New York theater critics have given mixed reviews to the Encores! concert presentation of The Tap Dance Kid, the 1983 Tony-nominated musical based on Louise Fitzhugh’s novel Nobody’s Family Is Going to Change about 10-year-old Willie, who dreams of becoming a professional tap dancer, despite his father’s disapproval. The creative team includes Charles Blackwell (book), Henry Krieger (music), Robert Lorick (lyrics), Lydia Diamond (adaptation), Kenny Leon (direction), Jared Grimes (choreography), Joseph Joubert (music direction), Derek McLane (sets), Dede Ayite (costumes), Allen Lee Hughes (lights), and Kai Harada (sound). The cast includes Alexander Bello (Willie) and Joshua Henry (William) with Tracee Beazer (Carole), DeWitt Fleming Jr. (Daddy Bates), Trevor Jackson (Uncle Dipsey), Shahadi Wright Joseph (Emma), Chance Smith (Winslow), and Adrienne Walker (Ginnie). The production plays at New York City Center through February 6.
AM NY (Matt Windman): The Tap Dance Kid, though not a particularly great or noteworthy musical, is an ideal title for the Encores! series. It was a genuine hit in its day. … However, it has received virtually no new productions since then. … Encores! productions have not made major changes to the shows being revived. However, The Tap Dance Kid uses a revised book by Lydia R. Diamond, which resets the musical from the 1980s to the 1950s and emphasizes Black cultural progress and the history of Black entertainers. Truth be told, Wednesday’s opening night performance felt especially rough and under-rehearsed. … This being said, The Tap Dance Kid has many standout moments, and it looks ahead to a promising new era for Encores!
Manhattan Digest (Ryan Leeds): Tap dancing of the highest quality. It’s a rare, precious commodity in live theater these days. But those wishing for a jolt of thrilling choreography intertwined with a feel-good story should head to New York City Center for the first show of the Encores! Series, The Tap Dance Kid. … At times, the show feels a bit bogged down. … Once the big, ensemble numbers reignite the story, all is forgiven. The Tap Dance Kid is a marvelous slice of Broadway history that is sure to entertain. While it might not be primed for a current Broadway revival, it’s a blessing that Encores! Artistic Director Lear DeBossonet has chosen to breathe it back to life.
New York Stage Review (David Finkle): The renewed look-see at The Tap Dance Kid comes across like a house on fire. That’s thanks to choreographer Jared Grimes, to his chorus of 14 hot-footed tappers, and especially to Alexander Bello as the tap-dancing kid himself, to Trevor Jackson as … tap-dancing uncle Dipsey, and to Dewitt Fleming Jr. as Daddy Bates. … So, no let-down in the tap front. Then there’s the Tap Dance Kid book. … Things, as well directed by Kenny Leon, work out eventually but not aided by too much of the Krieger-Lorick score. … Furthermore, a soliloquy seems blatantly misplaced now as it was in 1983. Just before closing, William … unleashes a tantrum. … It doesn’t work here. Where would it work?
New York Stage Review (Steve Suskin): The Tap Dance Kid is brimful of tap dancing. … When the characters are otherwise engaged — with dialogue, non-dance numbers, that sort of stuff — the temperature is tepid. … Director Kenny Leon and adaptor Lydia R. Diamond have done some surgery on the book. While the original was never a masterpiece of dramaturgy, some of the present changes are logistically questionable. … That said, [Shahadi Wright] Joseph’s performance is just about the highlight of the show. Next to the dancing of Bello and Jackson. … So while The Tap Dance Kid is not a Broadway classic nor an Encores! classic, the entertainment value at City Center this weekend is mighty high.
Theater Mania (Kenji Fujishima): In one respect, the new Encores! production of the 1983 musical The Tap Dance Kid … proves to be a fascinating rediscovery. … Turns out, The Tap Dance Kid features a climactic musical number, “William’s Song” … that rivals [“And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going”] in searing operatic intensity. … Thankfully, there is more to celebrate in The Tap Dance Kid than just that one number. … Ultimately, though, it’s Joshua Henry and “William’s Song” that may stay with you the most. … It’s an incendiary moment whose disturbing implications this otherwise feel-good show never truly wrestles with. But it’s enough to make this revival well worth seeing.