Twyla Tharp partners with Frank Sinatra in her New Musical “Come Fly With Me”
When you turn on a song by Frank Sinatra, his velvet, masculine voice floats through the air. It is undeniably “Ol’ Blue Eyes.” Sinatra still has one of the most recognizable voices in music, and he had a style to match it. It was Sinatra himself who said, “For me, a tuxedo is a way of life.” He advised everyone that the only way to put on a fedora correctly is with two hands—one to curl the back brim, and the other to tilt it towards your right brow. He stands as a figure of sophistication and class, and is still emulated today. But style does not just mean fashion; he had a definitive artistry in his performance, like the way he kept the beat of a song with a cool snap of his fingers. Simply put, Sinatra is style.
The ability to create an appealing, unique style is a talent that is also appreciated in the dance world. A choreographer must have a style that is memorable and, in our time, that surely includes Twyla Tharp. If Sinatra was “the man with the golden charm,” then Tharp is “the woman with the golden touch.” It’s only fitting that this prolific choreographer has turned to Sinatra for inspiration on a number of occasions, first back in 1976 alongside Mikhail Baryshnikov in “Once More Frank.” Recently, Tharp has returned to the classic musical stylings of Sinatra, this time for a full-length production called “Come Fly With Me.”
The musical runs September 23 through October 11 at the acclaimed, Tony-Award winning Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, GA, with previews that began on September 15. Rehearsals for the show wrapped up in New York at the end of August and moved to Atlanta the first week of September for final tech rehearsals and preparations. “Come Fly With Me” was conceived, choreographed and directed by Twyla Tharp and showcases the music and voice of Frank Sinatra.
Similar to the way she used Billy Joel’s music in “Movin’ Out,” Tharp celebrates the legacy and elegance of Sinatra through her choreography in this new venture. With its smooth melodies and swinging tempos, Sinatra’s music was made for dance. He ruled the night in a time when dance was an integral part of any social outing, especially dating and courtship. Tharp resurrects this vibe through the timeless love stories of four couples during the course of one evening.
An ensemble of dancers performs Tharp’s energetic choreography while a big band plays on stage. Sinatra’s original vocals will be featured in songs like “Let’s Fall In Love,” “Witchcraft,” “Summer Wind,” “Body & Soul,” “It’s All Right with Me,” “Take Five,” “That’s Life,” “Nice ‘n’ Easy” and “My Way.”
It is through the collaboration of the Sinatra family and Frank Sinatra Enterprises that the musical uses original recorded “Masters” of his voice. Most of the songs come from The Great American Song Book, composed by greats like Irving Berlin, Cy Coleman, Duke Ellington, George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Johnny Mercer, and Richard Rodgers. However, in addition to original arrangements of his legendary tunes, there are also new vocal performances recently found in the Sinatra archives.
It wouldn’t be Sinatra without a classic big band. “Come Fly With Me” features a 17-piece musical ensemble on stage, comprised of renowned musicians from all over North America. Esteemed jazz musician Dee Daniels fronts the band on piano, and also supports the show with occasional singing. With a silky, robust voice and dynamic, scat-like phrasing, her vocals command their own praise. An acclaimed jazz, gospel and blues singer, Daniels has a voice powerful enough to lead a symphony or big band, but intimate enough for an orchestra trio or alone with a piano. Her unique style stems from her blues and gospel background, and a wide range of performance opportunities in America and abroad. Daniels brings her musical authority to the stage and a distinctly feminine essence to the show.
Set in a nightclub, the production takes on the perfect arena for exploring the spirit of romance. “Come Fly With Me” is said to be “sexy, athletic, passionate and filled with optimism,” which Tharp develops through the relationships of four couples. Her choreography is always distinguished by a liberating fluidity.
Tharp is no stranger to Sinatra’s music. One of her earliest choreographic explorations of the singers’ swinging tunes, “Sinatra Suite,” made its premiere in the early 1980s. A sophisticated and elegant celebration of Sinatra’s music, “Sinatra Suite” included “Strangers in the Night,” “All the Way,” “That's Life,” “My Way” and “One For My Baby (And One More for the Road).” The choreography, which possesses an overall jazzy, swing quality, was an inspired interpretation of each song’s mood. It is this compelling movement style and connection to the music that we anticipate Tharp will bring to the stage once more.
In a press release Tina Sinatra said, “Dad was particularly proud of the Twyla Tharp and Mikhail Baryshnikov ballet, ‘Sinatra Suite.’ We saw it together at the Kennedy Center and to say he was delighted is an understatement. It brought us all to tears. I don’t think he’d experienced seeing his music set to dance before, which prompted him to ask: ‘Why hadn’t someone done it before?’ He would talk about it for years to come and was ever appreciative of Twyla and company.”
Tharp has created more than 135 dances throughout her career; she has also worked on movies (including “White Nights,” “Ragtime,” “Amadeus,” and the film adaptation of Broadway’s “Hair”). She has an extensive list of television credits, behind series and TV productions like the 1984 “Baryshnikov By Tharp,” which won three Emmy Awards. She has also worked on Broadway in her original production of “When We Were Very Young” (1980), she staged “The Catherine Wheel” (1981), and directed and choreographed a stage adaptation of “Singin’ in the Rain” (1985).
Tharp formed her own company Twyla Tharp Dance in 1965, and continued to choreograph for major dance companies all over the world including The Joffrey Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, The Paris Opera Ballet, The Royal Ballet, New York City Ballet and the Martha Graham Dance Company.
For her choreography in “Movin’ Out,” Tharp received the 2003 Tony Award, the 2003 Astaire Award, the Drama League Award for Sustained Achievement in Musical Theater, and both the Drama Desk Award and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Choreography. In between “Movin’ Out” and “Come Fly With Me,” she created “The Times They Are A-Changin’” in 2006. Set to Bob Dylan’s extensive repertory of music, it ran at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre in New York City.
Tharp may be hands-on in the production process and completely in charge of the choreography for “Come Fly With Me,” but a wonderful team of costume, set and lighting designers surrounds her. The musical’s set was designed by James Youmans, who is behind the innovative and versatile scenery in “West Side Story.” The lighting was created by Donald Holder of “The Lion King” and “Movin’ Out,” and costumes are by Katherine Roth of “All My Children.”
Although the show is only at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta for now, the summer of 2010 will mark the beginning of a North American Tour. There is also discussion of a Broadway run and international engagements.
Tharp is a prominent presence in dance, applauded for her versatility and dedication to expanding the appreciation, accessibility and vocabulary of dance. In typical Tharp fashion, her style continues to push boundaries in choreography. So, it all comes back to style. And there is, without a doubt, no better partner to have than Frank Sinatra.