Movin' Out

Sharon and I saw Movin' Out at the Des Moines Civic Center on Saturday.



What an amazing show. I don't feel qualified to review it because it was mostly a dance show and I know next to nothing about dance. However, I was completely entranced every moment of the show and blown away by the moves of the dancers, especially the woman who played Judy and the man who played Eddie. Of course, I loved the music - it's all Billy Joel and the singer was very good, although he did lose a few low notes late in the show. His voice must have been damn tired by then. I was impressed that they could tell such a moving story just through dance and songs Billy Joel had written without ever intending for them to be brought together as a musical. I was very happy that they used some of Billy's lesser known gems, like James and Summer Highland Falls, two of my favorites. And I actually enjoyed Just the Way You Are for the first time in a decade because I believed the love of Judy and James. I do wonder if it would have an impact on someone who was completely unfamiliar with Billy Joel's music. Sharon and I are such big fans that we came into it knowing we'd like the show. I wonder what the teenagers of today, who might not know Billy Joel's music at all, would think.