Sarah Pye
Editor in Chief
For those who have a thing for good abs, “Movin’ Out” is the must-see musical of the season. There are more fit and toned bodies in this show than could be seen in a whole day at Malibu Gym.
From singer/songwriter Billy Joel and choreographer/director Twyla Tharp, “Movin’ Out” is a dance musical as good as any we’ve seen in recent years. It fairly accosted the Tony Awards in 2003, receiving 11 nominations and taking away three wins, including one for Tharp for choreography and another for Joel and partner Stuart Malina for orchestrations.
With a loose storyline, rockin’ Billy Joel hits and some absolutely fantastic dancing, “Movin’ Out” is probably best described as a hybrid between a ballet and a rock concert. Dancing that is this utterly masculine might be altogether unprecedented.
Centered on the struggles of five friends reaching adulthood in the 1960s and 70s Vietnam War era, “Movin’ Out” seamlessly blends Joel’s songs into a framework that shapes the story of these young people’s troubled lives.
In Act I, high school is over for Brenda and Eddie, and they are calling it quits while their friends Judy and James plan to be married. Brenda goes off to seek adventures and falls for another old friend, Tony. However, their fledgling relationship is cut short when Tony, Eddie and James enlist in the army and are sent to Vietnam.
When only two of the friends return, they are left to cope with the horrors of war, while one of the women must grieve for the love she has lost. The powerful dancing to such songs as “Big Shot” and “Pressure” reveals the anger and frustration the vets are left with, but their eventual return to normal lives is finally expressed at the end of the show with “I’ve Loved These Days” and “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant.”
Even “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” which had massive potential to turn out cheesy and ineffective, somehow strikes a chord as the dancers take us through the horrors they have had to face in their short lifetimes.
Joel’s tunes, both upbeat and tragic, lively and somber, are sung by either Darren Holden or Matt Wilson, depending on the performance.
Holden (who performs at the bulk of the week’s engagements) is masterful on the piano. It’s clear that he isn’t trying to be a Billy Joel knock off – the show simply wouldn’t work if he did. But once the audience adjusts to the differences in inflection and tone Holden brings to some of the lyrics, the pleasant spirit with which he makes the songs his own is quite enjoyable.
For such a physically demanding show, the dancing cast must be rotated, as well. There are two main casts covering the lead five roles, and at least one set of understudies to cover for them. But trust experience on this one: Even on a night when three out of five understudies are on, you’d think it was the original Broadway cast up there, the energy is so high.
Charlie Hodges as Eddie is especially impressive, with his sometimes-angry, sometimes-playful, yet always energetic and impressive moves reminding us that yes, Virginia, there are manly dancers in musical theatre.
Whitney Simler brings skill to the role of Brenda, expertly portraying a carefree teen who is later disillusioned by life and romance gone wrong. And Julieta Gros as the lovely and innocent Judy shows her talents en point in a series of moving ballets.
The rock concert-like staging, sound and lighting are effective in preserving some of what Joel’s fans must have felt when seeing him in concert for the first time. With the band on stage but perched safely out of the dancers’ way on an upstage platform, it is sometimes difficult to know who to watch – Holden at the piano, or the dancers on ground level?
And the crew at the Pantages Theatre deserves a special round of applause for achieving the near-impossible: they actually turned the sound up loud enough. Thank goodness for that, because straining to hear Billy Joel hits from Row R would not put this audience member in the rock concert frame of mind – no matter how good looking the abs on stage are.
10-07-2004
