also really glad when Adam and Coy talked about how the original version of Anything Goes had A LOT of book and that they didn't want the cast worried about making mistakes. They probably had the most lines to memorize and this cast had the longest interval between the original production and the encore. And let's be honest - your memory does start to deteriorate when you get older. I loved that everyone from the cast to the audience just went with it whenever someone forgot a line, paused waaaaaay too long, made an obvious ad lib, or otherwise made a mistake.  I was so glad that the cast just had fun with it instead of getting flustered or mad.

I totally cracked up when Donald the pastor described his green bell bottom pants and platform shoes from the Crenshaw mall.

I loved seeing Karen the retired principal from Oakland reunite with her friend Jayn. I'm glad this experience made them decide that they need to start visiting each other!

I loved the picture of Kenny that they showed after he said that he won best hair in high school. Being on Soul Train was a huge deal back then too! I was stifling my laughter when he said he was going to send the rehearsal video to Jayn on Facebook and then he asked for the address and if there was an @ or dot something.

Sheri dated Donald & Kenny yet there was no drama. See, kids? That's how it's done!

Mark went on tour with the Whispers? Damn! When he said he found out he had cancer when he got tested to see if he could donate his kidney to someone, it reminded me of when Jennifer Grey had a physical so she could do Dancing with the Stars and they ended up finding a cancerous nodule which they were able to remove.

[ZenMoonPi]

I am so loving this show! 

My three favorite episodes are:
3. Pippin
2. Godspell
1. Anything Goes

Did anyone else cheer when Adam and Coy walked out to introduce themselves to the cast?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I'm said that there's only one episode left. I hope they do another season!

[jmonique]

Just got done watching the season finale, "Ragtime."

"Chelsko's" desperate bids to push her "brand" were hilarious. I loved how she said since she's making a living as a singer, she had to bring it, and then she was one of the weakest singers. Karma came for her at showtime, which I have some sympathy for, but maybe if she'd put less time into her ensembles, she would have been better prepared.

Was this the first episode without regression therapy? I didn't miss it.

 

 

 

[Linderhill]

I completely agree with Chelsko (and seriously, what and idiot name to make up).  It says something that the director had to tell her to not wear heels because she was playing male Houdini.  She was patting herself on the back so much that she trimmed her nails and was wearing her boyfriend's clothes (not that they looked anything like what Houdini would wear) that she flaked and forgot her lines.  I'm not sure how she's earning anything as a singer since she seemed off key every time she sang as did Tyler.  But then Tyler wasn't claiming to be a singer.  Anthony seemed alright with the fact that he couldn't sing, dance, or act.  I was surprised that Davina did so well since she missed so much of the rehearsals.  

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I loved that the show brought in a creative team that's very familiar with Ragtime. Getting the Broadway director and choreographer was great. And what a lucky coincidence that the Pasadena Playhouse had just done Ragtime so they were able to bring in the musical director and the backup cast who already knew the show.

I totally cracked up when Miranda said that Anthony couldn't sing. Spoken like a sibling. And this is the first time we've had siblings on the show!

I don't know where to begin with Chelsko. Her made up name is ridiculous. I find it hard to believe that she's a full time professional singer with a voice like that. Then again, the clip they showed us of her 2018 video was auto tuned to hell. I hate that she has a voice coach and she still sings in that awful way - nasal, in the throat, and so fake sounding. It's like the worst version of a Britney Spears impersonator. Anyway, how is she making any money? Or does she have rich parents who pay her bills so that she can have a singing "career" without needing to support herself?

I totally cracked up when Chelsko said she wanted everyone to call her by her new name because she's branding herself and then Asiah said she wanted everyone to start calling her HR lady.

I liked that when Chelsko was being a drama queen about how hard it was for her to be in the play because of her life and "the emotional stuff that was going on," Asiah very kindly and diplomatically asked what was going on with her in high school since she seemed to have a good life with two rich parents and a nice house and then Chelsko admitted it was because some boy didn't loooooove her and it was the end of the world. Obviously I felt bad when she followed that up with talking about her eating disorder, but I thought it was sad that Jackie felt guilty about not noticing it in high school. Girl, she hid it from people. There's no need to beat yourself up because you didn't know.

Tyler was totally tone deaf but at least he wasn't bragging about what a great singer he was. On the plus side, he was the only one who had the choreography down on the first try! Jonathan and Asiah were by far the best singers in this group. Davia was good too but we barely got to see/hear her in rehearsals. Jackie was a good singer too. I wish we'd gotten to hear more of her song during the show.

It was so cute to see Miranda learning how to walk in heels and bevel. I totally understood the creative team's struggle to pull her stronger personality and voice into her timid performance.

Part of me felt bad when Chelsko fucked up because honestly, brain farts happen all the time in live performances. What separates professionals from amateurs is that pros keep going like nothing happened. If you're a really good performer, you can make the audience believe that whatever you did wrong was intentional. But the important thing is that you recover quickly and keep the performance going, which Chelsko did not. But why I didn't feel bad for her is that earlier when the other cast members said they were running lines and asked if she had rehearsed her lines, she flippantly said, "I only have one line so if I mess it up, pffft." If you only have one line, it better be perfect. And then she fucked it up!

I am all for wearing whatever makes you feel good, but Chelsko's outfits were so immature and try hard. Like you have to dress head to toe in a different color every day to go to rehearsal? I totally laughed when the director called her out on it and told her that wearing leopard print heels to come rehearse was impractical. And of course Chelsko couldn't just follow directions and come back the next day in regular clothes and no eyeliner. She had to make it another costume, which is why I laughed when she walked in and Jonathan's said, "I don't know how to react to this."

Asiah was my favorite person overall in this episode. She was very sweet and open and supportive with everyone. She was even able to discuss Jonathan dating her best friend behind her back without being mean or bitter about it.

This wasn't my favorite episode of the season, but I was so glad we didn't get the regression exercise. In fact, I loved when the director told one of the cast members, "I'm not your therapist." I hope we get to see her again next season (fingers crossed for a S2!).

[FurBabyMama]

I wish anything goes was the season finale instead of this one. That was absolutely the best episode of the season. I feel like the further removed from high school they are, the more fun it is. There’s less drama, less diva attitudes. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

5 hours ago, FurBabyMama said:

I wish anything goes was the season finale instead of this one. That was absolutely the best episode of the season. I feel like the further removed from high school they are, the more fun it is. There’s less drama, less diva attitudes. 

ITA - they were just there to have fun.

Although to be fair, I think that if Chelsko hadn't been included, the last episode of the season would have been pretty fun and drama free. Everyone else seemed pretty chill and just there to have a good tim. Even the whole "my ex started dating my best friend behind my back" situation had no hostility. It was one short conversation where he admitted it was something he shouldn't have done and she was like "Eh, it was a long time ago." She wasn't hostile to him before or after they talked about it, which was a nice level of maturity about something that happened over a decade ago.

[FurBabyMama]

7 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

ITA - they were just there to have fun.

Although to be fair, I think that if Chelsko hadn't been included, the last episode of the season would have been pretty fun and drama free. Everyone else seemed pretty chill and just there to have a good tim. Even the whole "my ex started dating my best friend behind my back" situation had no hostility. It was one short conversation where he admitted it was something he shouldn't have done and she was like "Eh, it was a long time ago." She wasn't hostile to him before or after they talked about it, which was a nice level of maturity about something that happened over a decade ago.

True, maybe it really was just chelsko that annoyed me. Stupid new name and then insisting that people who’ve known her in high school start calling her that because of her brand?? Sorry but she’s got to be at least 30, if she hasn’t made it as the next pop diva yet, she probably won’t. 
 

there was one episode a while back where one of them went on to be a Broadway performer. I would have loved to have seen them highlight that a bit more, since it takes such extraordinary talent to wind up on broadway. I’d have loved to see some interview where he was talking about what it felt like coming back to high school after having been under broadway lights. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

9 minutes ago, FurBabyMama said:

there was one episode a while back where one of them went on to be a Broadway performer. I would have loved to have seen them highlight that a bit more, since it takes such extraordinary talent to wind up on broadway. I’d have loved to see some interview where he was talking about what it felt like coming back to high school after having been under broadway lights. 

There was also a woman in the Flint episode who had been in several Broadway shows. I really wanted them to talk to her about that! I thought it was a bit ironic that sh had one of the parts in the Sound of Music with the least singing and dancing but she's the one who ended up becoming a Broadway performer.