Shadows: A Dance Musical

See it if You’re interested in seeing a really good story (though not exactly original), really clever staging, interesting lighting and sound.

Don't see it if You can’t overlook some really weak singing. They’re all pretty good and some of the songs are great but they (he) don’t project well.

Also I really liked this. It had a lot of flaws...if you want to see them but it’s one of those shows where it’s good enough that it’s easy to forgive any missteps because they make up for it with such nice surprises like the exquisite dancing and the shadow players and the really good plot line. Good acting. Good singing (when you can hear them...which is most of the time). Well worth seeing in my opinion.... Read more Read less

See it if Songs & voices* Dances* Story* Set* Costume Designer* Background Music * Spooky Stuff* 90 minutes* Revenge is Sweet a 95 & a 90%

Don't see it if Theater Location 90 minutes (for some) It rained It closes today

See it if you’d enjoy seeing a sexy central couple in bed for a couple of hours, with frequently intruding dancing spooks providing lots of atmosphere

Don't see it if you have no tolerance for cheap romance.

Also This is an uneasy hybrid piece for 2 singing actors, 4 dancers & a couple of shadows who move the set & bodies around. The central couple are 2 lovers, young male & older female, who are very sexy, alone & together, & spend much of the time in bed. They make this thin, awkward mishmash worth seeing. The dancers, a balletic pair & a ballroom pair are fine. Over the course of the play they provide a lot more plot than the main storyline, & choreographic commentary on the central couple, each of whom has a spouse back at home. But the material they dance feels intrusive & melodramatic. The songs are forgettable, & the balance on the sound system seemed off: lyrics were often hard to understand. Yet I enjoyed myself, because I found the central couple so attractive, felt their heat & their pain, even through an unlikely 11th hour plot bomb.... Read more Read less

See it if you appreciate dance, enjoy a love story mixed with strange happenings presented in song, word and movement, like intrigue, great lighting.

Don't see it if you want sound perfection-the mic-less voices were often drowned by the music which at times seemed distorted; you can't put 2 & 2 together

Also The program shows that two songs were cut and the intermission eliminated. I can only wonder how their restoration would change this almost two hour long presentation as it moved constantly without boredom.... Read more Read less

See it if you like mysteries evoked with beauty and grace. The use of the stage is particularly evocative.

Don't see it if you are distressed by plots based on marital infidelity.

See it if you enjoy a play that uses creative use of dance and stage to tell a ghostly story. Need to be patient with this plot revealed late in play.

Don't see it if you like a traditional play told with words.

Also I really enjoyed seeing one of my favorite dancers from the ABT. Dance was used very creatively as was the set on a very small stage. I hope this production moves to a larger theater so the dancers would have more room and the special effects could be more expanded..... Read more Read less

See it if you like interesting dance sequences; supernatural elements; some good voices. Always a pleasure seeing Irina D. She elevates the material.

Don't see it if you want a show with a consistent flow that's easy to follow & characters that you care about.

See it if you want to see how a great idea for a show just does not evolve to its potential.

Don't see it if you want to see a show still trying to find itself.

Also I really was looking forward to this dance musical but it disappointed.
There was not that much dancing. The stage was way too small for the choreographers concept. The music was banal and derivative of background music with childish lyrics. I felt sorry for the dancers and the singers.... Read more Read less

See it if you want to be thoroughly entertained by a talented ensemble. Great effects. This show could be a blockbuster with some polish and rework.

Don't see it if you are not open to unusual shows at small venues, regardless of how good they are.

See it if Visually stunning. Dancing and acting and staging were so original. So refreshing to see a dance musical.

Don't see it if If don’t like Theater out of the box and newly imagined. This has a surreal element so if you don’t like that that it’s not for you

See it if You really like ballet. Or you want to hear about other people's affairs.

Don't see it if The songs are a bit flavorless. If that's going to be a problem, don't bother.

See it if You are interested in a story told through dance.

Don't see it if You don't enjoy ghost stories, dance, singing, or a story based on marital infidelity.

See it if You're up for a predictable at times hokey but ultimately engaging musical ghost story. Fine leads & dancers mostly flesh out thin material.

Don't see it if You dislike melodramas or ghost stories or musical versions of either.

Also The leads are convincing (even though inaudible at times), particularly Janine Divita, who projects humor and a genuine honesty, all in the here-and-now moment; pretty rare. The staging and design are visually striking, the sound and lighting effective. The dancers are solid and pro, giving the weak choreography some needed heft. The staging by comparison, is smooth and inventive, creating a solid gothic backdrop with not much more than lights and sound. Properly done, a good melodrama onstage will at some point produce a collective gasp from its audience, and in that, Shadows doesn't disappoint. What does fall short are the music and lyrics which, however well performed, didn't come across.

Still, it's an engaging show that means well with a solid cast and, if you're prepared to just go with it, by all means go.... Read more Read less

See it if WOW was I surprised. I had very low expectations coming into this and until an unacceptable last scene it was near perfect.

Don't see it if a last scene that currently justifies the selfishness of all the characters turns you off.

Also Unless you're a believer in the philosophy of Ayn Rand (in which case the ending was perfect), there were two possible endings here that both would have been more meaningful than the one presented in the last scene.

First, the show could have followed the example of Hawthorne and left fate of the two lover in the afterlife ambiguous. It would have been a powerful statement.

Alternatively, the authors could have used a Shakespearean ending. Claire's ghost-grandmother could have danced a celebration of our protagonists' respective murder and suicide - a justification of her own actions many years before.

Janine DiVita's Claire is shows extraordinary skill as an actress and a singer. John Arthur Greene's is solid as Alex. The dance skills of Irina Dvorovenko, Waldemar Quinones Villanueva, Naomi Kakuk and Nickemil Concepcion all brilliantly capture the emotions of the ghosts they portray.... Read more Read less

See it if You are are looking for a play with music and dance that is at moments successful in achieving a level of spookiness.

Don't see it if You are looking for a well-constructed ghost story or romantic drama. The music sung on stage is tedious and it never adds up.

Also "Shadows was born between a collaboration of playwright and choreographer, using dance as an equal form of narrative to the book." Shadows creative team

Shadows might have benefitted greatly by sticking to that initial structure. As a play with music Shadows is serviceable. As a musical, it's absurdly amateur.

So much so that Shadows actually upstages its own performers with its pre-recorded music by Edison Woods, fronted by Julia Frodahl who's ethereal voice is jus perfect for the material. In particular the song Finding the Lions is mesmerizing.

Karen Bishko's more traditional character driven book-musical songs are almost comically lacking in subtlety and craft, especially next to Woods'.

The actors/dancers do their best to elevate the material with mixed success, but what they manage is admirable.

There are a number of weird plot holes/unexplained little points but the real issue is the enormous tonal whiplash that occurs throughout the piece.... Read more Read less

See it if you want to support the cast or the production crew; willing to give this overwrought mishmash with unsympathetic protagonists a chance

Don't see it if a buff guy in his Calvins, hipster haircut & bad tats crooning & spooning with a high-heeled, spoiled lady-who-lunches would bother you

Also An interesting back story of a gothy haunting was wasted on 2 rather repugnant yuppies who spend 85 of the 90 minutes canoodling in their underwear and feeling guilty. The dancing & shadow play were nice, and the 'ghostly characters' were far more interesting than the protagonists. The silly 'coda-like' resolution was just beyond ridiculous.... Read more Read less

See it if you are a fan of ballet. Irena D. is exquisite and there are some lovely dance sequences. If you want to support new works.

Don't see it if even if you like dance, this is still hard to sit through. It was painfully slow, with banal, cliched lyrics and dialogue.

Also If I hadn't enjoyed the dance sequences as much as I did, the score would have been even lower.... Read more Read less

See it if you like ballet in a show and can put up with a storyline that is weak at points.

Don't see it if you're looking for a powerful story or extramarital affairs bother you

Also It was difficult to hear the voices over the music at times, especially the male lead.... Read more Read less

See it if You like dance performances, or enjoy unique performances in small settings with creative use of minimal staging.

Don't see it if You need big productions with fancy staging, or only like musicals with catchy songs and strong lyrics.

See it if You like classic ballet and a strong female voice. This was an interesting interweaving of the two and felt like a fresh story. Well done!!

Don't see it if The male lead singer had a pretty voice but his singing was from the throat, not diaphragm, and he paled compared to lead female. She shone

See it if you're interested in hybrid shows; you like to support indie theatre; you're intrigued by the supernatural; you enjoy "what if" stories

Don't see it if stories involving marital infidelity leading to murder would bother you; narratives that punish the adulterers & sinners are too grim

Also Trapped in a sexless yet seemingly "perfect" marriage in Connecticut, Claire begins an affair with Alex, a 20-something NYC real estate agent who claims his wife left him.

Claire's NYC lovenest is haunted by angry spirits: her ballerina grandmother, her jealous husband, her handsome lover & his scorned wife; all 4 had met their death in this pied-a-terre due to infidelity -- & appear to Claire & Alex to warn them.

Ballerina Irina Dvorovenko is mesmerizing.
The jealous back-story and "death" scenes were well executed by the Shadow dancers. The most creative choreography involved 2 shadow dancers & the moment when the scorned Woman in Silver dances into the hanging of herself. Wow.

However, Claire & Alex's "affair" is shallow -- never presented as anything more than hot sex. Then Alex goes back to his wife Kiki.

Perhaps too many "cooks" spoiled this hybrid meal, the creative forces trying to go in 3 directions instead of deepening the story.... Read more Read less

See it if you like concept musicals, ghosts, well-done ballet, and more multi-method presentation of musicals.

Don't see it if you expect musicals to mostly be composed of songs that work and provide highlights. Are bothered by characters that are a bit flat.

Also For me this musical had elements that could have allowed it to be a homerun but it wasn't. I liked the idea of using ballet to represent ghosts and their conflicts and history and I loved the dancing particularly when Dvorovenko was on stage. In a way she was almost to good though as I found myself more interested and connected to her then the lead who I was bored with mostly. I thought the first act didn't really work particularly as far as the songs. The songs need to carry more weight as far as rounding out the characters, setting up the ending, and providing highlights particularly early. Its not really until late in the play that the songs and the characters outside the ballet connect. I think particularly given the ending they need to be a bit more skeptical with their characters particularly the female lead. She needs more of an edge to her throughout and for the danger of where she is going to be developed in more than just the ballet. Real potential here though.... Read more Read less

See it if you'd enjoy a great concept even if it needs more of development, you'd like some good songs even if they are not all fitting in this show.

Don't see it if you do not like hybrid musicals, you do not like the melodramatic, you do not like good performances in an uneven (but promising) show.

See it if You really like dancing in a show. It is a new musical.

Don't see it if You want very good voices and interesting choreography.

See it if You like lovely young voices (without microphones!), an offbeat plot and some decent (albeit melodramatic) ballet thrown in.

Don't see it if You dislike longish lead-ins (I almost walked out before the play even started), spooky events, murder or suicide. The end is a real bust.

Also Janine DiVita as Claire sports good acting and a lovely voice; John Arthur Greene plays a sexy young real estate agent with a solid tenor voice. Dancing by Irina Dvorovenko, Waldemar Quinones Villanueva, Naomi Kakuk and Nickemil Concepcion was good, not great.

Not the best thing I have ever seen, and definitely weird.... Read more Read less