Broadway musicals continue to heat up the stage with a 1970’s dance “fever.”
“Saturday Night Fever – The Musical” opened Tuesday night at The Palace Theatre without John Travolta, but instead with a sleek, sexy and provocative Tony Manero played by Richard H. Blake, and a 33-member cast with a wealth of talent.
Pelvic rolls and unbelievable gyrations and a walk that is too cool made Blake the key to the musical’s success. Blake is an experienced dancer with Broadway credits that include: “Rent,” “Macbeth” and “Teddy and Alice.” Every move looked effortless as this natural talent kept the crowd “Stayin’ Alive” with Bee Gee tunes from the first scene to the last.
The dance floor king Tony Manero is a painter who uses his talents as a disco dancer to escape from family problems, growing up in Brooklyn’s rough neighborhood. The toil of the working class prevalence in the ’70s. Tony lacked money and opportunity, but with a passion for dancing set out to win a dance competition with Stephanie Mangano (Jeanine Meyers). The romance between Tony and Stephanie ripens the hope needed to make their dreams come true.
Tony rejects his original dance partner Annette (Aileen Quinn) for Stephanie, a new face at Odyssey 2001 with incredible dance moves. On the dance floor they were fluid and demonstrated great chemistry on the stage. Tony and Stephanie dance to “More Than A Woman” and had couples in the audience cuddling because it was so romantic. This song and dance scene created an atmosphere of love.
Tony’s rejection sparked Annette’s rendition of “If I Can’t Have You,” which was powerful and sent chills through the body. The pain Annette felt was real and she sang from the bottom of her broken heart. The song was electrifying.
British native Nan Knighton, who received a Tony nomination for “The Scarlet Pimpernel,” adapted “Saturday Night Fever – The Musical” from the original 1977 movie with the same name.
Arlene Phillips directed and choreographed this astounding musical. The dancing was incredible and the dancers were exhilarating. Stamina, strength and flexibility were key components for this demanding choreography.
The Bee Gees contagious classics had the audience dancing and grooving throughout the performance. Music from the original film soundtrack was used in addition to the two new songs The Bee Gees wrote for the musical, “Immortality” and “It’s My Neighborhood.”
Tony award winner Robin Wagner’s incredible set design used a mirror backdrop reflecting an overhead image of Tony on the dance floor in a scene where he breaks up a fight and performs “You Should Be Dancing.” Andrew Bridge’s dance floor light spectacular emulating a colorful tic-tac-toe box that flashed and blinked sporadically giving the theater strobe lights and a ’70s disco experience. Suzi Benzinger’s dazzling ’70s costumes were flamboyant and pulled the audience into the choreography with sexy dresses and of course the white polyester suit.
Snapping, clapping and tapping were not the only indication that this was a ’70s dance reunion. Some of the audience participated in ‘the fever’ by wearing bell-bottoms and platforms. Someone was even wearing a white polyester suit.
Although the scenes emphasized dance, music and less verbal content from the original movie script, “Saturday Night Fever” confronted some of the social issues from the movie that were relevant then and now. Bobby C (Jim Ambler) performed “Tragedy” which embraced the social issues he and teens deal with such as teenage pregnancy, abortion and the struggle to find self-identity.
“Saturday Night Fever” was energetic and humorous. Monty (Joe Ricci) was a pleasure to watch perform. From leotards in the dance studio to the dance floor, his performance was fun.
The show was explosive with more challenging choreography towards the end of the musical that incorporated acrobatic dance steps that took the show to another level of energy.
The casts danced without losing a breath or a beat. Tony and Stephanie participated in a dance competition with dance couples; Aubrey Smith and Stacey Martin, and Michael Balderrama and Natalie Willes, who all gave amazing performances. The degree of this scene left the audience feverish.
The smash hit musical will be performed at the Palace Theatre today through Saturday at 8 p.m., Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. and a final showing Sunday at 7:30 p.m.
