Theater Review: Stardust Road Leads To The Stardust In Our Eyes
Somewhere in Indiana, 7 friends love, live, and say goodbye at Stardust Roadhouse, a bar set as their backdrop to Stardust Road: a musical homage to Hoagy Carmichael’s classic classics. With “Stardust” being one of the most beautiful songs ever written about longing and love, it is no surprise the 90 minute musical is stunning in its imagery of companionship.
Director Susan H. Schulman, choreographer Michael Lichtefeld, and music director Lawrence Yurman, unite to create a story with VERY little dialogue, but all the visuals needed to understand the details of friendship, relationships, and …. the wars that separate them. While, technically, a brief show, Stardust felt long and full. Admittedly, there were slow moments that briskly passed once the choral jukebox changed track and thus ambience. Whether to dance or die, Stardust Road exemplifies Hoagy was always looking for a new way to “I do” to someone.
When you think of it, to fall in love is to say “Yes” to someone. Yes, to loving them, and yes to grieving if and when that love is lost. It is a beautiful oath that the show radiates by using Carmichael’s lyrics as the characters conversation points and Licthefeld’s choreography as the sealer of their messages. In essence, the cast speak in song, and no song is short on the desire and wonder of wanting to like someone and be liked right back. Thus, the show thrives off the chemistry of its characters, especially because it is a minimalist set with elaborate enough costuming to platform what, truly, the cast’s vocals paint.
Dion Simmons Grier, Danielle Herbert, Sara Esty, Cory Lingner, Kayla Jenerson, Markcus Blair, and Mike Schwitter are beyond talented. Their dancing and vocality was clear, crisp, and highly energized in delivery, which is why, whether you buy into its subtle story or not, you can appreciate Stardust Road. At the end of the day, it proves that music is our daily companion, and how we listen to a song, 100% influences how we write our life’s story. The York Theatre Company’s Stardust Road plays at St. Jean Baptiste’s Church, 184 E 76th St, New York, NY 10021, until December 31. Click Here For Tickets.
