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Encore Theatre presenting 'Nunsense'

The Little Sisters of Hoboken in "Nunsense," now at Dexter's Encore Theatre

Photo courtesy of Encore Theatre

With a book, music and lyrics by Dan Goggin (who created the satirical greeting card line), “Nunsense” first hit the stage in the form of a Manhattan cabaret (called “The Nunsense Story”) that packed in crowds for 38 weeks before being translated into a fully-realized musical.

That off-Broadway production premiered near the end of 1985 and ran for 10 years, making it the second longest running off-Broadway show in history.

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Dexter's Encore Theatre hopes to charm audiences with 'Music Man'

A rehearsal for "The Music Man."

Sound more than a little like “Music Man”’s lead character, Harold Hill? Perhaps that’s not surprising, since that’s the role that U-M musical theater student Zachary Barnes landed by way of his try-out.

“He just blew us away,” said Huffman. “We were tickled to death to find him, and he embodies the character very well. He’s a charismatic, smart, fun guy. Just a perfect Harold Hill.”

Hill, of course, is the charming, fast-talking con man who convinces a small Iowa town to buy musical instruments and uniforms for a boys’ marching band that he’s promised to organize. But a skeptical librarian aims to reveal the truth and thus derail Hill’s latest scheme.

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Encore Theatre hits the right notes with 'Forever Plaid'

The men of The Encore's "Forever Plaid". Pictured L to R: Leo Daignault as Jinx, Steve DeBruyne as Frankie, Sebastian Gerstner as Sparky, and Phill Harmer as Smudge.

Photo by Diana Obradovich

Some readers may remember a 1982 film noir parody called “Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid,” but the musical now playing at Dexter’s Encore Theatre, “Forever Plaid,” would appear to disprove this notion.

Focused on the four members of an aspiring doo-wop group who, in 1964, were killed by a busload of Catholic school girls on their way to see the Beatles perform on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” “Forever Plaid” is ultimately a revue that spotlights the 1950s music of those all-male groups that wore matching dinner jackets and performed fussy, hyper-literal choreography.

Indeed, when the Plaids were struck down, they were en route to pick up their custom-made plaid tuxedos, which they'd planned to wear to their first-ever paying gig. Yet thanks to some bizarre cosmic circumstances, the Plaids, at the show’s outset, suddenly resume their human forms in the present day and find themselves able to finally present the show they never got to perform in life.

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Dexter's Encore Theatre goes retro with 'Forever Plaid'

Leo Daignault stars in Encore Theatre's production of "Forever Plaid."

Photo courtesy of Encore Theatre

Because Leo Daignault, who's both performing in and assistant directing Encore Theatre's new production of "Forever Plaid," has been involved on-and-off with the beloved revue show for about 20 years now, he feels like he's been a Plaid forever.

"Right when (the show) opened, it became very popular, and then they opened six or seven different companies immediately," Daignault explained. "The first company opened in Washington, D.C., the second company that opened was in Boston, and so I went to Boston and opened it there. But when (the show) became a hit in New York, I was doing the last workshop production in Chicago. So if you look at the liner notes of the (original cast recording) album, at the very very bottom, in tiny, tiny print, if you get a magnifying glass, it says, there was a production at Wisdom Bridge Theater in Chicago, and that was the workshop I was doing when 'Forever Plaid' became a hit off-Broadway."

Daignault was originally cast by the show's creator, Stuart Ross, with whom he has worked closely for many years. Most recently, Daignault appeared in the holiday version of the show, "Plaid Tidings," at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego, as well as working as a vacation swing for "Avenue Q" on Broadway, playing Nikki/Trekkie Monster as needed.

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Encore Theatre's 'Nevermore' a dark and riveting look at troubled life of Edgar Allan Poe

Dan Cooney in Encore Theatre's "Nevermore"

Photo courtesy of Encore Theatre

For the next two weeks at least, the spirit of Edgar Allan Poe is alive and well and inhabiting the stage at Dexter’s Encore Theatre, thanks to the dark musical “Nevermore,” based loosely on the life of the poet and writer.

Encore co-founder and Broadway veteran Dan Cooney, who originated the role in 2006 in an acclaimed production near Washington, D.C. played Poe to perfection Friday night, aided by a small but able cast and accompanied by an off-stage trio of keyboard, cello and violin.

Set shortly before the author’s demise in 1849, “Nevermore,” uses Poe’s poetry and short stories as its base. It focuses on Poe’s lifetime of difficult relationships with women, among them Poe's judgmental mother; his sweet childhood friend Virginia; his first cousin, who became his child bride; his aunt, who became his surrogate mother; and a prostitute.

The first hint that this would be an atmospheric show was, well, atmospheric. As curtain time drew nigh, low rumbles of distant thunder built to a crescendo and the house lights flickered like lightning. The minimalist stage was made up of two canted platforms and a ramshackle back wall constructed of a few odd-sized boards.

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Encore Theatre presenting Edgar Allan Poe musical, 'Nevermore'

“Nevermore” — a musical loosely based on the life of Edgar Allan Poe, now having its Michigan premiere in a limited engagement at Dexter’s Encore Theatre — has sent star/director Dan Cooney to the dictionary more than once, since the songs use Poe’s own words from a distant age.

“What does ‘bedight’ mean?” said Cooney. “I had to look that one up the other day.” (For those who might be curious, "bedight" means "to decorate.")

And because Cooney originated the role of Poe in “Nevermore,” in 2006, in an acclaimed production at the Tony Award-winning Signature Theatre near Washington, D.C., his fellow Encore cast members have been looking to him for explanations and guidance.

“It’s like Shakespeare,” said Cooney. “You need to have a basic sense of what the line is saying if you’re going to make any connection with it whatsoever.”

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The Encore Theatre makes 'Little Women' a better show

Jo (Katie Hardy) reads one of her favorite adventures with her sister Meg (Thalia Schramm) and best friend Laurie (Sean Widener).

Photo by Colleen Meyer

During these icy, dead-of-winter days, an invitation into the threadbare but cozy home of the March family - the center of Louisa May Alcott’s beloved novel “Little Women,” the stage musical version of which is now playing at Dexter’s Encore Theatre - can feel like the theatrical equivalent of fresh-from-the-oven comfort food.

This is especially true if you grew up reading Alcott’s book (as I did), and thus have the mini-dramas that occur between the four coming-of-age March sisters tattooed on your brain.

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Encore Theatre staging family-friendly 'Little Women' musical

Jo (Katie Hardy) reads one of her favorite adventures with her sister Meg (Thalia Schramm) and best friend Laurie (Sean Widener).

Photo by Colleen Meyer

On the heels of the commercial smash musical “Wicked” – which premiered in New York in 2003 and drew pre-teen girls to Broadway in droves — a musical theater adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel, “Little Women,” appeared on the Great White Way in 2005.

The show clearly aspired to attract the same demographic as "Wicked," but Encore Theater’s assistant artistic director, Steve DeBruyne, hardly fit the audience profile. “I had friends in New York who wanted to see ('Little Women'),” said DeBruyne. “I wasn’t completely uninterested, but it wasn’t a show I’d been looking forward to, or was seeking out for myself. But since my friends were going, I tagged along, and I was really moved by the show. I’d seen a movie version, so I knew it was a good story, but adding music to it moved it to another level.”

DeBruyne was so inspired, in fact, that he’s now directing his own production at Encore. But there were obstacles to getting this to happen — namely, Encore co-founder and artistic director Dan Cooney wasn’t familiar with the show, nor was he interested in producing it. So last year, DeBruyne organized a reading of the musical, solely for Cooney’s benefit.

Kathie Lee Gifford stops by Encore's 'It's A Wonderful Life'

One of the unique aspects of the Encore Theatre's new stage adaptation of "It's A Wonderful Life" currently playing in Dexter is that the lyrics for the show were written by TV personality Kathie Lee Gifford — and last weekend, Gifford stopped by to see how it was all working out.

Encore passed along this photo from the visit:

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with video: Encore Theatre adapts 'It's a Wonderful Life' into a musical, with help from Kathie Lee Gifford

How do you stay faithful to an iconic, beloved movie like “It’s a Wonderful Life” while putting your own stamp on it? The creators of a new stage musical adaptation — now getting a workshop production at Dexter’s Encore Theatre — think they’ve found the answer.

“You can’t reinvent the wheel,” said Jon Huffman, who adapted the book for the musical. “You have to give audiences — they’re coming to see (the movie) they watch every year, but to see the live version of it. So you’ve got to give them the moments we all remember. … I think I have the easiest part in all this.”

play review

Encore's 'Damn Yankees' is a solid hit, if not a home run

Steve DeBruyne and Sonja Marquis star in The Encore's production of "Damn Yankees."

Photo by Joyce Obradovich

But as the classic 1955 musical “Damn Yankees” — now playing at Dexter’s Encore Theatre — reminds us, the Senators were once a professional team that was the league’s perennial doormat, much to the distress of its long-suffering fans.

Dexter's Encore Theatre just keeps getting better

Actors rehearse for the Encore Theatre's production of "Damn Yankees" at the theater in Dexter Tuesday evening.

Melanie Maxwell | Ann Arbor.com

As the fledgling Encore Theatre of Dexter opens its doors tonight for the award-winning musical “Damn Yankees,” its founders and the community are celebrating the small venue’s continued success.

After only a year and a half, the non-profit, 122-seat theater has featured popular musicals and won acclaim from community members and critics alike.

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Encore Theatre takes risks with 'Damn Yankees'

When Encore Theatre co-founder and “Damn Yankees” director Dan Cooney approached actor Steve DeBruyne about the possibility of playing both Young Joe and Old Joe — roles that are normally played by two different actors — in the Faustian musical, he did so in the spirit of, well, the show’s most famous character.

“Like the Devil, I gave (DeBruyne) an escape clause,” said Cooney. “I said, ‘Why don’t you play with it, and by week two (of rehearsals), you can either say, “I’m enjoying it” or “I’m out.”’”

Performance Network, the Purple Rose, the Encore, and Ann Arbor Civic take hardware home from the Wilde Awards

Area theaters — Ann Arbor's Performance Network and Blackbird Theatre, Chelsea's Purple Rose Theatre, and Dexter's Encore Theatre — earned numerous nominations, and when it came time to announce the winners, three of these companies took home hardware (and Ann Arbor Civic Theatre earned a special award).

Performance Network, Purple Rose, Encore and Blackbird Theatres could bring home Wilde Awards September 1

Sponsored by Between The Lines (Michigan’s weekly newspaper serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and allied communities), EncoreMichigan.com and Comerica, The Wilde Awards were established in 2002 to honor the excellent work produced by Michigan’s professional theaters.

theater review

Encore Theatre offers modestly satisfying "Sound of Music"

Madison Deadman as Leisl and Sebastian Gerstner as Rolf in The Encore's production of "The Sound of Music."

Here’s a sentence I’ve never uttered before: the nuns nailed it.

But I have a reason to say it now, since Encore Theatre’s two and a half hour production of “The Sound of Music” - with a book by Howard Lindsay and Russell Crouse, music by Richard Rodgers, and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein - begins with a flock of nuns singing “Preludium,” and opening night’s rendition was so gorgeously lush that it gave me goose-bumps.

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Encore Theatre invites you listen to 'The Sound of Music'

Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein’s “The Sound of Music,” now being staged at Dexter’s Encore Theatre, is one of those shows that instantly garners a passionate response from people — usually either gushing adoration or profound revulsion.

Madison Deadman as Leisl and Sebastian Gerstner as Rolf in The Encore's production of "The Sound of Music."

But director Barbara Cullen counts herself as a member of the former camp, having first experienced a live production of “Sound” at age 5 in Cincinnati’s Taft Theatre.

“It was the first theater production I ever saw,” Cullen said. “My mom tells me that I sat on the edge of my seat the entire time. It changed my life, in that it led me to train and work in theater. It made that much of an impact on me, as a kid, seeing other kids actually perform, as well as the fact they were all different ages, from 5 to 16. From that moment on, I just fell in love with the show.”

Area theater companies offer summer classes for young people

Several local theaters will offer young people classes and workshops this summer.

• The Purple Rose Theatre Company and the Chelsea District Library will offer a free teen playwriting workshop for high school students this summer. The workshop will be held July 26-30, from 2-4 p.m. at CDL, located at 220 South Main Street in Chelsea. More after the jump…

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Dexter's Encore Theatre offers enjoyable evening at "Club Morocco"

The cast of "Club Morocco"

Photo courtesy of Encore Theatre

Rain pelted the roof of Dexter’s Encore Theatre — yes, it was actually a dark and stormy night, folks — during Saturday evening’s performance of the musical noir spoof “Club Morocco,” suggesting that even Mother Nature wanted in on the act.

The two and a half hour show, created by Jon Huffman and Barbara Cullen, starts with hard-boiled gumshoe Frank McCann (Paul Kerr) confessing that he’s been laying low for six months, after being shot, and that he’s now returning to his old haunt, the Club Morocco, for revenge and a shot at redemption.

Mostly, though, the story is an excuse to re-create the style, sound, and feel of a 1940s nightclub, complete with a live swing band; a charismatic band leader (Tony D. Owens, Jr.); cocktail waitresses who serve drinks (to patrons near the stage) before the show and during intermission; torch singers; and a supporting crew of dancer/singers that perform choreographed production numbers.

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Dexter's Encore Theatre lets you spend an evening in "Club Morocco"

Have you ever, while watching an old movie, longed to spend an evening in a 1940s nightclub? To personally experience its glamorous fashions, live band, dance floor, choreographed production numbers, and torch singers?

The cast of Club Morocco rehearses "Minnie The Moocher." From left to right: Clare Eisentrout, Evan Williams, Jessica Grové, Sebastian Gerstner and Sarah Zuccaro.

Photo courtesy of Encore Theatre

I go through this at least once a year, while watching Rosemary Clooney sing “Love You Didn’t Do Right by Me” in the 1954 movie musical “White Christmas.” Each time, I wonder, “What was it like to have these stylish clubs as an entertainment option?”

Well I, and nostalgia fiends like me, just might find out when Dexter’s Encore Theatre presents the Michigan premiere of “Club Morocco.”