Grunion Gazette By: Anne-Marie Otey
There's talk of making dancing an
Olympic sport. If the confused rulers of the IOC need any proof that dancing
is athletic, skilled and stylish, they can come to the Carpenter Center
and get their aprs-ski boots knocked off by Musical Theatre West's production
of "Swing!" It's an energetic tribute to the music of the 1930s
and '40s. Forget story, characters and the grand morals that power so many
musicals on Broadway, where "Swing!" made its debut in 1999. "Swing!"
is pure pleasure. It's a treat of dance and music, and the less plot, the
better. Led by emcee Danny Michaels, who starts out strumming a ukulele,
it quickly expands to a seven-piece jazz band, a corps of lively dancers
and four singers. They go at it for about 25 numbers, most of them standards
by masters like Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman and Count Basie. Just the
chance to see and hear the band play "Stompin at the Savoy" and
"Jumpin at the Woodside" is worth the price of admission. "Swing!"
is strongest in its ensemble numbers, where the talented dancers tumble
all over the stage with Lindy Hop flips, summersaults and splits. And they're
doing it without nets, mats or even goggles. Standouts include the graceful
Kevin Gaudin and boyish Jeb Bounds. Murray Phillips is a bigger guy than
the standard lithe dancer type, but moves as well as they do. In Ellington's
"Dancers in Love," he puts his size to good use, playing clunky
Romeo whose girlfriend, the perky Jessica Dillan, outdances him. She snaps
her fingers so sharply that she threatens his private parts. Among the women,
Dana Solimando was a showstopper. Hard and edgy where the others were soft
and graceful, she hammered the floor with the tips of her shoes. Solimando
took brief opening-night tumble in one dance, but also took more risks than
any other dancer. Her opposite, in style but not skill, is the sinuous Kaci
Wilson. Wearinga body-hugging red dress, her hair slicked into an otter-like
cap, Wilson flows across the stage like syrup. She's bewitchingly sticky,
too, in one funny number where she steals another dancer's man. To highlight
the torch songs that were also part of the era, "Swing!" features
several solo and duo pieces. Rachel Lynn Oliver turns in a stunning "I'll
Be Seeing You" and "Blues in the Night," decked out in a
sequined dress with a flower in her hair. Some of the other short pieces,
though, were the weak ling of the evening. When Oliver turned to contemporary
dress and manner to play a wary woman on a date with David Engel, she didn't
seem quite as comfortable as he did. Two numbers where dancers cavort wth
the trombone and stand-up bass bordered on schmaltzy. Those, though, were
brief exceptions to a snazzy evening. For a luscious combination of music,
dancing and singing, "Swing!" has got the thing. Playing through
February 24. Call 430-2324
