MusicManiac Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 Movin' Out - The Music of Billy Joel on Broadway ** Twyla Tharp is the archetypal '60s rebel: she not only questioned authority, she had the vision and talent to answer it. Responding to the songs of Billy Joel, she has created a non-verbal saga of the Vietnam era, a "full-length musical" that looks and sounds and feels very much like a part of our lives today. The platinum hit songs are great and the choreography is literally breathtaking. Tharp has assembled a rotating band of brilliant performers, and Joel has done the same on the music end. ** - If you like Billy Joel music, you will love this show. If you have an open-mind about ballet and are not a purist, you will love this show. If you have always had a desire to see a ballet dancing set to Billy Joel music, you will be in heaven. The dancers in Movin' Out are extrememely talented and absolutely amazing to watch. The band is quite good and the lead singer, has a voice that is a close replica of Billy Joel himself. Don't go into this show expecting an overwhemning engaging storyline. It is the music, dance and talented performers that carry the show and make it an entertaining experience. Movin' Out is a new musical conceived, choreographed, and directed by Twyla Tharp based on 24 classic Billy Joel songs. It tells the story of six lifelong friends, told over two turbulent decades (from the '60s to the '80s). Below is a short synopsis of both acts from the show. - ___________________________________ ACT I Long Island in the ‘60s. The king and queen of prom, Brenda and Eddie, are finished, while forever sweethearts James and Judy are ready for marriage. Their friend, Tony, is looking for that kind of love, and finds it with Brenda, who has become her own woman. The Vietnam War takes the men away from home, leaving their loved ones to pick up the pieces. James loses his life in combat, while Tony and Eddie return home broken as Judy grieves. ACT II The vets try to cobble their lives back together. Tony can’t seem to find a way to reconnect with Brenda, while Eddie can’t connect with anyone. Spiraling into a lonely existence of drugs and self-loathing, Eddie takes a tour through a nightmare of his past, projecting Judy as his guide. By chance, he encounters Judy jogging in the park, and her forgiveness allows him to finally set his life back on track. Brenda and Tony rediscover the love needed to heal their wounds. The friends reunite to discover they have all found their way back home. _____________________________________ The genius of Movin Out' is the way the songs and choreography mesh together. Tharp interprets Joel's music with astonishing acuity; yet the dances are less "to" the music than in juxtaposition with them, creating incredible tension. Tharp establishes the show's ground rules with a prologue to "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me," introducing us to the band and the principals and getting us acquainted with a form that feels strange for about two minutes and then becomes comfortable: an abstract kind of theatre that's aware of itself as formalized band and ballet corps, yet at the same time feels like a bunch of pals from the neighborhood jamming and cutting up on someone's front lawn. Official Site - Movin' Out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusicManiac Posted October 25, 2005 Author Share Posted October 25, 2005 Billy Broadway Buzz Another Joel Musical? Billy Joel, said he was busy at work on another new original musical to follow-up on his sucessful Movin' Out. "I'm working on a book/screenplay," for the show, said Joel, whose songbook was the basis on the Broadway show Movin' Out. "I'm talking to numerous people about writing a book. And I have sketches of music. "The working title is Good Career Move. It's about the music business. I'm going to take it apart. What Mel Brooks did to Broadway in The Producers, I'll do the to the music business." Joel said all the songs will be original, and that he might collaborate with other composers on some of the songs. Billy Joel has had 33 Top 40 hits and 23 Grammy nominations since signing his first solo recording contract in 1972. In 1990, he was presented with a Grammy Legend Award. Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1992, Joel was presented with the Johnny Mercer Award, the organization’s highest honor, in 2001. In 1999 he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and he received the Recording Industry Association of America Diamond Award, presented for albums that have sold more than 10 million copies. In 2003 he, along with Stuart Malina, won the Tony Award for Best Orchestrations for Movin’ Out. Movin' Out SONG LIST Lead singer Michael Cavanuagh is an incredible Billy Joel soundalike. Here's a link to some clips from the show. Piano/Vocals Samples Though not all of Billy Joel’s hit songs could be included in Movin’ Out, his enthusiasts will no doubt enjoy the classics which are featured in this upbeat show. 1. Scenes From an Italian Restaurant 2. Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song) 3. Reverie 4. Just the Way You Are 5. The Longest Time 6. Uptown Girl 7. This Night 8. Summer, Highland Falls 9. Waltz (No. 1) 10. We Didn’t Start the Fire 11. She’s Got a Way 12. The Stranger 13. Elegy 14. Invention in C Minor 15. Angry Young Man 16. Big Shot 17. Big Man on Mulberry Street 18. Captain Jack 19. An Innocent Man 20. Pressure 21. Goodnight Saigon 22. Air (Dublinesque) 23. Shameless 24. James 25. The River of Dreams/ Keeping the Faith/ Only the Good Die Young 26. I’ve Loved These Days/ Scenes From an Italian Restaurant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
defgoddess Posted October 26, 2005 Share Posted October 26, 2005 MAN, i would love to see that show. damn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heartlessbitch Posted October 26, 2005 Share Posted October 26, 2005 OH caucazoid.. i completely forgot about the billy joel obsession.. lmao.. takes me back to christmas of 2002.. ah good times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusicManiac Posted November 14, 2005 Author Share Posted November 14, 2005 -> MY LIVES, THE ULTIMATE CAREER-SPANNING BILLY JOEL COLLECTION Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archangel Posted November 14, 2005 Share Posted November 14, 2005 I saw this bit twice, and it's perhaps one of my Favourite musicals. it's alot of fun, and I highly recommend it to everyone. By the way, they're comming to South Florida in Early 2006 at the Broward Center, I believe. Get your tickets at We Rip You Off.com. Also, for those who want to get me a good christmas gift, My Lives is a good idea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusicManiac Posted July 19, 2006 Author Share Posted July 19, 2006 The piano man, has 12 Gardens out featuring some great material taken from 12 sold out shows in NYC at the Madison SQ Garden. His video library from his site and a link to the MP3's from the concert are below. Billy Joel videos The Videos of BILLY JOEL LINK ----------------------------------------------------- Billy Joel 12 Gardens Rhapsody MP3 LINK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archangel Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 awesome! Thanks MM. By the way, I went to catch this for a third time in New York with my brother. It was great, as usual. However, at the end of the show, as the cast was giving the final bow, Mr. Billy Joel himself walked out behind backstage, suprising the audience and even the cast, and gave us a 30 minute concert. It was awesome. I WOULD have gotten his autograph, but a stupid little whore jumped in front of me. >( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reverend Jax Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 Did the Queen Musical, We Will Rock You, ever make it's way to the USA? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusicManiac Posted July 20, 2006 Author Share Posted July 20, 2006 According to the website... it's only playing at Dominion Theatre in London. OFFICIAL MUSICAL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reverend Jax Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 Yeah, it was set to open one month from the time is was in London. So instead I saw the Complete Works fo William Shakespeare Abridged adn the Vagina Monlogue featuring Mel B, aka Scary Spice. I was hoping We Will rock You would make it's way to the USA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusicManiac Posted July 20, 2006 Author Share Posted July 20, 2006 Scary Spice? Your kidding right? I guess the girl needed work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reverend Jax Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 It was awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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