Dance, music, and drama connect in ‘contact’

By Christine Temin

Who cares whether “contact” qualifies as a work of musical theater? Nitpickers get bogged down in defining the dance/drama/ music piece that choreographer/director Susan Stroman and playwright John Weidman premiered in 2000. The sticking point is that the performers speak but don’t sing, and instead of live music, there’s a crazy quilt recording ranging from Bizet to the Beach Boys.

Somehow, it all works. The sheer ingenuity and surprising juxtapositions are an evening-long delight. The production, in three episodes, deals with couples connecting - or not. In the first segment, there isn’t a hint of a problem. The second couple is hopeless; the third pair go through a lot of agony, but come out OK.

Unique musical makes ‘contact’

by Robert Nesti

“contact” remains one of the most exhilarating musicals of recent years, which might seem strange since to some Susan Strohman’s Tony award-winning triptych of one-act ballets may not seem a musical at all: No one sings and the music is all pre-recorded.

Yet if you ever need proof as to why Strohman has become Broadway’s leading director/choreographer then look no further than this scintillating show, which continues at the Wang through Sunday.

And those (like myself) who thought this intimate musical, which first premiered at a 299-seat theater, would be lost in the Wang’s vastness, need not worry. It has been nicely scaled to fit the stage

Moving tales of love make ‘contact’
Romantic, heartbreaking, and breathtakingly beautiful, choreographer Susan Stroman’s “contact” packs a powerful dramatic punch.

In the North Shore Music Theatre’s crisp and classy production, director Tome Cousin, who was a member of Stroman’s original cast, is faithful to the show’s look and feel while adding a little extra urgency with his in-the-round staging.

North Shore’s snazzy revival of contact...
For a Broadway show, contact is closer to Twyla Tharp than George M. Cohan. Tharp hit the street in 2002 with her own “dance play,” Movin’ Out, which was set to Billy Joel songs pounded out by an on-stage piano man. But Susan Stroman’s 1999 contact, seen here in a snazzy revival by North Shore Music Theatre (through June 29), was first.