NEW YORK—It must have sounded like a great idea: a musical revue focusing on Broadway dance routines with a few offerings from Hollywood tossed in, all reconstructed with the original choreography. However, “Gotta Dance!” presented by the York Theatre and American Dance Machine at Theatre at St. Jean’s is something of a mixed bag.
While most of the dance numbers are certainly on point, several in the first act don’t really work without an accompanying backstory to properly set the scene. In musicals, the reason behind the dance is often as important as the dance itself. However, when that backstory is there, the effect can be pure magic.
