BV Entertainment Newswire May 1

Too 'Hot' To Handle

Last night, the music of Earth, Wind & Fire made its debut on the Great White Way -- via the new musical 'Hot Feet.'

A laundry list of glitterati came out to Broadway's Hilton Theater in Times Square to fete the Maurice Hines-conceived production, which has been packing the over 1800 seat venue since previewing ten days ago.

Melba Moore, Geoffrey Holder, Phylicia Rashad, Lillias Whiteand S. Epatha Merkerson were all present along with Carlos Santana, Nile Rodgers, Ashford & Simpson, stylist to the stars Phillip Bloch and actors Ruben Santiago-Hudson and Michael K. Williams. 'The Color Purple' star LaChanze, James Lipton, Ebony Jo-Ann, Jackie Reid, Doris Roberts, Lou Myers, Suzanne de Passe, Hinton Battle, Obba Babatunde, Ivana Trump and Vanessa Williams also came out.

"I only make of it what the audience makes of it," Hines told Black Voices, "because I do it definitely for them, not for anybody else."

The dance-driven musical is a fable-inspired tale, based on Hans Christian Andersen’s ‘The Red Shoes,’ about a talented young dancer, named Kalimba, who dreams of becoming a famous hoofer. Cajoled to join a world renowned dance troupe with a pair of magical red shoes, she puts them on and it changes the course of her life.

"I loved [Michael Powell’s film adaptation of] 'The Red Shoes,' and I always wanted to contemporize it because I felt there are so many young girls who want to be dancers from the influences of the music videos, or the dance schools and the dance competitions," Hines, who choreographed 'Hot Feet,' confided. "I wanted to show that in a theatrical sense--never realizing I would get a chance to--when I thought about it 10 years ago, so it just sort of evolved and it happened when Maurice White was looking to do something new with his music."

White-- Earth, Wind & Fire's founder-- revealed that he was introduced to Hines --and the concept of setting his legendary soundtrack to a musical-- by his agent Susan Weaving, who also represents Hines. "He was looking for the righteous music and I was looking for the righteous play," White explained. "To be honest, it's something I always wanted to do but it had to be the right thing."

White, who penned six new compositions to accompany 21 of his previous works --including hits such as "September," "Serpentine Fire," "After The Love Is Gone" and "Can't Hide Love" -- hand picked the orchestra and the live singers for the production. He said he also carefully selected songs that would jive with the storyline by librettist Heru Ptah, who makes his Broadway debut with 'Hot Feet.'

"I'm excited about this," the 65-year-old Memphis native added. "It falls right in line with the rest of the stuff that I've done in my career."

Critics, however, haven’t been so kind. Today, the 'New York Times' called 'Hot Feet' a "dreary enterprise" in a scathing review rife with cutting adjectives like "dubious," "dire" and '"garish." The show nearly met the same fate during a workshop run at Washington DC's National Theater earlier this year.

White referred to the negative feedback as "crap," adding, that "[critics] have their opinions but I think they are a little bit harsh. This whole project is a hybrid. It has the story, it has the dance and it has the music. It has three things going on at one time."

So called "jukebox musicals" with soundtracks by John Lennon ('Lennon'), Johnny Cash ('Ring of Fire'), Elvis Presley ('All Shook Up'), The Beach Boys ('Good Vibrations') and even Burt Bacharach ('Look of Love') have opened and closed on Broadway in recent years. However shows like 'Movin' Out' (with music by Billy Joel and choreography by Twyla Tharp), 'Smokey Joe's Café' and the ABBA-based 'Mama Mia' have been well-received critically and commercially.

This season's other much hyped fare, however, did not go over too well with theater critics, either. Julia Roberts' ballyhooed debut in 'Three Days of Rain' and the Anne Rice/Elton John bloodsucking union 'Lestat,' were trashed. Alan Cumming's big comeback vehicle 'The Threepenny Opera,' starring Cyndi Lauper and 'SNL' alum Ana Gasteyer garnered mixed reviews.

Negative reviews abound, opening night patrons loved 'Hot Feet.' "I think this is the best piece of choreography that I've seen on Broadway in a very long time," said Holder, who directed the original Broadway production of 'The Wiz' in 1975. "Maurice [Hines] has always been brilliant."

Composer Allee Willis, who co-wrote Earth, Wins & Fire classics "Boogie Wonderland" and "September," called the show "fantastic." With her other musical 'The Color Purple' selling out on Broadway, Willis said she holds the distinction of being the first female composer ever with two shows in one season on Broadway. "And only the fifth person in history," she added.

Nick Ashford, who has co-wrote numerous hits for the likes of Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Gladys Knight and many other Motown greats told Black Voices he "loved the show. Earth, Wind & Fire's music is always exciting and the dancers were superb."

Alvin Ailey's Artistic Director Sylvia Waters was also on hand for the festivities to see her former student, Vivian Nixon -- daughter of Debbie Allen and Norm Nixon-- make her Broadway debut in the lead role. "Vivian is brilliant," offered Waters who helms Ailey II. "She's a jewel. She shines so brightly. We miss her a lot but I'm so happy to see her where she is."

And celebrated choreographer and Broadway veteran Andre de Shields may have summed it up best, saying that, "'Hot Feet' represents generations of people who not only loved their music but loved the spirituality in their music. That's what Earth Wind & Fire is all about. And that's a very Black phenomenon."