Word: zach
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Harvard standouts included Cole and freshmen Warnick and Zach Cooper, who compiled a 3-2 record in the 190-lb. class but failed to place...
...main foci of his energies in this audition are Paul (Erik Anderson), an emotionally troubled dancer, and Cassie (Jacqueline Sloan), a fallen star and Zach's former lover. But the other dancers, especially Sheila (Lyra O. Barrera) and Diana (Susan Levine) do not escape his scrutiny. Much of the text of the musical seems dated, especially some of the material on homosexuality; but the power of the script is a timeless power based in poignant statements about the nature of performance and, not coincidentally, pain...
...undue limitations on the movements of the cast are especially striking in the opening dance number, "I Hope I Get It." The dancers, divided into smaller groups, perform a routine that Zach's assistant, Lori, has taught them. (In a clever casting twist, Hyett casted Christine van Kipnis, the show's choreographer, in the role.) In these dances, the individual groups are supposed to seem motley, but the cast members carry this to ridiculous lengths. They bounce into each other and dance more poorly than professionals ever would...
Barrera is one of the few cast members spared the feel-good disease, and her casting is a blessing. She makes Sheila believably brassy, and zings oneliners at Zach with an enviable flair. Her characterization is flawless. She dances well, and though her vocal tone is flat, she is a dynamic presence...
...gives a strong performance overall, but she has a few problems with vocal control, slipping out of her head voice to her chest voice and back again. This is unfortunate; her chest voice is infinitely more appealing. Her acting is compelling, but poorly focused. In a confrontational scene with Zach late in the show, Sloan too quickly reaches an emotional pitch she cannot sustain. But she moves nicely and proves herself a well-controlled dancer with a lot of sexual energy. Her dance solo, "The Music in the Mirror," could have been a lot stronger had the choreography been better...