Song or dance? Movin' Out
has something for everyone
Reviewed by Joe Blenkle/Sacramento Stage & Theatre
The cast of MOVIN' OUT makes impressive dance moves on stage through Nov. 14. Photo by: Joan Marcus.
It's hard to decide if MOVIN' OUT was a dance performance or a rock concert, but the Sacramento Broadway Series' latest offering at the Community Center Theatre is certainly a blend of both and one of the best shows to take the stage in Sacramento this year.
Rock concert? The show's live band which is above and behind the stage belts out 24 classic Billy Joel songs which set the tempo for the dance performance below. This particular engagement features Matt Wilson as the "Piano Man" - playing the piano, of course, and singing the lead vocals on Joel classics like "Uptown Girl," "Just The Way You Are," "She's Got A Way," Big Shot," and many more.
If you like live music, the band at times can be a distraction from the on-stage performance, as your eye wanders from the stage, up to the band, and back again. At times, I forgot the dancing down below and concentrated more on the band than anything else.
But not to be lost in the music, the dancing on the stage is just as spectacular as the songs, as the cast told the MOVIN' OUT story through dance in concert with the music.
If you don't go into MOVIN' OUT with some idea of what it's about, however, the story might get lost on you - or at least take awhile to puzzle out. Five friends face the turmoil of getting out of high school, the Viet Nam war, loving, losing, and growing up. Once you know that, it's fairly easy to listen to Joel's lyrics, watch the performance and enjoy the story -- which turns out to be a fairly entertaining combination.
The characters themselves come from Joel's songs - Brenda (Laurie Kanyok) and Eddie (Ron Todorowski) are drawn from "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant," Tony (Corbin Popp) from "Movin' Out," Judy (Julietta Gros) from "Why, Judy, Why?," and James (Matthew Dibble) from "James."
The above dancers are fantastic, mixing elements of ballet and modern dance, along with a lot of energy! It's the same for the whole troupe as all the dancers in the show put forth an amazing effort.
Choreographed by Twyla Tharp, the story of MOVIN' OUT is told only through dance and music, with no dialogue in the show whatsoever (unless you count one scene with a drill sergeant putting the troops through their paces).
Whether you like the music or the dance (or both), MOVIN' OUT is a real crowd pleaser and lives up to all expectations and hype (remember the VISA commercial we've been seeing for what seems like forever?). So catch the show before it does MOVE OUT Nov. 14.
Tickets are priced from $15 to $65 and are on sale at the Sacramento Community Center box office, 1310 L Street, or by phone at (916) 264-5181. Tickets can also be purchased at the Wells Fargo Pavilion box office, 1419 H Street (916-557-1999). Tickets can also be purchased from Tickets.com at (916) 766-2277.
For more information on the Broadway Series, visit CaliforniaMusicalTheatre.com.
