Feel
the burn! Spandex:
A New Musical for All Sizes brings
the all of the energy, fast-paced music, and teased hair of
competitive Aerobics of the late 80's to the New York stage. Inspired
by the viral YouTube video of the 1987 Crystal Light National
Aerobics Championship, hosted by Alan Thicke, Spandex
tells the story of how the empowerment of a good aerobic workout can
bring a shy housewife out of her shell, a former star back in the
lime light, or even spark a romance.
Tucked
away in the Off Broadway 777 Theatre, Spandex
is
a hidden gem of musical comedy. Julian Blackmore and Daniel F.
Levin's score is reminiscent of the infectious tunes of the late
1980's (days after seeing it, I still have the melody of the title
song running through my head). The band, made of only three members,
sat above the stage and became a part of the company themselves. From
catchy pop tunes ("I Could Get Used to This") to
tear-jerking ballads ("Now That You're Gone"), I found
myself wanting to get up and dance along with the cast and wishing I
had this soundtrack to take to the gym with me.
Lis
Piccoli's choreography blends intricate aerobic steps with dance to
create something of a spectacle onstage (I'm looking at you, Circle
Wheel of Push-ups), and it doesn't hurt that the cast are some of the
strongest dancer-athletes I've seen in a long time. From start to
finish, the cast succeeds in not only landing every step, but hitting
every note at the same time, which is quite an impressive feat,
considering that almost every song included jumps, leaps, lifts, or
squats. Stand out performers include Sims Lamason as Aerobic Queen
Lorraine (who boasts a life of a former gymnast herself), Jaquez Sims
as Fitness Guru Trip Allen, and Paige Sommerer as the hilariously
ambiguous Deacon Doekstra (I'm sorry-- Derk-stra). With most of the
cast making their New York debuts, I can't wait to see what each and
every one of these young performers' careers have in store.
However,
for how remarkable the talent aspects were, the production values
itself fell as flat as your hair the day you run out of Aqua Net. For
the amount of sponsors the show boasts, most notably Crunch Gym, I
was hoping to see visuals that matched the content. The stage was
painted half brown, half black, with a movable set of lockers with a
bare-wood backing. A minimalist set is fine, but I would have liked
to see the bright neons of the costumes matched on the set so as to
create a world of The 1987 Crystal Light National Aerobics
Championship, hosted by Alan Thicke for an audience to go to. This
makes this hidden gem of musical comedy more of a
diamond-in-the-rough.
All
in all, Spandex:
a New Musical for All Sizes is
a hilarious and original piece of musical theatre and deserves to be
brought to a wider audience.
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