The show was received with much critical acclaim and won the 2000 Tony Award for Best Musical (among others - see below). However, it caused much controversy in the American theater world about what constitutes a musical, as instead of original music, it uses pre-recorded music and songs, the actors do not sing, and there is minimal dialogue. As a result of the controversy, a new category was created for the Tony Awards: Best Special Theatrical Event.
The original cast album was released on March 6 2001. The idea of a cast album for a show with no original score was in itself controversial. PBS included the show's final performance in its program "Live From Lincoln Center" on September 1 2002. The show went on to tour nationally.
A West End production opened at the Queen's Theatre in October 2002, and closed on May 10, 2003.
Structure, music and story
"Contact" was initially developed, researched, and written up by Mike Ockrent's (Stroman's husband) development executive and assistants during his brief production deal at Warner Bros. It was to be a musical film based on the swing revival currently under way in New York. Warner Bros. considered the idea, along with the idea from Ockrent's employees for a film musical of "Therese Racquin", which was also later given to Stroman as "Thou Shalt Not." After Ocrkent's film deal dissolved, the ideas were then made use of by Stroman.Contact is made up of three separate dance pieces, each set to pre-recorded music from the likes of Tchaikovsky, Stephane Grappelli, the Squirrel Nut Zippers, Royal Crown Revue, and The Beach Boys:
- Part One - "Swinging"
- Part One, set in an 18th century French forest clearing, can be described as a Contact improvisation on Fragonard's The Swing, a print of which is displayed on an easel when the audience arrives. Sex and concealed identity are involved in this piece of amoral intrigue - a servant and his master each seeks the young lady's affection. Much of the action takes place on a moving swing.
- Part Two - Did You Move?
- Part Two, set in 1950s New York, takes place in an Italian restaurant, focusing on the empty marriage of a small-time gangster and his wife. The wife has extensive dance sequences as she fantasizes about escaping her verbally abusive spouse, set to recorded orchestral music of Tchaikovsky and Grieg.
- Part Three - "Contact"
- Part Three, a contemporary piece, explores the emptiness of the career-driven lives of Manhattan apartment dwellers and prevents them from making contact with others.
It helped to create a surge of interest in acrobatic and rock and roll swing dancing.
In each story, the central character expresses a longing to make a romantic connection.
Awards
In addition to winning Best Musical and Best Choreography, Contact's leading actors, Karen Ziemba (in Part Two) and Boyd Gaines (in Part Three), won Tonys for Best Featured Actress and Best Featured Actor in a Musical, respectively. The show also won Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding New Musical, Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical, Outstanding Choreography and Outstanding Lighting Design.Deborah Yates, who originated the spectacular dance role of Girl in a Yellow Dress (Part Three), was also nominated for a Tony Award that year in the same category as Karen Ziemba.
Original cast
- Jason Antoon
- John Bolton
- Boyd Gaines
- Jack Hayes
- Robert Wersinger
- Scott Taylor
- Deborah Yates
- Karen Ziemba
- Stephanie Michels
- Sean Martin Hingston
Musical numbers
Act ISwinging- My Heart Stood StillDid You Move?
- Anitra's Dance
- Waltz Eugene
- Farandole
- You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves YouContact
- Put a Lid On It
- Sweet Lorraine
- Runaround Sue
- Beyond the Sea
- See What I Mean?
- Simply Irresistible
- Do You Wanna Dance?
- Topsy
- Sing, Sing, Sing
References
See also
External links
- Contact at the Internet Off Broadway Database
- IBDB Entry for Contact
- The Swing (Les hazards heureux de l'escarpolette) by Fragonard
- Interview with Karen Ziemba
- Interview with Deborah Yates
- Review in Dance Magazine
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Last updated on Saturday July 05, 2008 at 14:44:06 PDT (GMT -0700)
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