I was completely under the spell of this dazzling, tribute to romance and the magical vocal stylings of Frank Sinatra by Twyla Tharp in “Come Fly Away”, performed at the Bank of America Theatre. Twyla Tharp’s 15 amazing dancers bring to life the stories of four couples falling in and out of love with tremendous style and some of the best choreography performed by some of the best dancers I have seen on the stage in a long time.
If you are a huge Sinatra fan like myself, get ready to get drunk with pleasure and fully satisfied on this smorgasbord of his best recordings brought to life including: “Let’s Fall in Love”, “Witchcraft”, “I’ve Got a Crush on You”, “Teach Me Tonight”, “Body and Soul”, and “Yes Sir, That’s My Baby”. Sinatra sings all the songs with music performed by a fantastic 20-piece plus big band, which really gave the audience the feeling of being in the nightclub with all the dancers.
I believe the best dancers are also fine actors who emote their characters’ inner life through their faces as well as their bodies. Tharp’s stunning dancers, all of whom are superbly trained in ballet and modern dance equally, exude a raw sexuality that is a treat for the eyes. Twyla Tharp’s choreography is expert at dramatizing the flirtation and complex emotions of falling in and out of love that Sinatra standards describe so well.
I can’t recommend highly enough this winning combination of my favorite singers of all time, Frank Sinatra’s standards about love interpreted and brought to life by one of my favorite choreographers of all time, Twyla Tharp. It’s like peanut butter and chocolate, two great tastes that taste great together!
“Come Fly Away” runs through January 22nd. For more information, visit www.broadwayinchicago.com.
