Theater Reviews

Nov 10, 2007 - Twyla Tharp shapes Billy Joel's songs into eloquent dance in a riveting "Movin' Out"

By Jack Neal

“Movin’ Out” follows the lives of five blue-collar friends from their carefree days in high school through the devastation of the Vietnam War. The show is a timely reminder, as if anyone needed reminding, of the current bloody quagmire in the Middle East and the discomfort of its moral entrapment.

A contemporary ballet that speaks to the moment, “Movin’ Out” is nothing less than transporting, gripping entertainment. It’s a story heightened by the anxiety of watching devil-may-care dancers onstage – will they slip? will they fall? – as a riveting study of young people who cannot find their balance in an unbalanced world.

The Tony Award winning “Movin’ Out” opened Friday night (11/9/07) in Reno at the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts before a near-capacity audience. Based on two dozen Billy Joel songs, the story is told through dance, no dialogue – just exceptional tunes, probing lyrics and dance, rapturous, exhilarating dance.

“Movin’ Out” is the invention of the incomparable Twyla Tharp, one of the world’s most influential choreographers. Tharp probes the cutting-edge youthfulness of the show’s personalities in contrast with the self-destructiveness that laces Joel’s songs of adult disappointment. Audience identification is a mainstay of “Movin’ Out.” The players are not sophisticates with whom an audience can admire but not emulate. They are regular people, klutzy and uncomfortable, eloquent for their humanity as portrayed through Tharp’s soaring movement and Joel’s revelatory lyrics.

There are five central characters: Eddie and Brenda, the king and queen of the prom, who break up soon after the show begins; James and Judy, whose love seems more lasting; and Tony, inseparable friend of James and Eddie.

The three young men go to Vietnam. Only two return. The four survivors carry wounds that may never heal. Tharp uses Joel’s songs to tell the story much like ballet tells stories using fairytales, such as “Swan Lake.” The dancer’s movements keep uncovering deeper emotional levels. As Eddie slides further into drug induced nightmares, Tharp makes hedonism seem devastatingly joyless.

Eddie is the dramatic centerpiece of the show. Danced by the splendid Brett Emmons (at alternating performances by Drew Heflin, Nicholas McGough and Andrew Pirozzi), it’s also a tour de force of emotion and virtuosity. The same can be said of the entire cast. All are brilliant. Amanda Kay is a magnetic Brenda. Karolina Blonski is a lovely and loving Judy. John Corsa is a sweet and endearing Tony. Ralph Petruccelli is a dynamic James. Joel’s songs are gloriously sung by the show’s piano man Kyle Martin (on alternate nights by Matthew Friedman) backed by an excellent band of seven.

Donald Holder’s radiant lighting evokes both the gloom and the bloom of “Movin’ Out” with eloquence. Suzy Benzinger’s costumes reflect changing times with a keen sense of style, graciously making allowances for a dancer’s freedom of movement. Kelly Tighe’s set design is a marvelous frame for the show’s time-capsule look. Bless Duncan Robert Edwards for his perfect sound design for this translucent presentation.

Much of the show is a downer, making its upbeat conclusion seem a bit contrived. But Tharp’s dances of redemption are done with such glee, it’s a happy time for an audience to wallow in the joy of it all. In spite of its rock ‘n’ roll roots, “Movin’ Out” is operatic in its roller-coaster ride of emotions. It’s also superb theater.

“Movin’ Out” can be seen at the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts, 100 South Virginia Street, Reno, Nevada, Friday, November 9 (2007), at 8 p.m., Saturday, November 10 (2007) at 2 and 8 p.m. and Sunday, November 11 (2007), at 2 and 7 p.m. Tickets range in price from $40-$80. For information call 775-686-6600.