Flashdance: the Musical”
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“Flashdance: The Musical” By Tom Hedley, Robert Cary and Robbie Roth At the Hippodrome Theatre through February 17 By Andréa Cain WHAT A FEELING OF DISAPPOINTMENT When one hears “Flashdance,” one automatically thinks of courage and faith. This new stage musical adaptation at the Hippodrome Theatre, delivered nothing but disappointment and more disappointment. One thought, “Was I watching a Broadway musical or a high school production?” The key difference between the movie and the musical is that the film's lead actress, Jennifer Beals, displayed an unmistakable passion for dance. Every time she moved to the music, her face revealed an explosion of happiness. For example, when her character Alex was dancing at Harry’s Club as the star erotic dancer, the viewer didn’t need words, just the sight of her wet from sweat and just going crazy, that Beals really felt the music in the movie. In “Flashdance: The Musical,” Alex is played by Emily Padgett, and when she danced, one didn’t respond the same way as watching Beals. Both are beautiful dancers, but one got the feeling that Beals really was a dedicated dancer, while Padgett was merely playing the part of a dedicated dancer. “Flashdance: The Musical” started with Padgett working as a manly welder, and while she’s sawing her way through a metal pipe the stage filled with talented people singing and dancing. The choreography was so strong it would make one want to get up and dance. The upbeat song described how the people who worked at the factory or the club really needed their jobs. After the song and dance was over, the set rolled in with a very weak “factory” look. You think that putting a staircase with a little roof over it would make a set look like you were at a steel mill? Not so much. In the movie, the factory was so loud and steamy that the audience had no doubt. Of course, Alex had this huge dream of becoming a dancer like her good friend Hannah (Joann Cunningham). Hannah wanted Alex to follow her dreams and attend a very high class ballet school. So, one day after work, Alex went to the college and got an application form. Of course, Alex was nervous and lied and said that the application wasn’t even for her; it was for her friend. Alex soon had another problem on her hands: Nick Hurley (Matthew Hydzik), who happened to be the boss at the factory. He almost got run over by a very large staircase going offstage and Alex just happened to be there to save him. Their relationship seemed very odd in the musical because you would have thought that they’d know each other before Alex had saved Nick’s life. Even though they were flirting, it was as if they had grown up together. In the movie, the very first time Beals and Nick Hurley (Michael Nouri) saw each other, their eyes locked as if Beals and Nouri were scared to even talk to each other. As the play went on, Nick tried and tried to get Alex to go on a date with him. When she finally gave in, it wasn’t just an ordinary date. As they were walking across the stage with Alex carrying her bouquet of roses, another stage rolled out from the middle and there was Kiki (Dequina Moore) rocking out singing “Man Hunt.” It wasn’t clear why that song would play during a romantic date between Alex and Nick. In the movie, Nouri took Beals to a very expensive restaurant and treated her to some lobster. The whole time Beals was making sexual gestures to spice the date up. In the musical, after "Man Hunt" finished, Padgett and Hydzik didn’t even go to a restaurant. It was as if they walked out of Alex’s house, then walked right back in. When a scene would finish with a song-and-dance number, it was hard to clap, because the songs were put into the scenes so oddly. For example, when Padgett performed “Maniac,” Pak, Moore and Felthous were right behind her singing while Padgett was dancing. In the movie, the “maniac” scene was all about Beals dancing by herself in her studio, and the stage show should have followed the same approach. Moreover, the stage acting itself wasn’t impressive. It was as if the actors and actresses didn’t really choose how their characters behaved. For example, when the actors and actresses would come on stage to do a scene, their voices were very high-pitched as if they were talking to children. At times the beautiful, old Italian painting with angels on the Hippodrome's ceiling was more interesting than the scenes being performed. Making matters worse, the ensemble seemed the only ones that got the memo that this musical takes place in the ‘80s. In the movie, Alex was known for her big green army jacket and her army boots, but Alex in the musical wore clothes that any women nowadays would love to have. Alex wore a small, black leather jacket with black leather boots; that’s not the ‘80s. The whole cast of Flashdance had amazing moves and amazing voices. One song that really hit home was “Maniac.” Padgett had water splashing all over her while she was dancing like, well, a maniac. Her big ending was, pulling the rope and the water glistening down on her while all of the lights went out but the one behind her. In conclusion, “Flashdance” isn’t worth almost two hundred dollars for a ticket. If you’ve seen the movie and you come to see this show, you’ll be completely disappointed. If you haven’t seen the movie and you came to see the show, you’ll be confused because of how crammed and bunched up the show is. If this were a high school production, it would be amazing. But the fact that it was a pre-Broadway show really is disappointing. All I have to say is, I’m happy my ticket was free. “Flashdance: The Musical” By Tom Hedley, Robert Cary and Robbie Roth At the Hippodrome Theatre through February 17 By Cassidy Graham FLASHDANCE: A KNOCKOFF A fast-paced but choppy show, “Flashdance” by Tom Hedley and Robert Cary sets the audience up for an exciting and original story of an unlikely romantic match and a girl fulfilling her big dream. As the show progresses, however, the beginning’s high energy dissolves into sporadic dull moments. By the end of the evening at the Hippodrome Theatre, the supposedly intense audition moment is merely something to get over with so the show can end. The first half of the show is filled with exciting dance moves and happy scenes, while the second half is filled with sad, upsetting scenes and lackluster dances. The writer could have paced out the exciting moments so that there wasn’t such a lull in the second half, or the director could have staged the scenes in the second half of the show in a way where more comedy could shine through. Moreover, the writer could have deleted some boring, unnecessary scenes altogether, like those with Hannah. The point of putting Hannah in the show to be a sage to Alex is understandable, but honestly it wouldn’t have mattered much if some of the scenes where she yells at the TV had been taken out. This change from high energy to low energy can be seen by comparing when Alex gets her audition letter in the first act to when she auditions in the second act. When she gets her letter she is ecstatic; she embraces Nick and practices her dancing harder than ever. But when she is actually auditioning, there is much less energy with slower, simpler movements that are repeated many times. It should be the other way around. This change may be a director’s error; it may be that the actors got tired, or it might just have been because of the length of the show. Whatever the reason, there was definitely a loss in energy. Set amidst the rock and disco music of the ‘80s, “Flashdance” follows the story of Alex Owens, a girl who works at a steel mill during the day and dances at a club during the night. She falls in love with her steel mill boss Nick Hurley, and their lives bind together as Alex tries to get into the ballet school of her dreams and Nick tries to become a good man, independent of his father and grandfather. Intended to be a copy of the original 1983 film, the show is full of excitement, danger, dancing and characters to root for. However, it falls short of the film’s impact due to randomly organized scenes, hurried transitions and an under-energized second act. The major plot points from the original 1983 film are carried over to the musical; however some of the musical’s added twists are confusing and unnecessary, and the transitions into songs and ballet scenes are very disorganized. Some choices that directors make in movies simply don’t work in a stage production; therefore, trying to stay true to all aspects of the movie isn’t the best strategy. While trying to enjoy a romantic first date at the ballet between Alex (Emily Padgett) and Nick Hurley (Matthew Hydzik), the audience doesn’t want to be bombarded by annoyingly frequent bursts of “Manhunt.” It ruins the mood. Similarly, it’s not very wise to cut off one of the only genuinely tender moments in the show, where Nick promises to save the workers from getting laid off and hastily switch to “I Love Rock n’ Roll” with flashing lights and furry-clothed exotic dancers.