[NEohioPAL] Review of "Come Fly Away" at PlayhouseSquare

[Bob Abelman]

Touring jukebox musical 'Come Fly Away' a triple threat entertainment

 

Bob Abelman

News-Herald, Chagrin Valley Times, Solon Times,

The Morning Journal, Geauga Times Courier

Member, American Theatre Critics Association 

 

This review will appear in the News-Herald on 5/11/12

 

 

Those who speak the language of musical theater know of the "triple threat"-a top-notch performer proficient in the disciplines of acting, singing and dancing.  The national tour of the 2010 Broadway hit "Come Fly Away," currently on stage at PlayhouseSquare, gives new meaning to the term.

 

"Come Fly Away" is a one-act, 80 minute excursion into the Frank Sinatra song book-a magnificent merging of Sinatra's own voice from re-mastered original recordings, complemented by a live on-stage 14 piece band, and enacted through director and choreographer Twyla Tharp's unique blend of classic and modern dance.  It is a sensory triple threat; one sees, hears and feels the songs in this unique production, and all of it is electrifying.

 

Smooth, effortless and renowned for its impeccable phrasing, Sinatra's approach to music transitioned the innocent and idealistic crooning of the 1940s to the jazzy, alcohol-enabled   sophistication of the 1950s.  Sinatra singlehandedly moved the music scene from the Big Band dance hall to the cocktail lounge and night club, which is where "Come Fly Away" takes place courtesy of James Youmans and Donald Holder's deco-inspired set and lighting designs.  

 

The 26 songs featured in this production are brilliant compositions by the world's most legendary tunesmiths, including Sammy Cahn, Cole Porter and John H. Mercer.  They pair the perfect lyric with the ideal melody, sung with just the right inflection.  Those songs became the musical vocabulary of adult relationships during and immediately after World War II, each telling a story about the ups and downs of romance. 




Twyla Tharp's world-class troupe of 14 dancers tells these stories one after the other.  They are required to not only be well trained, graceful and masterful in their art, but also built to endure the raw physicality of Tharp's seemingly unbridled but highly disciplined choreography.  They also need to be beautiful enough to turn the romance and steamy sexuality in the music and lyrics into something palatable.  They are and they do.   




According to his New York Times obituary, Sinatra was "a bruised romantic with a tough-guy streak and a song for every emotional season."  All this is on display in "Come Fly Away," with the eight featured dancers (changing personnel throughout the run of the show) portraying strangers in the night who pair off and take on a specific facet of Sinatra's persona in their storytelling.




On opening night, the bruised romantic is portrayed by Ron Todorowski, who interlopes on others' romantic interludes with amazing athleticism and, during a drunken exchange with Tanairi Sade Vazquez in "Yes Sir, That's My Baby," astounding acrobatics.  




The tough-guy side of Sinatra is represented by Anthony Burrell and Ashley Blair Fitzgerald, who's sexually charged tug of war during "That's Life" is one of the most spell-binding and daring performances of the evening.   Their "One For My Baby" comes a close second.




Stephen Hanna as a square-jawed seducer and Meredith Miles as his blond counterpart are clearly the most technically sound and visually mesmerizing performers, as seen in "I Like to Lead When I Dance" and "Teach me Tonight."




Christopher Vo and Ramona Kelly represent young love and provide the dance equivalent of comic relief throughout the evening, but particularly during "Let's Fall in Love."



The show on tour is shorter than the Broadway production, and the troupe (which originally had 10 principals and six ensemble dancers) is smaller.  Smaller, too, is the phenomenal band under Rob Cookman's direction (the string section is pre-recorded), which features incredible solos by P.J. Perry on sax, Mike Herriott on trumpet, and James Nelson on trombone.  Also absent from the original version is the female vocalist who sang along with Sinatra on a few of the songs.



Shorter, smaller and absent, but not at all missed, for this is a tight, intricate and precisely executed production; a concentrate of the best of Sinatra.



Tharp is no stranger to building a dance production around the works of an individual musician, having created the jukebox musicals "Movin' Out" (which played in Cleveland in 2005) out of the songs of Billy Joel and "The Times They Are A-Changin' (which failed) out of the songs of Bob Dylan.  She has also been choreographing to the sounds of Sinatra since the 1970s, and borrows from herself upon occasion in "Come Fly Away." 



Still, "Come Fly Away" is a rare and enchanting evening of pure dance, live music heavy on brass, and an intoxicating dose of Sinatra.  It is an evening not to be missed.



"Come Fly Away" continues through May 20 at PlayhouseSquare's Palace Theatre.  For tickets, which range from $10 to $77.50, visit www.playhousesquare.com.
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