Reviewed by Claudia Perry
If you like Billy Joel's music, author of such indelible
hits as "Just the Way You Are", "It's Still Rock and Roll to
Me", "Uptown Girl", "She's Got a Way", "Scenes
from an Italian Restaurant" and my personal fave, "I've Loved These
Days"(and who doesn't?), then you'll love "Movin' Out". If you
like fast-paced, athletic dancing by young, hard bodied performers then you'll
love "Movin' Out". If you like the Ballet or Modern Dance - then
you'll love "Movin' Out" - because this show is a combination of all
these ingredients. Conceived, choreographed and directed by Twyla Tharp this Tony Award-winning musical
is based on 24 classic songs by Bill Joel. Unlike the Broadway show,
"Contact" which incorporated dialogue and dance, "Movin'
Out" dispenses with this lingual formality. It is a story told through
movement and accompanying song - sung by one performer along with an
eight-piece band.
Movin'
Out is the story of three lifelong friends and their relationships through the
turbulent 60's and 70's, encompassing the Vietnam War, Drugs and the sexual
revolution.
Twyla
Tharp's choreography is quite spectacular. She can have her dancers go from
being splashy and fun to incredibly nonchalant and natural, and then jump to
being overtly sexual and acrobatic. Needless to say the demands of this kind of
dance are such that the lead dancers must perform the show in rotation (like
the principals in a traditional ballet company). First and foremost, credit
must be given to Darren Holden who plays piano and sings Lead Vocal throughout the two
hour performance. Equally gifted as both a musician and a singer, Mr. Holden,
is the fabric that (forgive me) holds the piece together. In fact, the audience
was so enamored of Mr. Holden's performance that they expected him to play an
encore. He conceded by playing an embellished end of the finale. I had to hold
myself back from screaming out, "Piano Man", which is not included in
the show. It was hard to remember that I wasn't at a Billy Joel
"concert".
It
goes without saying that all of the dancers in this National Tour Production
are excellent. However, there are some performances that are worth giving
special note to. Laurie Kanyok is a standout Brenda --her luminous persona projecting
way beyond the footlights. Matthew Dibble, although he had a smaller role as James, was
exemplary. I found his acting skills to be as strong and as moving as his
lithesome dancing. David Gomez(Tony) who also gets points for simple hunkability was
also a very convincing and appealing actor as well as a graceful and powerful
dancer. Lynda Sing
was emotionally convincing as Judy, the girl who loses her fianc_e in the
Vietnam War, in her black veiled lament. And Brendan King, who tended to play the angry
young man as a one note samba, still remains an amazing athlete. I had to stop
counting the number of back and forward flips he did all night.
For
my taste, I was disappointed that the story didn't quite go far enough, and I
would have liked to see a little more narrative. But all told -- this National
Tour of "Movin' Out" is an exciting and entertaining evening of song
and dance.