The Arthropologist

SYTYCD star Neil Haskell talks stuntin' in advance of Bring it On: The Musical'sHobby Center run

Cheerleading rules in Bring It On: The Musical
Photo by Michael Lamont
Taylor Louderman and company performing in Bring It On: The Musical
Photo by Craig Schwartz
Neil Haskell, from left, Kate Rockwell, Taylor Louderman and Janet Krupin inBring It On: The Musical
Photo by Michael Lamont
A scene from Bring It On: The Musical
Photo by Craig Schwartz
Adrienne Warren and artists in "Do Your Own Thing" from Bring It On: The Musical
Photo by Craig Schwartz

Yes, it's true, I was a back-up cheerleader in sixth grade for the girls' junior varsity field hockey team. It doesn't get any worse than that. I never even got to shake the pompoms.

But the humiliation left me with an odd fascination for all things "Ra Ra": cheerleading, drill team, color guards, marching bands and the like. There's a tremendous amount of creativity happening on the nation's football fields. It's America's national folk form.

Lucky for me, I landed in Texas, land of high-level cheerleading and birthplace of the drill team. Lucky for you, Theater Under the Stars is presenting Bring it On: The Musical, chock full of cheer candy, at The Hobby Center, Jan. 24 through Feb. 5.

The creative team includes Jeff Whitty (Avenue Q), Lin-Manuel Miranda (In the Heights), Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning Tom Kitt (Next to Normal) and Andy Blankenbueler (In the Heights). It's an A-list Broadway team if I've ever seen one.

Haskell has carved a successful post-SYTYCD career for himself, performing in 9 to 5 on Broadway, Alter Boyz off-Broadway, the national tour of West Side Story and two films.

Sure, there's some crossover between cheerleading and dance, however some serious acrobatic skills are required for this show and any decent cheerleading squad. That's where So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD) Season 3 second-runner-up and All-Star Alum Neil Haskell comes in.

Haskell, my buffalo brother, was a competitive gymnast before turning to dance. High bar was his specialty. You can bet that upper body strength is coming in pretty handy in his role as Steven in Bring it On, where he gets to throw women in the air. Oh, he catches them too.

"Steven dates the head cheerleader, but then jumps to the next hottest girl, that kind of guy," says Haskell over the phone from Denver, where the show is drawing raves. "He just might get a girl at the end. You will have to come and see."

I first spied Haskell on Broadway in Twyla Tharp's acro-heavy The Times They are A-Changin', where Haskell's comfort flying in the air was in full view. The show bombed, but Haskell went on to TV heartthrob fame.

Week after week, he stunned audiences with his polished technique and effortless back flips. With his princely good looks and the fact that the costume department could never seem to find a shirt for the young lad, he became a dance idol.

Unlike his SYTYCD peers, Haskell has actually carved a post-SYTYCD career for himself, performing in 9 to 5 on Broadway, Alter Boyz off-Broadway, the national tour of West Side Story and two films. "It's such a joy to be on stage," he says. "I enjoy teaching, but I want to perform as long as I can."

Although Haskell has kept his flips in check, Bring it On takes a whole new set of chops.

"Stunting [fancy word for cheer tricks] is completely different than partnering in dance," he says. "The hand holds, the way you lift a girl and the way you catch a girl flying through the air, it was all new to me. I had to learn how to balance someone else in the air. They brought in a cheer consultant for us new to stunting. There are several national champion cheerleaders in the cast. It's a great mix of dancers and cheerleaders."

"It's definitely a physically demanding show," Haskell says. "There's some scary moments, but anytime you seeing a girl falling, there's a guy falling underneath her."

Although audiences may gasp at the height of the flying cheerleaders in the show, Haskell says it's all very safe. "We do a stunt call right before each show and go over all the hand holds," he says. "Each show is unique, and I find ways to push myself. It's definitely a physically demanding show. There's some scary moments, but anytime you seeing a girl falling, there's a guy falling underneath her."

Plus, Haskell gets to show off his regular old dance skills, of which there are many. "There's some great hip hop choreography in the show, too," he adds.

Bring it On: The Musical shares the same cheerleading vibe as the movie, but the similarities stop there. "It's really a separate entity," he says. "The music is awesome, and the whole creative team is so talented."

And now, he sings, too. "I sang in the choir when I was growing up. But I got a vocal coach while I was in New York."

The reaction to the show has been enthusiastic. "In Denver, we had whole cheerleading squads show up. They loved the show. If you love dance, you will love this show. We are flipping girls 25 feet in the air."

As for the "what's next" question, Haskell is not ready to think beyond this show. "It's our hope and our goal to take Bring it On to New York."

Go Team Bring it On!

Let shirtless Neil and America's current favorite dancer Melanie Moore melt your heart:

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Movie Review

Knives Out series takes a more serious turn in Wake Up Dead Man

Photo by John Wilson/Netflix

Josh O'Connor and Josh Brolin in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.

Since 2019, writer/director Rian Johnson has essentially turned over his career to murder mysteries, including 2019’s Knives Out, 2022’s sequel Glass Onion, and the just-canceled Peacock series Poker Face. He’s back for another bite of the apple with Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.

While private detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) returns to help investigate a seemingly impossible murder, the majority of the focus of this film is on the employees and parishioners at a small Catholic church in upstate New York. Father Jud Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor) has been assigned to the parish to work under Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin). Wicks is a fiery orator who relies on intimidation, as well as the help of church aide Martha Delacroix (Glenn Close), to maintain control over his flock.

That group includes lawyer Vera Draven (Kerry Washington), her politically ambitious brother Cy (Daryl McCormack), Dr. Nat Sharp (Jeremy Renner), writer Lee Ross (Andrew Scott), cellist Simone Vivane (Cailee Spaeny), and groundskeeper Samson Holt (Thomas Haden Church). The tenets of Catholicism, and religion in general, are put to the test as Father Jud challenges Monsignor Jefferson for leadership, and a death changes things even further.

The free-wheeling and fun nature of the first two Knives Out films gives way to a more methodical and introspective approach in Wake Up Dead Man. While Johnson is interested in presenting a murder mystery, it’s the lives of the various characters that take precedence, especially that of Father Jud. He is shown from the start as someone who wrestles with his faith, which is tested on multiple occasions as he encounters people who challenge him more than expected.

The arrival of Blanc on the scene turns the film into a type of buddy movie, with Father Jud serving as both investigator and suspect. Neither man embodies the type of behavior one might expect out of their respective professions, and what limited comedy the film has comes from their interactions. They’re reined in by Police Chief Geraldine Scott (Mila Kunis), although her desire to get to the bottom of the murder is somewhat stymied by Blanc and Father Jud’s diversions.

The lessons learned from two very different types of sources — mystery novels and Catholicism — collide over the course of the film. A book club that very coincidentally includes multiple mystery novels, including John Dickson Carr’s The Hollow Man, plays a key role, as does the devoutness of the various people at the church. Ultimately, as was the case in the first two films, the nature of the whodunit comes in second place to how the characters react to the multiple reveals along the way.

Craig seems to tone down the over-the-top way he usually plays Blanc in this film, and his performance fits in well with the story being told. O’Connor, a star on the rise after Challengers and more, is asked to carry the film and he does so ably. The strong actors in the supporting cast are not used as well as they could have been, with only Close and Brolin truly making an impact. Geoffrey Wright shows up in a couple of small scenes and makes his presence known quickly.

Wake Up Dead Man is the least entertaining Knives Out film so far, but that’s not to say that it’s uninteresting. Johnson explores topics that result in more talking than action, but those conversations — especially between Blanc and Father Jud — are consistently engaging and revelatory about the characters and the crime they are investigating.

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Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is now playing in select theaters; it debuts on Netflix on December 12.

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