Samantha Siegel is upside down with joy as she partners with Anthony Cannarella in “Sing, Sing, Sing” from the 1999 musical Swing!
Gotta Dance, conceived by Nikki Feirt, is a revue of dances from Broadway musicals performed by an expert cast of performers who sing and dance. This exciting production, codirected by Feirt and Randy Skinner, flows well, and each number benefits from being staged by someone who had intimate knowledge of the original.
The show opens dynamically with the words “Gotta Dance” splashed across the back wall in yellow as six men and six women, wearing hats and sparkly outfits, dance across the stage. Leading the cast is Jess Leprotto, a marvelous tap dancer who, despite not possessing the typical “leading man” physique, heads up several numbers.
Deanna Doyle and Jess LeProtto pair up for a tap routine in “All I Need Is the Girl” from Gypsy.
“Simply Irresistible” from the musical Contact (2000), choreographed by Susan Stroman, is set to the famous Robert Palmer song. A lone man in a suit pines after a woman in a yellow dress (Afra Hines) in a dance club. The rock downbeat drives dynamic partner work, featuring high-octane, swing-inspired movements, effectively set in the 1980s through costuming (Marlene Olson Hamm).
In the irresistibly bluesy “Love Potion #9” from Smokey Joe’s Café (1995), two guys, Anthony Cannarella and Blake Zelesnikar, are out on the town, looking for love. The two dancers are matched in athleticism and flexibility, and they are clearly enjoying every moment of the snappy and seductive rhythm of the song.
The tongue-twisting “Moses Supposes” from the motion picture Singin’ in the Rain (1952) showcases a fun pairing between Brandon Burks and Leprotto. Burks is tall and sinewy, while Leprotto’s lower center of gravity gives the tap dance a playful quality, echoing the syncopated rhythm of the silly lyrics:
Moses supposes his toeses are roses…
But Moses supposes erroneously
But Moses, he knowses, his toeses aren’t roses
As Moses supposes his toeses to be!
The pas de deux from An American in Paris (from the Oscar-winning 1952 film with Gene Kelly, directed and choreographed by Stanley Donen) is an outlier in the show, with its balletic partner work and Pazcoguin in pointe shoes.
Jessica Lee Goldyn performs the role of Cassie in the number “The Music and the Mirror” from A Chorus Line (1975); she also took over the role in the 2006 Broadway revival and is very much at home as a seasoned dancer at an audition, trying to prove her worth. In a voice-over, a character named Zach (Zelesnikar), asks her what she’s doing there. She replies, “What do you think? I need a job.”
Zach reminds her that she was at the top of her game at one point, but she had a breakdown and walked away. Now all Cassie wants to do is perform. She sings:
Georgina Pazcoguin and Barton Cowperthwaite perform a pas de deux from An American in Paris. Photographs by Bjorn Bolinder.
Play the music.
Give me the chance to come through.
All I ever needed was the music, and the mirror,
And the chance to dance for you.
The drums emerge and intensify, and Cassie glides around the stage performing a series of chaîné turns (quick turns) and pas de bourrée (a step in three parts), punctuated by jazzy hip sways and backbends that show off Goldyn’s strength and flexibility.
Another fun and highly versatile performer to watch is Taylor Stanley, a principal dancer in New York City Ballet (who is currently also performing in The Nutcracker on Sundays). Stanley heats up the stage in diverse musical theater numbers such as “Sweet Georgia Brown” from Bubbling Brown Sugar (1976), “Mr. Monotony” from Jerome Robbins’ Broadway (1989), “One” from A Chorus Line, and he is a great Jet in “Cool” from West Side Story (1957).
Stanley, Hines, and Pazcoguin nail the Bob Fosse choreography in “Manson Trio” from Pippin (1972), with isolated hips, small nods and steps that make their forward movement appear magical. Dressed elegantly and sexily all in black—a signature Fosse look—they were captivating.
Hamm’s costumes are perfection, and there are some especially nice adaptations to the original concepts. For the Fosse piece “Manson Trio,” Taylor’s outfit replicates Ben Vereen’s black silk suit, while the women’s original costumes resembled armor. Here, Hines and Pazcoguin wear black leotards with a spray of silver sparkles that soften the initial armor concept.
Ken Billington’s lighting design each piece the right look, and the live band, conducted by Eugene Gwozdz, was guided by Peter Brucker’s masterly sound design, which ensured the music did not overpower the space.
Each number is set by a “stager”—someone who has firsthand knowledge of the show, usually as a performer—and they have all done a terrific job bringing these classics to life. If you like Broadway musicals, Gotta Dance is a great addition to the holiday spectacle line-up.
Rikki Kane Larimar and American Dance Machine’s Gotta Dance! runs through Dec. 28 at Theatre at St. Jean’s (150 East 76th St.). Evening performances are at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; matinees are 2:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. For tickets and more information, visit yorktheatre.org.
Conceived by: Nikki Feirt Atkins
Codirectors: Nikki Feirt Atkins & Randy Skinner
Sets: Noah Glaister
Costumes: Marlene Olson Hamm
Lighting: Ken Billington
Sound: Peter Brucker
Dance Stagers: Lars Rosager, Stephanie Pope, Robert LaFosse, Tome’ Cousin, Kelly Gleason, Caleb Teicher, Pamela Sousa, Brian Lawton, Alexis Wilson, Sean Quinn, Dustin Layton, Donna McKechnie & Baayork Lee
