Let's be honest with ourselves - the '70s are dead.
Polyester leisure suits are a thing of the past.
The era that spawned many of us older students tried to make a comeback over the weekend in the form of an Off-Broadway musical deceptively titled "Saturday Night Fever." Instead of dealing with Bubonic plague as many of us had hoped, it was about dancing and singing to the tunes of the Bee Gees.
The '70s came to UNM's own Popejoy Hall in a performance that proved not only infinitely more enjoyable than the plague, but a lot more colorful too.
Picture this scene: as the immense neon-lit Saturday Night Fever moniker adorned by a stylistic disco-king is slowly raised, the "Stayin' Alive" bass line, made famous by the Bee Gees, kicks in. Without even realizing it, your head starts to bob and your foot begins to tap. As you look around, everyone is doing the same thing completely unaware it's even happening until a person in the front row catches themself and snaps to a stop. The story is set in Brooklyn, where the main character, Tony Manero leads a double life as a humble paint store clerk by day and a polyester-clad dance machine by night. Every Saturday night, Tony and his crew hang out at the local club, 2001 Odyssey, where he is the king of the dance floor.
Each week the club becomes Tony's escape as he falls under the charm of the thumping disco beat. Unfortunately, the club is only a temporary escape from the harsh facts in the real world. When the music dies out and the dancing ends Tony and his friends must face the truth of growing up in a rough section of New York.
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The story behind "Saturday Night Fever" is your standard tale of hope and tragedy with some surprising twists thrown in on the love side to keep things interesting.
How does this translate to a fully choreographed stage production? Fairly well, as the music was as catchy as in the original film. The dancing was interesting and unique, even if repetitive at times. In the two and a half hours that the play ran there were no fewer than 16 separate song-and-dance numbers all performed on a set that captured the feeling of the times.
The acting was believable if not particularly moving. Michael Jablonski put in a fine performance as the tough-talking Tony. Jennie Marshal was perfect in the role of Tony's love interest, while Stephanie and Dena DiGiacinto played a convincing Annette. However the play just wouldn't have been as fun without Barry James playing the part of the sleazy dance instructor and Club 2001 Odyssey DJ, Monty.
All in all, "Saturday Night Fever" the musical version was an entertaining way to spend an evening and a worthy addition to the Popejoy Hall Ovation Series.
