Review – Take the Lead at Paper Mill Playhouse
Written by wmscweb on April 20, 2025
By Joely DeMonte
04/06/2025. MILLBURN, NJ: Pierre Dulaine, whose story inspired Take the Lead, in the audience. Take the Lead was a new musical put on by Paper Mill Playhouse. Photograph by Rebecca J. Michelson
The world premiere of Take the Lead at Paper Mill Playhouse brings ballroom back to the stage, fusing it with hip hop beats and a message of togetherness. Based on the 2006 film of the same name and the real life story of Pierre Dulaine, this musical combines electrifying choreography, a strong leading man, and an inspiring premise, but it doesn’t quite stick the landing.
Directed and choreographed by Christopher Gattelli (Newsies, Death Becomes Her) and co-choreographed by Jennifer Weber (& Juliet) and Maria Torres (So You Think You Can Dance), with a book by Robert Cary and Jonathan Tolins (Schmigadoon!) and a score by Elliah Heifetz and Zeniba Now. Take the Lead is undeniably a spectacle of movement. The dancing is the show’s heartbeat, seamlessly mixing elegance and edge. Everytime the ensemble hit the floor, the stage was alive with energy.
Tam Mutu (Doctor Zhivago, Moulin Rouge! The Musical) anchors the production as Pierre Dulaine, bringing not only vocal strength but genuine heart to the role. His portrayal is earnest and grounded, capturing the determination of a man who believed in dance’s ability to transform lives. You could feel the passion radiating through Mutu’s performance, the absolute high of the show.
Unfortunately, not all of the principal performances reached the same heights. Adrienne Bailon-Houghton (3LW, The Cheetah Girls) plays interim principal (she has to say that) Arianna but her performance fell flat, especially against the movement and emotion surging through the rest of the cast. While her pop roots brought name recognition to the production, her stage presence did not carry the weight or nuance demanded from the role.
While the story itself is rooted in truth and filled with good intentions, it felt overly familiar. From film, tv, and theater, audiences have seen this sort of “teacher changes the lives of troubled students” narrative many times before. Unfortunately, this production didn’t do much to reframe or deepen that formula.
MILLBURN, NJ. Savy Jackson (La Rhette), Vincent Jamal Hooper (Rock), and the Company of Take the Lead. Photograph by Evan Zimmerman
Still, there are undeniable strengths. The supporting cast brought emotional complexity and a youthful vibrancy to the stage, with standout performances from Vincent Jamal Hooper (Hamilton, The Lion King) as Rock and Savy Jackson (Bad Cinderella, Once On This Island First National Tour). Jen Caprio’s costume design is another high point of the show, bringing you back to 2002 when with the Drake kids and into the peak of elegance with the ballroom dancers.
In the end, Take the Lead succeeds as a dance forward musical with heart. Does it revolutionize the genre? Maybe not, but it offers moments of genuine inspiration and showcases the power of dance to break barriers as Pierre Dulaine has done for decades in his real life program, Dancing Classrooms.
Featured image by Evan Zimmerman
