You'll Never Be Alone

In short: You'll Never Be Alone was entertaining as hell. It combines a variety of visual effects with auditory effects while the performers move in sync with all of it. From classical to jazz to modern music, as well as other sounds effects like monologues and recorded word repetitions, the dances and action are fluid and beautifully synchronized with the sound. The scenes are frightening at times,
comic at others, and poignant throughout.

Nuances that set this show apart are the use of light and shadow, sound and silence, and the nearly flawless transitions of the screens used in the set. The actors are also the ones behind the set, moving the screens around the stage to create a new shadow effect or cinematic visual in a scene. Their transitions from behind the screens to in front of them are often incorporated into the scenes, and the move is virtually seamless. Nostalgia surfaces throughout the show through the music, costumes, and the occasional movie clip, recalling the original talking pictures, cinematic greats in black and white, and the colorful wardrobes and perfectly coifed styles of times gone by.

One of the only blemishes was the timing, which for a couple of the dancers was off slightly in a couple scenes, but it did not at all detract from this thoroughly unique and entertaining performance.

-- Jessica Lave