With Gershwin you have choices: popular tunes, concert music, opera arias, dance specialties, jazz, blues, show songs, comic, tragic, romantic duets and period pieces, so why not use some of each. That is just what Boyd and her musical director/co-creator have done and while they make the old and familiar new again, they have included some rarities most audience member may not know. Standard such as "'S Wonderful," "But Not For Me," and "Someone To Watch Over Me" are joined by "Naughty Baby," "Little Jazz Bird" and "I've Got a Crush On You." The Gershwin Brothers opera "Porgy and Bess" contributes two of this show's finest moments. The five performers meet every episode with their shining talents outdoing what the composer has placed on the page. Their vocal interpretations keep the oldest material fresh and the most popular hits become your new favorite song time and again. 

        If you've ever wondered what the  body can do, how far from normal it can be twisted and distorted without being disturbing, this show will show you every extreme and make you love it. Jeffrey L. Page, the choreographer, provides controlled chaos, particularly through the work of Jacob Tischler, whose bio says he is a sourdough bread-baker and he certainly applies every iota of the energy it takes to knead that bread to his dancing. That he sings just as well is little short of miraculous. Similarly Britney Coleman becomes the "Naughty Baby" of that song as her persona emerges full-bodied through movement. Choreographer Page provides everything from swinging hips to mournful dips for this cast as they transform into each songs special character. There are echoes of Fred Astaire at times, Michael Kidd at others, Martha Graham and Ginger Rogers as well.  Classical ballet may be the only dance form not exploited by this company, but that's about all. This is just what is needed by this show which travels back and forth in "real" time from World War I to the dawning of World War II. Page perfectly opens up each number for all its worth. 

        This is not just a series of songs leading to applause. This show is really about those qualities that unique and extraordinary talents bring into our lives.  George and Ira Gershwin were above the ordinary. They could make simple statements sing and sung words seem like honest, realistic and open-handed statements, offerings of sympathy, proposals of all sorts and realistic understanding. "But Not For Me" as mourned by Coleman and "Summertime" as grandly celebrated by Allison Blackwell are two of those great and expressive examples. Alysha Umphress exudes youthful need in "Do It Again", expresses deep-felt losses with "The Man I Love" and cerebral anxiety with "Embraceable You." Her scat singing is reminiscent of Ella Fitzgerald too, which is just amazing.

        The three women get together with the band's bass player, Mitch Zimmer for Gershwin's "Slap That Bass" and prove once and for all that three are better than one while Zimmer seems to have the time of his life in this rarely performed specialty number originally sung and danced by Fred Astaire. This group effort exemplifies the fine work done by the production team of Lex Liang (Set Designer), Sara Jean Tosetti (Costume Designer), David Lander (Lighting Designer), and Josh Millican (Sound Designer). Darren R. Cohen leads an excellent ensemble of musicians. Boyd and Page pair beautifully creating the revue's stage pictures, each contributing what each does best. There's nothing more one could ask for here as the show touches perfection again and again. 

+ 06/17/2021 +