Artist:
Movin’ Out
Genera: Broadway
Background:
Movin' Out is a new musical conceived, choreographed,
and directed by Twyla Tharp based on 24
classic Billy Joel songs. It tells the story
of six lifelong friends, told over two turbulent
decades (from the '60s to the '80s).
ACT I
Long Island in the ‘60s. The king
and queen of prom, Brenda and Eddie, are
finished, while forever sweethearts James
and Judy are ready for marriage. Their friend,
Tony, is looking for that kind of love,
and finds it with Brenda, who has become
her own woman. War takes the men away from
home, leaving their loved ones to pick up
the pieces. James loses his life in combat,
while Tony and Eddie return home broken
as Judy grieves.
ACT II
The vets try to cobble their lives back
together. Tony can’t seem to find
a way to reconnect with Brenda, while Eddie
can’t connect with anyone. Spiraling
into a lonely existence of drugs and self-loathing,
Eddie takes a tour through a nightmare of
his past, projecting Judy as his guide.
By chance, he encounters Judy jogging in
the park, and her forgiveness allows him
to finally set his life back on track. Brenda
and Tony rediscover the love needed to heal
their wounds. The friends reunite to discover
they have all found their way back home.
The genius of Movin Out' is the way the
songs and choreography mesh. Tharp interprets
Joel's music with astonishing acuity; yet
the dances are less "to" the music
than in juxtaposition with them, creating
a tension that burrows under your skin.
Tharp establishes the show's ground rules
with a prologue to "It's Still Rock
and Roll to Me," introducing us to
the band and the principals and getting
us acquainted with a form that feels strange
for about two minutes and then becomes comfortable:
an abstract kind of theatre that's aware
of itself as formalized band and ballet
corps, yet at the same time feels like a
bunch of pals from the neighborhood jamming
and cutting up on someone's front lawn.
|
