THEATER REVIEW: 'More Than A Feeling'

“More Than a Feeling,” a musical revue gracing the stage at the Players Theatre for two short weeks, is a highly enjoyable nostalgic tour of the 70s. Musical Director Berry Ayers did a marvelous job of selecting the songs. Along with the aural enjoyment, the visual element included eye-popping costumes, such as bright jump suits and paisley mini dresses with matching headbands suiting the decade. The “fro” wigs for the terribly apt “Freak Out” finale were spot-on and hilarious, especially as worn by a delightful dancing and singing back-up chorus composed of a group of 13 to 17 year olds, all of whom were so cute they could give you a toothache, but in a good way.

Director and Choreographer Michelle Teyke presented a very ambitious retrospective of every dance possibly ever done during the period, including the always popular Cha-Cha, the Pony, the Jerk, the Stroll, and the icon of disco, the Hustle. Act one was off to a hesitant start in my early viewing of the show. The singers didn’t seem to gel and the dancers looked like they needed a metronome to be placed on the stage, but the performance got better and better as it went on, resulting in a happy feeling indeed for the audience.

You can’t go wrong with a talented local cast delivering a lot of great songs. Sue Cole could hold the stage all by herself with songs like “I Will Survive” and “Killing Me Softly.” For a killer “Lady Marmalade,” she is joined by Kathy Abney and Nikki Maack Schuster. Derek Dutcher, leads the cast in “Miss American Pie.” Joseph Strickland lets it all hang out with his air guitar for “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and a very touching version of “I Write the Songs.” Rounding out the singers, Bill Sarazen and Cinda Goeken add their excellent voices.