"Gotta Dance"

[actor61]

I saw the new Jerry Mitchell directed/choreographed musical "Gotta Dance" last night in Chicago where it is running until moving to New York. It's a very traditional, by-the-book Broadway musical but the songs are tuneful, the lyrics are moderately clever, the script is pretty funny, and it was superbly performed by a cast of really seasoned veteran pros such as Stefanie Powers, Georgia Engel, Andre de Shields (the only older male in the show) and Lenora Nemetz complemented by an ensemble of 20 something male and female dancers. Stefanie Powers states in the show that she is 73 and has had a really tight face lift that makes her almost unrecognizable (WHY do these women do that to themselves????). She gives a terrific performance, and surprised everyone with her voice. The bitch can belt! Georgia Engel is the lead and is wonderful. Lenora Nemetz is the youngest in the cast at just 60 and is by far the best dancer, having played Velma in "Chicago" for years in addition to other musicals. She has a show stopping dance with a 25 year old partner in the second act and tore up the stage.

 

The opening number is a tribute/parody to "A Chorus Line", complete with mirrors and the young choreographer yelling, "Now, away from the mirror!" but the audience didn't seem to get the joke, which was a shame. I'm a 63 year old dancer, still taking classes, still auditioning for age appropriate roles (surprisingly, there are quite a few!), and was in ACL in the 1980s, so I loved the reference. "Gotta Dance" doesn't break any new ground as a musical other than it's about performers over 60, but that was fine with me. The show has some lovely, touching moments, as well as being pretty consistently funny. Georgia Engel, in particular, is delightful as an aging white kindergarten teacher who has a secret passion for rap music. There's a beautiful song done by an Asian lady whose husband has Alzheimer's but loves to see her dance, and you could hear a pin drop as she sang it alone in a spotlight. Andre de Shields does a number called "Prince of Swing" that is joyous and clever. I've never been a fan of his, having seen him in "Ain't Misbehavin'", "The Wize", etc. but he gives a very honest and witty performance in this show, especially in his small romantic scenes with Engel.

 

The show is full of little messages about staying healthy, loving dance, and "age is just a number" that went right to my heart, as corny as the messages were. The entire cast is made up of former dancers and so the numbers are beautifully performed with no excuses given for the advanced ages of the performers. In the finale, each character comes out dancing in a t-shirt with her age blazoned on it in glitter letters. It brought tears to my eyes when I saw, 67, 73, 68, 60, 78, etc.

 

As I was riding home on the train, I chuckled to myself thinking that if the show runs a while on Broadway, every aging ex dancer in New York is going to be frantically calling his/her agent to get an audition lined up to replace the original cast members. I can't wait to see who they eventually get. And then deciphering the face lifts!!!

[MrMiniver]

Sounds very interesting. But when I saw the cast list of Stefanie Powers and Georgia Engel all I could think of was "1970s TV called. They want their actresses back!"

 

Seriously, it is nice to see older actresses getting a break and roles in new shows.

[bostonman]

There was a misbegotten "20th anniversary tour" of Nunsense back in 2002 which starred Georgia Engel, Darlene Love, Kaye Ballard, Mimi Hines, and Lee Meriwether. Excruciatingly bad (meaning the production, not the material - which isn't exactly Shakespeare either lol, but having done the show, I have some affection towards it), though I do admit it was very fun to see the 5 of them onstage live.

 

However, Engel was perfect in her role in The Drowsy Chaperone on Broadway. This past summer I saw a production with Jo Anne Worley in the role, and although she was funny in her own right, her kind of aggressive, zany comedy is quite different from Engel's more dotty, waif-like persona, and I have to say that I think Engel's take worked better in context.

 

I've always loved Andre DeShields, but hey, your mileage may vary. ;-)

 

Gotta Dance, though? I mean, I know it was the title of the film. (But ah, remember the day when musicals didn't need to keep their source titles to be successful?) But I keep thinking, with that title, is this yet another attempt to bring Singing' In The Rain to the stage lol? Or is it a newly-revised version of Never Gonna Dance, the 2003 musical based on Swing Time, with a catalogue of Jerome Kern songs (including, naturally, "Never Gonna Dance" as well as "I Won't Dance")? Of course back then I remember thinking that Never Gonna Dance would be better as a title for a George Michael jukebox musical (just as Crazy For You sounds like it should have been the title of a Madonna jukebox show).

 

Speaking of which - I wonder how Gloria Estefan is doing in that revival of Rodgers and Hart's On Your Toes? (Oh wait - sorry - that's On Your Feet, and she's not actually in it. As Emily Litella would have said, "never mind...")

[actor61]

There was a misbegotten "20th anniversary tour" of Nunsense back in 2002 which starred Georgia Engel, Darlene Love, Kaye Ballard, Mimi Hines, and Lee Meriwether. Excruciatingly bad (meaning the production, not the material - which isn't exactly Shakespeare either lol, but having done the show, I have some affection towards it), though I do admit it was very fun to see the 5 of them onstage live.

 

However, Engel was perfect in her role in The Drowsy Chaperone on Broadway. This past summer I saw a production with Jo Anne Worley in the role, and although she was funny in her own right, her kind of aggressive, zany comedy is quite different from Engel's more dotty, waif-like persona, and I have to say that I think Engel's take worked better in context.

 

I've always loved Andre DeShields, but hey, your mileage may vary. ;-)

 

Gotta Dance, though? I mean, I know it was the title of the film. (But ah, remember the day when musicals didn't need to keep their source titles to be successful?) But I keep thinking, with that title, is this yet another attempt to bring Singing' In The Rain to the stage lol? Or is it a newly-revised version of Never Gonna Dance, the 2003 musical based on Swing Time, with a catalogue of Jerome Kern songs (including, naturally, "Never Gonna Dance" as well as "I Won't Dance")? Of course back then I remember thinking that Never Gonna Dance would be better as a title for a George Michael jukebox musical (just as Crazy For You sounds like it should have been the title of a Madonna jukebox show).

 

Speaking of which - I wonder how Gloria Estefan is doing in that revival of Rodgers and Hart's On Your Toes? (Oh wait - sorry - that's On Your Feet, and she's not actually in it. As Emily Litella would have said, "never mind...")

Ah, the dreaded "Nunsense". I once saw a production of it with Alice Ghostley, Jane Connell, and Carol Burnett's daughter (can't remember her name). As you said, "excruciating"! But "Gotta Dance" is not excruciating, although it certainly had the potential to be so. It's actually quite good and none of the older ladies in the company once uses cutesiness as a performance tool. Had it been a show about cute old ladies, I'd have left at intermission.

 

As for Andre de Shields, I admit that he's a very talented man but I have seen him in many interviews, and he's just too convinced of his own greatness. Even in his current program bio, he refers to himself as a "legend". But Stefanie Powers' bio is equally obnoxious. She states that her credits are too numerous to mention and refers the reader to her web site!!!!

 

I also saw Georgia Engel in "The Drowsy Chaperone" and thought she was terrific. Her voice is her voice and you either like that whispery quality she has or you don't. She doesn't trade in on it in "Gotta Dance" and you never once get Georgette Does a Musical. Her performance is wonderfully conceived and she's a real person. Likewise, Stefanie Powers. She plays a rather bitter, lonely woman who isn't at all happy about getting older by herself and there isn't an ounce of a star turn or self indulgence in what she does. I think credit has to be given to Jerry Mitchell; he seems to have directed these people very, very capably and kept all of them from becoming easy stereotypes. As I said before, this is not a show that breaks any new ground but it's a lot of fun and being the same age as some of the dancers in the show, I related to it very easily and am not ashamed to say that I'm the target audience they're trying to hit and they did extremely effectively.

[bostonman]

Ah, the dreaded "Nunsense". I once saw a production of it with Alice Ghostley, Jane Connell, and Carol Burnett's daughter (can't remember her name). As you said, "excruciating"!

 

Well, just to give the show a little defense, I think that it can be fun if it's done right. It's still a trifle of a piece, but it does have some honestly funny moments and decent songs. One of the problems is that the writer keeps pumping out sequels, each one weaker and more stupid than the one before - and he really should have left well enough alone.

 

That said, the first time I ever played the show was with Alice Ghostley, who really was fun as the Reverend Mother. I was the "sub" pianist at the time, and got to play the show with Ghostley a few times, and also with Pat Carroll. I remember that at one point they had Lainie Kazan come in to do the Rev - and supposedly she was the ultimate diva from hell. I remember the regular musical director telling me that she wouldn't be able to sub out while Kazan was there, because she thought having a change in the band personnel would send Kazan over the edge. So I never got to play it with her in the cast. Probably a good thing.

 

Anyway, glad to hear that Gotta Dance seems worthwhile.

[actor61]

Well, just to give the show a little defense, I think that it can be fun if it's done right. It's still a trifle of a piece, but it does have some honestly funny moments and decent songs. One of the problems is that the writer keeps pumping out sequels, each one weaker and more stupid than the one before - and he really should have left well enough alone.

 

That said, the first time I ever played the show was with Alice Ghostley, who really was fun as the Reverend Mother. I was the "sub" pianist at the time, and got to play the show with Ghostley a few times, and also with Pat Carroll. I remember that at one point they had Lainie Kazan come in to do the Rev - and supposedly she was the ultimate diva from hell. I remember the regular musical director telling me that she wouldn't be able to sub out while Kazan was there, because she thought having a change in the band personnel would send Kazan over the edge. So I never got to play it with her in the cast. Probably a good thing.

 

Anyway, glad to hear that Gotta Dance seems worthwhile.

We should swap stories. I did a regional production of "Funny Girl" with Kazan about 100 years ago. Diva does not even begin to describe her. I rarely use this word, but she's a cunt.

 

I adore Pat Carroll. I saw her one woman show as Gertrude Stein and she was magnificent. I've also seen her in "Nunsense" and you're right, the show can be very funny in the right hands but the sequels are just terrible. About the only memory I have of Ghostley in the show was her delivery of the line "Now, sister" when one of the nuns was taking too long to tell a story. It brought the house down. Just 2 words in her inimitable way: "Now, sister."

[+ WilliamM]

I adore Pat Carroll. I saw her one woman show as Gertrude Stein and she was magnificent.

 

I agree. One of the best off-Broadway shows I have ever seen. I regret not going back and seeing it several more times. Excellent star, Very good script.

[samhexum]

I remember that at one point they had Lainie Kazan come in to do the Rev - and supposedly she was the ultimate diva from hell. I remember the regular musical director telling me that she wouldn't be able to sub out while Kazan was there, because she thought having a change in the band personnel would send Kazan over the edge.

 

I did a regional production of "Funny Girl" with Kazan about 100 years ago. Diva does not even begin to describe her. I rarely use this word, but she's a cunt.

 

a SHOPLIFTING cunt...

 

Actress Lainie Kazan, who played the matriarch in the “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” movies, was arrested on Christmas Eve for stealing groceries, TMZ reported on Sunday.

 

The 77-year-old film star allegedly filled reusable bags with $180 worth of groceries from Gelson’s in California’s San Fernando Valley and walked out to her car without paying, sources told the website.

 

An employee stopped Kazan, and the authorities were notified. She was reportedly arrested for petty theft before being cited and released without bail.

 

Sources told TMZ that Kazan explained she took the items without paying first because she had no money on her.

 

Reps for Kazan did not immediately return our request for comment.

[OCClient]

I'm fine with aging performers. I'm actually aging myself.

 

I saw Annette Benning do Ruth Draper Chronicles in LA. It was quite a treat. More recently saw Al Pacino and Judith Light at the Pasadena Playhouse. Such acting!

 

But I get it. Whatever sells, is what we are served. People want their young flesh.

[samhexum]

Actress Lainie Kazan — who was caught red-handed as she attempted to shoplift from a California supermarket on Christmas Eve — had pulled the same stunt before, according to a report.

 

The 77-year-old, who played the matriarch in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” filled reusable bags with $180 worth of groceries from Gelson’s in California’s San Fernando Valley and walked out to her car without paying on Sunday, sources told TMZ. An employee stopped Kazan, and authorities were notified.

 

She had shoplifted from the same store “at least a couple times before,” and even had a routine down, the gossip site reported Friday.

 

Kazan would fill up her basket and pretend to walk toward the check-out line, but would instead sneak out the door as another group of customers leave the store, according to the report. Security footage catches her in the act, the outlet reported.

 

Kazan’s Christmas Eve loot included Comet and Pledge cleaning supplies, a hot rotisserie chicken, tomatoes, Jell-O and uncured pepperoni, TMZ reported.

 

She was reportedly arrested for petty theft before being cited and released without bail.

 

The actress’ attorney, Mark Werksman, told TMZ that Gelson’s “overreacted and didn’t give her a chance to pay,” calling the incident a misunderstanding. He also denies that the star had stolen from the store in the past.