There’s a reason we have a revue like “Forever Tango” and not “Everlasting Jitterbug” or “Always Rumba.” Since its beginnings in lower-class Argentine neighborhoods, tango has enjoyed global success, becoming an international code word for both torrid passion and popular routines on “Dancing With the Stars.”
Maybe it’s that combination of stylized aggression, pent-up sexuality and aloof intensity that draws fans: A hard-to-get lover can be more rewarding than an easy conquest, and tango doesn’t try to charm.
That may explain the enduring popularity of “Forever Tango,” which opened last night on Broadway for its third go-round, 16 years after winning a Tony for Best Choreography during its initial run.
As before, the show reels off one number after another, backed by an onstage 11-piece band. Sometimes a single couple takes the floor; other times, several pairs glide by each other.
Still, creator/director Luis Bravo decided not to take any chances and roped in popular guest stars to boost his ensemble, tango integrity be damned.
Those who love “DWTS” will be happy to see the (stage) reunion of the famously on-again-off-again Karina Smirnoff and Maksim Chmerkovskiy, especially since the temperamental Maks didn’t participate in the show last season. (As it is, the couple will be in “Forever Tango” only until Aug. 11.)
Both are comfortable here — having appeared in the 2009 ballroom extravaganza “Burn the Floor,” they’re Broadway vets by now — and they sure deliver something, if not traditional steps. With Karina, it’s a haughty stare and “Don’t mess with me” attitude. With Maks, it’s a bubble butt and hints of sculpted pecs.
The two drew big applause, but not as much as the other featured performer, Gilberto Santa Rosa.
The dancers disappear when the Puerto Rican crooner comes on to make women swoon — at a recent performance, cries of “Te quiero!” rang out from several rows. (Another singer, Luis Enrique, comes in on July 30.)
Never mind that Santa Rosa’s famous for salsa: This isn’t a show for purists. There are tons of acrobatic, “Cirque du Soleil”-like lifts, and Maks’ pelvic gyrations during the big finale are closer to Santa Rosa’s salsa days, but nobody seems to mind.
The rest of the evening sticks more or less to the usual tango vibe, with unsmiling performers decked out like guys and dolls at a louche — but sizzling! — nightclub. Costume designer Argemira Affonso seems to have plundered the “Chicago” closet, with lots of fedoras and at least one see-through black-lace unitard.
Among the men, “Zumo” Leguizamón stands out for his pudgy build and fleet feet — his partnership with Belén Bartolomé results in a couple of the best routines — while Ariel Manzanares goes out on a stylistic limb by incorporating humor in this most serious of dances.
Maybe that’s why tango endures after all these years: Like the smartest predators, it evolves.