Block-Rocking Beats: 'Bring In 'Da Noise...' Lives Up to Expectations

BRING IN 'DA NOISE, BRING IN 'DA FUNK

At the Shubert Theater

May 19 through June 14

When Bring In 'Da Noise, Bring In 'Da Funk--a musical about the history of black tap-dancing--exploded onto Broadway in 1996, it grabbed four Tony awards and brought crowds of all colors to the theater. Two years later, the show is on its first national tour, and is currently experiencing its first-ever performance run in Boston. Although many of the cast members were plucked straight from the Broadway version, one cannot help but wonder if a tour production of Noise/Funk will live up to the reputation that the original has created. Can such a physically and emotionally taxing show perform day after day, in city after city, and still pulse with the energy that brought people to their feet cheering in New York's Public Theater?

For the most part, the answer is yes. The performers in Noise/Funk all exude talent, and each of them gives a fantastic performance. Unfortunately, the Shubert Theater lacks the equipment to effectively display their luminous energy. The show-stopping vocal acrobatics of 'da Singer (Vickilyn Reynolds) are certainly loud, but the Shubert's poorly-tuned sound system prevent most of the audience from distinguishing what exactly the lyrics to her songs are. In addition, as any Rent fan noticed last year, the elegant ivory-and-gold moulding of the newly-renovated Shubert drag attention away from the raw power of the events occuring onstage.

Fortunately, Reynolds and her funkfilled crew still manage to put on a high-energy show that almost overcomes these obstacles. Although some cynics may write the show off as the precessor to such noise-fests as Stomp and Tap Dogs, Noise/Funk is much more than a mere display of men creating sounds with everyday objects. Although it starts off with an eardrum-shattering intro, the tone of the show quickly quiets down and the real story begins.

The production basically trails the history of tap-dancing in the black community, starting with "In 'Da Beginning," displaying the unspeakable horror of slavery and the passage to America. The painfully slow and tiresome days in the field come next, as information about lynching flashes against the back of the stage. Unexpected bouts of energy keep the audience's hearts racing as well breaking--the image of the field workers suddenly bursting out dancing, even without drums to accompany them, is a hard to forget image, and one that echoes with the production's message of triumph despite extreme adversity. Plus, the unexpected charm and charismatic talent of drummers David Peter Chapman and Dennis J. Dove in "The Panhandlers" draws smiles and applause from theatergoers.

The next act, "Urbanization," opens with a disturbingly cheerful number called "The Lynching Blues," in which the company happily dances to a song in which crimes for which slaves were lynched are listed. Migration to Chicago comes next, and with it, the astounding set and choreography of "Industrialization" and the tragedy of "The Chicago Riot Rag." Both Reynolds and 'da Voice (Thomas Silcott) display their versatility in "I Got the Beat/Dark Tower," with her as a glittery white-enrobed baby-voiced diva and him discussing all the big names who hung out in his club.

After intermission, the act "Where's The Beat?" shows just what the performers do best--it takes a sad story of loss, and portray it with a big smile to get the tragic point across with just enough irony. A young and talented kid, played by B. Jason Young, journeys through Hollywood looking for a place to display his talent. In one particularly biting moment, Shirley Temple is parodied as 'da Beat (Derick K. Grant) makes a large stretchable doll dance with Uncle Huck-A-Buck (Dominique Kelley) as she asks him questions like, "Why do I get paid more than you?" Eventually, he loses "the beat," and has to conform to what everyone wants him to be. But hope is still in sight, in the form of Grant showing off his breathtakingly intricate steps in "Green, Chaney, Buster, Slyde," a tribute to the masters of tap.

"Street Corner Symphony," the next act, traces the recent turmoil that the black community has faced due to racism. Two particularly captivating moments take place during this act: Reynolds draws howls and cheers from the audience with one raised eyebrow as she struts around stage in a spicy outfit during "1967-Hot Fun." A minute later, the deadly pounding of drums echoes the dancers' intense and slow-burning rage in "1977-Blackout."

The final act of "Musicians" certainly gets pulses pounding again, but with mixed results. The four black men who shoot their middle fingers towards the taxis that refuse to give them rides at the end of "Taxi" win laugher and cheers from the audience, but at a cost of crassness. Also, in the very last number--a reprise of the opening song "Bring In 'Da Noise, Bring In 'Da Funk"--the cast stops tap-dancing at moments to clumsily imitate ballet as Silcott reads from a book in a faux British accent. The actions were mildly humorous, but seemed out-of-place--for a production that was supposed to be explaining the history of one art, ending by making fun of another one seemed shallow and contrived.

Overall, fortunately, Bring In 'Da Noise, Bring In 'Da Funk gives the audience the high energy and fantastic performances that its Broadway father-figure had promised. Much more than a tribute to loud music and featuring stunning choreography and a myriad of talented performers, the musical tells a tragic story, but also fosters hope through music, dance, and a whole lot of noise and funk.