Those who humble themselves by bowing first deserve to be exalted by Chicago’s appreciative patrons of “Flashdance—The Musical.”
This Broadway in Chicago touring company is sexy and energetic, delivering, hands-down, the best ensemble-danced show to grace a Chicagoland stage this year. It’s a don’t-miss production for aficionados of musical-theatre dance.
That’s the good news.
The not-so-good is this “Flashdance” is a jumbled amalgamation of two stories and only semi-related dance breaks. That leaves the production still searching for its unifying soul, or at the very least, a competent dramaturge.
To be fair, the production holds true to its 1983 low-budget movie precursor that simultaneously spawned the career of Jennifer Beals and a fashion craze of off-the-shoulder sweatshirts and leg warmers (even for non-dancers). The story revolves around Alex Owens (Jillian Mueller), a Pittsburgh steel mill welder and night-time bar dancer who dreams of attending a prestigious dance school and becoming a pro dancer.
A love interest with the boss (Matthew Hyzdik as Nick Hurley), rivalry with a trashy bar down the street and friendships with her co-dancers round out Alex’s life as she preps for her ultimate dance academy audition.
The problem with the book, written by Tom Hedley (co-writer of the original screenplay) and Robert Cary, is that fantastic distraction keeps the audience from becoming fully engaged in Alex’s journey. This happens principally through nine ensemble and another handful of smaller group dance numbers to known songs like “Maniac,” “Gloria,” and “What a Feeling.” These make the show worth the price of admission while simultaneously rendering the main storyline uninspiring by comparison.
A further distraction is the similar subplot of fellow-dancer Gloria (fabulously portrayed by Kelly Felthous) and her own quest for meaning onstage and off. Gloria is far more sympathetic, funny and honest than the chippy, “I-don’t-need-no-one” characterization of Mueller’s Alex.
An interesting footnote to these observations on the opening night Chicago presentation is that Hedley sees this national tour as a type of pre-Broadway tryout. He plans a major production meeting and show changes during the Chicago run.
“The clarity isn’t there yet,” he admitted to the Chicago Tribune. “Right now, the show is very cluttered. We are really trying to focus it on this girl’s journey. But I want to correct all our mistakes and give it real emotional pull.”
While those comments might make one think twice about paying top dollar for, in essence, a workshop experience, that simply should not be the case. Vocals by Hydzik, Felthous, Dequina Moore (as co-dancer Kiki) and Katie Webber (as co-dancer Tess) are top-drawer.
And then there’s the dance, for which Carleigh Bettiol, Derek Carley, Ryan Carlson, Lynorris Evans, Thursday Farrar, Felthous, Charlene Hoffman, Jarvis McKinley, Moore, Ariela Morgenstern, Mueller, Shane Ohmer, Austin Owen, Kristin Piro, Katelyn Prominski, Angelo Soriano, Dani Spieler, Lawrence E. Street, Kamille Upshaw and Webber together deserve this show’s final bow.
“Flashdance—The Musical” runs through August 18 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph, Chicago. Tickets range from $18-85 (plus fees) and are available by calling 800-775-2000. More information may be found at Broadway in Chicago.
Barry Reszel is a Libertyville-based writer, at-home dad and executive director of the not-for-profit entertainment company Liberty Town Productions.
