by Mike Hoban
‘Swan Lake in Blue’ – Created and composed by Steve Bass. Staged and choreographed by Ilyse Robbins. Set Design by Tori Oakes; Lighting Design by Chris Fournier; Costumes by Kevin Hutchins. Presented by Greater Boston Stage Company, 395 Main St, Stoneham through March 1st.
If you’re looking for a little risk taking in your theatrical experience, suburban Boston is not typically where you’re headed to find it. Many of the venues rely on a steady diet of classic musicals and New York-tested comic and dramatic offerings to appeal to their subscriber base, and with the exception of the seemingly obligatory dose of gender-bending of late, there’s generally not a lot in terms of innovation going on outside of the city. Which is what makes Swan Lake in Blue, an adrenaline rush of a new work receiving its world premiere at the Greater Boston Stage Company, such a thrill.
Created and composed by frequent Company Theater music director Steve Bass and staged and choreographed by GBSC associate artistic director Robbins, it’s a production that may remind you more of (and possibly owes its inspiration to) the wordless sequence in An American in Paris than the original ballet from which the concept was spawned, and that’s a good thing – especially if you’re a fan of the big band sound and tap and lyrical dance.
I must admit that I was intrigued on my drive up to Stoneham, and found myself wondering just how they were going to pull this off. Robbins is a known quantity, as evidenced by her multiple IRNE Awards for choreography (including the spectacular SpeakEasy production of The Scottsboro Boys in 2016) and an Elliot Norton Award for direction, but given that the original Tchaikovsky score was going to be replaced by one created by young composer Bass – arranging for a 16 piece jazz band no less – made me more than a little wary. So it was a joy (and a relief) to see the gamble pay off so well. Swan Lake is a production loaded with explosive big band numbers and employs Robbins’ terrific tap and jazz choreography to tell its story – without a shred of dialogue. It’s not a flawless production, but it’s hugely entertaining from both a musical and dance perspective, and offers hope to theater artists looking create something outside of conventional forms.
Set in 1940’s New York, dancer Odette (Sara Coombs) is a featured burlesque performer in the swanky Swan Club, a jazz joint owned by gangster Von Rothbart (a menacing David Visini). She’s apparently there against her will, as we learn during the opening abduction sequence, but yearns to escape his clutches. She breaks free one day and auditions for a Broadway show, for none other than Flo Siegfried (Andy McLeavy). Sparks fly between the two, and the stage is set for a modern retelling of the tale of doomed lovers.
Bass’s score is well-constructed and often spectacular, and you can tell he’s spent a lot of time absorbing the works of the big band masters. The Count Basie and Duke Ellington influences are evident throughout the work, and he even slips in a piece reminiscent of Ellington’s “Caravan” in the second act. The band, led by Bass (who also plays piano), is first rate. Robbins devises some dazzling routines, including a couple of jaw-dropping athletic tap sequences led by the electric Jackson Jirard, who plays Siegfried’s right-hand man Ben Kelly, as well as a variety of other styles, highlighted by Coombs and the “Little Swans” during their sultry burlesque number at the Swan Club. The featured dancers are well supported by the ensemble, with Mike Herring (who seems to have an innate understanding of the movement and feel of the era) and Emerson junior Maya McClain really standing out. Dance veteran Briana Fallon, who plays Odette’s rival for the affection of Siegfried as well as one of the “Little Swans” burlesque dances, also gives an impressive performance.
There are some slight issues with this production, mostly stemming from the sometimes muddy narrative, such as when Odette becomes Odile (via a costume change) and we’re supposed to understand that she’s a different person, and some of the (dance) battles for Odette’s heart are a little confusing. There’s also not much real heat between Coombs and McLeavy, although he is a talented hoofer. GSBC favorite Coombs (Dames at Sea, Miracle on 34th St.) more than holds her own in the challenging role, effectively conveying Odette’s pain with her expressive face while executing Robbins’ lyrical dance routines beautifully. As Rothbart, Visini brings a real feel of danger to the stage with his slick moves and presence.
Bass and Robbins really have created something exciting and different in Stoneham, something the local theater scene could use more of. See it. For tickets and information, go to: www.greaterbostonstage.org
