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, whom William wants to follow in his footsteps. However, all Willie wants is to be a tap dancer. The show opens on a typical morning, with Ginnie making 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. 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 coolly greets Dipsey, for whom he has little use as a 33-year-old dancer. Dipsey exits, leaving William to examine the children's report cards. He pays scant attention to Emma's exceptional grades, but he is so disappointed by Willie's poor grades that he grounds him and forbids him from dancing.
Three weeks later, Willie still has not been allowed to dance. He goes to the playground where he is taunted for dancing by Winslow, a local teenage bully. Emma arrives and defends Willie against Winslow, but she 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. The performance has been designed to showcase Dipsey's dancing and choreographic talents, which he hopes will 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 that they stop dancing to watch 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 interrupts, 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 in the Moon").
Act II
Willie has not danced for weeks and is miserable. During another breakfast in the Sheridan household, an argument ensues, and William storms out. Emma accuses her mother of not asserting herself or 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, New York. Dipsey has just given up hope when the phone rings with news that he got the job. Dipsey and Carole celebrate, with Dipsey finally succeeding in life ("My Luck Is Changing").
Willie has gone 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 up Willie. 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 was not always like this, 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 has a wonderful dream starring his grandfather, in which Willie auditions for the show the following day. The theater bug and the chance at last to be onstage propel Willie into a fantasy in which he is surrounded by all of his idols, the dancers Fred Astaire, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, Gene Kelly, The Nicholas Brothers, Dipsey, and Daddy Bates. They dance with him in his dream ("Dance If It Makes You Happy").
Willie auditions the next day and receives 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 tells William that things cannot continue this way. She demands to have authority equal to his, in their family. William explodes and, in a frightening display, pours out his deep-rooted anguish and self-hatred to the family ("William's Song").
Later, alone in front of Dipsey's building, William waits, not knowing what will happen. Emma joins him, and she and her father finally reach an understanding. Willie arrives and tells William that he is not taking the part in the show but still longs to be a dancer. Ginnie appears, followed by Dipsey, and they both make peace with William. They all compromise a little, but they will remain together as a family ("Class Act [Finale]").
Musical numbers
Original Broadway Production
Act I Another Day — Ginnie, Emma, and Willie Four Strikes Against Me — Emma Class Act — Ginnie, Dipsey, and Daddy Bates They Never Hear What I Say — Emma and Willie Dancing Is Everything — Willie Crosstown — Willie and New Yorkers Fabulous Feet — Dipsey, Carole, and Dancers I Could Get Used to Him — Carole Man in the Moon — Dipsey
Act II Like Him — Ginnie and Emma My Luck Is Changing — Dipsey I Remember How It Was — Ginnie Someday — Emma and Willie Lullabye — Ginnie Tap Tap — Daddy Bates, Willie, and Dipsey Dance If It Makes You Happy — Willie, Dipsey, Daddy Bates, Carole, and Dancers William's Song — William Class Act (Finale) — Willie, Emma, Ginnie, William, and Dipsey
National Tour
Act I Dipsey's Coming Over — Willie High Heels — Dipsey, Carole, Dancers Something Better, Something More — Dipsey Four Strikes Against Me — Emma Class Act — Ginnie, Dipsey, and Daddy Bates They Never Hear What I Say — Emma and Willie Dancing Is Everything — Willie Crosstown — Willie and New Yorkers Fabulous Feet — Dipsey, Carole, and Dancers I Could Get Used to Him — Carole Man in the Moon — Dipsey
Act II Like Him — Ginnie and Emma My Luck Is Changing — Dipsey I Remember How It Was — Ginnie Someday — Emma and Willie Lullabye — Ginnie Tap Tap — Daddy Bates, Willie, and Dipsey Dance If It Makes You Happy — Willie, Dipsey, Daddy Bates, Carole, and Dancers William's Song — William Class Act (Finale) — Willie, Emma, Ginnie, William, and Dipsey
Note: Most productions subsequent to the National Tour, including the Encores! production, follow the same song list as the National Tour production.
Notable principal casts CharacterBroadwayUS National TourNYCC Encores!198319852022Willie Sheridan Alfonso Ribeiro Dulé Hill Alexander BelloDipsey Bates Hinton Battle Trevor JacksonEmma Sheridan Martine Allard Shahadi Wright JosephGinnie Sheridan Hattie Winston Monica Pege Adrienne WalkerWilliam Sheridan Samuel E. Wright Ben Harney Joshua HenryCarole Jackie Lowe Theresa Hayes Tracee BeazerDaddy Bates Alan Weeks Harold Nicholas Dewitt Fleming Jr.Winslow Michael Blevins Mark Santoro Chance K. Smith
Notable replacements
Broadway (1983–1985) Willie: Savion Glover, Dulé Hill Ginnie: Suzzanne Douglas US National Tour (1985–1986) William: Chuck Cooper
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, Martine Allard, and Alfonso Ribeiro as Willie. In 1984 Ribeiro's 10-year-old understudy, Savion Glover, took over the title role.
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.Rich, Frank. "A Boy And His Dreams In 'Tap Dance Kid'". The New York Times. December 22, 1983. Retrieved November 24, 2006. (Subscription required)
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.Sullivan, Dan. "Stage Review: Tapping Out A Dance Story At The Pantages" Los Angeles Times, September 24, 1985 This production also ran in Miami Beach, Florida, in April 1986Zink, Jack. "'Tap Dance Kid' A Kick From Start To Finish" SunSentinel.com, April 11, 1986 and Chicago, Illinois, in May 1986.
As part of its "Encores!" program, New York City Center mounted a production running February 2–6, 2022. Lydia Diamond wrote the concert adaptation. Kenny Leon directed, with choreography by Jared Grimes.
Awards and nominations Original Broadway Production Year Award Category Nominee Result 1984 Tony Award Best Musical Best Book of a Musical Charles Blackwell Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical Hinton Battle Samuel E. Wright Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical Martine Allard Best Direction of a Musical Vivian Matalon Best Choreography Danny Daniels Drama Desk Award Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical Hinton Battle
References
External links
'The Tap Dance Kid' synopsis, song list and production at guidetomusicaltheatre.com