FOSSE Touring

Tour
FOSSE
Birmingham Hippodrome till 10 July
(Tkts 0870 730 1234)
(Tour info to follow if we can obtain it)
Runs 2h 20m, one interval
Reviewed: Rod Dungate, 5 July 2004 at Birmingham Hippodrome

Not a celebration of Fosse's art; more a glorious exhibition of the unique art Fosse created
It's like watching your favourite clips from films, or turning over best loved photos. But the advantage is it's real, the performers are before you in flesh and blood, and the choreography is as magic as ever it was.

Bob Fosse died in 1987; there can hardly be anyone else who has left such a powerful personal imprint on musical theatre dance or on dance in general. It's not just the trademark hats, nor even the angular inward postures, nor yet the hands, often sprayed or at right angles; the magic exists in the powerful acting the performers express through their dance It's communicated directly and without frills with us in the audience.

The effect of Fosse's choreography in the performance space is electric. He took what we might before have thought ugly and ungraceful, and released from it an energy and grace and a new kind of beauty. He choreographed with wit and humour, performers often appear cheeky, building bridges into the auditorium.

It's all here, in this terrific scrapbook of his work. And the lovely thing, in a way, is that the dance is right in the fore. As piece follows piece we can see, too, his imaginative use of spatial dynamics at one moment the performers are in a tight cluster, inward looking, a kind of confusion reigns. The dancers are released, energy pours out, harmony follows.

I love the slow opening in which anticipation builds LIFE IS JUST A BOWL OF CHERRIES and BYE BYE BLACKBIRD. Darren Lorenzo wastes not a jot of Fosse wit in DANCING IN THE DARK grey suit, black hat and shoes, white gloves, shirt and socks. This is followed quickly with the simmering sexuality of STEAM HEAT (Jason Johnson, Grady Bowman, Hayley Nelson/ Rosanne Colosi.

In the second half MR BOJANGLES is outstanding the relationship between singer (Grady Bowman/ Dustin Pierce), Mr Bojangles (Darren Lorenzo) and his young alter ego (Herman Payne) is so tangible you could reach out and touch it.

But the show belongs to the company. Having seen it once I simply want to go and see it all over again.

Company
Nicole Ashley Baker, Noel Becker, Grady McLeod Bowman, Rosanne Colosi, Kristina Fernandez, Ashley Fitzgerald, Jessica Goldyn, Katie Hyle, Trevor Illingworth, Jason Johnson, Carissa Lopez, Darren Lorenzo, Chantel Marrow-Adams, Angelina Mullins, Hayley H Nelson, Travis Patton, Herman Payne, Dustin A Pierce, Erin Polanshek, Marco Puente, Jalynn Yvonne Steele, Shane Stitely, Christina West, Ha-Chi Yu

Choreography: Bob Fosse
Conceived by: Richard Maltby Jr, Chet Walker, Ann Reinking
Artistic Advisor: Gwen Verdon
Lighting Design: Andrew Bridge
Sound Design: Jonathan Deans
Musical Director/ Conductor: Ross Scott Rawlings
Recreation of Original Production, Direction and Choreography by: Debra McWaters
Original Choreography Recreated by: Chet Walker
Director and Co-Choreographer Original New York Production: Ann Reinking
Original production Directed by: Richard Maltby Jr and Ann Reinking

2004-07-06 19:42:42