"Movin Out", NYC, Dec. 29

This love story of Egypt so long ago
Was followed by another love story
Movin' Out
With Billy Joel's music and lyrics
Rock musicians are suspended high above
And rock and roll I'm an Innocent Man
They wriggle and squirm
They gyre and gymbol as
Twyla Tharp's dancers perform
The saga of the 60's

At their prom dance
The kids dance joyously
With the whole world before them

War takes the men away
Some die, some are crippled
As the young men give service
Lured by patriotism to their country
A war today nobody
Even remembers or cares

And those who live come home
With destructive memories of war
They can't connect with any one
They spiral into an existence
Of drugs, self-loathing, and sex
They dance out the nightmare of war

Since the 30's I have been to the Metropolitan Opera, Vienna with Malcolm for 14 days of opera To the Roman Theatre at Verona to watch outdoor operas Many rock concerts with great celebrities, even Phish

I have never seen such a gargantuan effort in collaboration with musicians, stage managers, lighting and sound design selected from every major rock group. Everybody was listed from Bruce Springstein, Bon Jovi, 10,000 Maniacs, David Lee Roth, Celine Dion, Paul Simon, Bobby McFerrin, Manhattan Transfer, The Monkees, David Bowie, Barnum Bailey Circus, Don Henley, John Mellencamp, The Who, Fleetwood Mac, Elton John, and many others.

Dancers from Lucinda Childs, Michael Jackson, Elton John, Smashing Pumpkins, Cirque du Soleil, Miami City Ballet, Cats, Martha Graham Dance, Robert Wilson, Mark Morris, Joffrey Ballet, Alvin Alley Dance, Royal Ballet of Winnepeg Ballet, Bavarian State Ballet in Munich, LaLaLa Steps in Montreal, Saturday Night Fever; Phantom of the Opera, Swan Lake, Fosse, American Ballet Theatre, Mikjail Baryshnikov. Mentioning a few productions I personally enjoy.

The design man collaborated with Woody Allen on more than 20 films. Santo Loquasto deserves a special mention for the extraordinary manner in which high tech equipment was worked into the design. The musicians elevated above the stage was fantastic!

I could go on and on listing credits. Suffice it to say, special kadoos to Twyla Tharp, for her conception, choreography and direction. She indeed is a genius, worthy of her MacArthur Fellowship. She worked with classical, rock, and other genres to create, in my opinion, a classic Rock Opera.

My prayer is that she and Billy Joel collaborate on another production, or that others will try this new genre of uniting classical, circus, and rock music and dance.