On The Line
Silver venue, find showtimes
Many a belting session has been had to the showtunes featured in Yow Dance’s production of On The Line. The songs are mainstays of musical theater and are great on their own or in their respective shows – but don’t necessarily work well when strung together by a shallow plot.
On The Line attempts to do just that, and does not succeed. The main character is Jack, a womanizer who can’t seem to find happiness even though he has power as a producer and an endless supply of girls who are eager to please him. The songs serve both as actual plot devices and as numbers rehearsed by actors in Jack’s show. The lack of distinction between these can get confusing.
Other than the plot, the show is entertaining. Eric Yow’s choreography is elaborate and impressive and the entire cast is near technically perfect with each synchronized step. Most of the featured cast members also had their own songs – and every one of them shined. Kristen Sheola especially stood out with her rendition of “I’m the Greatest Star” from Funny Girl.
It cannot be stressed enough; those who sang had phenomenal voices, even despite their lack of microphones in the huge Silver venue. Which raises the question, “Why weren’t they featured more?”
The answer is to make room for the plot, which was a mistake. The story bothered me enough to take me away from the gifted actors and choreography. I understand that the plot was written just to contain these songs and wasn’t meant to be the focus of the show, but then why even present it? Next time Yow Dance puts on a Fringe show, the company should just stick with a cabaret or revue that doesn’t feel the need to act like anything more than the showcase of talent that it is.
Read all of Watermark’s coverage of the 2016 Orlando Fringe Theatre Festival here.
