Talk of a move to a Broadway house began shortly after Contact's opening night, with the Beaumont seeming the likeliest prospect, given its close proximity and it structural resemblance to the Newhouse. The "dance play"'s March 9 Broadway debut will allow Lincoln Center Theater's upcoming musical, Marie Christine, to retain its hold on the Beaumont. The Michael John LaChiusa show will begin previews Oct. 28, open Dec. 2 and run through Jan. 9.
The next show due in the Newhouse is the new revival of Arthur Laurent's The Time of the Cuckoo, featuring Debra Monk and directed by Nicholas Martin, beginning Jan. 27.
Contact is divided into three parts. In the first story, "Swinging," three 18th-century French figures carry out a romantic intrigue to jazz violinist Stephane Grappeli's rendition of "My Heart Stood Still." Much of the section's acrobatic, and erotic action is played out upon a large swing suspended from the rafters. Sean Martin Hingston, Stephanie Michaels and Scott Taylor play the trio.
Story two, "Did You Move?," stars Karen Ziemba as an unhappy Queens woman trapped in a suffocating marriage to a laconic brute. With few options open to her, she finds release in romantic fantasies backed by the music of Grieg, Tchaikovsky, Bizet and Puccini. These flights of fancy are enacting in a neighborhood Italian restaurant, with patrons, waiters and busboys all taking part. Stroman continues her trademark use of organic props by drawing trays, buspans, dessert carts and rolls into the choreography.
The final piece, "Contact," takes place in contemporary New York and, appropriately, features the music of the Squirrel Nut Zippers ("Put a Lid on It"), The Beach Boys ("Do You Want to Dance?"), Benny Goodman ("Sing, Sing, Sing"), Robert Palmer ("Simply Irresistible") and Dion ("Runaround Sue"). The story follows a suicidal advertising executive who, stumbling into an after-hours swing-dancing club, encounters a mysterious, beautiful woman in a yellow dress. Finding in the woman a reason to keep on living, he struggles to meet her, but is constantly thwarted by rivals more skilled on the dance floor. "Contact" is based on a true experience Stroman had one night, when she visited a dance club in the Meat Market district. There she witnessed a fascinating woman in a yellow dress who took turns dancing with different partners throughout the night. Watching from the sidelines, Stroman thought, "she's going to change someone's life tonight."
"Contact" -- which lasts about an hour and dominates the evening -- features Deborah Yates, a relative unknown, as the yellow-clad one. Boyd Gaines, a two time Tony-winner (who basically had to learn how to dance from the ground up for this production) plays the ad exec.
Contact is directed and choreographed by Stroman and features a cast of 22. Stroman burst onto the scene several years ago when she choreographed the Kander and Ebb revue And the World Goes Round . She went on to choreograph Crazy for You (Tony Award) and Show Boat. Last year, she choreographed a landmark production of Oklahoma! in London.
Weidman's works include Big, Assassins and Pacific Overtures.
For information, call (212) 239-6200.
