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“Movin’ Out” moves in

Tharp does Joel at the Fox

“Movin’ Out,” the Tony Award-winning new musical conceived, choreographed and directed by Twyla Tharp and based on 24 classic songs by Billy Joel, opened in Atlanta at the fabulous Fox Theatre last night. Told through the choreography of Twyla Tharp and more than two dozen of Billy Joel’s hit songs, “Movin’ Out” is the story of lifelong friends through two turbulent decades that change them and the world around them forever. Songs like “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me,” “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” and “Pressure” all come together to weave a musical backdrop which beautifully complements Tharp’s innovative choreography. The songs and dance take audiences through a poignant narrative comprised of three main elements: post-World War II idealism, the Vietnam War and its subsequent unrest, and finally, survival.

Many will recognize “Movin’ Out’s” main characters, as they come straight from Joel’s lyrics. There’s Brenda and Eddie from “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant,” Tony and Sergeant O’Leary from “Movin’ Out,” Judy from “Why, Judy, Why,” and James from “James”—and their story is told completely through dance, with no dialogue whatsoever. “Movin’ Out” is “a story told without language,” Tharp says. “The movement and the action tell the story—the experience, the emotional resonance, comes from action rather than language.”

Billy Joel has had 33 Top 40 hits and 23 Grammy nominations since signing his first solo recording contract in 1972. In 1990, he was presented with a Grammy Legend Award. Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1992, Joel was presented with the Johnny Mercer Award, the organization’s highest honor, in 2001. In 1999 he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and he has received the Recording Industry Association of America Diamond Award, presented for albums that have sold more than 10 million copies. Outside his music career, Joel has donated his time and resources to a variety of charitable causes. A longtime advocate for music education, he first began holding “master class” sessions on college campuses more than 20 years ago, giving sessions at colleges across the country and around the world. In addition, he has held classes as a benefit for the STAR Foundation (Standing for Truth About Radiation) and to establish the Rosalind Joel Scholarship for the Performing Arts at City College in New York City. For his accomplishments as a musician and as a humanitarian, Billy Joel was honored as the 2002 MusiCares Person of the Year by the MusiCares Foundation and the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences.

Since graduating Barnard College in 1963, Twyla Tharp has choreographed over 125 dances, five Hollywood movies, directed and choreographed two Broadway shows, written two books and received one Tony Award, two Emmy Awards, 17 honorary doctorates and numerous grants including the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Fellowship. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and an Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

In 1965, Tharp founded Twyla Tharp Dance. In 1988, TTD merged with American Ballet Theatre where Tharp created over a dozen works.

Ms. Tharp’s first Broadway production was “When We Were Very Young” in 1980, followed by her collaboration with David Byrne, “The Catherine Wheel” 1981 and “Singin’ In the Rain” in 1985. In 2002, “Movin’ Out” premiered on Broadway.  The recipient of a 2003 Tony Award for “Movin’ Out,” Tharp also received the 2003 Astaire Award; the Drama League Award for Sustained Achievement in Musical Theater; and both the Drama Desk Award and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Choreography. In film Ms. Tharp collaborated with director Milos Forman for “Hair,” “Ragtime,” and “Amadeus.” Tharp has also collaborated with Taylor Hackford on “White Nights” and James Brooks on “I'll Do Anything.”  Ms. Tharp’s autobiography “Push Comes to Shove” published in 1992 was followed by “The Creative Habit: Learn it and Use it for Life,” published in 2003.

Performances of “Movin’ Out” run through April 3. Performance times are Wednesday through Saturday evening at 8 p.m.; Saturday matinee at 2 p.m.; Sunday matinee at 1 p.m. and Sunday evening at 6:30 p.m.  Tickets are available online at www.BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com.  To charge by phone, call Ticketmaster at 404-817-8700 or stop by the Fox Theatre box office or any Ticketmaster outlet.  Discounts are available for groups of 20 or more.  Call 404-881-2000 to place your group order.