Heard in such a compact format, some of the songs sound similar with lots of repeated choruses that are less captivating from your theater seat than when you’re dancing to them in a club or at a wedding. But Jacobs’ cast – Syreeta Shonteé, Ariel Blue, Stephanie Zandra and Delores McKenzie – performs them with great spirit and a style that echoes, without mimicking, the originals.
And it is clearly a nostalgic throwback for members of Saturday’s opening night audience, who were eagerly dancing in and around their seats and clapping along to just about every song. The choreography by Donald Frison is filled with lots of hand gestures, turns, struts and shimmies.