Old Globe's In Your Arms

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 9/25/15 at 7:41pm

Has anyone seen this?  I am a huge Flaherty fan, and obviously a huge fan of dance, though I'm hit and miss with Gattelli's choreography.  The idea of dance cycles set to stories by various great playwrights is intriguing--although ten or so in (apparently) 100 minutes makes me wonder if too many feel unsatisfyingly short (then again, you don't risk a slight idea being stretched out too long.) I also wonder, from the clips, if it wouldn't have been more interesting--if the idea for each piece was so different--to use different choreographers...  Still, a lot of great stuff in the clips.   https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/STAGE-TUBE-See-Donna-McKechnie-and-More-in-Highlights-from-IN-YOUR-ARMS-at-The-Old-Globe-20150925

[FBay]

Posted: 9/25/15 at 11:28pm

Is it a musical, a revue, or a contactesq show

 

"

 

[mailhandler777]

Posted: 9/26/15 at 3:35am

I saw it at Powerhouse in Poughkeepsie where most of the cast was different. Only Hayley Podschun, Brendon Stimson and a few others made the journey out west. Each piece is totally different and around 5-8 minutes long so it's not boring at all.

The night I went(which was the last show) there was a terrible thunderstorm that blew the electric during one of the numbers and there was a 30 minute delay.

I'd say it's similar to Contact. It's all dance. 

Updated On: 9/26/15 at 03:35 AM

[imeldasturn]

Posted: 9/26/15 at 4:37am

I'd really love to see it, the cast is stunning

[Trish2]

Posted: 9/26/15 at 6:35am

It's interesting EricMontreal but I don't see anything distinctive about Gattelli's work. From the clips it seems that a lot of the dance is ballet which is really not his forte and again comes off looking quite elementary, even with some wonderful dancers. I agree with you, his stuff is very hit or miss to me. Unfortunately, I feel most times it's a miss. The snippets of work that looked more musical theater-ish , like that Charleston and some of the tap dance, came off much better than the ballet type sequences. For a guy who has done so many Broadway shows I find it very interesting that he has no signature style. If I had seen those dance clips without knowing who the choreographer was in advance,   It could have been anyone.

[Wilmingtom]

Posted: 9/26/15 at 6:29pm

"If I had seen those dance clips without knowing who the choreographer was in advance,   It could have been anyone."

Trish, I think Gattelli would take that as a complement. That he can work within whatever genre each vignette demands, whether ballet (comic or legit), flamenco, modern, jazz, tap, traditional Broadway, African, Japanese Bon Odori, ballroom or whatever would seem to be the point of the show.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 9/26/15 at 9:33pm

But that is a fault as much as it's a bonus.  I agree with Trish's statement that, while I may like what I've seen of his choreography more than Trish does, I also haven't seen any of the dance vocabulary that even Stroman shows.  Which is another reason why I am curious as to attitudes about the piece (thanks Mailhandler.) 

[PalJoey]

Posted: 9/26/15 at 10:01pm

 

I just want to see that cast dancing.

 

[Trish2]

Posted: 9/26/15 at 10:49pm

meh.

http://www.talkinbroadway.com/regional/sandiego/sd142.html

[jmuep]

Posted: 9/27/15 at 2:05am

I saw the show today.  I'm not a huge dance person and I've only ever seen one show at the Old Globe that was any better than "horrible", but I loved Gatelli's work in Newsies, so I drove down to San Diego to check it out.  Overall, I enjoyed it, but wasn't blown away.  Some of the vignettes worked, some didn't.  For me, the segments from Nottage, Fisher and Hwang were the standouts.  I was particularly bored by the segments from Beane and McNally.  Because of the way the vignettes flowed, everybody in the cast got a moment to be featured, but there wasn't a lot of chance for dancers to pop.  The only dancers that mesmerized me were Jess LeProtto, Erica Wong, and Alex Michael Stoll.  I was unfamiliar with the latter two and am eager to see them again.  

Also, when I sat down, I was actually really glad that there wasn't going to be an intermission -- but after about 90 minutes, I was desperate for one.  Glad I went, and would recommend, but don't see this having much of a life beyond this staging -- at least not without some work.  

[jmuep]

Posted: 9/27/15 at 2:06am

I saw the show today.  I'm not a huge dance person and I've only ever seen one show at the Old Globe that was any better than "horrible", but I loved Gatelli's work in Newsies, so I drove down to San Diego to check it out.  Overall, I enjoyed it, but wasn't blown away.  Some of the vignettes worked, some didn't.  For me, the segments from Nottage, Fisher and Hwang were the standouts.  I was particularly bored by the segments from Beane and McNally.  Because of the way the vignettes flowed, everybody in the cast got a moment to be featured, but there wasn't a lot of chance for dancers to pop.  The only dancers that mesmerized me were Jess LeProtto, Erica Wong, and Alex Michael Stoll.  I was unfamiliar with the latter two and am eager to see them again.  

 

Also, when I sat down, I was actually really glad that there wasn't going to be an intermission -- but after about 90 minutes, I was desperate for one.  Glad I went, and would recommend, but don't see this having much of a life beyond this staging -- at least not without some work.  

[Kad]

Posted: 9/27/15 at 11:05am

I too saw this at Powerhouse at Vassar, and thought it was fairly enjoyable. I thought the Durang segment pretty much stole the show with its delicious absudism (it was an international ballroom dance competition, with the Soviet Union woman dancer falls for the American male dancer).

[mailhandler777]

Posted: 9/27/15 at 1:07pm

Kad said: "I too saw this at Powerhouse at Vassar, and thought it was fairly enjoyable. I thought the Durang segment pretty much stole the show with its delicious absudism (it was an international ballroom dance competition, with the Soviet Union woman dancer falls for the American male dancer)."

 

That was my favorite number along with the Japanese brothel number.

 

[mailhandler777]

Posted: 9/27/15 at 1:07pm

Double post.

Updated On: 9/28/15 at 01:07 PM

[jmuep]

Posted: 9/27/15 at 10:47pm

mailhandler777 said: "Kad said: "I too saw this at Powerhouse at Vassar, and thought it was fairly enjoyable. I thought the Durang segment pretty much stole the show with its delicious absudism (it was an international ballroom dance competition, with the Soviet Union woman dancer falls for the American male dancer)."

 

That was my favorite number along with the Japanese brothel number.

 

Japanese brothel number?  Wow.  They must have done some serious changes.  There was no brothel in the Old Globe version.  

 

"

 

[Kad]

Posted: 9/28/15 at 8:30am

I believe he's referring to the Hwang segment, which was a fantasy in the mind of an American businessman in China, set mostly in a large Chinese club.

[mailhandler777]

Posted: 9/28/15 at 8:34am

Yes I was. Thanks for clearing it up.