Cinematastic at Flat Rock Playhouse
Christmas has come early for Flat Rock Playhouse theatergoers. Not that there’s anything overtly Christmasy about the company’s entirely original Cinematastic: The Music of the Movies, if you don’t count a quick nod to the music of Home Alone. But the show is a delightful gift in the spirit of A Flat Rock Playhouse Christmas, the holiday spectaculars that director-choreographer Matthew Glover has created the past two years. Like those shows, Glover’s Cinematastic is a nonstop, thoroughly entertaining revue of familiar music performed by a diverse troupe of talented singers and dancers and a grand onstage orchestra.
Indeed, there’s more dancing than ever in Cinematastic, and Goode himself hoofs it up in several numbers (look for the guy with the neatly groomed beard). The show opens with an all-out song-and-dance rendition of “Blue Skies” (from The Jazz Singer, among other films), then sets a high bar for ballads with “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” (with its unfortunate intro, not sung in “The Wizard of Oz”).
It’s appropriate that Irving Berlin’s “Blue Skies” launches the show, since the song was made famous by a movie but not composed for the screen. That allowance opens the door to a host of great songs familiar from movies but not created for them, including a jazzy Bob Fosse dance number that blends songs from Cabaret and Chicago, as well as tunes by Bob Seger and Dolly Parton that Hollywood turned into hits for a second (or third) time around.
Mostly, though, the focus is on music composed for films, and even if you think you don’t need to hear “Let It Go” (from Frozen) or “Unchained Melody” (here representing Ghost) ever again, you’ll get chills as the songs come to life anew on the Flat Rock stage. It’s not all the obvious choices, either: We get “Good Morning” rather than the title song from Singing in the Rain — a tap trio that’s one of the show’s most exhilarating dance moments — and a Disney medley that mostly evokes the studio’s portrayals of strong women.
The cast of fifteen is too large to honor each with the praise they’ve earned, but I do have to mention Anthony Nuccio’s unexpectedly awesome sax solo, Moeisha McGill’s ovation-inspiring “I Will Always Love You,” Guy LeMonnier’s movingly crooned “Moon River," and the eleven-person orchestra’s exceptional work in a suite of John Williams’ themes.
Flat Rock’s behind-the-scenes team has put together another admirable array of glamorous and dance-friendly costumes, showcased by evocative and complicated lighting cues on a simple but elegant set. (The onstage orchestra seating is especially unusual and pleasing.) I wasn’t a fan of the talking-heads projections introducing the songs — movie theme or not, real people are a warmer choice — and the combination curtain call/finale confused some in the audience, who may have wanted a more sustained opportunity to show their appreciation. But overall, Cinematastic lives up to its name.
Cinematastic: The Music of the Movies runs through September 28 at Flat Rock Playhouse. For details and tickets, visit flatrockplayhouse.org.
(Photo: Scott Treadway / Courtesy of Flat Rock Playhouse)
