Set in the pulsating heart of New York City, Take the Lead is a joyful new musical based on the 2006 dance film that starred Antonio Banderas. This electrifying tale is the true story of Pierre Dulaine, a former professional dancer who, against all odds, brought the art of ballroom dance into New York City public schools. This world-premiere musical spotlights a dynamic fusion of ballroom and hip-hop in its music and choreography with a book by Robert Cary and Jonathan Tolins (Schmigadoon!) a score by Elliah Heifetz and Zeniba Now, with music production by !llmind.. Take the Lead will be co-choreographed by Jennifer Weber (& Juliet) and Maria Torres (So You Think You Can Dance) and directed and choreographed by Christopher Gattelli (Newsies).
I was just saying to a friend that the theatre is ready for a good ballroom-dance-inspired musical. Take the Lead is a great choice -- looking forward to this. I wonder if they'll bring in folks with experience in choreographing ballroom dancing -- or even cast ballroom dancers.
This is an incredibly niche pet peeve, but I've seen several shows where the characters are supposed to be dancing some ballroom dance (usually a waltz, tango, or Viennese waltz), and their technique is Broadway good, ballroom bad. Maybe 80% of theatre-goers won't notice, but I do think it hurts the quality of the presentation/show. I'm guessing that's why Burn the Floor (which isn't theatre theatre, I know) brought in the casts of Strictly Come Dancing/Dancing With the Stars...