David Rothenberg's Reviews
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THE MUSICAL SWING
AT THE ST JAMES THEATER
I finally caught up with the lively Broadway musical revue, SWING, which had opened a couple of months ago at the St James Theatre.
This non-stop salute to songs and dance of a past and glorious era is another reminder of the great surplus of talent that this town can boast. I don't want to use a musical treat for a sociological harangue, but I kept thinking, while watching the wondrous cast of SWING, how their opportunities are being lessened. Starting with the rentals for training schools, and unaffordable housing for young people coming to the city, I wonder how we will nurture the talented artists in up coming years.
And that is because those swirling, acrobatic dancers of SWING did not happen in a vacuum. There on-display talents are a result of discipline and training, and I can assure you that an interview with any cross section of these young men and women would reveal the names of teachers and schools in run-down rehearsal halls, most of which are an endangered species.
That being said, those wonderful songs like "Blip-Blip" and "Hit Me With a Hot Note" and particularly the scrumptious Laura Benanti singing "Cry Me a River," is just some of the joy that you'll get at the St James Theatre.
The company is gifted, the music is the best that America has served up, with songs by Ellington, Arlen, Mercer, and Sammy Fain, among others, and the dancers are swirling dervish innovative and a delight to the eye.
The social importance of SWING is in the training and economics of preparing this first rate entertainment. On stage, you can relax and be entertained. SWING is joyous!
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Click below to buy the CD on Amazon.com:
Swing! (Original Broadway Cast)
Other CD's featuring swing music, including two from Ann Hampton Callaway:
Swing, Swing, Swing
Easy Living
After Ours
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