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EW&F MUSICAL ‘HOT FEET’ TO HIT BROADWAY APRIL 20: Critics weigh in on musical’s current Washington D.C. tune-up.
*“Hot Feet,” the new Earth, Wind & Fire-laced musical having its only pre-Broadway run at Washington, D.C.'s National Theatre, will arrive on the Great White Way April 20 – two days later than first announced.
A publicist said the extra 48 hours was needed to properly load the production into Broadway’s Hilton Theatre. The show’s opening is still April 30, which means “Hot Feet” will have a rather-short 10-day preview period. Its D.C. run ends on April 9.
“Hot Feet” features a book by Heru Ptah and music and lyrics by Maurice White of Earth, Wind & Fire. According to Broadway.com, New York audiences should expect a show slightly different from the one seen in the Nation's Capital, where “Hot Feet,” choreographed by Maurice Hines, opened to largely negative reviews.
Peter Marks of The Washington Post wrote: "Hot Feet dances the night away merrily oblivious to the fact that ultimately, the foot bone is connected to the brain bone… It banks on the notion that you'll believe perspiration can be a substitute for inspiration... This is one of those odd occasions on which the performers in the background become stars by default.
Paul Harris of Variety wrote: "[An] infectious dose of energy soars while the band's hits are performed. But an inane book and subpar acting undermine the fancy moves... [Heru Ptah] strives to give his dialogue a streetwise rap feel, but his book is more conspicuous for its insufferable lines and frequent forays into areas of questionable taste. Attempts at rhyme and alliteration produce lines like 'You repugnant, rancid little wretch' and 'Music courses through my veins like crack cocaine…'
Work continues on the book by Ptah, and the musical’s Broadway version may also be trimmed down. In D.C., it lasted two hours and forty-five minutes, the last 20 minutes consisting of an extended ballet sequence called the "Hot Feet Ballet."
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Earth Wind & Fire
