"SWING!" Puts Boston in the Mood for Dancing

"SWING!"

Original Concept by Paul Kelly

Original Direction and Choreography by Lynne Taylor-Corbett

Musical Direction, Milton Granger

Director and Choreographer, Richard Stafford

Production Stage Manager, Erik E. Hedbloom

Scenic Designer, Howard C. Jones

Lighting Designer, Kendall Smith

Wig and Hair Designer, Gerard Kelly

Costume Designer, Jay Woods

Sound Designer, John A. Stone

Cast in order of appearance:
Everett Bradley
Stacia Fernandez

Erica Piccininni

Davis Kirby

Rick Hillsabeck

Lindy Hop Couple: Jennifer N. Jones and Matthew Bedell

Latin Couple: Anya and Benito Garcia

Sexy Couple: Michelle Gaudette and Bernard Jackson

West Coast Swing Couple: Beverly Durand and Mark Stuart Eckstein

Western Swing Couple: Kitty Skillman Hilsabeck and Jason Marquette

All American Couple: Mahri Relin and Jonathan Stahl

Comic Couple: Pamela Otterson and Parker Esse

Performances: Now through October 10

Box Office: 978-232-7200 or www.nsmt.org

People are literally dancing in the aisles at the North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly, Massachusetts these days. The long-popular theater-in-the-round and concert destination on Boston's North Shore is blowing the roof off the house now through October 10 with its bright and bouncy production of the dance musical, "SWING!"

This Tony-nominated singing and dancing tribute to the Big Band era opened on Broadway in 1999 and ran for 461 performances. The original cast featured Everett Bradley, Laura Benanti, and Ann Hampton Callaway. Bradley reprises his role here and leads an athletic, energetic, and very talented troupe of singers and dancers in giving us exciting and surprisingly original interpretations of such swing classics as "It Don't Mean a Thing," "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," "In the Mood," "Stompin' at the Savoy," and "Sing, Sing, Sing."

A whimsical boy-meets-girl, boy-loses-girl, boy-gets-girl storyline is the slender thread upon which almost 40 non-stop musical numbers are strung. Dynamic ballroom dance routines like "Throw That Girl Around" and "Bill's Bounce" leave the audience wondering, "How do they do that?" as the men toss and spin their partners over their shoulders, around their hips, or high above their heads. Then these near-gymnastic displays dissolve seamlessly into smooth and sultry solos like "Skylark" sung by sweet soprano Erica Piccininni; imaginative comic duets like "All of Me/I Won't Dance" performed with gusto by Bradley and Stacia Fernandez; and Manhattan Transfer-style numbers like "Swing, Brother, Swing" delivered in five-part harmony by Bradley, Fernandez, Piccininni, Davis Kirby and Rick Hillsabeck.

As if the singers and dancers don't give the audience a big enough lift, the swingin' tuxedoed big band of an orchestra gets into the spotlight during the Entr'acte with its own toe-tapping version of Duke Ellington's "Caravan." Each musician gets his solo shot during this number, and the audience can barely stay seated. Another highlight is the soulful duet of "Cry Me a River" between singer Piccininni and trombonist Jeff Hoyer. Voice and instrument actually "talk" back and forth to each other with uncanny emotional expression.

"SWING!" doesn't pretend to be anything but two hours of wonderful music, song, and dance designed to make you forget your troubles and relive the era when ballrooms were the setting for love in bloom. The North Shore Music Theatre does ample justice to that great tradition. Its production is guaranteed to put a bounce in your step, a smile on your face, and a hum in your heart.

 

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