“We didn't start the fire
But when we are gone
Will it still burn on, and on, and on, and on...” – Billy Joel, the piano man
Tunes so oft heard, words so oft repeated but credits never duly paid.
Little did I know about the works of Billy Joel when I drove into the parking lot of the Lake Michigan College’s Mendel Art Center to attend the hit Broadway musical “Movin’ Out”. My friends seemed excited and I was amazed by their excitement but indifferent about attending the show- the experience I was to have still unbeknownst to me.
The musical tells the story of a generation of American youth growing up on Long Island during the 1960s and their experiences with life – through their dreams, hopes, friends, lovers, the Viet Nam war, drugs, violence, anxiety, anger and above all their music. Taking us through the lives of Brenda, Eddie, James, Judy and Tony with a super talented ensemble of their friends, the experience was worth every minute spent in that auditorium.
The usher mentioned there were going to be very few dialogues as we were entering the auditorium to take our balcony seats. I did not think much of it until after the play was done with. “Very few dialogues” was an overstatement – “Yes!” is the only word I clearly remember having heard from the dancer on stage. The will, the thrill, the determination, the joy and the excitement in that one word however lingers.
Unlike in my previous experience of a musical where the dancers sang their songs, Movin Out had none of its dancers singing. All the vocals were performed by 3 pianists and their accompanying band from a suspended platform above the stage where the dancers performed.
While the performances, by the band ‘upstairs’, of all-time favorites like Captain Jack, River of Dreams, Its Still Rock n Roll to me dazzled my aural receptors, the stage and the lighting sweetened my visual receptors, and the lead and supporting cast left me encumbered with thoughts of my two left feet. They engaged their bodies in what can only be termed as acts of sheer brilliance and years of strenuous practice.
As I left the hall speechless and in utter awe, I retired my thoughts to the words I half knew…
“Uptown girl…
She's been living in her uptown world
..
I'm gonna try for an uptown girl
She's been living in her white bread world
..
And now she's looking for a downtown man
That's what I am”