Another Triumph for Westchester Broadway Theatre: "Saturday Night Fever" Excels

A torrid pace for the evening is set early in Saturday Night Fever at the Westchester Broadway Theatre when a 19-year-old, paint-stork clerk named Tony Manero (played by Jason Tischler) and three of his pals perform deft disco dancing steps with savvy, skill and athletic agility.

Opportunities for Bay Ridge, Brooklyn youths to earn a decent living were few in 1977, and for Tony and his friends, the only place to escape from reality and boredom is the dance floor.

Tischler, Joe Moeller (Double J), Raynor Rubel (Gus), and Christopher Hlinka (Joey) prepare the audience for a dance-routine-filled night; the rest of the large cast of Saturday Night Fever responds to their lead number throughout the play with dancing feet and plot-related song.

The dance routines are enjoyable and fun to watch although a bit repetitive. Towards the end of the play, someone describes Tony’s character as “Brooklyn’s Fred Astaire”—that’s a bit of a stretch but Tischler, although not a trained dancer, turns in a credible performance.

Alexandra Matteo plays Stephanie Mangano whose burning desire to move on to a new existence is even more intense than Tony’s.

Matteo is delightful as both a dancer and a singer. In her speaking parts, she sounds much like Karen Lynn Gurney who played Stephanie in the famous 1977 Saturday Night Fever movie produced by Paramount Pictures. However, I grew up in Brooklyn—close to Bay Ridge where the play is set and I can assure you that Stephanie’s accent is far from a real Brooklyn accent.

The music can best be described as one hit after another. Popularized by the Bee Gees, the film’s soundtrack album broke all records for soundtrack sales. The songs include Stayin’ Alive, If I Can’t Have You, What Kind of Fool Am I, How Deep Is Your Love, Night Fever and More Than a Woman.

The play’s director and choreographer is Richard Stafford. Ryan Edward Wise is the musical director and Sarah Buscaino is the assistant choreographer.

The cast includes Gianna Yanelli as Annette, Chris Collins-Pisano as Bobby C., Pat McRoberts as Monty, Sandy Rosenberg as Flo Manero, Ray DeMattis as Frank Manero. Isabella D’Erasmo and Hannah Moore alternate as Linda Manero.

In director John Badham's ‘Saturday Night Fever” movie, John Travolta, wowed audiences playing Tony. Travolta’s film role somewhat resembled his character Vinnie Barbarino in the television show Welcome Back, Kotter.

In the TV show Travolta played a cocky Italian-American high-school student at a fictionalized version of Brooklyn’s New Utrecht High School. Travolta was nominated for an Academy award for best actor for his role in Saturday Night Fever but lost out to Brooklyn-native Richard Dreyfuss for his role in The Goodbye Girl.

Saturday Night Fever runs until November 27, 2016 when it is replaced by a holiday show; it returns on December 29, 2016 and closes on January 29, 2017.

Ticket prices range from $56 to $84 (includes meal and show). For reservations, call 914-592-2222 or go to www.BroadwayTheatre.com.

The Westchester Broadway Theatre is located at 1 Broadway Plaza, Elmsford, NY 10528, 914-592-2268.

Jacob Tischler as Tony Manero and Alexandra Matteo as Stephanie Mangano. JOHN VACCHIOLLA PHOTO