Billy Joel tunes in 'Movin' Out' come naturally

Billy Joel tunes in ‘Movin’ Out’ come naturally
Canton Repository (subscription) - Canton,OH,USA
Just as Billy Joel’s music fuels the show, it has been a mainstay in Preston’s life. ... Billy Joel is a Long Island prerequisite.”. ...

Billy Joel tunes in ‘Movin’ Out’ come naturally
Friday, April 28, 2006

It seems divinely predestined, Wade Preston’s starring role as piano man in the Broadway musical “Movin’ Out.”

Just as Billy Joel’s music fuels the show, it has been a mainstay in Preston’s life.

“I grew up in Massapequa (Long Island), which is not far from Hicksville, where Billy grew up,” Preston says. “I’ve known about Billy since I was a little kid. Billy Joel is a Long Island prerequisite.”

He chuckles, then expounds.

“I remember my first slow dance at the junior prom to ‘Just the Way You Are.’ Every song in the show has some kind of significance in my life. I can remember when it came out, where I was and the people I was involved with at the time.”

Later, Preston would perform these songs — “Piano Man,” “Always a Woman,” She’s Got a Way” and so many more — routinely as a singer-pianist at restaurants, parties and piano bars.

“I’ve probably played ‘Just the Way You Are’ a thousand times,” he estimates.

VISUAL APPEAL

Two dozen Billy Joel hits are interwoven in “Movin’ Out” to tell the story of a group of five lifelong friends over the course of two decades, from high-school innocence through the Vietnam War and beyond.

As the band performs above the stage, a team of dancers enacts the storyline entirely through movement choreographed by Twyla Tharp.

“It’s sort of a rock concert-slash-ballet. There is a lot of visual appeal,” Preston says. “You’ve got a nine-piece rock band up there to watch, but you’ve also got these Olympian dancers who are basically describing the story through dance. It’s this really unique combination.”

Preston has been with “Movin’ Out” since its Broadway opening in October 2002. Because of the show’s obvious demands on its vocalist-pianist, the production utilizes two men is rotation.

“It’s such a trying role. You don’t want to kill the guy with eight shows a week, so we split it,” Preston says. “In a typical Broadway show, the lead will do maybe five or six songs. In this show, I have 24 songs and they’re a lot of work.”

After three and a half years of “Movin’ Out,” does Preston ever suffer from Billy Joel burnout?

“I never get tired of this role,” he says. “I try to bring something to the table with every show. You have to do things a certain for the dancers to follow it, but there’s room in there to get loose and give it your all. The audience can feel that spontaneity.”

BILLY’s VIBE

The obvious question: What is Billy Joel really like?

“He’s a really nice guy and a very intelligent man, too. He’s got a vibe about him,” Preston says. “I’ve had the opportunity to hang out with him a couple of times and talk about songwriting and classical music.

“I like to think of him as a regular Long Island guy who happens to be an iconoclastic superstar.”

(Billy Joel trivia tip: He did not want the songs “Piano Man” or “Tell Her About It” included in “Movin’ Out.” So they aren’t.)

Joel was often on hand during the process of creating “Movin’ Out.” How nerve-wracking was it to perform Billy Joel songs in the songwriter’s presence?

Not so bad. “He basically was there to offer his support. He really didn’t offer pointers,” Preston says. “The only vocal tip he ever gave me, ‘That sounds phat, man.’ ”

He chuckles. “I’m hoping he meant P-H-A-T.”

On stage

WHAT: “Movin’ Out.”

WHEN: Tuesday through May 7. Shows at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, and 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday.

WHERE: E.J. Thomas Hall, University of Akron.

TICKETS: $30 to $63.50. On sale at Ticketmaster and the Thomas Hall box office, (330) 972-7570.