Music Circus' Swing! will move you
Reviewed by Lynne Rominger / Sacramento Stage & Theatre

Beverly Durand and Mark Stuart Eckstein in the 2008 Music Circus premiere of “Swing!” at the Wells Fargo Pavilion July 29-August 3.  Photo by Charr Crail
    Whether or not you’re an aficionado of the musical genre including such greats as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Benny Goodman and Harry James, the musical Swing! cannot help but move you. You’ll want to get up and dance throughout the whole performance, and find yourself mesmerized by the intricate and almost-dangerous dance moves.
    Swing! Opened at Broadway’s St. James Theatre on December 9, 1999, conceived by Paul Kelly and directed and choreographed by Lynn Taylor-Corbett. The show made its Music Circus debut July 29, 2008 to a full room. The cast of the premiere includes members of the Broadway cast and first national touring company as well as professional ballroom dance competitors.
    What makes this show different from the previous line-up is the lack of arc.  Swing! doesn’t so much as tell one story as give you the vibe of many stories or vignettes. The songs and dancing, much like a ballet, require the audience to interpret the tale.  One moment you’re transcended into the USO of WWII and swaying to “Don’t Sit under the Apple Tree,” while another minute it’s a swing hoe-down with “Boogie Woogie Country.”
    Stacia Fernandez, a performer in the original Broadway production of Swing! and Beauty and the Beast and a singer on both the soundtracks of “The Shaggy Dog” and “Enchanted,” and Oliver Maceo, who began his career as junior company member at Music Circus, bring the house down with their rendition of “Bli-Blip,”  the vignette of a couple on their first date, where words are replaced with, well, bli-blip language.
    The lyricists were ingenious, as the audience does understand the nonsensical conversation, but the singers deserve kudos in conveying the humor.  Fernandez and Maceo are strong in many songs and numbers throughout the show.
    Speaking of casting, extraordinary dance performances showcase the talents of the cool blondes, Julie Tolivar and Lori Barber.  Lori Barber oozes sex in her her rendition of “Harlem Nocturne.”  As Christopher Beroiz “plays” the cello, deep, sultry and richly, Tolivar, dressed in a body forming leotard to look like a cello moves with a sensuality and grace seldom seen on stage.  Hot!
    Julie Tolivar, though lead in many numbers, including the inspired “Cry Me a River,” where the Trombonist Chip “Tingle actually plays his instrument as if it were speaking, performs exceptionally, but her slight, almost boyish frame makes her seem child-like.  Nevertheless, this number is perhaps the best of the night.  It’s rare that the musician shares the stage in musicals with the dancers and actors, and Chip Tingle revels in his role.  The audience actually hears the instrument say, “Cry me a river,” among other things.  It’s clever and inventive.
    Kirby War, an incredible tap dancer and performer, is also ill-cast due to his age.  He seems out of place among all the young dancers, especially in his Marine Blues for the “I’ve Got a Girl in Kalamazoo,” and “I’ll Be Seeing You.”
    Because this show relies on music and dance, it’s up to the performers to “act” with their expressions, which they do marvelously, especially Stacia Fernandez.  One twitch of the eye or shrug sends the audience into laughter.
    Oh and the dance!  If one just concentrated on the intricate choreography, Swing! is worth the view.  With break-neck speed the dancers move from song to song, eliciting gasps from the audience at times with what seem like death-defying moves. The pairings of Beverly Durand, the recipient of the Joseph Jefferson Award for best choreography for Swing!, and Mark Stuart Eckstein, also a recipient of the Joseph Jefferson Award for best choreography for both Swing! and The All Night Strut, dueling against the Latin influenced dancing of Christopher Beroiz, a professional, international Latin dancer and Desiree Duarte, a veteran of the original Broadway production of Swing for which she was nominated in 2004 for the L.A. Ovation Award for best featured female in a musical for her Lindy Hop in Swing! hypnotize and captivate in “Throw that Girl Around/Show Me What You Got,” as well as virtually every full company number.
    With a show like Swing! the dancers need room to move. Of all the Music Circus shows this season, Swing! possessed the most limited set—and it works beautifully.  Many of the props are utilized in the aisles before the dancers arrive on stage, providing the audience an up-close, intimate feel to the show.
    At the conclusion, with the stirring rendition of “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If You  Ain’t Got That Swing,” all this reviewer could think was, “This beats the hell out of ‘Dancing with the Stars’ coupled with ‘American Idol’ any day!”
    Performances are Tuesday through Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 7:30 p.m. and Thursday and Saturday at 2 p.m.  Tickets for all Music Circus shows are $53 for Friday and Saturday evenings,  $50 for Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday evenings and Saturday matinees, and $41 for Thursday matinees. Swing! is recommended for theatergoers 8 and over. Children under 4 will not be admitted.  Tickets are currently on sale at the Wells Fargo Pavilion at 1419 H Street, Sacramento, or by phone at 916-557-1999.  Tickets are also available online at www. SacramentoMusicCircus.com or by calling 800-225-2277. 
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