Catch the fever
Saturday Night Fever – The Musical promises drama and disco in equal amounts.
Saturday Night Fever – the Musical has spent the last month heating up the stage with its groovy dance moves at The Theatre at Solaire Resort and Casino in Manila.
The touring show will make its next stop at Istana Budaya in Kuala Lumpur, starting Sept 4.
Directed by Bobby Garcia and choreographed by Vince Pesce, the musical whisks us back to the hedonistic 1970s, where bell- bottoms and disco were all the rage. Featuring more than a dozen wellloved numbers from The Bee Gees, including Stayin’ alive, Night Fever, you Should Be dancing and How deep Is your Love, the show follows young bruiser Tony Manero from Brooklyn, New York, as he navigates the ups and downs of life.
Alternating between his dead- end job in a paint store and the beckoning strobe lights of the local discotheque every weekend, Tony is restless – and relentless in seeking a little something more beyond the seedy neighbourhood he lives in.
With a dance competition coming up that he has set his heart on – and a young lady he has set his eyes on – things seems to be right on track for our protagonist.
Unfortunately, while the lovely Stephanie Mangano is everything he wants in a dance partner, she snubs all his advances and turns her nose up at his world.
The cast of Saturday Night Fever – the Musical is led by Brandon Rubendall as Tony and Jenna Rubaii as Stephanie. Nick Varricchio, as Tony’s good friend Double J, makes up one fourth of The Faces, and Latin Dancer Marie Rose with dance partner Daniel Cabrera give Tony and Stephanie a run for their money in the dance competition scene.
Boogie shoes
One could say that Brandon Rubendall had started preparing for his part as Saturday Night Fever’s leading man when he was still in school. In sixth grade, he walked into English class in a white suit fit to rival the iconic piece John Travolta wore in the 1977 disco movie of the same name, to present his book report on John Travolta.
“I always thought my John Travolta role would be in Grease, but I’m much happier that it is Saturday Night Fever!” enthuses 30- year- old Rubendall when we caught up with him after the opening night in Manila.
Recently he starred as Jamie in RoundTable Theatrical’s inaugural production of the Last Five years. In his Broadway debut, he took on The Lizard in the original cast of Spider- Man: turn Off the dark. Rubendall has also clocked in many dance hours alongside artists such as Madonna, Beyonce and Jennifer Lopez.
Acknowledging the inevitable comparison the audience will draw between his take on Tony compared to Travolta’s, Rubendall shares that the challenge is to be true to the character and the movie, but also introduce his own flair into the picture.
“I wanna do my own thing, to offer my own twist on Tony and make people fall in love with me,” he says.
In Saturday Night Fever, we walk alongside Tony as he navigates his way through complicated relationships and watch as the frustrations of the day melt away on the dance floor.
His parents are at each other’s throats, his dance partner doesn’t fit in with his friends, but each week, just for the weekend, Tony transforms into a lean, mean dancing machine at the local discotheque and girls fall all over themselves for a piece of him.
“That’s what makes this role so fulfilling,” says Rubendall of the range of emotions his character goes through. “It is not just comedy or drama, I get to touch on everything. It is really special because roles like this don’t come around very often, it is truly a oncein- a- lifetime experience,” he says.
Having grown up on disco music ( thanks to having a mother who is a huge fan of the 1970s), Rubendall is understandably over the moon that Saturday Night Fever is disco fever central.
What was the first thing he did to prepare for his role?
“I just turned on that disco music and danced. I wish I was lying, but really, that’s what I did. It is my favourite genre of music ... I’m such a nerd!” he says candidly.
More than a woman
Jenna Rubaii is no stranger to disco- themed musicals, having been part of Tommy Tune’s Fifty Four Forever and Grease, and rock musical american Idiot. In Saturday Night Fever, she takes on the role of talented dancer Stephanie Mangano, who is as hung up on perfecting her art as she is in coldly snubbing Disco King Tony Manero.
Fortunately, for better or for worse, he is equally persistent in persuading her to be his dance partner.
“I love performing in 1970s musicals,” gushes Rubaii, before adding, “There’s just something so thrilling when you see the costumes and lights. The disco era is just so full of life. Not all musicals get to be super flashy like this.”
She relates that when she got the call informing her that she got this role she was coincidentally walking around Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, in New York, which is the neighbourhood in which Saturday Night Fever is set in.
“If you live in Manhattan, you won’t ever find yourself in Bay Ridge, just like what the show tells you. So the fact that I was walking in that neighbourhood when the call came in from my agent, well, that was quite ironic and kind of cool,” says the 26- year- old. Serendipity much? To get into her role, she talked to people – including family members who grew up in those times – to get a glimpse into life as it was then.
“My dad loved the Saturday Night Fever movie. He’s always listening to disco music and he tells me details about life in the 1970s. It is so nice to be able to hear personal experiences about what it was like, and not just read it from a textbook,” she says.
On working with director Bobby Garcia and choreographer Vince Pesce, Rubaii describes it as an “incredible experience” and that they make a wonderful team.
“They wanted to keep this story true and honest and not super theatrical. Vince didn’t make a cliché of what the 1970s movements were, he didn’t make it over the top. It is natural and just so real, so that’s lovely,” she concludes.
Jive talkin’
You could grab Nick Varricchio
off the streets and stick him on stage, and he would fit right in on the set of Saturday Night Fever.
Off the stage, he is a fan of bell- bottoms, so being in costume for this musical simply feels like being in everyday wear to him.
“I wear 1970s pants all the time, so I feel right at home. I know how they fit and feel, so it helps a lot in jumping into the character. I love the 70s so much that I sometimes think I was born earlier and lived through those times!” he says.
In Saturday Night Fever, Varricchio plays Double J, a fun- loving, sometimes crass, high- spirited guy, who is Tony’s close friend. He is also the understudy for Tony, so he knows both Tony and Double J roles inside out.
“I auditioned for Tony, but I am really happy to be playing Double J beside Brandon. Double J’s the bad boy, a fun guy, kind of a jerk at times. But he’s unapologetic, loyal and sincere,” he says.
Varricchio, 25, shares that one of the interesting aspects of this character is how, like Tony, he dreams of a bigger life beyond Bay Ridge, but unlike Tony, he doesn’t have the means to get there.
“He’s tougher than Tony, but he isn’t as strong as him. I really do think there are people like him – people who want more in life, but never have the opportunity to get there. Double J’s a real person, I feel his voice and spirit is real,” says Varricchio, who clearly empathises with his role.
Calling the character a goof- off, he would like audiences to just sit back and enjoy the antics he gets up to.
“Don’t take him too seriously,” he says. “But know that he comes from a place of wanting more, which is why he acts the way he does.”
Salsation
She might not have a speaking role in Saturday Night Fever, but boy, does she leave an impression with her dancing. Together with dance partner Daniel Cabrera, they have the fiercest dance routine on stage, presented with an upbeat tempo and a whole lot of frenzied hair whipping ( for her) and dress swishing ( also for her).
“Growing up in New York City, visiting Hispanic family members and being surrounded by the Latin culture, gave me a great understanding of the vibrancy and fire that this character needed to have,” says Marie, describing the Latin Dancer’s dancing style as “a fierce mix of hips and legs combined with an attitude free of inhibition”.
Not only did she grow up watch- ing Saturday Night Fever the movie, but it was also the first Broadway musical she saw as a young girl. She had always felt like she understood the music and culture and what it represented during that time period.
“I grew up performing different genres of dance, including Latin, so that really prepared me for this role. Before taking dance classes, my mum taught me how to dance salsa and hustle and exposed me to the music as well as introduced me to live salsa bands,” says the 25- year- old.
Marie, who was a semi- finalist in the Latin singing competition Tengo Talento, Mucho Talento, reveals this is the first time she is taking on a character like this.
“Before I get on stage, I get into character and remind myself of who this girl is, where she is from, and the characteristics that make her who she is. It feels natural in so many ways, I feel she is a character I’m meant to be playing,” she asserts. Saturday Night Fever – the Musical plays at Istana Budaya in Kuala Lumpur from Sept 4 to 13. Show time is 8.30pm with additional 3pm shows on Saturdays and Sundays. tickets are rM568, rM398, rM338, rM268, and rM138 ( inclusive of 6% GSt but excluding a rM4 ticketing fee). For more information, call 03- 9222 8811; to book tickets go to milestoneproduction. com. there are special discounts for readers of the Star – just add coupon code “SNF Star” to your online purchase and key in the promo code Star1520 when you checkout. the Star is the official media partner. You also stand a chance to win prizes worth up to rM100,000 in the Night Fever Lucky Draw. the event is presented by Milestone Production and supported by Malaysia Major Events, Istana Budaya, and Gold Sponsor Munchy’s.