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

An all-star cast delivers clever laughs in new comedy The Invite

Photo courtesy of A24

Olivia Wilde, Seth Rogen, Penelope Cruz, and Edward Norton in The Invite.

Once upon a time, well before scandal embroiled him, Woody Allen made great comedies aimed at adults. That type of film — which is different from the raunchy, R-rated comedies of the 21st century — has fallen out of favor in Hollywood, but as the new film The Invite proves, when done well it can be as funny as anything else out there.

Joe (Seth Rogen) and Angela (Olivia Wilde) are an unhappily married couple living in San Francisco. As we meet them, Joe has arrived home to Angela preparing for a visit from their upstairs neighbors, Hawk (Edward Norton) and Piña (Penélope Cruz), who have moved in relatively recently. Their impending arrival starts a new round of arguing between Joe and Angela, something they can barely contain once the other couple comes to their door.

What proceeds is a getting-to-know-you process that is mostly awkward as Joe and Angela continue sniping at each other while Hawk and Piña put in their two cents in a much calmer manner. A sticking point between the two couples — the loud sex Hawk and Piña have on an almost nightly basis — turns the film on its head with an unexpected invitation.

Directed by Wilde and written by Will McCormack and Rashida Jones, the film is a fast-paced chamber piece that takes place almost entirely in Joe and Angela’s apartment. Wilde, the writers, and the actors speed the story along not with action but through almost non-stop dialogue that often has the characters overlapping each other’s lines. The rapidity of the speech fuels the humor of the situation and establishes the differing personalities of each person.

Sex is very much top of mind for each of the characters for most of the film, but the filmmakers approach the topic in such a way that it never feels salacious. Each of the characters is a rational adult who can talk about sex in a mature manner while also acknowledging their unique feelings on the matter. And it’s the discoveries each of them makes along the way that brings about the most comedy.

But, like any comedy for adults, the film also has a dramatic tilt to it, and Wilde edges the story back-and-forth between the two tones extremely well. Joe and Angela fighting is played for laughs at times, but the sadness of their relationship comes through loud and clear. Hawk and Piña are much more intimate with each other, but the funniness of their openness is juxtaposed with a depth that arises through their conversations.

In the 2020s, Rogen has managed to make the transition from goofy stoner to stoner with real acting chops. In a stacked cast, he is the one who sells every moment the best. That’s not to say that Wilde, Norton, and Cruz don’t measure up, though; each of them inhabits their respective roles magnificently. The four actors play off each other as if they had been working together for years.

While The Invite will likely play better to those who have experience with long term relationships, its insights — and occasional bawdiness — make it a comedy that can be appreciated universally. With four actors at the top of their games and a razor-sharp script made even better by some well-done improv, it proves that you don’t need to go low to get great laughs.

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The Invite is now playing in theaters.

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