Review: 'Movin' Out' combines brilliance, confusion / LJWorld.com

Archive for Saturday, May 3, 2008

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'Movin' Out,' the story of three young men in the 1960s, is told through interpretive dance to the accompaniment of Billy Joel songs. The tour of the show, which won a Tony Award in 2003, came to the Lied Center on Thursday night.

By John R. Phythyon Jr. - Special to the Journal-World

May 3, 2008

Billy Joel is one of the all-time great storytellers in American music, so it's only natural his work would provide the backdrop for a dance extravaganza that took Broadway by storm in 2002. Twyla Tharp's interpretation of more than 25 of Joel's songs, "Movin' Out," won a Tony Award in 2003, and a tour of it hit the Lied Center Thursday night.

The complex story follows three young men, Eddie (Brett Emmons), Tony (John Corsa) and James (Eric Bourne) from the end of high school in 1960s Long Island through the aftermath of the Vietnam War. Eddie marries high school sweetheart Brenda (Amanda Kay), but the two quickly divorce, only to have Brenda and Tony fall in love afterward. Meanwhile, James and Judy (Laura Mead) marry before all three boys go to Vietnam. There, James is killed, partially because of Eddie's actions in combat.

When Eddie and Tony return from war, Eddie falls into drug abuse, while Tony cannot seem to connect to Brenda. Both men achieve redemption when they are forgiven by the women - Tony by Brenda and Eddie by Judy.

The entire story is told through interpretive dance, while a large band provides soulful renditions of Joel's songs as accompaniment. The band is led by the Piano Man (Matthew Friedman) who takes the lead, singing the songs and performing Joel's signature piano pieces. Friedman gives a virtuoso performance on the keyboard, showing stunning dexterity through a number of songs, most impressively in "The Angry Young Man," where he plays an extremely difficult piece with extraordinary speed and accuracy.

Likewise, Emmons is an amazing dancer, displaying grace, athleticism and incredible endurance, drawing frequent raves from the crowd, especially when he moonwalked smoother than Michael Jackson.

Kay also demonstrates great range - at times light and beautiful, at others intense and powerful. Mead is sweet in a number of ballet numbers designed to emphasize Judy's innocence.

As good as the dancing is, though, it seems at times that Tharp just doesn't know what the songs are about. "She's Got a Way," one of Joel's sweetest and most plaintive love ballads, shows Tony and Brenda being unfaithful to one another, while "The Stranger," a song about cheating, is a funeral dirge for James. Eddie finds his answers to "The River of Dreams," which is a song about dissatisfaction and unanswered questions.

At other times, though, the choreography is perfect. Tony and Brenda get together in an inspiring dance to "This Night," and Eddie relives the horrors of war in "Pressure" and "Goodnight, Saigon." The latter features dead soldiers coming to life and pulling Eddie back to the war. It's a haunting piece that is the high point of the show.

In the end, the brilliant dancing and superb music don't quite add up to a perfect show. The fault lies not with the performances, though, which were exceptional. Tharp's questionable interpretation of some of the lyrics is the culprit.

- John R. Phythyon, Jr. is a freelance writer living in Lawrence.