Milwaukee’s nationally acclaimed children’s theater, First Stage, embarks on a new project this fall. The company is staging the second year of its “Amplify – BIPOC Short Play Series.” The project combines live and streaming versions of new work that has been created especially for this series. Due to the pandemic, last year’s version offered streaming-only productions. The plays and musicals in this series have been created by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), and each one centers on the current viewpoints of young people. STEP KIDS (sic) is the second of three works featured this fall. This new, 30-minute musical by Tyrone L. Robinson, is not, as one might assume, about a blended family of kids who are related by their parents’ marriage. Instead, the musical focuses on nine teens, all from different backgrounds and races, who are auditioning for an elite step team.
The musical begins with the elegant and rhythmic drumming of Deonte Malique Ellis. The teens – some disabled, others representing LGBT groups – attempt to learn some basic “step” movements from an onstage choreographer named Alex (Gavin Miller). The audience learns that “step” is a percussive, high-energy dance style that uses the rhythm of foot stomps, rhythmic hand claps and body slaps. It originated in Africa.
The show’s collective movements of hands, bodies and feet are mesmerizing to watch. Credit goes to director/choreographer for strategically building on simple-to-complex moves over the show’s duration. By the end, one sees a troupe of synchronized dancers.
As they move to the beat, the teens begin to voice doubts and insecurities that might prevent them from making the team. The cast behaves like a young “Chorus Line,” with lines such as, “I want to make this more than anything.” This sense of hope and longing is most eloquently stated by Tateona Watson as Yessica. She wants to follow in the footsteps of her father, who also was part of a step team in his day.
Yessica’s solo, “Makin’ the Cut,” is one of the show’s highlights. Her strong, confident voice rings out to these lyrics: “When I’m stepping/I feel power; When I’m stepping/I feel freedom; When I’m stepping/I feel connected to the ground underneath my feet.” This song – and others - also benefits from orchestrations by Wilke Ferguson.
As choreographer Alex puts the young dancers through their paces, an offstage adult voice comments on their talents. He reminds them that he is only filling “two slots on the team,” and one can almost sense the growing pressure they feel. This character, identified in the program as “the Voice of God (VOG),” represents all the unseen adults who impact these teens on a daily basis – at school, at home, in the community.
Things reach a head when “VOG” asks one dancer to leave the stage. Surprisingly, the whole group stops in a show of solidarity. Although the teens may not have known each other before auditions began, they quickly befriend each other and form a tight-knit community.
This young cast offers an entertaining, well-rehearsed show. STEP KIDS combines non-stop energy and movement as well as themes to which teens can relate.
It should be noted that musical styles vary throughout: some cast members impressively rap their song lyrics, while other songs are based on a more traditional Broadway approach.
STEP KIDS, First Stage has skillfully created a captivating message of community, with considerable help from director/choreographer Christopher Gilbert and New York playwright Tyrone L. Robinson. The musical is free to stream online (see details above).
