Alliance Theatre Reviewers Blog

Come Fly, Indeed!

As I took my seat for “Come Fly With Me,” the Alliance Theater’s first production of the 2009-2010 season, I had no idea what to expect.  All I knew was that it was a musical combination of Frank Sinatra, Twyla Tharp, and romance.  To paraphrase a popular movie character, they “had me” from musical! Of course, I knew who Frank Sinatra was, I could even sing a couple of his songs.  But let’s just say, I don’t exactly have him on my Ipod.  Over the course of the hour-and-forty-five-minutes, however, I became a true fan.  How impressive that one man could have such an extensive body of music, that it could be used to depict the gamut of emotions that one encounters on the rollercoaster ride of love.  On this stage, we get to witness an initial encounter, a lovers’ quarrel, a jealous rage, and the most intimate of moments. 

Although the Sinatra songbook provides the musical soundtrack for this production, this is NOT a period piece.  Enter Twyla Tharp, whom I only became aware of recently when she was honored by the Kennedy Center.  I was impressed then—I am floored now.  Thanks to reality television, ballroom dancing is in style.  But even if it weren’t, Ms. Tharp could have singlehandedly resurrected the art form.  Dancing is always impressive to those of us who aren’t able, but the physicality of these moves takes it to the next level.  The ensemble changes moods and partners with ease and fluidity—never lacking chemistry and never missing a beat.  The dancing is frenetic at times, but it is always beautiful and usually awesome.  The highlights were the fabulous Karine Plantadit who plays a woman with choices to make.  Also, Charlie Neshyba-Hodges dazzles us as a man who falls head over heels right from the beginning.  The contemporary feel of the dancing actually underscores the timelessness of the music—proof positive that the appeal of a classic never fades.

As romances go, CFWM is a different ride for those accustomed to the typical format where a couple of distinguishable characters meet, face some random obstacle, and end up walking into the sunset.  Initially, I was trying to keep characters straight and storylines together.  About halfway through, I decided that how things ended just didn’t matter.  This was truly a case where the journey meant more than the destination.

If you are looking for a love story where “boy meets girl,” go see a movie.  If you want to fall in love yourself with Love (and Sinatra, and dance, and big band music), then see “Come Fly With Me”…and prepare to soar!

Come Fly With Me Review - Mizzo

  Come Fly With Me, the tribute to Frank Sinatra I saw last night, was...interesting. They called it a musical, but really it was more like the ballet in that there was no scripted dialog. Dancers may have shouted words once in awhile, but it wasn’t really for the audience to audibly understand, it was just more for the effect.

  As the curtain rose and the trumpets blasted the first notes, my excitement swelled as I discovered the dancers on stage in the only scene there was for the whole play: the interior of a bar. The live orchestra was actually located at the back of the scene, in a bandstand sort of like what would have been back in the crooning days of Sinatra. My husband pointed out Greg Coile, trumpet #3, an acquaintance of ours that we always look for whenever there is a live band. Ah, so they hired quality musicians...I knew I was in for a treat as far as the music was concerned. I was not disappointed, except that it was intermittently but consistently too loud.

The plot line was simple really: in celebrating Sinatra’s music, Twyla Tharp used 31 of his songs and combined the lyrics with dance to guide the audience through the lives of about 20 people. We saw their ups and downs, falling in and out of love, their struggles and triumphs in life, all emotions included. It was Sinatra’s vocals they piped in over the live music, and the dancers described their characters through movement and pantomime. This innovative concept was powerful and well executed for the most part by Tharp, both in the pace of the story line and the general choreography.

The only part that I have to criticize, which is unfortunately huge, is the “sex” scene. Compared to Act 1, which was rated PG, and VERY tasteful and high class, enough for me to want to bring my young teenage children to see, Act 2 was clearly rated R! So much for bringing my children to see the fantastic dancing! Tharp decided that the dancers striping down to their skivvies on stage, and couples paired off writhing around on the stage in more than suggestive movements, was appropriate. NOT! With this one song, Tharp instantaneously made the show into soft porn. I was devastated. I felt my upper lip curl in disgust. The dancing could have been kept high class and tasteful and still conveyed the nature of the scene which was about how each couple physically showed their love for one another. My opinion of this show, created by such an “experienced choreographer”, was immediately lowered, to the point that the only reason I will say the show was redeemable was the great music and great dancing. Despite the terrible “shock value” choice on Tharp’s part, the orchestra, which by the way had a female vocal soloist intermittently, was overwhelmingly fantastic and the dancing superb quality.

As for the dancers, they were clearly excellently chosen for their parts. Hands down, the best and most animated was the bald bar tender. I particularly enjoyed his stage business when he wasn’t dancing. He took great care in tending the bar, with no props but the air. He did it so well, that I recognized the objects he was carrying around and handing people, etc. However, his stage business paled in comparison to his dancing. He was the Scott Hamilton of the stage. Even if his face had been made of stone, you could not miss how every step was loaded with joy. He understood and blended with the music so perfectly, that I had a hard time separating the two some of the time. His pink lady partner danced very well also. She had an innocence and yet intelligence about her dancing that was refreshing, which made her blend with the bald guy nicely.

The wild orange haired gal was a power house with expression not only in her “vocalizations”, but in every movement, every part of her, down to her calf muscles, if there is such a thing. Oh, a funny thing happened while she was dancing. Seated in front of us was a man in his early 70’s I’d say. While she was dancing with one of her many partners, she fell, on purpose, sideways. Her partner caught her just inches from the floor in a dramatic section of their dance. It made the man in front of us jump in his seat and let out a jolt of sound...tickled me so.

The last dancer I will detail is the young Asian gal. Her dancing style was different from everyone else. She didn’t dance like a woman, but danced more like a girl. Not in technique, mind you, as it was flawless, but in body movement and style. Her movements were not fluid like the music, but more jerky. And although it did not match the rest of the cast, or really the smoothness of the music, I found it delightful. I welcomed the difference and appreciated her characterization and happiness that bubbled over into everything she did.

The short red haired gal and her burly partner deserve an honorable mention as they were perfectly matched in maturity, fluidity, body lines, and sheer physical strength, and the young rejected guy who danced with the wild orange haired gal, trying to win her attention, was delightful to watch in that he did a great job with his character in looking so awkward and young.

So was it worth it? The music was fantastic and well worth the visit. The dancing was superb and well worth the visit. The choreography was generally very good, but because of the porn scene, you shouldn’t take children to see this musical. Take that one song out and you have a superior show. So economically speaking, the Alliance just limited their audience and consequently their revenue. Would I recommend this to my friends? Unfortunately, more than likely not. Especially those with children.

Come Fly With Me Review - Amy Ard

Usually, when I leave a play, I want to talk. Leaving the theatre last night I could have cared less about talk, I wanted to move.  To be clear, I wanted to throw up my right leg, have my husband catch it in mid-air and then spin across the floor like a top.  Even imagining this feat, as a woman who is due to give birth any second now, is testament to the energy that pulses through Twyla Tharp’s production of Come Fly With Me.

The performance, set to the tunes of Frank Sinatra, induces a desire to communicate in ways that rely less on words and more on hip gyrations.  I don’t think I’m alone in this; the security guard at last night’s performance smiled broadly as we left and exclaimed, “Did you see that show tonight?  That body language—WHOO HOO HOOOOOO!”  Twyla Tharp proves that bodies in motion are capable of expressing a broad array of emotions.   Whether Come Fly With Me is equally capable of telling a coherent story is another matter (and in my estimation, of secondary importance).

This sexy show follows the journey of four couples over the course of one very athletic and scantily clad night on the town. I found the story of far less interest than the individual dances and dancers. The cast does not have a single weak link; from the waiter, played by Charlie Neshyba-Hodges, (I’d be happy to take him home in a doggy bag) to the stunningly talented Karine Plantadit, it’s hard to tear yourself away from any dancer for fear of missing the next jaw-dropping move.  Perhaps it’s the spectacle of the dance that makes the storyline seem almost inconsequential.

 While a few of the relationships are cliché -- clumsy new lovers or combative lovers who cannot tear themselves away from one another -- other relationships are more nuanced and the storyline suffers from the confusion.  This show demands that the audience pay attention to facial expressions, the slightest flick of the wrist and glances from one cast member to another to fully “get” what is happening.  Perhaps this would be easier if the staging allowed the audience full access to what was happening on stage.  From where I sat last night, on the right just five seats in from the inside aisle, I was unable to see anything that happened on one-third of the stage.  For a production that demands attention to non-verbal communication, missing that much action can severely impact comprehension. 

In the end, however, the band, the music, the raw sensuality of the dancers and the energy that reverberated through the theatre was plenty satisfying.  The audience nearly exploded from their seats at the end of the show to give a standing ovation.  My guess is they were anxious to show their appreciation to the dancers, musicians and Ms. Tharp, but they were equally infected by the desire to move—or fly.

Come Fly With Me Review - Daniel Glenn

The program for Come Fly With Me announces that, unlike Ms. Tharp’s other jukebox musicals, this show involves no politics.

 

I must object. Putting on a show means you, as artists, are saying yes to something, and asking other people to say yes to it as well. In the case of this show, that yes may be, “Yes, it is worthwhile, in these times, in this place, for us to go look at attractive people doing splendid things while listening to enchanting music. I will spend my money and time and energy on this.” This is a political statement.

 

Worth it, to me, are some moments of real beauty: the bare spotlight at the beginning; the waiter’s publicly private opening dance with himself; the moments he shared with his pink-clad companion, showing us love’s awkward early movements; the electrifying violence/pleasure/violence of the “That’s Life” dance; the second act “Just Friends” denouement of that same couple (Karine Plantadit alone = yes); the moving “September of My Years” solo, to me a blend of repentance and pride. For these and half a dozen other moments I am thankful.

 

During other sequences, I dropped in and out of concentration. The movements blended together, or the song wasn’t a favorite – that’s the thing about jukeboxes; nobody spends four quarters the same way. To me, the live singer was a distraction, and the second act nearly got stuck in lingerie ad overkill. But one man’s ceiling is another man’s floor.  

 

That may be the best reason to see this show. The names Tharp and Sinatra don’t hurt, but the breathing room that dance provides – to interpret on your own, to judge on your own – combined with the sheer artistry on display, make this one – even in these times, even in this place – worthy of Yes.

Come Fly With Me Review -- Caitlin Way

Alliance Season Takes Flight with Come Fly With Me

Any lover of musical theater – or any lover of great talent for that matter -- would marvel at the remarkable combination of genius that has come together to make Come Fly with Me.  Certainly most performers aspire to work with a living legend like Twyla Tharp.  And many theaters – large and small -- work countless hours to create this kind of substantial, rich production.  With Come Fly With Me, the Alliance Theatre has opened itself once again to the kind of powerhouse production -- brimming with what has to be some of the most talented individuals in music, dance, choreography – that sets it apart as both a regional theater that is willing to boast these larger than life productions, and as a theater that maintains its integrity by pushing boundaries, challenging audiences, and creating really wonderful work. 

Beautifully conceived, directed, and choreographed by Twyla Tharp, and built around the timeless recordings of Frank Sinatra, we follow several couples as they discover one another, embarking on sometimes innocent and sometimes impassioned flirtations, ultimately falling in lust or love, and exploring the boundaries of the relationships they form.

The couples we follow in Come Fly With Me resonate in a variety of ways, and audience members may see themselves in one, or all, of these pairs.  There is the young, innocent couple meeting with shy flirtatiousness.  We watch their flirtation mature into a sweet, youthful love.  In other couples we see raw passion resulting in a familiar push-pull; or the women – and we all know them – who are desired by so many men (and sometimes by women as well) reveling in their own attractiveness, and finally choosing one person to let real love flourish.

The challenge of this musical – primarily because it is more of a dance revue – is to adequately explore and develop the storylines and characters primarily using physical expression as a vehicle for telling the story.  The enormously talented dancers in this production do a superb job with what they are given.  At times the stories become hard to follow because the combination of the robust delivery of Sinatra’s music, which is so masterfully augmented by the presence of a live band and accompanying vocals, as well as Twarp’s genius choreography, tend to overwhelm the multiple story threads that are presented simultaneously -- and ultimately overwhelm the stories themselves.  But for most audience members it is not the plot that will make this a memorable production.  Rather, it is the enormous combination of talent, the marriage of genius brought by Tharp and Sinatra, dancers like Karine Plantadit, Holley Farmer, and John Selya, and the music supervision of Sam Lutfiyya, that make this production soar. 

The Alliance stage seems effortlessly transformed into a crowded nightclub where we follow our couples on their journeys in love.  The lighting design by Donald Holder is elegant, and James Youmans’ simple scenic design is equally elegant and perfectly complementary.  While the Alliance stage seems comfortable with the scale of this production, I felt lost at times with the combination of the intimacy the theater affords and the dynamic, at times larger than life nature of several numbers. 

The entire cast, including the principals and the ensemble, is nothing short of remarkable.  They deliver Twarp’s celebrated choreography with precision and passion in an undisputable display of obvious talent.  Their boundless energy and athleticism are a marvel to watch.  Charlie Neshyba-Hodges and Laura Mead work perfectly together as the young, innocent couple.  As a pair, they provide appreciated comic moments throughout the show, expertly carrying their characters.  Karine Plantadit -- who may be one of the more stunning women any of us will ever see in real life – oozes with sex appeal and it is, at times, so easy to focus on her leggy, graceful energy that you nearly lose sight of the ensemble.  She is paired with Keith Roberts, who is strong as her brooding, on-again off-again love interest and who oozes his own sex appeal.  Their chemistry finally comes alive in “That’s Life” which is sexy and masterfully choreographed.  Holley Farmer, Rika Okamoto, John Selya, and Matthew Dibble all stand out individually, bringing skillful, soulful energy to the stage.

The entire production is woven together by the brilliant presence of a live big band on stage, with accompanying vocalist Dee Daniels.  This accompaniment to Sinatra’s timeless recordings animates the entire production, bringing the audience into the present moment.  We are not listening to music that was made decades ago; instead we are transported, hearing its creation live and in the moment.  The band, which is led by Dee Daniels and Dennis Mackrel is exceptional, and the addition of Daniels’s vocals to complement Sinatra’s legendary stylings is wonderful. 

There were moments throughout the show where I felt that I wanted the “whole to be greater than the sum of the parts.” I wanted either my investment in the story to be greater, or my investment in the music and dance to be greater.  While that ultimate chemistry never happened for me, there is no denying that the sum of the parts is really quite extraordinary.  When you leave Come Fly With Me, you leave both wanting to come back, and knowing you have been in the presence of greatness.