Gotta Dance with AMERICAN DANCE MACHINE Off-Broadway Reviews

A production of the legendary American Dance Machine, the two-act 90-minute show, co-directed by Nikki Feirt Atkins and Randy Skinner, will serve as a pleasing exercise in nostalgia for many older patrons and a welcome education for others (especially younger folk) as it re-creates such landmark sequences as ‘Cool’ from ‘West Side Story,’ ‘One’ from ‘A Chorus Line,’ and ‘Simply Irresistible’ from ‘Contact,’ all of which remain as thrilling – and as groundbreakingly innovative -- as the day they were created.

Among the highlights are ‘Cool’ from West Side Story, with Minard and members of the company embodying the rival gangs of the Sharks and Jets, and enacting their rumble with abstract moves and sounds; the outstanding Burks and LeProtto energetically singing and tapping to ‘Moses Supposes’ from Singin’ in the Rain; the balletic ‘Pas de Deux’ from An American in Paris, beautifully danced by the lithe and graceful Pazcoguin and Cowperthwaite; and the dark ‘Manson Trio’ from Pippin, displaying the spot-on precision of Stanley, Hines, and Pazcoguin as they deliver Fosse’s groundbreaking elements of angularity, isolation, hip rolls, and turned-in knees, employ his signature hats and canes, and leave us with the famous ‘Ta Da’ moment at the end.

More precisely, what’s offered—with only a few exceptions—are mild facsimiles of the original numbers. Yes, the numbers are mounted but for the most part, as staged, they lack the élan, the electricity, the ebullient personality with which the original creators and, of course, the original dancers infused them. (The only original choreographer working here is Randy Skinner.)

Still, Gotta Dance! lives up to its name, featuring a seven-piece band, live vocals, and an exacting attention to detail, thanks to stagers like Baayork Lee, Stephanie Pope, and Donna McKechnie, who are passing along the legacy to the next generation of dancers.