By Audrey Levine Staff Writer
It took a spontaneous audition for one Hillsborough resident to find himself “movin’ out” of one theater and embarking on a 12-month nationwide tour of a Broadway production that closed in 2005 after more than 1,300 performances.
Andrew Pirozzi, of Township Line Road, took his dancing career to a new level when he was cast in the second national tour of Twyla Tharp’s “Movin’ Out,” which began in Atlantic City and ran from June 13, 2007, to June 15, 2008, with the final performance at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center.
”It was a great experience, and my first time on a tour for a long period of time,” he said of his role as “Eddie,” one of the main characters.
According to Mr. Pirozzi, he initially saw that auditions for the tour were going to be held in Chicago while he was performing in “West Side Story.”
”From the audition in Chicago, they asked me to fly to New York City,” he said. “The last audition was in front of Ms. Tharp herself.”
With the role of Eddie a man who finds himself losing friends and turning to drugs after returning from fighting in the Vietnam War Mr. Pirozzi said he prepared during rehearsals both with his castmates and Ms. Tharp, who taught them to become their characters emotionally.
”This was a very dynamic role,” he said. “Eddie feels like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders, and he goes through such an arc through the show. It was a pleasure to do this.”
The play follows five high school friends after they graduate, get drafted in the Vietnam War and deal with the effects of fighting and losing a friend in the process. There is no dialogue as this nontraditional musical is told primarily through dance, with a pianist and band on a platform above the stage performing the songs of legendary singer Billy Joel.
Because of the sole concentration on dance, Mr. Pirozzi said his years of training enabled him to take on the role.
”Most of my training has been dance-based,” he said, saying that he also developed acting skills while participating in musicals at Hillsborough High School before his 2006 graduation.
Mr. Pirozzi’s mother, Elizabeth, said that she noticed a difference in her son’s abilities after all the performances as he grew into the role of Eddie.
”I could see how he grew,” she said. “Twyla even said he was the most improved dancer.”
The tour itself took Mr. Pirozzi through more than 35 states and Canada, as he performed in different venues in Washington, Illinois, Ohio, Idaho, California, Florida and Pennsylvania, among other places.
”At the cast party, someone had made a map with our trip outlined,” he said. “We were all across the country.”
Throughout the tour, Mr. Pirozzi said, he was amazed by the reactions of the audiences, many of whom gave the troupe standing ovations at the end of the performances. He said the show, which mainly targets the Baby Boomer generation, yielded a great response from all ages.
”We had amazing audiences,” he said. “With the power of the war in the show, everyone is affected because of what is going on in the world now.”
Despite mostly positive feedback, Mr. Pirozzi said, there were more lukewarm responses in several southern states, where a few were offended by certain scenes.
”Some walked out because of a more intimate scene,” he said. “But it’s part of telling the story. We are not trying to offend anyone.”
Ms. Pirozzi said she also traveled to several of the states to see her son perform, including Ohio, Connecticut, New York and Pennsylvania.
”Someone said I could be one of the producers with how many tickets I bought,” she said with a laugh.
While in the different cities, Mr. Pirozzi said, he enjoyed some opportunities to explore the culture there. He said he spent time visiting art exhibits and local haunts in areas around the country.
”Sioux Falls in South Dakota was a favorite place,” he said. “I was really impressed and pleased with what they have there. They have amazing cafés with paintings. It was nice to spend time there.”
After the opportunity to perform in so many different places, Mr. Pirozzi said he realized that the show itself is better performed in a smaller theater where the audience is closer to the stage.
”Bigger theaters are more detrimental to this play,” he said. “We are telling the story through emotion. People can’t experience that when they are farther away.”
Mr. Pirozzi has had experience performing in theaters of all sizes, having had the chance to perform at Carnegie Hall before beginning his work with “West Side Story.” Prior to these performances, he was a dancer for 13 years at Kathleen Academy of Dance, on Route 206, where he studied ballet, tap, jazz and modern, and was part of the school’s Kids on Tap team.
In addition, Mr. Pirozzi took classes for nine years at Princeton Ballet and was a member of the American Repertory Ballet Workshop. This summer, he will be teaching master classes at the school.
