Just important to note, even when it was off-Broadway at the Mitzi E. Newhouse, Ben Brantley was assigned to review Contact, along with other theater critics, which would not have been the case for a dance concert. From inception, book writer John Weidman was always attached to the "dance play", as it was billed at the time. And it was moved to the Vivian Beaumont specifically for Tony eligibility. Both were pieces of musical theater—both pushing the limits of what we consider musical theater—specifically conceived with pre-recorded music. The only difference is one passed without a murmur and one did not. |