(Seen 8/5/09)
The first Broadway show of the new season leaped onto stage this week in a frenzy of non-stop dancing. BURN THE FLOOR features a troupe of professional dancers from around the world, in an energetic display of all shades of ballroom dancing, with a decided latin beat. There is no book or theme that ties the show together, though sinuous, sexual overtones pervade every number --- a series of duets and ensembles, performed to a combination of live and taped music.
It is obviously a show designed for a specific audience, and easily succeeds in turning them on. At times, the whistling and cheering and clapping even overshadowed the frenetic activity on stage. The audience seemed populated by the huge number of fans for popular TV reality dance shows --- specifically, "So You Think You Can Dance" and "Dancing With The Stars".
Although Broadway seems an unlikely venue for this type of entertainment, it appears to fill a niche for the ballroom dancing aficianados and the tourist crowd.
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Theatre As Seen By Me
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Blog Archive
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2009
(18)
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August
(18)
- 9 To 5: The Musical at the Marriott Marquis Theatre
- ACCENT ON YOUTH at MTC's Friedman Theatre
- WAITING FOR GODOT at Roundabout's Studio 54
- THE PHILANTHROPIST at Roundabout's AA Theatre
- MARY STUART at the Broadhurst Theatre
- ROCK OF AGES at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre
- WEST SIDE STORY at the Palace Theatre
- GUYS AND DOLLS at the Nederlander Theatre
- RUINED at MTC's Stage I
- PAL JOEY at Roundabout's Studio 54
- SHREK The Musical at the Broadway Theatre
- MINDGAME at the Soho Playhouse
- BILLY ELLIOT the MUSICAL at the Imperial Theatre
- STREAMERS at Roundabout's Laura Pels Theatre
- ROMANTIC POETRY at MTC's Stage I
- TO BE OR NOT TO BE at MTC's Friedman Theatre
- A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS at the Roundabout's AA Theatre
- BURN THE FLOOR at the Longacre Theatre
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August
(18)
Observations by Ira J. Bilowit
He has been writing about the theatre in numerous publications for over fifty years, and has been involved in producing and writing for the theatre during same period.
Professionally, he is a member of the DRAMA DESK (former Vice Pres.), the American Theatre Critics Association, the Dramatists Guild, and the International Association of Theatre Critics.
Former Managing Editor/Feature Writer/Reviewer for SHOW BUSINESS; Editor/Publisher of New York Theatre Review; Contributing Editor/Feature Writer for BACK STAGE.