SONG & DANCE by Andrew Lloyd Webber (Glyn Laverick). At the Danforth Music Hall (147 Danforth). $25-$79.75. Until May 28. 416-872-1111. See Continuing in Theatre Listings Rating: NN Rating: NN
There must be something in the water. Former National Ballet principal Rex Harrington tore his Achilles tendon on opening night of Song & Dance , and on Friday his replacement, Roberto Campanella , fell on a jump and injured his ankle not five minutes into the second act.
Eric S. Robertson immediately sprang from the wings and performed a series of soaring leaps to cover for Campanella, who limped on once to partner the exquisite Evelyn Hart but then kept a low profile.
Robertson’s ballsiness covers for the fact that the show itself is completely devoid of plot and musical interest.
The first act chronicles the romantic trials of a young British woman ( Louise Pitre ) in America. She sings all of it. The second half is all dance, touching on the doomed romantic entanglements from act one.
As usual, Andrew Lloyd Webber pimps one melodic idea into 22 forget-table songs with lots of flourish.
Pitre’s brassy vocals fit Webber’s style: this is no show for subtle interpretation, and she delivers on every big ballad.
The dancing, though athletic and flashy – lots of jazz hands and split jumps – fails to tell a strong story. From my seat, it appears that Harrington and Campanella injured themselves not on the most demanding moves but on ones that occur quickly and with stress on the ankles.
At the time of writing, Campanella’s prognosis was unknown. The National Ballet of Canada’s Piotr Stanczyk will fill in for Harrington, who’s on the mend at home after an operation to repair his tendon.
stage@nowtoronto.com
