Executive producer Christine Bell offers a new musical look as he reunites a high school band. In this series, each former student regains his role from his original production in front of a group of choreographers and vocal trainers who offer a perfect model in the music world.
Were it not for the evidence of a shared history on display, the adults playing kids in Annie may as well be strangers, and that lets some of the air out of Encore's intriguing setup.
Encore! is guilty of orbiting the cliches of theater as an accepting "family," and that as painful as high school is, it all gets better eventually. But it also subverts its own messaging.
Chances are that if you're in the Encore! target audience, you won't be disappointed regardless. You might be jealous that you're not on the show, but you won't be disappointed.
Despite the shortcomings of Encore's format, it's clear that each performer is having a blast reconnecting with their past, and it's fun to get a peek into the personalities and interpersonal dynamics that motivate these former co-stars.
I am quite in love with the Kristen Bell-produced "Encore!," a machine for dredging up deep feelings, in which the cast of a high school musical reunites after many years to stage it again.
Ultimately, the problem with Encore! is one of time and the limitations of a one-hour show happening upon more real-life drama than was expected. The series needed to have spent more time with the classmates to better address their shared histories.
