Gotta Dance: freeFall’s “What a Glorious Feeling!” Is a Tap-Jazz-Ballet Knockout

If you’re looking for a show that features incredible dancing, shuffle-ball-change your way to freeFall Theatre for its production of What a Glorious Feeling!

Playwright Jay Berkow’s play with music imagines the behind-the-scenes making of the classic 1952 movie musical Singin’ in the Rain, as star and director Gene Kelly begins working on the film in the MGM studio.

While Berkow’s script is fictional and events can’t really be confirmed, it has similar themes to the actual movie, which is also a behind-the-scenes look into movie making.

What can be confirmed is that freeFall has another winner with What a Glorious Feeling! It fills the void for live performance showcasing the tap-jazz-ballet hybrid style of dance, performed by an exceptionally talented cast.

The show opens with Gene (John T. Wolfe) at the studio, working out songs with pianist and arranger Kenny (freeFall’s music director Michael Raabe). Soon they are joined by Gene’s longtime collaborator, Stanley Donen (Justin Michael López), and assistant Jeanne Coyne (Caroline Lynch Desmarais).

Stanley and Jeanne have recently divorced, and it becomes clear there’s a romantic background between Gene and Jeanne. The tension is palpable.

Enter producer Arthur Freed (Larry Alexander), who informs Gene that the studio is casting Debbie Reynolds (Laura Guley) in the film, rather than Gene’s preferred choice of Judy Garland. Debbie can’t dance, so Gene will have to teach her. (In one scene, there’s a nod to the lore of him locking her in the studio, where she’s in a sleeping bag.)

Douglas S. Hall returned to freeFall to direct the show, after he and Raabe had been looking for another collaboration (Hall directed the musical Daddy Long Legs and acted in Red Velvet). Artistic director Eric Davis suggested Glorious and it fit the bill, Hall said.

In turn, Hall suggested choreographer Chris Shin for the show, whom he’d worked with before and said has similar approaches to directing — and Shin is a great tap dancer.

Shin was game, especially, he said, because the show is the type of musical and style of dance that he’s always been drawn to.

Those familiar with freeFall’s intimate space are aware of the myriad ways the stage has been configured. Here, Hall decided to put it in a corner, and it seemed like the visibility would be good no matter where you sit. Shin gave credit to master carpenter James Putnam for building a stage that was perfect for tap dancing (and was faux-painted to look like wood by the multitalented actor Julia Rifino).

Except for Alexander and Raabe, this is most of the cast’s freeFall debut. This show needed actors with a combination of talents that is more rare these days, Hall said. They were looking for strong dancer-actors.

The show’s style of dancing also isn’t as prevalent as it used to be, Shin said.

They both agreed that they lucked out on the cast, with Shin calling them triple threats. It’s true — all were captivating and left this fan hungry for more.

The show has many of the iconic songs and numbers found in the movie, but it’s not a direct copy of choreography or musical arrangements. Because the plot revolves around the characters creating the show, it would have been likely that things would have been changed, Hall said.

There’s also no official cast recording of What a Glorious Feeling!, giving Raabe the freedom to change tempo or add ideas, which was helpful for Shin, he said.

That lets the audience avoid drawing too many comparisons to the film and just enjoy. The dancing and lyrical gymnastics performed on “Tongue Twisters (Moses Supposes)” are a high point.

All of the relationships in the show were made evident through the choreography’s tension and drama. Wolfe and Desmarais’ chemistry makes Jeanne and Gene’s passion for each other most clear on “Broadway Ballet.”

That’s not to say that there aren’t some iconic movie moments that Hall and Shin decided on. No spoilers, but “Singin’ in the Rain” and “Good Mornin’” will excite fans of the movie.

You’ll leave the theater with another earworm: gotta dance!

What a Glorious Feeling! runs through Oct. 4 at freeFall Theatre, St. Petersburg.
Tickets: freefalltheatre.com
Photos: Thee Photo Ninja