Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk

Did anyone see this show? I've always been interested in it but know little about it and rarely hear people talking about it. I would love to hear the thoughts and memories of those who saw the original production.

I saw it. It was great. It was the year of RENT and all that brouhaha so the show was definitely an event. Savion Glover was amazing and totally warranted a Tony nomination even though he didn't speak or sing. There was a sequence in the second act where he was tapping solo in front of a number of mirrors while they recorded a voiceover of him talking about the various dancers who influenced him and what was unique about their styles at the same time he was demonstrating them.

The "Slave Ship" number at the beginning was haunting and beautiful. Ann Duquesnay and Jeffrey Wright really carried the show along and were both riveting to watch. The "Uncle Huckabuck" section with the singing crows and Savion tapping as Shirley Temple with a doll attached to his feet was a lot of fun and quite biting. And the 11 o'clock number as it were was "Taxi" where a string of various black men - a doctor, a rapper, a businessman - all try and hail taxis and are passed by and tap out their growing frustration.

All in all it was very cool, and even more so because you knew you were seeing something that would never be able to be totally recreated, that it was these performers at this moment doing this very unique thing. RENT I knew I'd see again and again, but I knew that NOISE/FUNK was a one-off.

I saw it. Savion Glover is an amazing tap dancer and choreographer. The show was mostly just to show off his talents. It wasn't really a musical -- there were some monologues, jokes, skits, but mostly it was just Glover tapping himself into a frenzy. I loved it.

It's a crying shame that Shuffle Along didn't last longer. Glover's choreography is beyond compare.

The show was unique and extraordinary. Ann Duquesnay rightly earned her Tony. I remember the dazzling lighting effect for her during the 1930s I Got the Beat sequence and her hilarious 2nd act telephone monologue (1956 Them Conkheads) while sitting on the stoop. And even better than the Taxi number was the tense and chilling 1977 Blackout sequence.

Did George C. Wolfe deserve the Tony over Michael Greif?

I'd say it was pretty close with Greif winning out by a hair.

Summer of '96 was a really special time for me as I was studying at Circle in the Square that summer. I attended the final dress of Hughie with Al Pacino and ran into him backstage a couple of times. Also met JFK Jr. in the building as well as Gladys Knight and her husband at the performance of Noise/Funk. Saw many of the shows that summer including Rent 3 times with the original cast (standing room was all I could afford) because I loved the score and the cast so much and the recording had not yet been released.

As I recall, I saw it on opening night, when they held the curtain for Whoopi (she was that big then).

It was a sensational show, and yes, Wolfe deserved his award. He did what he does well - channels the rage of the African American experience into high theatricality. The particular scenes and moments have been described well above, and it was an unforgettable evening. I found it to be a much more fulfilling experience than Rent.

Not a lot of competition that year for new, original shows - Victor/Victoria (not much liked by anyone, particularly the nominating committee), Chronicle of a Death Foretold (which no one saw), Big (ugh), State Fair (which wasn't really original), and Swingin' On A Star (a very short-lived stale revue).

Updated On: 9/7/17 at 02:53 PM

I really enjoyed the Broadway production of Big, even moreso than the film. I found it charming and listen to the cast recording often. I thought Victor/Victoria was meh. Great design and a show-stealing turn from Rachel York, but the book and score and Julie Andrews were all so bland. I returned with my parents just for the opportunity to see Liza perform and found her to be far more energetic, funny and entertaining, but sad to see my favorite number cut, Louis Says. I don't know anyone who saw Swingin' on a Star, but I did have a friend who saw Chronicle of a Death Foretold. He described it as an incomprehensible train wreck. Nobody really knows how it got nominated.

I saw it twice in one weekend... it was THAT good. We had gotten tickets to Rent months in advance, and the whole purpose of the trip was to see it... but in the end I liked Bring in 'da... more.

I agree with all of what you said here. That was one special show. I still talk about Savion in front of those mirrors, especially when he got to Jimmy Slide and slid across the damn stage. I bought a ticket for Shuffle Along and sat in the mezzanine for the sole purpose of being able to see all of his choreography.

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It was a glorious show! I adored it. Savion in front of the mirrors was my favorite part. He is so stinking talented. Before it closed, Savion came back for a few weeks, so that's when I went. It was such a thrilling night of theatre for me. At the time, I'd never seen anything like it. People literally leapt to their feet and cheered in the middle of the performance. Seeing people so moved by his performance was so moving to me. It was beautiful. Glad I got to see it.

"And newintown, State Fair was no less original than Big and Victor/Victoria, both also based on films."

Little do I care to defend pieces of dreck like Big and Victor/Victoria, but at least they had new songs in their scores. So, technically, State Fair was less "original," I'd say.

Updated On: 9/8/17 at 07:58 AM