Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Commercial gleam on 42nd Street: GOTTA DANCE! at Stage 42 and BLOOD/LOVE at Theater 555

• By drediman
• April 7, 2026
• No Comments

For those seeking opulence in their Off-Broadway theater outings, there are a pair of shows on 42nd Street that may fit the bill. Read on below for my thoughts on these two open run offerings, both of which have been produced to a high level of commercial gleam.

GOTTA DANCE!
Stage 42
Open run

I’m glad I was able to catch the commercial Off-Broadway transfer of Gotta Dance! (RECOMMENDED), which I previously saw as part of the York Theatre’s season earlier this year. In the much larger Stage 42, this musical theater dance revue — which is being presented by Riki Kane Larimer — comes across as more polished and visually lavish than it did in the relatively cramped Theater at St. Jean’s. The musical revue follows in the footsteps of other dance retrospectives (e.g., Bob Fosse’s Dancin’ and Fosse, Jerome Robbins’ Broadway) that attempt to faithfully recreate iconic original choreography — often providing some sort of dramatic context leading into each number — across the many eras of the American musical theater. The main difference in the case of Gotta Dance! is that it does’t focus on a single choreographer’s body of work, opting instead to take a more nostalgically panoramic look at the evolution of dance on Broadway and Hollywood movie musicals. As conceived by American Dance Machine’s Nikki Feirt Atkins — and co-directed by Atkins and veteran director/choreographer Randy Skinner — the show is essentially a lovingly curated parade of reconstructed dance numbers by such recognizable choreographers as Bob Fosse, Jerome Robbins, Susan Stroman, Gene Kelly, Michael Bennett, Christoper Wheeldon, and of course Randy Skinner. I applaud Atkins and Skinner for also including the works of relatively lesser known dance makers like Joey McNeely (Smokey Joe’s Cafe), Lynne Taylor-Corbett (Swing!), and Billy Wilson (Bubbling Brown Sugar). Although it’s by no means a definitive overview, Gotta Dance! gives audiences a small glimpse of the rich, necessarily ephemeral choreographic heritage of the American musical. Thankfully, live musical accompaniment is provided by a seven-piece orchestra, which manages somehow to emulate that big, distinctively brassy Broadway sound. That being said, as enjoyable as it is to take this zippy trip down memory lane, I couldn’t shake the “museum piece” feeling from watching the production unfold.

BLOOD/LOVE: A VAMPIRE POP OPERA
Theater 555
Open run

Then over at Theater 555, you’ll find Blood/Love: A Vampire Pop Opera (SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED), a splashy Off-Broadway rock/pop musical about a small band of vampires living on the edge over the ages. In short, the new musical is essentially a love child between Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Jesus Christ Superstar. It’s clear right off the bat that a lot of capital has been sunk into the entire endeavor. Indeed, as soon as you enter the front door, an immersive environment envelopes you as you’re greeted by a bar that has been atmospherically redesigned into a nightclub called The Crimson. As for the show itself, it’s been lavished with a slew of fantastical costumes, a rotating stage, spectacular concert lighting, and large set pieces. It’s all quite a sight to see transpire in the relatively intimate venue, where the very last row of the auditorium’s single level of stadium-style seating is still quite close to the stage (and perhaps provides the best vantage point from which to view the musical). Unfortunately, Blood/Love is ultimately a case in which the individual parts are greater than their sum. As written by Carey Renee Sharpe — who also performs the role of the lead vampire Valerie — the musical is bogged down by muddled storytelling that struggles to connect the dots between the lavish production numbers. Luckily, the in-your-face spectacle of it all — including the attention-grabbing choreography by Dancing with the Stars‘ Jonathan and Oksana Platero — nearly eclipses the curious laxness of the book. Also quite accomplished, if a tad derivative at times, are the often thrilling original pop/rock songs co-written Sharpe and Dru DeCaro. From just a spectacle perspective, director Hunter Bird must be commended for the smooth and visually exciting transitions between scenes and his ability to create ingenious stage pictures from the array of theatrical tools at his disposal. Although the powerfully-sung performances tend to veer towards camp, the gorgeous and regal Sharpe is grounded — if enigmatic — in the show’s central role, as if reining in the decadent excesses of the production around her.