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Movin' Out (Chicago)

Elizabeth Parkinson, John Selya and Ensemble dancers performing. Photo by Joan Marcus.

Brief excerpts from promotional footage.

Left to right: Rod McCune, Mark Arvin, Elizabeth Parkinson and Scott Fowler performing. Photo by Joan Marcus.

Keith Roberts performing. Photo by Joan Marcus.

Poster for the premiere of Movin’ Out in Chicago in 2002.

Premiere

  • Date

    25 June 2002

  • Venue

    The Shubert Theater

  • Location

    Chicago, IL

Production

  • Choreographer and Director

    Twyla Tharp

  • Producer

    James L. Nederlander,
    Hal Luftig,
    Scott E. Nederlander,
    Terry Allen Kramer,
    Emanuel Azenberg

  • Production Associate

    Jesse Huot

  • Music by

    Billy Joel

  • Arranger

    Stuart Malina

  • Live Music by

    THE MOVIN’ OUT BAND:
    Michael Cavanaugh (piano/lead vocals),
    Tommy Byrnes (leader/guitar),
    Wade Preston (keyboard),
    Dennis DelGaudio (guitar),
    Greg Smith (bass),
    Chuck Burgi (drums),
    John Scarpulla (lead sax/percussion),
    Scott Kreitzer (sax),
    Barry Danielian (trumpet),
    Kevin Osborne (trombone/vocals)

  • Synthesizer Programmer

    David Rosenthal

  • Music Coordinator

    John Miller

  • Musical Consultant

    Tommy Byrnes

  • Sound Designer

    Brian Ruggles,

    Peter J. Fitzgerald

  • Lighting Designer

    Donald Holder

  • Costume Designer

    Suzy Benzinger

  • Hair Designer

    Paul Huntley

  • Scenic Designer

    Santo Loquasto

  • Technical Supervision

    Brian Lynch

  • Casting

    Jay Binder Casting,

    Sarah Prosser

Dancers

Ensemble
Mark Arvin, Karine Bageot, Alexander Brady, Holly Cruikshank, Ron De Jesus, Melissa Downey, Pascale Faye, Scott Fowler, David Gomez, Rod McCune, Jill Nicklaus, Rika Okamoto

 

Swings
Andrew Allagree, Aliane Baquerot, Laurie Kanyok, William Marrié, Meg Paul, Lawrence Rabson, Dana Stackpole

  • Number of Dancers

    18

Dance Sections

Act I
Hicksville, Long Island/Vietnam/1967-1973

Eddie clings to the 1950s, still caught up in “The Wild Ones” and Elvis. Brenda, his wife, is desperate for a life of her own. Tony, younger -a Beatles fan – is ready to move out. James, Eddie’s best friend and Tony’s brother, proposes to his forever sweetheart, Judy, and they plan to settle down. Home is a small, suburban levittown on Long Island. Everyone knows everyone. The war in Vietnam changes all these lives.

 

Act II
Hicksville, Long Island/1974-1987

Eddie, Tony, Brenda, and Judy struggle to regain their equilibrium. Hicksville, along with the rest of the country, recoils from the evidence of a war, which has betrayed and challenged all its traditional values. Americans everywhere look away from the vets who have come home with wounds that seem too deep to ever heal.

  • Runtime

    01:30:00

Description

In early 2001, Tharp began developing material that would become Movin’ Out (2002), a jukebox dance-musical set to the songs of Billy Joel. She worked with company dancers for several months before inviting Joel to the studio to propose her idea for the show.

 

The five main characters are derived from Joel’s songs: Brenda and Eddie from “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant;” James and Judy from “James” and “Why, Judy, Why;” and Tony from “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song).” Additional songs were selected to support the plot that follows these five friends through high school romances, bust-ups, the Vietnam War, living the high life and hitting bottom.

 

In June 2002, previews of Movin’ Out opened in Chicago, which Tharp used to evaluate and reinvent the production.

Past Performances

The Shubert Theater

Movin' Out – Chicago (premiere)

Chicago, IL

June 25 2002 Premiere

  • 2002