Overview
- The Encores! run, which opened June 17, is playing at New York City Center through June 28 with tickets available at NYCityCenter.org.
- Director Robert O’Hara retools the show as a broadly queer, Black nightclub and expands the Cagelles to include gay, trans, and gender‑queer performers, using contemporary choreography and diva‑referencing costuming.
- Critics singled out Billy Porter’s commanding delivery of “I Am What I Am” and Wayne Brady’s charisma but reported both leads looked fatigued on opening night and sometimes relied on scripts in performance.
- Reviewers praised the production’s use of the original 1983 orchestrations played by a large live orchestra under guest music director Joseph Joubert, while also noting that key choices were not always adjusted to suit singers’ current ranges.
- Praise for moments such as Alaman Diadhiou’s tap work and several ensemble passages was offset by notes that choreography, pacing, and some costume execution felt uneven, and reviewers suggested the short Encores! rehearsal window was the main cause and could allow the show to tighten over its two‑week run.