Movin’ Out

By: Justine Tomon
Posted In: Entertainment

Imagine the most phenomenal dancer you have ever seen perform. Multiply that one master of movement by 32 and you have the ensemble cast of Twyla Tharp and Billy Joel’s Movin’ Out. It is a show that cannot be explained by words from the English language, for there aren’t words expressive or deserving enough of the quality of show seen by an enthusiastic crowd at the Providence Performing Arts Center Wednesday, November 29th at 7:30 p.m.

Of the almost sold out crowd, 20 of those faces glowing with astonishment and inspiration were members of the Salve Regina University dance club. Aimee Horgan, the Public Relations coordinator of the club, organized the excursion.

The show focuses on five characters; Brenda, Eddie, Tony, Judy and James, as they grow up through the 1960s and 1970s on Long Island. Brenda and Eddie are the title characters in Billy Joel’s Scenes from an Italian Restaurant, the popular couple in high school and the stereotypical queen and king of the prom. Foiling these two brazen, outlandish characters are the more subdued and innocent Judy and James. Judy is the sweetheart of the gang who pirouettes weightlessly around stage on her Pointe shoes as James tries to keep Tony and Eddie from killing each other. A perfect example of “boys will be boys.”

Love triangles form and tragedy strikes as the Vietnam War breaks out and the three boys join Uncle Sam in their duty as Americans. After the devastating death of James, and the emotional destruction the war has left clouding over their lives, none of the five characters are ever the same.

Incorporating the renowned choreography of Twyla Tharp and the meaningful lyrics crooned by Long Island native, Billy Joel, the production was exceptionally effective. Bouts of hysterical tears strangled the audience at an emotionally climactic first act and moments of joyful laughter erupted at the bad boy antics of Eddie. Every song was expertly paired with a meaningful timeframe in history and was easily recognizable through costume choice and specific dance movements.

Perhaps most identifiable to the time period was the excessively flared bellbottom jeans, frayed leather vests and bright neon headbands costuming hippies waving the peace sign. The wardrobe department of the company did an excellent job in portraying the mindset during the 1960s and the war. Even the facial expressions and aura of walking across the stage was perfectly matched with the era in which it was set.

The appropriateness of costuming and expression played a dramatic part in the effectiveness of getting the message across. The 1960s were a completely different time than the world we live in today. It was much more innocent and trusting than how American culture is today, which is why the death of James and the more dramatic points in the performance were all the more powerful and intriguing.

Another aspect of the performance that was so captivating was the invaluable meaning of the songs. Billy Joel is a world renowned lyricist, pianist and performer and his songs have spanned generations. Some of his pieces which were showcased in the production were written in the 1970s, some in the 1980s and even some in the early 1990s, so the emotion innate in those lyrics were highlighted with the movement created by Tharp. When his songs are heard by themselves, they are powerful and definitely have an emotional tug, but to see them transformed into movement, which then gets strung together with one another to create a storyline, is indescribable. The ability of Joel and Tharp to collaborate with the result of this Tony award winning wonder is astonishing.

With so much music and material with which to work, the show ran approximately two hours long, which still did not seem like sufficient time. There was so much to be told about the five characters and so much passion expressed in each turn, contraction, and breath that the 120 minutes could not suffice.

In between the lead male spinning a grand total of 19 times, 17 of which were spent showcasing one leg as it whipped outward, and the dramatic, if not sobering, performance of a grieving widow cloaked in black as she was tossed around stage falling into a perfectly parallel split, the time flew by.

Tharp is a celebrated choreographer with credentials and a resume to rival any other, but the work of Joel and his talent for writing a powerful ballad is what made this show so powerful. The team who worked with the choreographer and the piano man to choose appropriate songs and come up with a storyline fitting to those songs was a team of genius. The ability to combine the choreographic creativity of Twyla Tharp and the musical mastermind of Billy Joel to create something so poignant and impressive is remarkable.

The show earned Broadway accolades and numerous Tony awards in its 2003 debut at the Richard Rogers Theater in New York City. After concluding its Broadway run in December 2005, the show went on tour throughout the U.S. It is currently in Providence, R.I. for a limited running until December 3, 2006. For updated tour dates visit www.movinoutonbroadway.com.