Movin’ Out Still Moving: The Billy Joel – Twyla Tharp musical returns to Boston
The show consists of 24 of Joel’s songs, set to choreography by Tharp, set around a loosely structured story of five characters. There are minimal props and no dialogue. The music and dancing speak for themselves, and they do so remarkably well. The vocals for the show are provided by Darren Holden, who plays the piano and sings from a platform above the stage, accompanied by a small band.
To Joel fans, the characters may be familiar. Brenda and Eddie, from “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant,” Anthony and Sergeant O’Leary from “Movin’ Out,” Judy from “Why, Judy, Why” and James from “James” are all old friends from Long Island. The show is their story, set against the background of Vietnam.
The show opens with the song “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me” as the dancers enter the stage. Dressed in decade-appropriate wear, the boys flex and strut, the girls wiggle and shake. They are filled with exuberance and joy. They are confident, eager – and young.
But these teenagers are forced to grow up too quickly when the boys are drafted for the Vietnam War. The boys go to fight, while the girls wait at home, wondering about their lovers’ well-being.
There is much more to the show than the seemingly gravity-defying dancers and their accompanying love stories. The story is a tribute to the veterans of Vietnam and it details the post-war shell-shock more clearly and accurately than the scores of other artwork that resulted from the war. “Angry Young Men” and “Goodnight Saigon” were written by Joel specifically for those reasons, and the other songs fall easily into the loose plot that Tharp created.
One of the remarkable achievements of this show is its ability to project emotion without saying a word. As the boys fight and the girls wait, the uncertainty and uneasiness coming from the stage is palpable.
Summarized, the show sounds simple, but it is anything but. Tharp’s choreography ranges from classical ballet to the moonwalk, and the dancers execute it in a deftly emotional and personal way. As Tony, Keith Roberts brings true frustration and restlessness to the lyrics of his title song. Laurie Kanyok’s Brenda undergoes a remarkable transformation throughout the show, and Troy Edward Bowles’ James brings a remarkable masculinity to the ballet of “Just the Way You Are.”
The incredible athleticism of Brendan King’s Eddie is simply breathtaking. As Eddie, the greatest demands are placed on him, emotionally and physically, and he easily fulfills thme. It is Laura Feig as Judy that steals the show, however. As she goes from an innocent young wife to an anguished, grieving widow, to a mature, grown woman, she does so with incredible skill and grace. Her performance during the song “Stranger in Yourself” is one of the most powerful moments in the show.
And it has a great deal of competition. Each number is packs a powerful punch. As Brenda and Tony, the ability of Kanyok and Roberts to move as one when they dance is stunning. Their duets – “This Night” and “Shameless” – are overwhelming to watch. “Big Shot” and “Captain Jack” depict the overwhelming self-destruction and self-loathing of Tony and Eddie. And the images of “Goodnight Saigon” – a flashback to the war in Eddie’s mind and led by Judy as a vision of grief – are truly haunting and will remain with the audience long after the curtain falls. Grief, despair, anger and guilt – they are all there and they are all visible.
The plot is sometimes difficult to follow, and without the accompanying summary in the program, the audience may be confused. At times, I could not really understand why the dancers were onstage, only that they were extremely happy to be there.
Movin’ Out is difficult to define. But it is powerful, emotional and thought provoking. It marks a new direction of theater that – hopefully – others will follow.
