'Night Fever' takes hold at Community Center Theater
Reviewed by Joe Blenkle/Sacramento Stage & Theatre
Ryan Ashley and the Company in a scene from SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER. Photo: Joan Marcus.
Even if you're too young to remember when the movie SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER was released (1977), just about everyone has heard some of the great songs that were included in the soundtrack of the movie - the bulk of which were written and performed by The Bee Gees.
Hits such as "How Deep Is Your Love," "Jive Talkin'," "You Should Be Dancing," and "Stayin' Alive" made the movie what it was - and now that success translates over to the stage in SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER - THE MUSICAL.
The production, playing at Sacramento's Community Center Theater through Mar. 23, follows the same story as the movie that starred a young John Travolta.
Tony Manero (Ryan Ashley) is a New York teen who suffers from many of the problems experienced by other 70s teens - no money, problems within his family, and biggest of all - no apparent direction in his life. Despite this, his friends all look upon him as their "leader" and all the ladies love him.
Tony finally sees a way to make something of himself by entering a dance contest put on by the disco club Odyssey 2001. He picks Annette (Dena DiGiancinto) as his partner - a girl he sees as a sometimes friend - but she is hoping for much, much more.
Along the way he meets and replaces Annette with a more sophisticated woman - Stephanie Mangano (Jennie Marshall) - who is not only an excellent dancer, but seemingly expects nothing more from him than their on-floor relationship.
What develops from their various circumstances and the events that unfold will change Tony and his friends lives forever.
SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER was first presented in London in 1998 and performed on Broadway from Sept. 1999 to Dec. 2000. In addition to the many existing Bee Gee's hits, two new songs were written for the production by the Brothers Gibb - "Immortality," and "Its My Neighborhood." It also features other hits such as "Disco Duck" and "Disco Inferno."
While the renditions of all these tunes are great, the originals are a little more driven - so don't go expecting to hear anything close to the sound of the 70s originals. Ashley, Marshall and DiGiancinto all work well in their roles throughout the production, but expect most of the fun to be found in the "Odyssey 2001" with its mirrored disco ball, lighted floor, and Monty (Darren Lorenzo), the Odyssey's disc jockey who does a smash-bang rendition of "Disco Inferno."
SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER - THE MUSICAL runs through Sunday, Mar. 23. Tickets are priced at $10-$65 and are available at the Community Center box office, 1301 L St., Sacramento (916) 264-5181; the Wells Fargo Pavilion box office, 1419 H Street, Sacramento (916) 557-1999. Tickets can also be purchased from tickets.com. Performances are Tuesday through Saturday at 8 p.m.; Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m.; and Sunday Mar. 16 at &;30 p.m.
For more information on the Broadway Series, visit CaliforniaMusicalTheatre.com.
