The Tap Dance Kid

The Tap Dance Kid
1983 Broadway Playbill
Music	Henry Krieger
Lyrics	Robert Lorick
Book	Charles Blackwell
Basis	Louise Fitzhugh novel
Productions	1983 Broadway 2021 New York City Center Encores!

The Tap Dance Kid is a musical based on the novel Nobody's Family is Going to Change by Louise Fitzhugh. It was written by Charles Blackwell with music by Henry Krieger and lyrics by Robert Lorick.

Synopsis[]

Act I[]

William Sheridan, a successful attorney, lives on Roosevelt Island with his wife, Ginnie and their two children: 14 year old Emma, an outspoken, independent-minded, and overweight girl who wants to be a lawyer more than anything, and 10 year old Willie, and William wants to follow in his footsteps but all he wants is to be a tap dancer. The show opens on a typical morning with Ginnie preparing breakfast and preparing for the day and Emma and Willie arguing ("Another Day"). Later that day, Emma returns home from school, angry at her parents and the world for underestimating and mistreating her ("Four Strikes Against Me"). Ginnie's brother, Dipsey Bates arrives for Willie's tap lesson and the kids urge him to tell stories about the old days when Ginnie, Dipsey and their late father, Daddy Bates performed as a vaudeville trio ("Class Act"). The number ends as William returns home from work. Finding his study in disarray. he cooly greets Dipsey, for whom he has little use. Thirty-three years old and he's a dancer, for heaven's sake! Dipsey exits leaving William to examine the children's report cards. He pays scant attention to Emma's exceptional grades, but is so disappointed by Willie's poor grades that he grounds him and forbids him from dancing. Three weeks later, Willie still hasn't been allowed to dance. He goes to the playground where he is made fun of for dancing by Winslow, a local teenage bully. Emma shows up and defends him against Winslow, but still admonishes him for dancing. Emma and Willie fight and complain about their parents before Emma leaves ("They Never Hear What I Say"). Willie expresses to Emma what dancing means to him ("Dancing is Everything"). Willie runs away to Manhattan in search of Dipsey ("Crosstown").

Dipsey is rehearsing his dancers for an industrial show for a shoe buyers' convention. Not-so-coincidentally, the number has been designed to showcase Dipsey's dancing and choreographic talents with which he hopes to impress the producers of an out-of-town Broadway tryout ("Fabulous Feet"). Willie arrives during the rehearsal and is uncontrollably drawn into the number, dancing with his uncle. The dancers are so amazed by WIllie they stop dancing and just let him perform. Excited by his nephew's potential, Dipsey rushes the boy home to tell his parents the good news. Dipsey's assistant, Carole is left to continue the rehearsal. After the rehearsal, she reflects on her emotions for Dipsey ("I Could Get Used to Him").

Dipsey brings Willie back home and excitedly tells Ginnie and William of Willie's raw talent. William cuts him off, irrationally furious because Willie ran away and risked his life by going alone to New York City. Sensing his authority slipping away due to Ginnie and Emma's protests, William lashes out and forbids Willie from tap dancing and seeing Dipsey. Willie, heartbroken, runs out onto the terrace, and Dipsey follows him and comforts him, telling him he'll have to dance inside of himself ("Man on the Moon").

Act II[]

Act II opens the same way Act I did. Another breakfast in the Sheridan household. Willie hasn't danced for weeks and is miserable and gray. An argument ensues at the table and William storms out. Emma accuses her mother of not asserting herself nor caring enough about her children. Ginnie accuses Emma of being exactly like her father. They fight ("Like Him"). Dipsey and Carole, now dating and living together, wait in their loft to find out if Dipsey booked the out-of-town tryout in Buffalo. Dipsey has just given up hope when the phone rings telling him he got the job. Dipsey and Carole celebrate, with Dipsey finally succeeding in life ("My Luck Is Changing"). Willie has run off to the playground to be alone and Emma comes looking for him. This time instead of arguing, they connect and dream about a day they are understood by their parents ("Someday").

Ginnie comes to Dipsey's loft, confused and upset, not knowing how to cheer Willie up. Dipsey tries to convince her to let Willie try out for a role in his new Buffalo show. Ginnie, knowing what the consequences might be, refuses. Echoing Emma's earlier sentiments, Dipsey accuses Ginnie of caring only about keeping her husband happy. Ginnie explains to Dipsey that William wasn't always like that and that there is still good inside of him ("I Remember How It Was"). She goes to Willie's bedroom and warily tells him about his audition the next day for Dipsey's show. Willie is overjoyed. Ginnie tucks him in for the night and sings to her son until he falls asleep ("Lullabye"). Willie dreams a wonderful dream starring his grandfather. The following day. Willie auditions for the show. The bug of finally being on a stage propels Willie into o technicolor fantasy in which he is surrounded by his idols, all the great dancers: Fred Astaire, Bojangles, Gene Kelly, The Nicholas Brothers, Dipsey and Daddy Bates — all of Willie's idols, dancing with him in his dream ("Dance If It Makes You Happy").

Willie auditions the next day gets the part. Without celebration, Ginnie takes him and Emma to Dipsey and Carole's house to wait for william and prepare for his reaction to the news. William arrives and when Ginnie tells him the news, he is outraged. The family is speechless and nervously cowers in front of William before Emma stands up to him. Her speech, coupling the courtroom savvy of a seasoned professional with the vulnerability of a hurt child, is a powerful indictment against William for alienation of affection and loss of aid to dependent children, Ginnie then tells William that things can't go on the way they are. She demands that she should be just as in charge of the family as he is. William explodes and in a frightening display, pours out his deep-rooted anguish and self-hatred to the family (William's Song"). William, alone now in front of Dipsey's building, waits, not knowing what will happen. Emma comes out and she and her father finally reach an understanding. Willie comes out and tells William that he's not taking the part in the show but still longs to be a dancer. Then Ginnie comes out, followed by Dipsey and they both make peace with William. They all had to compromise a little but they will still remain together as a family ("Class Act [Finale]")

Musical numbers[]

Original Broadway Production[]

National Tour[]

Note: Most productions following the National Tour, including the Encores! production, follow the same tracklist as the National Tour production.

Notable principal casts[]

Productions[]

The musical opened on Broadway on December 21, 1983, at the Broadhurst Theatre and ran until March 11, 1984. On March 27, 1984, it resumed performances at the Minskoff Theatre, closing on August 11, 1985, for a total run of 669 performances. Directed by Vivian Matalon with musical staging and dances by Danny Daniels, it featured Hinton Battle, Samuel E. Wright, Hattie Winston, , and Alfonso Ribeiro as Willie. In 1984 Ribeiro's 10-year-old understudy, Savion Glover, took over the title role.^[1]

The reviews were mixed. Frank Rich, in his review for The New York Times praised the choreography and many actors' performances but saw the plot as "earnest [but] plodding" and the music forgettable.^[2]

A production directed by Jerry Zaks with choreography by Danny Daniels ran at the Pantages Theatre, Los Angeles, California, in September 1985 as part of a tour.^[3] This production also ran in Miami Beach, Florida in April 1986^[4] and Chicago, Illinois in May 1986.^[5]

As part of it's "Encores!" program, New York City Center will mount a production running February 2-6, 2022. Lydia Diamond wrote the concert adaptation. Kenny Leon will direct, with choreography by .

Awards and nominations[]

Original Broadway production[]

References[]

External links[]

• The Tap Dance Kid at the Internet Broadway Database
• 'The Tap Dance Kid' synopsis, song list and production at guidetomusicaltheatre.com