43
Motown music moves Top Hat’s ‘57th Street’
By LORRAINE WARDLE
YOUNGSTOWN
The latest offering from Top Hat Productions is a blast from the past, in more ways than one. The musical “57th Street” takes place in 1969 and is full of nostalgia-inducing numbers from the Motown era.
Top Hat founder Brian Palumbo wrote the script nearly 20 years ago.
The musical has a fairly typical premise: a group of wannabe singers who live in an apartment complex in Detroit sing and dance in the streets hoping to be discovered.
The plot isn’t particularly complex, but it doesn’t have to be. Palumbo’s dialog is light and snappy and moves the play along quickly.
His script also includes more than 20 popular songs from the ’60s, which keeps the audience bopping.
Palumbo also directed this production, and assembled an excellent cast of singers and dancers. Every member of the cast was extremely talented and worked together perfectly.
Palumbo’s staging gave every cast member an opportunity to shine.
Following a rousing opening number, young Gillian McMahan lit up the stage with “Party Lights.”
Marlene Figley was the perfectly na Øve newcomer, Karen. Her “Stupid Cupid” was cute and fun.
Rachell Joy’s Rita was a confident, natural performer. Her “Dancing in the Street” showcased her powerful voice.
As landladies and sisters Margaret and Ola, Jacinda Madison and Cynthia Bryant commanded the stage. The real-life sisters were terrific performers with awesome voices. Their “Soulful Dress” was truly show-stopping.
The male chorus, in the form of a “boy band,” sang and danced in perfect harmony, and each man had a chance to shine as a soloist.
Likewise, the female chorus — a quartet and a trio — provided great vocals and dance numbers.
In a show full of great singers, Nikita Jones was the standout performer. Her strong, beautiful voice impressed in songs like “The Midnight Hour” and “My Guy” and her characterization of the flashy Nikki kept the audience laughing.
Palumbo’s direction kept the action moving throughout the entire stage. The pacing was perfect, and the play moved quickly and smoothly.
The choreography by Julie Palumbo and Joshua William Green was perfect for the era. And impressively, every actor looked great dancing.
The only criticism is on the sound design. While the band was housed in an enclosed part of the stage, it was still very loud and often overpowered the actors. The microphones seemed to malfunction at times.
Top Hat’s “57th Street” continues at Fairview Arts and Outreach Center, 4220 Youngstown-Poland Road, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It is a dinner theater show with food from Selah restaurant. Dinner begins at 6 p.m. and the play starts at 7, with dessert at intermission. For tickets, go to brownpapertickets.com or call 800-838-3006.