DANCE REVIEW
TANGO shows come and, for the most part, go. But there is one, “Tango Argentino,” that came first and so far has lingered glowingly in the memory.
Now, at last, it’s back in all its proud, careless and glittering glory, at the Gershwin Theater, opening last night and running through Jan. 9.
In 1985 “Tango Argentino” started a craze and, unexpectedly, became the hottest ticket in town, moving from City Center to an extended Broadway run and earning a Tony nomination. The brainchild of two imaginative Argentine director/producers, Claudio Segovia and the late Hector Orezzoli, this dance-revue caught the very essence of Buenos Aires and its sensual dance.
The question this time around was whether Segovia could re-create the old magic following the death of his long-term partner. Happily, with the assistance of quite a few of the original dancers, including Juan Carlos Copes and Maria Nieves, the initial concept seems gorgeously better than ever.
The look of the show is impeccable. It is a costume symphony in black and white, done entirely in 1920s style, flapper slit skirts, slick hairstyles and cool manner.
The nine couples are backed by a fine group of musicians, including four on the bandoneon, that eccentric Argentinean button accordion, and four singers. But the specialty of the night is the dancing. And what dancing it is!
The dances all suggest a crisp pattern of passion, the gestures of submission and conquest, with movements as intricately calculated as chess, as filigree as lace.
If you saw and loved the show before, I promise you will not be disappointed. And if you didn’t see it before, why are you waiting around reading this? It may not come a third time in your lifetime.