Review: HALF TIME Closes Out Season at Theatre Three

In 2006, the New Jersey Nets, now Brooklyn Nets, were not having a great season. To keep interest in the team outside of basketball, Barry Baum, Nets Basketball VP of Business and Entertainment PR, decided to create a senior dance team that would perform during half time. The two conditions: the applicants had to be over the age of 60 and successfully learn hip hop dance routines. The team would become known as the NETSational Seniors. Documentarian Dori Berinstein chronicled the dance troupe’s initial season with her 2008 documentary Gotta Dance. Berinstein’s enjoyable documentary presents clear cut evidence on how successful this team would become. In addition to being a filmmaker, Berinstein is also a 6-time Tony Award winning Broadway producer; she most recently won a Tony for last season’s best play Stereophonic. Berinstein knew this story also had legs to be a musical. Thus, Half Time was born.

It premiered in Chicago in 2015 with an all-star cast including: Stefanie Powers, Georgia Engel, Andre DeShields, Haven Burton, Lori Tan Chin, Nancy Ticotin and Lillias White. In 2018, the show had its East Coast premiere at the Paper Mill Playhouse, with the original company minus Powers; Donna McKechnie took over her role. Surprisingly, the show has yet to grace a Broadway stage. Thanks to Port Jefferson’s own Theatre Three, Half Time is finally making its NY premiere.

Right after the film’s premiere, Berinstein greenlit the musical. To bring it to life, she hired Bob Martin (fresh off his Tony win for The Drowsy Chaperone) and Chad Beguelin (fresh off his success with the musical version of The Wedding Singer) to write the book. Martin and Beguelin created a hilarious book with a truckload of great one-liners that absolutely land with the audience. For the music, she brought on PEGOT winner Marvin Hamlisch, a very apropos choice who found great success with another little dance team inspired show called A Chorus Line. Unfortunately, Hamlisch was unable to complete production on the show due to his untimely passing in 2012. Enter Matthew Sklar, composer and Hamlisch protégé; at the time, he just worked with Beguelin on The Wedding Singer and would of course have much continued success with additional hits Elf the Musical and The Prom. Hamlisch was only able to complete 3 songs for the show, all of which are still incorporated. Also brought on to the music team were 2-time Tony nominated lyricist Nell Benjamin and Grammy winning songwriter and Pitch Perfect star Ester Dean. Along with director/choreographer Jerry Mitchell, this mega-watt team created a show loosely based on the documentary about the formation of the New Jersey Cougar’s’ senior dance team called the Nifty Shades of Grey. It’s a show about overcoming any obstacle, despite the odds, and persevering.

Jeffrey Sanzel, once again, exorcizes his artistry with his direction of this production. Sanzel compiles a top notch cast and crew. Playing the Nifty Shades of Grey are a cavalcade of all stars: Marci Bing, Lisa Greene, Mary Ellen Kurtz, Denise Lardi, Phyllis March, Linda May, Candace McCready, Jack Seabury & Nikki Sislian. Each and every one of them gives a stand out performance. Linda May is always a delight on stage and is wonderful here as Bea. Candace McCready truly makes the character of Dorothy/Dottie her own. She not only captures the comedic innocence of Georgia Engel, she manages to also intersperse the comedic awkwardness of Phyllis from The Office; she’s a riot! Nikki Sislian is spicy, energetic and stops the show with her performance of “¿Como No?” in Act II. A round of applause must be given to Phyllis March; her performance of “The Water Rises” is mind blowing and will break your heart. Some other standout performances include: Anna Moceri as Kendra and Colleen Britt as Alison Prager. Moceri is an absolute triple-threat and has a great rapport with May as her grandmother Bea. Britt is perfectly villainous as Alison Prager; she will make you want to storm the stage. It was once again great to see Will Logan grace the stage. Ryan Van Nostrand is also the shizzle; see the show and you will know why.

The crew is equally stellar. Randall Parsons makes great use of the stage. His minimalist open-wide stage with a single screen raised center stage emulates the Meadowlands Arena and its jumbotron. The lighting design by Robert Henderson, Jr. and Emmanuel Delgado perfectly accentuates the mood of each scene and musical number. Indigo Shea’s projection design was a perfect homage to Berinstein’s documentary; whoever made the caricatures of the dance team for the projections deserves an award. Josie McSwane’s choreography is wonderfully energetic and has the entire ensemble tutting terrifically. The music is wonderfully brought to life by the fabulous band led by Jeffrey Hoffman.

Half Time is fun and inspiring; you definitely will want to see this! Half Time is closing out Theatre Three’s 54th season and playing through June 22, 2025.