BWW Reviews: 'It's All Happening' with BRING IT ON at CM Performing Arts Center

The lobby of the Noel S. Ruiz Theatre at CM Performing Arts Center in Oakdale, NY, was bustling with excited audience members for the sold-out opening night of the Long Island premiere of "Bring It On: the Musical." Though the show started about twenty minutes late due to some too-little-too-late theatregoers trying to tickets, the audience's excitement held true through the entire show. Along with the guest I had brought with me, I had never seen the musical nor heard any of its music; but we assumed we would love it because we trust most of Lin-Manuel Miranda's (Music & Lyrics) artistry.

With a libretto by Jeff Whitty, Music by Tom Kitt & Miranda, and Lyrics by Amanda Green & Miranda, the musical is described as such: "Bitingly relevant, sprinkled with sass, and inspired by the hit film, 'Bring It On: the Musical' takes audiences on a high-flying journey filled with the complexities of friendship, jealousy, betrayal, and forgiveness. Campbell [played here by M.E. Junge] is cheer-royalty at Truman High School and her senior year should prove the most cheertastic - she's been named captain of the squad! But an unexpected redistricting has forced her to spend her final year of high school at the neighboring, hard knock Jackson High School. Despite having the deck stacked against her, Campbell befriends the dance crew girls and, along with their headstrong and hardworking leader Danielle [played here by Amanda-Camille Isaac], manages to form a powerhouse squad for the ultimate competition - the National Championships."

Right off the bat, opening night nerves were apparent in M.E. Junge (Campbell) as she overshot the opening number, "What I Was Born to Do," and let her vocal control take a back seat. These nerves seemed to affect her singing throughout the entire show, along with a few other principal actors whom couldn't sing their songs as well as they should have. Still, Junge didn't let that affect her acting, as she perfectly embodied Campbell's naïve-yet-wise spirit, and was a perfect buffer to the laid-back personality of Jackson High love-interest Randall (subtly acted by Mikey Marmann).

The opening also introduced the audience to the rest of the Truman High School squad: the hilariously catty Skylar (acted to perfection by Jessica Donlon), her eager follower, Kylar - whose "real name is Ines" (Jaclyn Ruggero), Campbell's dimwitted Truman boy-toy, Steven (Ryan Kober), Campbell's scheming, younger neighbor Eva (convincingly portrayed by Gabrielle Farah), and the loveable, nerdy outcast, Bridget (played by a perfectly cast Kaylyn Lewis). The squad introduced the audience to the show's high-flying choreography as they ventured to summer "Cheer Camp" in order to win the coveted "Spirit Stick": a supposed indicator of a National Championships victory.

Taking from the plot of one of my guilty-pleasure movies, "Bring It On: All or Nothing," the production got a definite surge of life, energy, and even some cohesion once the audience meets the students of Jackson High School. The numbers "Welcome to Jackson" and "Do Your Own Thing" were not only two of the best of the show, they were also the best in showcasing the talents of its amazing ensemble: singing, dancing, rapping, etc. In addition, the Jackson High moments also introduced the audience to the some of the more clever lyrics of the show, along with its quick-on-their-feet, electrictrifying students: the incomparable La Cienega and Nautica, whose personalities and physicalities were impressively executed by Kin-Zale Jackson and Samantha Rosario, respectively, and HBIC Danielle, whose character had some different, notable levels, both emotional and physical, due to the superb acting of Amanda-Camille Isaac. Though I found Isaac's singing voice didn't really fit the style of this show, she offered an endearing embodiment of what could have easily been mistaken as a two-dimensional character with the wrong direction (Kudos to the director, Patrick Grossman!). With regards to La Cienega, who possessed a majority of the laughter-filled moments for the audience, I only wish Jackson had spoken up a little more or wish his microphone had been louder (I don't know which caused the issue) so that the dialogue was not marred/lost in translation.

Other acting worthy of particular note is that of Ethan Felizzari as Twig, whose character's lively comic relief in otherwise static stage moments provided a nice, and thoroughly entertaining, contrast. Though, this may also be due to the fact that most of Twig's dialogue revolved around Bridget's "big booty." In fact, a lot of my favorite moments revolved around Bridget (In my notebook, I literally have "BRIDGET!!!" written).

Kaylyn Lewis had electric chemistry with anyone she came in contact with onstage, particularly with Donlon, Junge, and Felizzari, but also Jackson and Rosario in a sure-to-be audience favorite number, "It Ain't No Thing." Even when Bridget was in a bird mascot costume, Lewis was one of the most engaging, entertaining presences, and the audience most definitely felt that way, too, as Lewis received a few standing ovations at the end of the night.

The cast's execution of Whitty's quick-witted (yet, at times, awfully tiring) libretto was pleasantly surprising, and no one on that stage looked like they didn't belong...except for maybe the younger children/teenagers performing most of the cheerleading feats, but for the sake of the choreography, I'll let it slide. I'm just grateful (probably along with the cast) that CMPAC had high enough ceilings to perform all of those gravity-defying stunts (Imagine the lawsuits...). I applaud Patrick Grossman and Gravity Cheer for providing such amazing, real cheerleading routines and choreography on that stage.

The impressive technical and design aspects of the production were also a highlight of "Bring It On." Though I found that some of the lighting was "close, but no cigar," the astounding lighting of the National Championships' moments made up for that, thanks to lighting designer Alison Weinberger. Now, with the exception of a few not-so-convincing wigs, the costuming of "Bring It On" was another vastly impressive part of the production. From the countless cheerleading uniforms to the eye-catching glimmer of the dance crew, each member of the cast looked dressed to the nines, even when in "normal" street clothes.

It is important to note that I attended the opening night, where, yes, a lot of things tend to go wrong (vocal trouble, scene transition trouble, etc.); however, I think that the cast and crew dealt with and got through any and all negatives of the night like professionals. In the coming weeks of the rest of its run, "Bring It On" is sure to impress those that come to watch, in one way or another.

"Bring It On: the Musical" runs through Feb. 8th at the Noel S. Ruiz Theatre at CM Performing Arts Center, sponsored in part by Gravity Cheer. For more information or to order tickets, please contact the Box Office at (631) 218-2810 or visit their website at www.cmpac.com.

Photo/Video Credits: CMPAC

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