New play interweaves disparate talents

Come Fly Away is hard to categorize. Fourteen top-notch dancers, a live group of big-band musicians and Frank Sinatra’s smooth vocals combine to form something sure to please anyone with a touch of swing-era nostalgia.

In the show, a group of exceptionally good-looking dancers happen to stumble into the same bar on the same night. Performers speak through flirtatious, exaggerated gestures and seductive dance moves. Come Fly Away hardly resembles a structured play or musical, though. The lack of dialogue limits plot depth, but 80 minutes of superb dancing redeem the show with excitement and flair. Sinatra’s catalogue of recordings contains plenty of love songs to tell a drawn-out story and the spectacle that results is a solidly entertaining way to spend an evening.

Show director Twyla Tharp’s numbers offer no surprises; the characters are meant to follow a cliché timeline where couples meet cute other halves, coyly start going steady, hit a bump in the road and finally dance their way into Fred Astairian heaven.

With the bar setting, Tharp creates the type of scene in which we picture Sinatra thriving — drinks flowing, women oozing sex appeal and the bartender acting like everyone’s best friend. But one major flaw in the bar are the drinks — there are none. Actors unconvincingly swish invisible martinis and whiskeys before jumping out of their chairs to perform to another swingin’ tune.

Ron Todorowski, who previously performed on Broadway in Wicked, Guys and Dolls and Footloose, plays Marty the bartender, whose mastery of jazz, ballet and swing moves makes him a standout performer. His no-hands backflip deserves as much applause as Sinatra’s flawless rendition of “I Did It My Way.”

Betsy (Mallauri Esquibel) plays Marty’s love interest. Her cutesy demeanor creates a palpable onstage chemistry between her and Marty, comprising one of four couples living out their romance onstage.

Kate (Marceea Moreno) and Hank (Martin Harvey), the hot couple in the bunch, join Marty and Betsy. Kate shamelessly flaunts her sexuality, while Hank waits for her to drunkenly fall into his arms so he can whisk her away. Kate’s sexuality often dominates each number she appears in, making it easy to forget or ignore the other dancers. She looks great in skin-revealing outfits, but they detract from her talent. The audience comes to see Kate as a bombshell. She succeeds in “acting” because of her exaggerated facial expressions and physical insinuations directed toward Hank.

Sid (John Selya) and Slim (Tanairi Sade Vasquez) are a couple with a fiery passion for dance and romance. Sid’s cockiness and physical ability resemble Gene Kelly’s, especially in his performance of “I Like To Lead When I Dance.” He and Slim butt heads as dance leaders, but Slim eventually gives in to Sid’s charm, despite her desire to dance to her own beat.

Chanos and Babe, the fourth couple, are less featured in the show, but Matthew Stockwell Dibble and Marielys Molina make for strong additions to the already overpowering cast of dancers. Babe’s moves are as seductive as Kate’s, but her supporting role does not allow her much time to show off. She takes care of drunkards, such as Chanos who cannot care for themselves.

Tharp’s choreography rightly characterizes each couple as the moves reflect to the dancers’ personality traits. Some are shy, some are flirty and some let attraction take over the dance floor. Six additional dancers bolster the ensemble, dancing mostly in the background or in unison with the group when the entire company takes the stage.

Specifically frustrating points in the show come when a signature Sinatra song, for example “Luck Be A Lady,” plays, and the performers just dance. At any moment the audience should expect to see one of the dancers finally belt out the chorus of “Luck Be A Lady,” but that moment never arrives.

To accompany Sinatra on vocals, the show employs a live group of underrated star musicians led by conductor Rob Cookman. The live band plays over Sinatra’s recorded vocals, seamlessly convincing the audience Sinatra’s ghost is hiding somewhere backstage and singing live into a microphone.

Ultimately, Come Fly Away is an unorthodox weaving of live music, professional dancing and incomparable vocal talent. If only Ol’ Blue Eyes were around to see the show.

The two-week engagement at the Pantages Theater runs through Nov. 6.