Twyla Tharp has had her commercial successes and failures, but everything she choreographs is an intense culmination of flawless classical understanding and the seemingly reckless abandon of the modern dance world. Come Fly Away is her latest attempt to set a chorus of limbs and balance against an iconic singer. This has been her mission in the 21st century, to set the theater afire with an incredible routine of dizzying disciplined dance. Come Fly Away tickets are just that at the Marquis Theatre on Broadway.
Perhaps no one other than the New York Times Charles Isherwood can better describe this modern ballet. There is jumping, jiving, lovers, and fighting all set to the standard ballads of Frank Sinatra. Eighteen Sinatra classics are backed by the voices of Hilary Gardner and Rosena Hill as the accompanying feminine vocals and a solid company of dancers whose expertise is limitless.
The intertwining stories take to the dance floor at a jazz club like a live silent film with one set. Kate and Hank fail as lovers to become friends, Marty and Betsy overcome their apprehension and allow themselves to step into love…or lust. Slim and Chanos find a night of passion, and Babe and Sid battle for the spotlight. There are more stories and the moves tell them all, perfectly, without anything more than the music of Frank flowing through the speakers.
