‘Gotta Dance!’ Off-Broadway: Riki Kane Larimer Scores a Hit with American Dance Machine’s New Musical Celebration

SPARK In The City steps behind the curtain with producer Riki Kane Larimer, whose new Off-Broadway hit Gotta Dance celebrates 14 iconic musicals — and is already breaking ticket records.

A Chorus Line, West Side Story, Pippin, Singin’ in the Rain, and Gypsy are just some of the 14 iconic musicals showcased in the new Off-Broadway production Gotta Dance!, presented by American Dance Machine in association with producer Riki Kane Larimer. The show is currently running through Dec. 28 at The York Theatre at St. Jean’s on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.

“Tickets for Gotta Dance! are almost sold out — the word of mouth has been good,” Larimer said. She splits her time between the Hamptons (where she is a board member at Bay Street Theater) and Manhattan (where she is a board member at The York Theatre).

A Tribute to Legendary Choreographers

Featuring a 14-member ensemble and a live seven-piece band, Gotta Dance! reconstructs beloved numbers from Broadway and Hollywood, honoring the work of iconic choreographers like Bob Fosse, Jerome Robbins, Gene Kelly, Michael Bennett, and Susan Stroman.

Directed by Nikki Feigert Atkin and Randy Skinner, Gotta Dance! offers 90 minutes of blissful music and movement.

“No intermission, just joy,” adds Larimer.

Opening night on Dec. 3 drew a packed house, including Ben Vereen, William Ivey Long, Stephen Flaherty, Jamie deRoy, Ellen Krass, Lee Roy Reams, Stephen and Eda Sorokoff, Randie Levine-Miller, Ken Waissman, and 11-year-old Sadie Daniels, who appears as Clara in The Christmas Spectacular with The Rockettes.

The production also features staging by three Broadway legends: Donna McKechnie (who originated the role of Cassie in A Chorus Line on Broadway, winning the Tony Award for Best Actress in 1976), Baayork Lee (also from A Chorus Line), and Robert La Fosse (Tony-nominated dancer and choreographer).

INTERVIEW: Riki Kane Larimer on Producing, the East End, and What’s Next

You’ve invested in several shows and co-produced Broadway hits such as Memphis, On the Town and Gigi. What drew you to Gotta Dance!?

RKL: Dance has always fascinated me. I’m not a good dancer myself, but I love watching good dancing. When I first saw this concept at Rose Caiola’s MMAC Theater two years ago, I thought, We have to put this on a mainstage. It mesmerized me.

“This show is a beautifully crafted revue of classic theater and dance segments — it’s unique.”

What was the biggest challenge?

RKL: Getting the rights. Fosse material in particular — you have to work with authorized people, and the estates are very strict. This was the hardest rights process I’ve ever dealt with.

Does the show have legs beyond this?

RKL: Absolutely. We’re already talking about London and a national tour. My job is to get the right people in the audience who can take it to the next level.

“We’ve broken records for advance ticket sales — it’s tremendously exciting.”

Who is the audience for Gotta Dance!?

RKL: Everyone. It’s 90 minutes, no intermission, and packed with numbers people love. Grandparents are bringing grandkids — it crosses every line.

The Return of Cagney: Coming to Bay Street in 2026

Talk about your Cagney show and plans for Bay Street Theater in 2026.

RKL: Cagney is opening at Bay Street in Sag Harbor in mid-June and running through the middle of July. The show has a lot of George M. Cohan music, like “I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy,” and it will run through July 4, which is great timing.

Cagney is my baby. He had a tough upbringing on the Lower East Side. Cagney started SAG (Screen Actors Guild). He had to fight for everything.

When I did this show Off-Broadway, we had a 15-month, very successful run — it was such a hit.

Cagney had this love-hate relationship with Jack Warner, chief of Warner Bros. Cagney wanted to be a song-and-dance man; Warner wanted him to be a thug and a criminal.

One night, Cass Warner, granddaughter of Jack Warner, came to the show. I said, “I’m so sorry we portrayed your grandfather as so nasty.”

She said, “OMG, he was much worse.” That made me feel much better.

What do you love about the Cagney musical?

It’s a great show with tap dancing and music. Songs like “Give My Regards to Broadway”  and “Grand Old Flag.” He went through so much. He was accused of being a communist — so-called un-American activities. He got through all of that, and he’s one of the greatest. There’s never been a musical about him until this one.

“Cagney was a true American — he stood up for the little guy, and overcame so much.”

A Life on the East End

How long have you been going out to the Hamptons?

We (her husband, Robert Larimer, who passed in 2014, was an avid theater-lover) bought in ’85. Before that we used to stay with friends in Bridgehampton — Paul and Donnie Bernstein — who finally said, “We love you guys, but get your own god**** house!”

I wanted to be on the water, even in 1985. We found this charming house on Lake Mill Pond in Water Mill — 90 acres of freshwater view. The house is on a half-acre, and it needed a lot of work. It was reasonable back then. We fixed it up. I hope it stays in the family.

What’s Next: Sinatra, Damn Yankees, and Knoxville

What other projects are you working on that excite you?

RKL: A show about Frank Sinatra. I happen to be friends with Tina Sinatra, the creator of this wonderful show about her relationship with her father, mother and Ava Gardner. She just got back from London. In September, I’m going over with other friends for the opening. I plan to be involved as much as I can be.If it is successful at the Nederlander Theatre on the West End, it will come to Broadway. I have my eye on that.

I’m a co-producer on Damn Yankees, which opened recently in Washington, D.C. I’m excited about that.

The other thing that intrigues me — and we’ll see how this goes — is Knoxville, a new show by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, who created Ragtime. It looks like we’ll be doing it at The York. I love their work. Stephen thinks this is the best score they’ve ever done. I’m excited to look at this show and see to what extent I’ll get behind it.

What matters most when producing?

RKL: “A great team. You need terrific people — a strong general manager, a good lawyer, people you trust. It takes a village.”

Show info:

Gotta Dance!

The York Theatre
Theatre at St. Jean’s, 150 E. 76th St., New York, N.Y.
Tues–Sat at 7:30 p.m.; Sat & Sun at 2:30 p.m.
Runs through Dec. 28, 2025

Tickets: 862-235-0938 or yorktheatre.org/gotta-dance

Angela LaGreca

Editor, Co-Founder/Publisher

Angela LaGreca, Editor-in-chief and co-Founder/Publisher of Spark Hamptons, is a four-time Emmy Award-winning journalist, producer, writer and comedian/host. Her TV credits include NBC’s “Today,” ABC’s “The View,” and, most recently, the primetime cable news program “Cuomo” on NewsNation. On the East End, she was the Creative Director at LTV, VP Features/Events/Photo Editor at Dan’s Papers, and has performed at Guild Hall, Bay Street Theater and the WHBPAC. Her publishing career began at Modern Photography, where she was managing editor. LaGreca lives in Manhattan and East Hampton and can be reached at angelatvmedia@gmail.com and angela@sparkhamptons.com .