Hotcha! Whoopee! And All that Jazz
Dancin’ Unlimited presents Dancin’ on
Broadway and Beyond
April
23, 2011
By
Lauren Green
Leave the
prosceniums and drop curtains in Manhattan;
Dancin’ Unlimited, directed by Marilyn York,
brings the best of Broadway to the small theatre
setting. The intimate space of 1st
Stage in McLean, VA set the ideal scene for the
April 22 and 23 production of Dancin’ on
Broadway and Beyond.
The numbers
transitioned from Chicago to Beauty
and the Beast to A Chorus Line. The
black box setting left the set to the audience’s
imagination. The performers painted scenes with
their movement and voices taking us from a smoky
cabaret to an enchanted castle.
All That
Jazz number “On Broadway” opened the show;
vocalist Matt Nall invited the audience in to
the journey. “They say there's always magic in
the air,” he sang. With the wit and poise of
Gene Kelly, song and dance man Michael Hibbs
was “Dr. Jazz.” His crisp tap hoofs and scuffs
had the audience begging for more. And more is
what they got with the comic dancing duo “Who’s
Got the Pain” from Damn Yankees,
reminding us of Broadway’s bombshell Gwen
Verdon. “Is there a doctor in the house?”
Everyone was in stitches!
Gabi Stapula
stole our heart as Adelaide from Guys and
Dolls. She was a one woman Hot Box chorus as
she perfectly delivered Adelaide’s nasal pips
and squeaks. Ah…. Ahh…. AHHH….. CHEW! In other
words, a person could develop an incurable
adoration for Adelaide and her lament.
Skidoo. The
red light behind the fishnet-clad dancers made
for a steamy introduction to “Chicago
Razzmatazz.” The magic is in the details of this
original Fosse choreography; each windy finger
and pop of the hip pulled the viewer in, one
shoulder dip at a time. The dancers shimmied
into the “Hot Honey Rag” and finished with a
hurrah of “All That Jazz.”
It was
Disney brought to life in “Me.” Beauty and
the Beast’s Gaston (played by Nall)
haughtily attempted to sweep Belle off her feet.
The sweet-faced Stapula would have none of his
arrogance, but the audience was reeling with
laughter at his extravagant antics and barreling
baritone. Give ‘em a top hat and a sequin
tailcoat, throw in a kick line, and that’s one
singular sensation of a first act.
In act two,
the “beyond” portion of this performance became
clear. Dancin’ Unlimited’s signature works
“Visions” and “Into the Night” are of
classic jazz lineage. This style is nearly lost
in today’s cookie cutter contemporary and “So
You Think You Can Dance” addiction, but not
here. At the same time, the group piece “Push”
and solo work “Yours” show that Dancin’
Unlimited can entertain the contemporary dance
lover as well.
Hibbs comes
back to the limelight in “Minnie the Moocher.” A
clear crowd favorite, each red skirted dancer
vied for Hibbs’ sly affection. Not afraid to
show a little leg in this piece, the dancers
kicked and swayed hoping to win the position of
his arm candy, only to be shunted when Hibbs is
led away by a leggy blonde.
“Dancin’ on
Broadway and Beyond” harkens back to a time of
Broadway when every musical was an original
spectacular event. Remember when Chita Rivera
donned smoky eyes and high black stilettos and
became infamous? Remember when Millie became
thoroughly modern and Lola got whatever she
wanted? While Broadway has turned to staged
recreations of cartoons and action figures, York
hasn’t forgotten what Broadway can be.
