Theatre Review: Movin’ Out
March 28, 2004; The Colonial Theatre, Boston
* * * ¾ (out of 4)
I hesitate to write this review for two reasons. The first is that I have no right to write anything about a show that is primarily dance, cause I don’t know the first thing about dancing. The second reason is that I fear I can’t properly give credit where it is due, since my Playbill lists everyone who is playing each part on the tour, but not who was playing what part on this particular afternoon. But I enjoyed this thoroughly, and since theatre reviews is kind of what I feel like I’m heading towards, dammit, I’m going to try.
I don’t think I can say enough good things about this show. This is the Tony Award-winning musical that is a combination of three decades of music by the incomparable Billy Joel and choreography by the (apparently) equally distinguished Twyla Tharp. While for Mr. Joel I can speak from personal experience of his greatness, but as for Ms. Tharp, I can only rely on her bio in the Playbill, which credits her with a Tony, two Emmys, and 16 honorary degrees. I’d say that is impressive enough.
The story is told exclusively through dance and twenty-nine of Joel’s songs (note – that’s right… with the exception of a drill sergeant’s orders at one or two points, there is no dialogue in this show). It follows five friends through twenty years of interaction and turbulence, a major factor being the Vietnam War. It is inspired by the question, “What happens to Brenda and Eddie (of Joel’s “Scenes From An Italian Restaurant”) after the song ends?” Brenda and Eddie are joined onstage by James (“James”), Judy (“Why Judy Why”), and Tony (“Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)”), and the story moves through Brenda and Eddie’s breakup, the boys being sent to war, the homecoming, and all five coping with life, love, tragedy, and friendship.
A lot of things surprised me about this show. First off, going in I was not aware that the cast did not sing at all. All the music and vocals are performed by the band, led in this performance by Darren Holden (http://www.darrenholden.com), who turned out to be the absolute show-stealing star. Flawlessly banging out Joel’s hits on the piano while belting them with a passion and energy second only to the Piano Man himself, Holden captivated me from start to finish, often reminding me of Joel himself in his prime. I found myself watching him and the band as much as I did the dancers. He and the rest of the nine-piece band smoothly transition between beautiful versions of songs spanning Joel’s entire career, from well-known megahits like “Uptown Girl,” “The Stranger” and “River of Dreams,” through Joel’s most recent works, such as the classically-inspired “Reverie (Villa D’Este)” and “Invention in C Minor.”
Though I admit to knowing nothing about dance, I was thoroughly impressed with it here. The choreography was a perfect mixture of classical ballet and more modern styles (which I will not even attempt to name), and the execution was at worst impressive, at best freakin’ unbelievable. In particular, the dancer portraying Eddie (either Ron Todorowski or Brendan King) wowed the audience with his moves, which sometimes bordered on acrobatic… at times it made me dizzy just to watch. Even to my untrained eye, all five lead members and their supporting ensemble are obviously gifted dancers. If the ballet here scares you, worry not: some of this is completely unrecognizable as ballet, as some is the most sexually-energized "ballet" I've ever encountered, at points deliciously bordering on raunchy, though never in bad taste.
However, still the star in my eyes is Holden’s impassioned delivery of some of Billy Joel’s most famous classics. In this lies the show’s only flaw, overall. It feels like the main attraction of the show is Joel’s music, and I think that is what people come expecting to enjoy, so I fear the dancing might get overlooked. Beautiful and impressive as it is, walking in I certianly didn’t expect to enjoy that aspect as much as I did. I think it is something that will take the attending Joel fans by surprise and win them over, but they must be open to that, and I don’t feel like the show is being promoted as having such an emphasis on dance. But, beyond that, I give this show as much praise as I can possibly give. Everyone involved gave more effort than I’ve seen in a “musical” in a very long time, led by Holden at the microphone and piano. The show is currently on its nationwide tour, so if it stops near you, get to it; it is well, well worth it.
March 28, 2004; The Colonial Theatre, Boston
* * * ¾ (out of 4)
I hesitate to write this review for two reasons. The first is that I have no right to write anything about a show that is primarily dance, cause I don’t know the first thing about dancing. The second reason is that I fear I can’t properly give credit where it is due, since my Playbill lists everyone who is playing each part on the tour, but not who was playing what part on this particular afternoon. But I enjoyed this thoroughly, and since theatre reviews is kind of what I feel like I’m heading towards, dammit, I’m going to try.
I don’t think I can say enough good things about this show. This is the Tony Award-winning musical that is a combination of three decades of music by the incomparable Billy Joel and choreography by the (apparently) equally distinguished Twyla Tharp. While for Mr. Joel I can speak from personal experience of his greatness, but as for Ms. Tharp, I can only rely on her bio in the Playbill, which credits her with a Tony, two Emmys, and 16 honorary degrees. I’d say that is impressive enough.
The story is told exclusively through dance and twenty-nine of Joel’s songs (note – that’s right… with the exception of a drill sergeant’s orders at one or two points, there is no dialogue in this show). It follows five friends through twenty years of interaction and turbulence, a major factor being the Vietnam War. It is inspired by the question, “What happens to Brenda and Eddie (of Joel’s “Scenes From An Italian Restaurant”) after the song ends?” Brenda and Eddie are joined onstage by James (“James”), Judy (“Why Judy Why”), and Tony (“Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)”), and the story moves through Brenda and Eddie’s breakup, the boys being sent to war, the homecoming, and all five coping with life, love, tragedy, and friendship.
A lot of things surprised me about this show. First off, going in I was not aware that the cast did not sing at all. All the music and vocals are performed by the band, led in this performance by Darren Holden (http://www.darrenholden.com), who turned out to be the absolute show-stealing star. Flawlessly banging out Joel’s hits on the piano while belting them with a passion and energy second only to the Piano Man himself, Holden captivated me from start to finish, often reminding me of Joel himself in his prime. I found myself watching him and the band as much as I did the dancers. He and the rest of the nine-piece band smoothly transition between beautiful versions of songs spanning Joel’s entire career, from well-known megahits like “Uptown Girl,” “The Stranger” and “River of Dreams,” through Joel’s most recent works, such as the classically-inspired “Reverie (Villa D’Este)” and “Invention in C Minor.”
Though I admit to knowing nothing about dance, I was thoroughly impressed with it here. The choreography was a perfect mixture of classical ballet and more modern styles (which I will not even attempt to name), and the execution was at worst impressive, at best freakin’ unbelievable. In particular, the dancer portraying Eddie (either Ron Todorowski or Brendan King) wowed the audience with his moves, which sometimes bordered on acrobatic… at times it made me dizzy just to watch. Even to my untrained eye, all five lead members and their supporting ensemble are obviously gifted dancers. If the ballet here scares you, worry not: some of this is completely unrecognizable as ballet, as some is the most sexually-energized "ballet" I've ever encountered, at points deliciously bordering on raunchy, though never in bad taste.
However, still the star in my eyes is Holden’s impassioned delivery of some of Billy Joel’s most famous classics. In this lies the show’s only flaw, overall. It feels like the main attraction of the show is Joel’s music, and I think that is what people come expecting to enjoy, so I fear the dancing might get overlooked. Beautiful and impressive as it is, walking in I certianly didn’t expect to enjoy that aspect as much as I did. I think it is something that will take the attending Joel fans by surprise and win them over, but they must be open to that, and I don’t feel like the show is being promoted as having such an emphasis on dance. But, beyond that, I give this show as much praise as I can possibly give. Everyone involved gave more effort than I’ve seen in a “musical” in a very long time, led by Holden at the microphone and piano. The show is currently on its nationwide tour, so if it stops near you, get to it; it is well, well worth it.
posted by Matt S. at
2:18 AM
