Susan Granger’s review of “Come Fly Away” (Marquis Theater: 2009-2010 season)
Choreographer/director Twyla Tharp’s dancers swirl in on Frank Sinatra’s coattails in this new dance musical that focuses far more on kinetic dazzle than Ole’ Blue Eyes’ vocals. Indeed, one might even say Ms. Tharp exploits the legendary Sinatra cache for her own abstract purposes.
The scene is a lively nightclub, where various modern dancers interpret 34 different Sinatra songs. But not really. Their slinky, almost-perpetual motion is often disconcertingly discordant with the tone and lyrics, a detail which doesn’t seem to concern Ms. Tharp in the slightest. While the archetypal characters are named, they’re never defined and there’s no narrative thread – so there’s no emotional payoff.
But there’s certainly a lot of kinetic energy expended, as the highly trained, admirably athletic dancers – seemingly inexhaustibly – interact in pairs, in quads and as an ensemble. Dancers include Holly Farmer, Karine Plantadit, Keith Roberts, Laura Meade, Rika Okamoto, John Selya, Matthew Stockwell Dibble (formerly with the Royal Ballet), and, particularly, gymnastic Charlie Neshyba-Hodges in “Pick Yourself Up.”
Previously, Twyla Tharp created innovative concepts based on the songs of Billy Joel (“Movin’ Out”) and Bob Dylan (“The Times They Are A-Changin’”) and this effort falls somewhere between the first and the second. Russ Kasoff’s live band performs classic Nelson Riddle/Quincy Jones/Billy May/Gordon Jenkins-like ‘big band’ arrangements that have been adapted by Don Sebesky and Dave Pierce. There’s an Art Deco-like set design by James Youmans, lighting by Donald Holder, sound by Peter McBoyle and generic costumes by Katherine Roth. And, while the finale is predictably set to “My Way” and “New York, New York,” it never rises to the stellar heights set by the Chairman of the Board. As a result, “Come Fly With Me” emerges as more of an elaborate cabaret-act than a full-fledged Broadway tribute to the seductive genius of the legendary Frank Sinatra.