.  in the national tour of Flashdance, The Musical.
Flashdance, The Musical
Directed & choreographed by Sergio Trujillo
Score by Robbie Roth & Robert Cary; book by
Cary & Tom Hedley.
A review by Kathi E.B.
Ellis.
Entire
contents are copyright © 2012 Kathi E.B. Ellis. All rights reserved.
This
week Louisville theatergoers become only the second American audiences to see
the brand-new musical Flashdance;
appropriately, the tour premiered in Pittsburgh earlier this month. If opening night at The Kentucky Center
provides any indication, this musical will be pleasing audiences nationwide on
its way to a scheduled August 2013 Broadway engagement.
Flashdance was, of course,
originally a 1983 movie set in steel town Pittsburgh, tracing the journey of
Alex Owens (Emily Padgett on stage) from steel mill to dance academy. With the success of both movie and
musical versions of Billy Elliott, we
may wonder why it has taken so long for this movie, a far more obvious choice
for a musical, to make its own transition from screen to stage. But here it is now. Previously, a 2010
stage version premiered in London. But what comes to Louisville this week is a
re-tooled stage version – none of the songs that were created for London are
part of this version, and director-choreographer Sergio Trujillo helms this
production. The creative team of Tom Hedley (screenplay for the movie), Robbie
Roth and Robert Cary carry over from London to the U.S.
The
cast of the national tour includes two native Pittsburghers – Broadway
performers Matthew Hydik and Rachelle Rak – who proudly claim their hometown
connection in the program. Pittsburgh itself is an implicit character in the production, as with
the movie which was filmed in the city, with projections of its iconic bridges
(projection design Peter Nigrini) and tired brick alleys juxtaposed with
interior images of the steel mill. These images are deftly interwoven onto a
series of screens embedded in a complex system of panels that seamlessly create
various Pittsburgh locations (scenic design by Klara Zieglerova). As the
audience arrived in the Whitney, a screen filled the proscenium opening, on
which were projected multiple, shifting images of the ’80s fading as the
performance began to the initials MTV, reminding us of how new and innovative
that channel was in the early ’80s.
One
aspect this stage version of Flashdance
emphasizes more than the movie does is the state of the steel business in the ’80s. This serves to ground the
overall story in a larger social context, and it also provides the role of Nick
Hurley (Hydik) with a more compelling character arc, as he strives within the
family-run business to make a difference. The relationship between Alex and
Hannah (Joann Cunningham), her dance mentor, is also more strongly drawn in the
stage adaptation. There are other
changes as movie subplots are discarded and characters’ names and dreams are
changed and amalgamated to provide a more streamlined story for the stage.
In
an interview, Mr. Trujillo alludes to the need to tell the stage story through
dance, and he has created some effective sequences in which we see the
classical etudes to which Alex aspires in contrast to the street dancing from
which she has learned so many moves. This juxtaposition allows us to see both the commonalities between dance
forms and the different demands these forms make on the human body. Break-dancer
Ryan Carlson has some impressive solo moments during the production as well as
leading a tight-knit ensemble in break-dancing sequences. Repeated brief pas de deux by Ballet dancers Brandt
Martinez and Andrea Spiridonakos serve to emphasize
the distance between Alex’s dream and the dancing she does nightly at Harry’s
(nightclub). Members of the ensemble also become additional dancers at the
inaccessible Shipley Academy; and while the ballet world has changed much in
recent decades, 30 years ago the look of the ballet dancers would have been
much more uniform – in body type and in clothing – than in this production. The
dancing most closely mirrors the movie in the sequences in Harry’s and C.C.’s establishments,
and it is here that audiences will hear the majority of the songs they remember
from the movie. For those wondering, the iconic image of the “water chair” is
recreated for the stage. Ms. Rak (Tess) and Dequina Moore (Kiki) are Alex’s dancing buddies, and their performances are far superior to the level of talent
that these seedy joints could ever have considered hiring!
The
production boasts 16 new songs, which blend well with the original songs
from the movie. Aurally this is an immersion into the early ’80s, thanks to the
orchestrations of Doug Besterman. The high-energy ensemble numbers set time and
place evocatively. Nick and Alex’s duets ("Here
and Now," "Hang On") provide a more tender perspective on their tempestuous
relationship, and Nick’s solo, "Enough," offers a glimpse into how Alex has overturned his life. Mr. Hydzik (whose Tony
I would have preferred to have experienced in the recent Broadway revival of West Side Story) delivers this with an
effective stillness and simplicity. But Flashdance is Alex’s story
and here – far more than in the movie – it is a performer’s powerhouse. She sings
and dances throughout the production, and Ms. Padgett delivers from the first
welding flashes in the prologue through the final audition, "What a Feeling," in which Alex triumphs.
She is in command of the stage during the high-octane dance numbers and in the
duet scenes with Nick or her friend, Gloria (Kelly Felthous). Both Ms. Felthous
and David R. Gordon, in the role of Jimmy, deliver well-calibrated
performances, though the downfall of Gloria is indicated so episodically that
one could wish for a deeper exploration of that character. Jimmy is the most
prescient of the characters, having faith in a city that has indeed overcome
its late twentieth century decline.
Louisville
audiences have seen the work of costume designer Tazewell Thompson on the
stage of Actors Theatre of Louisville, and in this production he recreates the
vibe of the 1980s in almost painful detail. Kudos, as well, to wig and hair
designer Charles LaPointe, whose stylings evoke those big-hair days with
precision.
For
those who love the movie, there will be gripes about changes made; but this
story line and the streamlined characters make sense for a stage musical. For those who don’t care for the movie
or who have never seen it, the story and the characters of the stage Flashdance are coherent on their
own. If you’re in the mood for a
feisty Cinderella story, where the heroine is determined to help herself and
not just rely on Prince Charming, this may be your musical. And if you’re a
fan of dance – almost any genre – Flashdance
will not disappoint.
Flashdance,
The Musical
January
15 –20, 2012
PNC
Broadway in Louisville
The Kentucky
Center
501
West Main Street
Louisville,
KY, 40202
502-589-7777
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