D23 Expo: Encore! takes theater kids back to high school
If you could go back to high school to perform again, to have an Encore, would you?
When Kristen Bell says she’s working on a show, I pay attention. That said, Encore!, her new series coming to Disney+, is quite a way away from Veronica Mars or The Good Place. For Encore!, Bell is headed back to high school.
Ok, that’s a bit misleading. If you watch the trailer (below), it really doesn’t seem like executive producer Kristen Bell will actually be around all that much during the show. Which isn’t too surprising, considering how busy she is. But I definitely remember Bell’s calls for submissions back when this show was gearing up.
If you don’t remember those fateful pleas, Bell sent out a call for submissions from adults (and schools) willing to take a trip down memory lane to remind a musical from their high school days.
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(Deadline‘s report does point out that Encore! was originally a one-hour ABC special in 2017, so perhaps I’m remembering the pleas for that, but either way, the pleas were out there.)
This show, with its appropriate title Encore!, is the fruit of their reminiscent labors. Former castmates gather and recreate their high school performances. In ONE WEEK!
Yeah, that part of the show caused a mild panic attack in my former-theatre-kid heart. The stresses continue in the trailer as they even point out that, yeah, after all these years, some people definitely can not sing as well as they used to. The cringe is just…so high.
On the other hand, some people return to their high school stage unable to perform the same way for much more tragic reasons, including one man who is shown dancing in clips from his high school days while he talks to the camera from his wheelchair.
This show, while sure it’s about putting on a musical, really seems to focus on self reflection and looks to draw inspiration from the people featured. Some people are asked what advice they’d give their younger selves. Others discuss putting passions on the backburner. And the man in a wheelchair is seen practicing and performing a rousing dance number in Oklahoma! that already gets the emotions going.
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I tried to pick out what other musicals are featured and I know there’s at least Grease, Annie, Fiddler on the Roof and Beauty and the Beast joining Oklahoma!.
Like many other series and movies announced by Disney at D23, Encore! will hit Disney+ on Nov. 12.
What do you think about the series? Would you go back to high school? Let us know in the comments!
(Source: Deadline)