Written and directed by Twyla Tharp, romance takes literal flight in a picturesque party that lights up the cast and band in Broadway’s Come Fly Away at The Marquis Theater.   In this tribute to Frank Sinatra, Tharp reigns queen of the classical lifts; within the first ten minutes of the show, she pulls out no less than fifty from her bottomless arsenal!  A show tailor-made for all of the Sinatra lovers out there, this production includes a whopping thirty-five songs booming through the theater in which Tharp illuminates a time when people truly knew how to dance and “getting the girl” was all that mattered.  Sinatra, like a voice from heaven, plays on a recorded track and is accompanied by 16 live musicians and a charming songstress, Dee Daniels, who lends her sultry vocals for support.

So delightful…  and what a cast…  Every dancer is snatched!  ….lines and legs to die for and the most impeccable technique.  With such amazing dancers, the choreography can be nothing short of gorgeous. With such effortless beauty, Tharp’s choreography makes it easy for the audience members to pour over the choreography as they would the pages of a Harlequin romance novel nestled on the beach or to cavalierly peek at its shiny costumes as they would mindlessly flip through its pages. This is largely due to Tharp’s clever yet beautiful sculpting of romantic vignettes that give each cast member a moment to shine and every audience member’s heart a chance to beat a little faster when they recognize the crux of heartache or endearment rather than unearthing one-epic storyline.

The most well-crafted piece in Come Fly Away is a duet to a Sinatra classic fave, “You Make Me Feel So Young.”  Featuring Charlie Neshya-Hodges as an earnest barman and Laura Mead as a bashful baby-faced ingénue in a flirty pink skirt, they tumble across the stage with glee.  Neshya-Hodges endless reaching for Mead plays on the notion of the “one who got away.”  Tharp’s use of his acrobatic prowess yields audience guffaws as she sends him tumbling through pratfalls for a mere handhold from Mead. Their chemistry builds around this “cat and mouse chase” oozing pure fun.  Love it!

Holly Farmer’s duet proves to be the most brilliantly performed as she saunters across the stage in a captivating blue dress to “I’ve Got a Crush on You.”  Her leg has a fierce 180 that can strike out of nowhere standing straight up!  Seductive as Jessica Rabbit, she flits between two men wielding her leginess as currency for their heartbreak.

The one piece that shows Tharp very much in her element, interesting enough, is the shoeless, non-Sinatra, classic jazz number to the music Take 5.  There are some wonderfully seamless combinations of neo-classical ballet and contemporary SYTYCD type moments that will keep all the concert dance lovers thoroughly intrigued.  Well done.

Karine Plantadit is hot.  Her unabashed command of the stage is deliciously divine every moment she graces it.  Whether grinding her clothes between her teeth or floating about the stage with her gleaming Tina Turner-like legs, she is no less than a force to be reckoned.   As thrilling Ms. Plantadit is, however, the most heart stopping moment with her is when her partner, John Selya struggles to thrust his arms into his own coat sleeves.  As we watch him feel for the arm holes, a look of pure panic, a look of sure fear, no worse, a look of Armageddon succumbs over his face.  Why?  Because blazing from stage right, in one literal leap of faith (staged to happen supposedly after Selya “casually” puts on his coat), is Karine Plantadit tossed from one male cast member into the arms (..er the hopeful arms) of Selya.  OMG!… Still struggling like a villain with his coat sleeves, Selya catches Plantadit -just in the nick of time!  Ahhh, this is the stuff that makes great stage door memories… nothing like live theatre folks!  Now I know why the panic… Let’s take a poll, shall we?  What’s worse…  the wrath of God or not catching Plantadit?

Now back to the review…  Tharp’s strong choice to not match Sinatra’s lyrics with gestural choreography allows the dance to resonate richly.  Such that, Sinatra’s passionate lyrics boast an adoration for pomp and circumstance inviting the lithe bodies flying through the air to sensually encapsulate the object of each other’s affection with grace and ease.    In one endless series of lifts, I’m reminded of a scene in Sex and the City when Mr. Big tells Carrie after they’ve seen a ballet, “I swear I saw the strings on their backs!  Didn’t you see them?”

These dancers have taken their technique classes, have spent their sweat, and now get to have fun in a show that is all dance and all love.  Come out and grab your passport for Tharp’s Come Fly Away so you can escape and have some fun too!

iDANZ Critix Corner
 Official Dance Review by Eileen Elizabeth
Editorial Contributions by Candice Rox
Performance: Come Fly Away
Choreography:  Twyla Tharp
Venue: Marquis Theater
Show Date: March 9, 2010
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in their Haiti Earthquake Relief Efforts.

MSF/Doctors Without Borders has been working in Haiti for 19 years, most recently operating three emergency hospitals in Port-au-Prince, and is mobilizing a large emergency response to the Haiti/earthquake disaster.

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and supplies to victims in this crisis?
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Dreamgirls captures the essence of the Apollo Theater as the Apollo celebrates its 75th anniversary season. Known as the theater “where stars are born and legends are made,” the Apollo has helped great performers on their road to fame including Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5, Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill, Gladys Knight, James Brown, Ella Fitzgerald, and Billie Holliday as well as many others. Dreamgirls opens with scenes of The Dreamettes competing in the Apollo Theater’s Amateur Night, the signature show at the Apollo that has provided so many talented artists their big break.

This exciting production shares the experience on and off stage of the talented up and coming Dreamettes, a female musical group climbing their way to stardom during the 1960s. The simple, great-for-touring, yet ingenious stage design by Robin Wagner has shifting panels that transform from backdrop (with amazingly clever projections) to the side-viewed wings of a stage.  When the Dreamettes are performing onstage and the projections are spinning behind them, you feel as if you have been transported back in time, experiencing the dazzling performance of one of the popular girl groups like the Marvettes or the Supremes.  The remarkably striking ladies all wear matching dresses and have cutesy choreography that enhances their song numbers.  Of course, the first dresses we see them in are borderline frumpy, but as the story progresses, the costumes become more and more stunningly glamorous.

Dreamgirls might have become more popular now with the recent movie starring Beyonce Knowles, Jennifer Hudson, Eddie Murphy, and Jamie Foxx, but seeing it onstage is another experience. This particular production does a fabulous job, capturing the magic of the performers onstage and the drama backstage.  The retro feel of the production with the 60s style of the music and dress is so much fun; delightfully so, as the choreography brings everything together by embracing both of these elements.  The ensemble dancers in this production spice up the "in-between" scenes with high energy dancing that is impressive and enjoyably funny.  I love the "One Night Only" disco scene, where we see that catchy 70s style ography of ball-change press, ball-change turn "c’mon c’mon"… repeat… ball-change press, ball-change… It got me and Miss iDANZ herself, Candice Rox, performing the steps all the way down 125th street on our way for drinks at the GU (Gospel Uptown). 

Another choreographic highlight is during "Steppin’ To The Bad Side" where not only are the dancers gettin’ down, but the illustrious projections on the panels are gettin’ busy as well.  With the aid of technology, dancers inventively appear to be coming out of the woodwork then multiply right before our eyes -right in time with the music!  Both the technology and collaborative creativity for this show, choreographically and in graphic design, are truly amazing. 

Other notables are Chaz Lamar Shepherd, who plays the creepy Curtis Taylor Jr. who we all love to hate, and Chester Gregory, who plays Jimmy, the over-the-top, fame hungry performer who probably elicits the most laughter.  Adrienne Warren as Lorrell, Margaret Hoffman as Michelle, and seventh season American Idol first runner-up, Syesha Mercado, give convincingly solid performances as the Dreamettes/Dreams.  Moya Angela is a powerful Effie White, and after hearing her sing her rendition of “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going,” you’re gonna wanna sing this hit in the shower for several days after watching. 

Quick costume changes add extra pizazz as the Dreamettes and Deena Jones transform within seconds off stage and on literally to the amazement of the audience.  To see the magical costume changes alone is a reason to see this show…  And much to the audience’s delight, instead of a misplaced, self-indulging number for Deena to sing, "Listen" (from the movie version made famous by Beyonce) has been added as a relevant yet powerful, teary-eyed duet in a breathtakingly new arrangement between both Deena and Effie… not a dry eye in the house.  Bravo, Ladies!

It is just as the lyrics say, “Dreamgirls will never leave you, ‘cause all you have to do is dream…” An inspirational show, Dreamgirls is embarking on a National Tour and should not be missed!

Photography by Joan Marcus

iDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by Lea McGowan
Editorial Contributions by Candice Rox
Performance: Dreamgirls
Choreography: Robert Longbottom with Shane Sparks as Co-choreographer
Venue:  Apollo Theater, Harlem, NYC
Show Date:  December 2, 2009
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FELA!, the new Broadway musical that marries the biopic story of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti with his music, is a raw insightful adaptation of 37 Arts’ off Broadway version to the great white way.  This production is enhanced by the incredible spacial perspective and evocative powers of the design team.  The visionary choreography/direction from Bill T. Jones, changeable set which vibes-n-flows via video production, and costume design from Marina Draghici, as well as the innovative lighting design by Robert Weirzel, all place the audience at a brightly lit version of Fela’s beloved club, the Shrine.  The audience doesn’t miss a thing as this cozy theatre becomes a fringe Nigerian space, sweeping us all into the madness that becomes Fela’s MOP (Movement of the People).

Sahr Ngaujah is a quadruple threat playing Fela as he acts, sings, dances while playing both saxophone, drum and trumpet.  His ability to float between skills goes from strength to strength as he simultaneously takes on the persona of bandleader, disillusioned son, leader of a sociopolitical movement and lover to his many Queens (wives).  [The historical Fela was said to have married 24 women in an act of protest against Westernization and the Christianization of his beloved Nigeria.  He found protest in act like polygamy, smoking the peace pipe and even declaring his compound a sovereign nation].

So… here in the Kalakuta Republic, which basically translates to "rascally" from Swahili, the audience is drawn in by the uneven flow of the story and carefree style that, when combined, truly makes the production more accessible for Black audiences precisely because it is not formulaic.  Quite frankly, I like that it runs hot and loose with just about everything.  It is a casual, and at times, a crazed conversation between the audience and Fela.  The audience even gets the opportunity to stand up and get down with a free dance lesson!    A surefire recipe for a cult-like theater-in-the-making for "time-warped" FELA-Fanatics, this is a show that you will truly have to return to see time and time again in order to take it all in.

More like a rock concert vibe, the Highlife and AfroBeat band play powerful renditions of Fela’s most influential songs such at Upside Down, Zombie, MOP and more…  Arranged by the Brooklyn-based band, Antibalas, (a long time practitioner of the Afrobeat sound), the entire ensemble performs enmeshed in Fela’s flow and rhythmical structure infusing the story with emotion and electricity.

As the audience sits in their seats and the band warms up, very very slowly the dancers, "Fela’s Queens," begin to wind their waists off to the side, up on scaffolding, and out in the aisles until the whole theatre seems a "Shrine" to the beautiful black bottom.  Ain’t nothing wrong with it.  Besides, if by freeing your ass your mind follows, then the dancers in FELA! are all highly enlightened.  What I can’t stress enough is that they are all, all standouts in this cast and you get the feeling that this can of random parts has no filler.

A crowd pleaser and a Queen of the night with such versatility, Nicole Chantal de Weever all but breaks her back in several scenes where she flips between fierce African solo’s and beautiful snatched extensions.  While some of the male dancers like Corey Baker and Daniel Soto float between the African movement and the classical and contemporary dance vocabulary with grace and ease, the other women on stage, having familiar faces from the NYC African dance performance and class scene, look as if they have been dancing together for years.  (Actually, many of them have been doing just that, but not on Broadway).   Special kudos are in order to Rassaan Elijah “Talu” Green, who moves from being drummer to dancer with equal skill, and Gelan Lambert, an amazing tap technician who shows his improvisation skills well over that funky Afro Beat sound.  Who knew?  Before FELA!, Gelan has been known to be an awesome contemporary dancer in the "concert dance" world.  Werk!

Other standouts in the cast are Saycon Sengbloh as Fela’s African American Venus who brings him a "Black Power" mentality.  The stereotype of the Black American Queen, strong and angry, is not lost in the role and neither is the humor of this genre of blaxsploitation.  Sengbloh takes us back to the 60’s with her all out belting voice as she “turns [his] world upside down” with books!  Yes, they are dancing onstage doing their African while reading books.  The characters Sandra and Fela go back and forth over which side is more messed up:  African American or African.  Finally, Fela concedes that he had to go all the way to America to understand what his mother had been trying to teach him all along.

Memorable lines from Ngaujah are in his description of colonialism as being metaphorically like "having guests in the house."  In a scene about “Hotel Africa,” he describes how at first “it’s quite nice” and then “things start to go missing.”  As the audience has a chuckle, Ngaujah begins to lists “Ashtrays, towels […] petroleum, diamonds, people!”  At this point, we realize that the fun jesting and joking around has quickly turned political, but not before he asked, “…and what do they leave in return?  Gonorrhea and Jesus!”  …OMFG

So yeah, this show is going to get real, real fast.  So, bring it fast and loose.  It’s about time for new blood on Broadway.  As Fela lights up a fatty and begins to describe his rise to fame and political ambitions, someone in the audience shouts “Puff puff pass.”  The work is irreverent, powerfully moving and one of the most insightful productions I have seen in a long time.  I hope that, as it gains in popularity, some of the funnier, raw, offensive, countercultural shit stays in!  For example, his monologue about taking a shit while imprisoned is funny, familiar, yet still foreign to the conservative American’s Puritan ethic.  So, the work quite wittily shakes cobwebs from ways of thinking to try to get something new to stick—a new "education."  Perhaps, it will be the countercultural revolution that stirs Fela’s soul and inflames his lyrics.

The most important question that is explored throughout the night is not colonialism, Christianity, police brutality, or government corruption, but rather, why Fela?  Why does he do all those crazy things?  How can Nguajah pull you in so completely that by the end you see him as saint and not sinner, revolutionary and not rascal, musical genius and not near-do-well, etc., etc.  Although the work often romanticizes and glorifies a lifestyle that causes so much pain to those closest to Fela (especially the women in his life), you can’t help but love Fela.

Using concepts from the Yoruba religion, the second act is spiritually unlike anything I’ve ever seen on Broadway.  The most amazing sections come toward the end in a sweeping all white ballet as Fela goes into a dream sequence in search of his beloved mother Funmilayo who has become an orisha (departed spirit who leads us from above) of the rain.  Played by Lillias White, the role is haunting and evocative and biographically balances Fela’s male chauvinism with his mother’s real feminist activism.  White’s singing sends chills down my spine and there are only a few dry eyes in the cast and audience as she takes her son under protection throughout as a watchful-eyed photo peers down on the audience in a three dimensional holograph.

Nguajah throws himself so completely into the role with his embodied talent that I often believe Fela is walking around in his skin.  He physicalizes his performance without making it a Broadway musical.  Instead, I feel like I am getting my hair braided and watching one of those African movies where I don’t understand why the two ladies in the film are going after each other with shoes, but I appreciate the fully committed way all the action takes place.  I feel that this work is a "watershed event’ on Broadway where something new brings a chance at real adventures for the audience.

Keeping it fast and loose, the work ends quite as it began, unexpectedly powerful and poignantly political.  After the immense applause, Bill T. Jones leaps on stage and treats us with an African solo across the floor dropping to his knees mid-stage to shake and undulate his body into the wing and out the door…  I want to cry.  This is it!  This is contemporary African dance fusion where all are swept up in the spirit of the music that calls the body to move in new and exciting ways.

Go see FELA!  Bring friends and keep this on Broadway long enough to truly celebrate the legacy he left behind in his music, activism and larger than life persona.  Fela Anikulapo-Kuti (1938-1997) R.I.P. brother… you deserve it.

iDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by Sasha Deveaux
Performance:  FELA!
Choreographer: Bill T. Jones
Venue: Eugene O’Neill Theatre
Show Date: November 23, 2009 @ 8:00pm
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Tanguera, dubbed the only tango musical, arrives at New York City Center creating the atmosphere of Buenos Aires.  With only one singer and a few narrative songs, I would hardly call the production a musical.  Tanguera is very much a ballet, but with tango as the dance vocabulary that tells the story.  The production opens with a solo accordionist, standing at the place where the stage meets the audience, as if inviting us to take a glimpse back in time at Buenos Aires during the turn of the 20th century.  His unveiled passionate playing reminds us that tango begins with the music and the people. The live music certainly enhances the vibrancy of the show, sucking us into this classic South American love story.

The premise of Tanguera revolves around the character Giselle, a French immigrant arriving in Buenos Aires in search of a better life.  At the port, Giselle encounters Lorenzo a dockworker, and the two are instantly in love.  However, Giselle is unfortunately involved with the gang leader, Gaudencio, who has helped bring her there.  In her innocent desire for a better life, Giselle finds herself manipulated by Gaudencio and his comrades with her only route of survival being to work for them dancing in a dirty nightclub.  The rest of the story plays out predictably, through dramatized dancing.

The dancing is fabulous, impeccably clean.  Perhaps it’s too clean for telling a story from the streets.  The dancers play their parts, but that is what if felt like, playing roles.  To be convincing, the dancing needed to be grimier.  Somehow it seems that the show had been polished into a musical version that lost its organic quality along the way. 

My favorite scene is within the nightclub.  Fabric panels onstage gave the impression of windows, as if looking in on the couples in their moments of erotic intimacy.  The ladies look dazzling in the nightclub attire, thong bustier leotards with sexy skirts of fringe.

With no intermission, the storyline is uninterrupted.  I would encourage audience members to resist the temptation of leaving immediately, as some of the most exciting dancing, to me, happened in the curtain calls.  Quick footwork, fast twists of the hips, strong partnering- all the elements are there to be witnessed and admired.  With this dramatic love story, you will certainly fall in love with tango!

iDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by Lea McGowan
Performance:  Tanguera
Choreography:  Mora Godoy
Venue:  New York City Center
Performance Date: Thursday October 8, 2009
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It’s Friday night. Indian summer is upon us.  People are hustling by in their best weekend theatre-goer attire awaiting the evening’s performances all over Midtown West.  “Ah, the theatah!” I say to myself, feeling on top of the world knowing that I, Sheena DiMatteo, would be getting into a Broadway show for FREE tonight!  Ooh LA LA! Looking around at all the people who I knew had paid big bucks had me secretly gloating…..

I gracefully chasse up to the ticket window, and smile “DiMatteo”…. a blank stare.  I spell it, and again get a blank stare.  Ok, “Sheena?”  No such luck. “iDANZ?” ……Long story short, the publicist never wrote my name down and I had NO ticket.  And I must announce, if there ever was a stickler, this guy at the box office window was it.  I was NOT, (despite almighty Blackberry proof with MY name displayed clearly on the confirmation email) getting tickets if it was up to this Box Office Nazi.  After a desperate pleading attempt with him and having him eventually close his blinds on me Wizard-of-Oz style at 8:02 PM, the couldn’t-show-up-at-a-better-time company manager swooped in on a magic flying steed and saved the day! “By golly, these people are trying to advertise your show, let her in!”  And by the beard of Zeus, (thanks Ron Bergundy) there was a ticket in my hand!

So, like a silly goose, here I come flocking into BURN THE FLOOR late, being THAT girl who makes everyone around her stand up and miss what they actually, unlike me, DID pay good money to see!  Finally, after awkwardly side-saddling about 7 people, I’m in my seat and HOORAY, the reviewing begins. (Deep breath! And thanks for reading!)

CURTAIN UP!  Review time!

Burn the Floor is definitely not a Broadway musical.  No lengthy storyline, no characters you care deeply about, no groups of songsters harmonizing loudly, or shocking plot twists, but there IS one thing it does have – the FIERCIEST, FIERIEST, SEXIEST, HARDEST-WORKING DANCERS on Broadway.  Looking through the Playbill, it is funny to note how many dancers have “SYTYCD” plastered all over their bios. From the moment they enter the stage to the moment they take their final bow, and another bow, then another… these dancers bring it hard.  It is ballroom at its best.

“BTF” is divided into four sections: Inspirations, Things That Swing, The Latin Quarter, and Contemporary.  The show flows pretty seamlessly through all four although it’s not hard to tell when we have left behind or entered another realm of Floor-Burn-ery.  The cruise-ship style costumes, sets, and awkwardly placed singers unfortunately cheapen the show and add a level of theme park tackiness, but the CHOREOGRAPHY and DANCERS keep us coming back for more.

Most of the show I am on the edge of my seat, especially during pulsating full-cast numbers such as “Magalena”, a Samba, and the crowd-pleasing “Proud Mary”, a high-speed jive which closes the show.  As a choreographer myself, I am constantly trying to get inside the mind of director and choreographer Jason Gilkison.  The gravity-defying dancers scarcely dance alone, constantly whipping each other around at lightning speed, their connections flawless beneath their perfectly tousled hair.

Despite their verging-on-cheeseball costumes by Janet Hine, a few dancers manage to transcend the wardrobe of candy-colored matching Barbie frocks and display some true individuality. The rest manage to be pleasantly forgettable.  Three of the females really catch my eye, and surprisingly, SYTYCD’s “Anya”, one of the show’s biggest marketing ploys at the moment, isn’t one of them.  It is the blonde Amazonian beauty, Peta Murgatroyd, with her snake-like essence and legs that ooze out from underneath her like ribbons, that is the most stunning of all.  One of her solos, which tosses her gracefully amongst six men, and BLINDFOLDED, is absolutely breathtaking. Then, to counteract her prowess is the compact little spitfire, Giselle Peacock who is constantly featured and center stage.  Peacock dances like a tiny raging bull who’s been antagonized a bit too far!  Thirdly, I must comment on my personal favorite dancer, Sharna Burgess, who is barely “featured” but snatches my attention the nanosecond she arrives on stage, every time.  Put her in the corner and it’s still like there is no one else on stage.  Tall and muscular with flowing black hair, she is the essence of HOT and the definition of commanding attention.

Ok, let’s talk men.  A LOT OF BOOTY SHAKING in tight pants, ladies!  I vote that tight pants for guys come back in style immediately… not just for Sambas! “Pasha”, from SYTYCD does produce, and is thoroughly enjoyable, as are the rest of the men.  I honestly don’t catch myself watching the men individually as much because they’re so good at showcasing their ladies!  The guys work extremely well as an ensemble, the only one sticking out being the shortest of the group, Sasha Farber, who gets tossed into the air like a running cannonball at one point!

By the end of the evening, we have watched one production number after another, and applauded the cast’s three or four self-given ovations- with tributes to their home countries.  Burn the Floor might not catch the theatre on fire, but it does create some smoke.  I’d gladly return and see it again just to fully appreciate the majesty of the dancers.  With a little more concept and a little less tack, this show could really go places.  But hey, let’s not forget that it already fan-kicked its way to Broadway… so kudos ballroom world!  Welcome to the Great White Way.

iDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by  Sheena DiMatteo
Show: Burn The  Floor
Choreographer: Jason Gilkison
Venue:  Longacre Theatre
Date: September 18, 2009
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Scandalous People: A Sizzling Jazzical

The show has a decent premise:  black entertainers in late ’20s Harlem get a chance at the big leagues.  Of course, that chance comes with strings attached.  Plot line sound familiar?  In this version, however, Effie isn’t pushed off to the sidelines.  Her name is Dez, and she’s married to the big cheese, although he still has a thing for her sister.  But the love triangle isn’t really the main plot.  Dez and her husband Dewey run a show at a Harlem speakeasy, and a gangster wants to put it on Broadway.  There are all sorts of issues that naturally arise when a gangster wants to put a show on Broadway.  For example, Mae West wants to be in the show, and there’s a drag queen called Trixie.  Sound confusing?  It is.  The structural problems are complicated by the fact that the microphones cut out at least once a scene.  Given that I saw the show on the second to last night, I can only assume that the sound department never did and never will get it together, and the disjointed, chemistry-free scenes heighten the chaos, instead of any dramatic tension.  Take, for example, the scene where the love triangle is introduced.  (And I’m paraphrasing shamelessly here):

SISTER: I want to be in your show, Mr. Dewey.

DEWEY: Mwah mffff wlll. (They do a single time step. She impresses him by doing– oh my God!– a triple time step.) You can dance, mmfffflll.

DEZ’ SISTER: Mwah hdllmrff. (She throws her leg up on his shoulder.)

Mwah, mwah, mwah?  You’d think you were watching a Charlie Brown’s Christmas special and the muffled mouth teacher just entered the room!   Anywho, we can only assume that he drags her awkwardly off stage to do "the nasty".

In the next scene Dez comes in to audition for the show as well, and for no reason whatsoever Dewey seems to fall for Dez without mentioning that he just did her sister.  The sister, in a completely unrealistic turn of events, decides not to tell her sister that they are "in love," (ie, doing the nasty in the wings) and sings the worst song in the music theatre lexicon almost completely off-pitch.  It is at this point that my sister leans over to remind me of our little sister’s 7th grade vocal recital. "At least when they butchered Honey Bun, you had Charles deBarber dancing around in a coconut bra," she whispered.

Nirine S. Brown as the sister is truly a lovely dancer, but she needs to work on her song, to say the least.  The rest of the cast try hard, but polishing turds makes for a long and thankless work. Jennifer Swirderski does a lovely Mae West impression and is terrific in the show’s title number.  I find Mae West impressions overdone and predictable, which is ironic given that West herself was completely unpredictable.  However, Swirderski’s West does inject the script with some much-needed wit: the lines I could hear are well-played and funny.  Obediah Wright’s choreography is smart and enjoyable and boosts the show with some much-needed dynamics.  Eugene Fleming anchors the show as Dewey with his smooth singing voice and easy, yet commanding stage presence.

But despite the show’s best intentions: despite its intriguing historical premise and and jazz score, despite the pedigree creative team, including Broadway’s own Fredi Walker-Browne directing, who created the role of Joanne in the original Rent, the show never comes together.  It is an agonizing evening of theatre.  If it’s between seeing this and seeing your sister’s grade school music recital, I would recommend the recital, with or without the coconut bra.

iDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by Molly Sorohan
Performance:  Scandalous People
Director/Choreographer:  Fredi Walker-Browne, Director/ Obediah Wright, Choreographer
Venue: Minetta Lane Theatre, New York International Fringe Festival
Performance Date:  Friday, September 28,  2009
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You don’t have to be a child of the 70’s to understand the subversive magic of taking a tale of a lily white Kansan and transposing it into our own script of Black allusions and urban metaphors. Even after winning seven Tony Awards and best musical in 1975, those early critics were lukewarm at best.

The original coming of age tale by L. Frank Baum published in 1900 and the subsequent Broadway play of 1902 is full of mixed imagery and sociopolitical double entendre. This makes for very interesting retelling in the hands of Geoffrey Holder (directed 1975 Broadway musical) who is like a mad scientist turning regular-sized humans into colorful little munchkins and creating the Tornado ballet.  Casting the big ol’ queen Andre DeShields as the Wiz even is an improvement.  Like the popular Blaxsploitation movies of that era, they do not have to be that great, they just are our stories told our way.  Sydney Lumet’s 1978 movie version staring the late, great Michael Jackson and Diana Ross is equally panned by critics yet summarily beloved in black pop-culture.      

So, after going out on a limb, towing the color line and throwing a big black power fist up in the air let me tell you what’s going down at the City Center Encores! Summer Stars performance of The Wiz.  On Monday, I run to City Center to see the wizard having only the fondest memories from childhood of a cracked LP that no longer plays the 1^st track of the Tornado ballet. (This is a good thing because, as a child, those howling wind sounds had scared the crap out of me.)

Kudos to set designer David Korins who strips the house bare of planks so that only the door and window frames remain suspended in air as if the tornado to come is already a part of our present. Ashanti enters with Toto in tow and is wearing the worst ensemble ever (and this includes grade school shows) of a busy blue bedazzled dress, jeans and sneakers.  Fortunately, LaChanze sets the tone of the night effortlessly flowing through “The Feeling We Once Had.”

The Tornado Ballet, choreographed by Andy Blankenbuehler and Associate Choreographer, Joey Dowling, is excellent as the ensemble dancers do not disappoint, especially, Ryan Rankin, Herman Payne, Lauren Lim Jackson, and Jennifer Locke.  The WIZ proves to be an excellent show for concert dancers to perform.  Watching young dancers like Ryan Rankin (SYTYCD) move through the ography so radiantly is breathtaking while seeing veteran dancer,  Herman Payne flow from scene to scene is just textbook brilliance.  It makes you want to take notes!  Not only does Payne dance flawlessly in a show in nearly every scene that runs for over two-and-a-half hours, but he definitely appears to be the seasoned "go-to" guy to lift cast members, carry props, change sets, secure lights, strap down hanging fly ropes, and still have the strength to balance effortlessly on one leg . . . Whew . . . probably the hardest working dancer on that stage.  As for the ladies mentioned, Lauren Lim Jackson has great lines in addition to sassy "emerald city" attitude along with her fellow poppy, Jennifer Locke who seductively shows off her strong long legs with endless command.  Other dancers among the ensemble with stand-out performances include Daniel J. Watts who shows excellent energy as both dancer and Field Mouse as well as William B. Wingfield who gives a strong performance as the leading hip hop, Funky Monkey.  There is so much talent in New York and fun shows like The WIZ give diverse concert dancers opportunity to do what they do best.  Bravo dancers!

As the Tornado Ballet ends, Korin’s minimalistic house is disassembled and Dorothy is lifted into the air on the storm shelter door.  It closes as the curtain is falling to reveal a 22-piece orchestra (with the young, hot musical director, Alex Lacamoire, at the helm), which receives one of the loudest applause moments of the entire evening.  They are suspended up into the space via the missing planks from the house.  These long wooden beams haphazardly form a tornado funnel with which the orchestra is showcased simultaneously serving as a scaffold structure for the performers to climb to different levels.

The productions is not lacking in star power as Dawnn Lewis’ comic timing as Addapelre is impeccable.  Cleverly, the munchkins appear as flouncy-skirted actors on rolling chairs that remain seated the entire time adding a whimsical air to this production. 

So we are just about ready to ease on down that bumpy road.  So far so good…

“Soon as I Get Home” OK…

Let’s get this out of the way, Ashanti is no triple-threat.  I am not sure that she understands that this is The Wiz and not a Disney musical as her sweet lyrics are beautiful but lack the fear, confusion and longing of the Dorothy character.  That being said, the girl can sing; she’s a true solid singer and without the help of autotune!  Although I really enjoy her vocal skills, like the rest of the audience, I generally tune her out in all other sections.

Of Dorothy’s three companions down that yellow brick road, it is Joshua Henry as the Tinman that blows me away.  He is able to create an air of an old man that is so effective that you feel his every step is rusted and stiff.  An amazing dancer with an unique sound, the jokes just keep hitting even with the dated material.  The Lion, played by James Monroe Iglehart, gives his character a contemporary-urban comic feel, but nicely retains the magic of the original songs with his big, big voice similar to his predecessor, the late great, Ted Ross.  A full-sized guy, Iglehart shows worthy skillz on his dancing ability, especially when he cops a move a few times from Michael Jackson’s signature freestyle.  The scarecrow, played by Christian Dante White, exudes a youthful innocence with nice licks and good comic timing as well.

Orlando Jones is another casualty of the production and makes for an uninspired Wiz.  By contrast, Tichina Arnold is the best Evilene ever!  There is nothing like being the baddy that brings out the diva in a performance.  Her costume is an architecturally designed stiff ruby encrusted cape that adjusted and changed with her movement.  Let’s just call her scene ugly chic!  She is evil, mean, and ugly, and she made it all look so good.

Unfortunately, it is from this point where Encores budget and timeline really take its toll on the overall production giving the musical a feeling that it is heavily edited and that the LP is slightly speeding up in some numbers.  However, if there is something drastically wrong with this production, clearly the audience doesn’t seem to mind and claps, sings, laughs and gives a rousing applause after each and every musical number.  Let just say there is something to this Wiz thing that goes beyond perfect script or elaborate execution.

And, then a slice of heaven… “Rested Body Is a Rested Mind”

LaChanze enters and a fresh breeze blows through City Center. She has such an amazing voice and stage presence that her background dancers wear perm-a-grin faces and tears in their eyes.  Her voice is strong and nuanced and the scene rolls into “Believe in Yourself” for a back-to-back slice of that real Broadway sound.  Ashanti finishes the night with a strong, well-pitched “Home.”

Even though, the second act needs work as it did in the 70’s and Ashanti is not the triple threat the rest of the cast is, or the production looks cheap when compared to Lion King or Little Mermaid, or the entire production is chopped like a plate of short ribs and whizzes by at breakneck pace, who cares?  . . .Give me my “Ease on down the road”, “No Bad News” and “So you wanted to meet the Wizard.”   From an audience perspective, we came, we saw, we got The Wiz at City Center in 2009.   It is a good night to be had.

Still, if there is any doubt on the effect this musical has had on black culture or why it needs revival by City Center, please check out little Nia age 5 on the embedded player from 2007.  This little girl looks a lot like I did back in the day singing this song, only fortunately for her, she has more hair, teeth and talent.  Enjoy . . .

Cast of characters include:
Ashanti as Dorothy
Orlando Jones as The Wiz
LaChanze as Aunt Em, Glinda
Joshua Henry as Tinman
James Monroe Iglehart as Lion
Christian Dante White as Scarecrow
Tichina Arnold as Evilene
Dawnn Lewis as Addaperle

iDANZ Critix Corner 
Official Dance Review by Sasha Deveaux
Contributing Editor:  Candice Rox
Performance:  The Wiz
Director: Thomas Kail
Choreographer: Andy Blankenbuehler, Joey Dowling (Associate Choreographer)
Musical Director: Alex Lacamoire
Venue: City Center, New York
Date: Monday, June 22, 2008 @ 7:00pm
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Storytelling transfers from the academics’ narration to the actors’ illustration, with various intermediary relationships.  In a very fun scene, the battle between Beowulf and Grendel’s mother (Beowulf has previously slain Grendel), aquariums are pulled onstage to symbolize the sea.  The academics get into a water fight and spray the audience.  But, with the potential to be thought provoking and illuminating, too often the academics’ dialogue feels geared to an elementary school audience.

Grendel’s mother, Jessica Jelliff, is intensely engaging with her bent-over stance and fierce voice in mourning her lost son and then attacking Beowulf. Throughout the show there is recurrence of eating/consumption and the graphic description of violence.  As physical theater moments resonate, sometimes parody manifests as a mockery or lack of physicalization.  The first fight, between Beowulf and Grendel, is acted in a pretending manner.  This nonchalance comes up in the words as well; in the final battle between academic/dragon and Beowulf, the academic casually repeats, “That’s just not cool” at the heat of an argument.

The experimentation with a nonchalant manner in telling the story presents an interesting concept, but it proves too easy to undercut the story.  Regardless, Beowulf is entertaining, and who would have thought it could be a fun Rock’n’Roll musical?
 

iDANZ Critix Corner 
Official Dance Review by Leah Schrager
Performance: Beowulf: A Thousand Years of Baggage
Choreographer(s):  Banana Bag & Bodice
Venue: Abrons Art Center, New York City
Date:  April 12, 2009
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@Seaport looks like a restaurant turned theater, with just a few feet of stage space before a staircase rising up in the back.  The 23-member cast fills the space, using the stairs as a second tier.  As they open their mouths for the first note, I realize that this production is big talent in a small space. It’s Broadway calibre talent on Front Street.

The show takes us on a theatrical journey of psychological disorders from A to Z, literally, dedicating one song to a disorder for each letter of the alphabet, with projected text to help us follow along.  "Addiction" introduces the cast of crazies, dressed in multicolored whimsical outfits and hospital bracelets.  A naughty nurse introduces herself with a sassy jazz dance, doing grand battements in red fishnets and heels.

In true bipolar fashion, the pendulum swings from comedy to drama, from upbeat pop song to ballad, and from ensemble to solo. "Depression" shows the dancers appropriately still, they can’t be bothered with dancing, while other sections explode with high energy dance, front walkovers and leaps in second.

Abraxas Stage Company is not afraid to get down and dirty.  In "Vagina Envy", the naughty nurse spreads her legs in a super wide second for an extended crotch shot.  "Urophilia" shows the cast waving yellow ribbons over Mike Harrison’s head as he sings "ur-ine over your head."  Then he touches on blasphemy by belting gospel hallelujahs while reveling in having ribbons of "urine" tickle his face.

The show offers so many clever moments that if you happen to miss one, you’ll catch the next.  In "Narcissism," a solo of course, singer Carl Anthony-Tramon holds an epic note while glancing at an imaginary watch, milking every second of undivided attention.  As a side note, I’ll mention that his bio is the longest in the program.  Coincidence?  Another brilliant moment is with the letter "W."  In lieu of a psychological disorder starting with "W," they dedicate the letter to Woody Allen, projecting his image briefly with no additional commentary.  This is my kind of humor.

This musical is not all about singing. The dancers bust their asses.  From high energy acrobatics to slinky jazz on pointe, they’re on top of it the whole time.

I’m under the impression that a way to deal with mental illness is to put it out there in the open.  Suppressing the problem only exaggerates it.  This cast is putting it out there, and having a blast in the process.  It makes me want to tap into the crazy inside of me, which may be closer to the surface than I think.

Photography by Mia Rossy

iDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by Julie Fotheringham
Performance: Abraxas Stage Company, Crazy Head Space
Choreography:  Matthew Neff
Venue: @Seaport, New York City
Date: March 26, 2009
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