So what's so different about one of Broadway's newer musicals, "Movin' Out"? It's rife with musical numbers and dances delivering explosive choreography. It's a story about a group of six friends and the events in their lives from the 1960's to the 1980's. There's the traditional cast, sets, costumes, musicians, dancers and a singer. Isn't that everything you'd expect in a musical? Can you see what's missing?
The entire production takes the audience on the journey into a 'coming of age' story at a time when war predominated America's history and yet, every element of the plot is communicated to the audience without a single, spoken word. There is acting in "Movin' out", but it isn't the kind delivered in heated conversations, emotional monologues and witty repartee.
The unique twist in the presentation of "Movin' Out" is that the dancers, the choreography and the expressions on the dancers faces are what define and unfold the plot. It all seems to have started with Susan Stromen's, "Contact" (a series of three stories told through dance), and "Movin' Out" has picked up the gauntlet and taken up on the heels of this other highly irregular style of musical.
"Movin' out" combines the genius of three individuals: Twyla Tharp (choreographer and director), Billy Joel (pop singer/composer/piano player) and Michael Cavanaugh (singer/piano player). Some of Joel's popular songs used in the show include:
Just the Way You Are
Uptown Girl
For the Longest Time
TWYLA THARP: Dance has been an integral part of Twyla Tharp's life. From the minute she graduated college, she has been making her mark in the world of dance. Her choreography has appeared in movies and Broadway shows as well as in her own productions with her own dance company and the likes of such troupes as The New York City Ballet. Her re-organized company, Twyla Tharp Dance, tours internationally. Tharp choreographed and directed "Movin' Out". She is the winner of the 2003 Tony Award for Best Choreography.
BILLY JOEL: Piano player/singer/composer Billy Joel has delighted audiences with his mellow voice and his contemporary creations since his first top 40 hit, Piano Man, burst on the scene in 1973. 1998 saw the merge of two pop legends when Billy Joel and Elton John signed on together for an eight month world tour. So successful was their collaboration that they did a second tour, the Face 2 Face Tour, in 2001.
Go To Page: 1 2
