Theater critics have given generally negative reviews to the Encores! revisal of the 1997 Broadway musical The Life at New York City Center. The creative team includes Cy Coleman (book, music), Ira Gasman (book, lyrics), David Newman (book), Billy Porter (adaptation, direction), James Sampliner (music direction, arrangements, orchestrations), Michael McElroy (vocal arrangements), Clint Ramos (sets), Anita Yavich (costumes), Driscoll Otto (lights), Kai Harada and Megumi Katayama (sound), Zachary Borovay (projections), Tom Watson (hair & wigs), and AC Ciulla (choreography). The production concludes its limited engagement on March 20.
The cast includes Jelani Alladin (Lou), Alexandra Grey (Queen), Antwayn Hopper (Memphis), Mykal Kilgore (Young JoJo), Ledisi (Sonja), Erika Olson (Mary), Destan Owens (Old Jojo), and Ken Robinson (Fleetwood) with ensemble members Joe Beauregard, Angela Brydon, Adee David, Tyler Eisenreich, Asmeret Ghebremichael, Semhar Ghebremichael, Jeff Gorti, Albert Guerzon, Heather Lang, Nathan Lucrezio, Tiffany Mann, LaQuet Sharnell Pringle, Devin L. Roberts, MiMi Scardulla, Anastasia Talley, and Tanairi Vazquez.
New York Times (Elisabeth Vincentelli): There are many changes to the book, but the most structurally consequential is the decision to frame the story as a flashback. … Every time we get absorbed in the 1980s goings-on, the older Jojo pops up with explainy back stories, ham-handed editorializing and numbing lectures. The original show let us progressively discover the characters’ distinct personalities through actions, words and songs; now they are archetypal pawns. … Encores has broadened its mission statement to include that the artists are “reclaiming work for our time through their own personal lens.” It’s clear that the series is moving into a new phase, but for many of us longtime fans, it’s also a little sad to lose such a unique showcase.
Theater Mania (David Gordon): In a noble effort to give a cartoony musical a social conscience, Porter has concocted a disjointed mess. … The heart of Porter’s production is in the right place … but Porter’s additions are embarrassingly heavy-handed, removing whatever comedy there was and replacing it all with a battering ram of political speechifying. … Conductor James Sampliner has rearranged Coleman’s big-band score with a more Funkadelic feel. Groovy? Certainly. Does it sound good? Hell no. … The Life is the most disappointingly sung and played Encores! production I’ve ever seen, and that doesn’t feel very much like Encores! at all.
Theater Pizzazz (Brian Scott Lipton): [Porter] succeeds in his main goal: giving more context to the societal circumstances that led some of these characters to enter “the life.” But too much of the new material simply feels overwrought or unnecessary, stretching the show to nearly three hours. More importantly, the show’s new, darker tone doesn’t jibe with the essential Broadway brassiness of the Coleman-Gassman score. … The show opens with a song called “Check It Out.” The song remains in place. As a recommendation, however, it now mostly applies to those theatergoers who are curious to see what Porter has done with the show, rather than audience members seeking a fully satisfying evening.