Ah, the good ol’ days!
It was only a couple of decades ago that I spent a handful
of nights twice a year assisting a friend who owned a popular suburban dance studio.
It was always on recital nights, and I was stationed in the green room where
the young dancers were housed before, during and immediately after each
performance. The participants – mostly girls, but sometimes a boy or two would
be found in the mix – ranged from the wee little ones to older teens, and it
was my job to keep them safe, soothe the lonely and the tearful, and to
intervene when a situation required a grownup. It was mostly an easy gig, as the
boys would goof around amongst themselves and the girls would self-segregate
into various cliques based upon age, dance number and various other criteria (which
I often couldn’t figure out). The one commonality among them was this: They generally
ignored me unless my services were needed. That allowed me to lurk in the
background and absorb the multiple conversations buzzing around me. Most were
silly (from a grown-up point of view, of course), while others were what you’d
expect from young girls and blossoming teenagers. And, almost on cue, the
occasional Mean Girl surfaced to cause momentary mayhem. But as I said, it was
an easy and mostly fun gig. (I had more problems with parents than I did with
their kids!)
Apparently, however, times have changed – dramatically – as
the 13-year-olds in The Ringwald’s current production of “Dance Nation” are
nothing like the innocent, sweet-talking girls of yesteryear. But that’s OK, as
Clare Barron’s script delivers an innovative mix of warmth, charm and raging hormones
– topped off with an appropriate serving of teenage Sturm und Drang, of course –
that sheds light on what it’s like for girls to grow up in 21st-Century
America. But be forewarned: She also socks you with a few shocking, “what-the-fuck”
moments that will likely cause you to scratch your head and wonder what the
hell she was thinking.
Yes, that’s MY kind of theater!
It’s competition time, and under the watchful tutelage of
Dance Teacher Pat, a troupe of eight 13-year-olds (seven girls and one boy) are
heading toward the first of what they hope will be a string of wins that will
lead to the coveted nationals in faraway Tampa, Florida. They have a lot to
live up to: A former member was discovered there and went on to dance on Broadway.
(Her photo on the wall of the studio is looked upon as if it’s a religious icon.)
With the first stop looming, it’s time to perfect the
number they’re taking on the road – and the big question is: Who will play the
lead: the uber-talented Amina? Or her best friend, the hard-working Zuzu? And
will the choice be good enough to push them all the way to the top?
Trust me: That’s only the skeleton upon which the meat of
the play is built. As Barron’s story unfolds, she veers into a series of individual
vignettes or monologues in which the dancers share their secrets, fears, hopes,
dreams – and even their futures. It’s here that their inner-most selves are
stripped down and revealed. And it’s through the girls that we discover the deep
and sometimes dark complexities and uncertainties of growing up in modern-day
America and navigating life’s minefields on their way to womanhood.
So how can 13 year olds pull this off, you might be
wondering? They don’t. (There’s nudity in the play, so that’s a good
thing! And lots of words the kids use would have resulted in a soapy mouth washing
when I grew up.) Barron’s concept is designed for adults of any age to play the
teens. Therefore, director Brandy Joe Plambeck placed three seasoned and
formidable veterans into the show who quickly make us forget their age
differences. Karen Kron Dickson (who I’d love to see on stage more often) is
Vanessa, but after a quick opening scene she quickly morphs into every mom the
script requires – and she successfully makes each of them distinct from one
other (not an easy task). Melissa Beckwith is Zuzu, always number two but never
the queen, with a performance that will tug at your heart. And Linda Rabin
Hammell as Maeve, the least talented of the dancers, has a blast reveling in
her youth.
Equally up to the challenge is a talented troupe of
younger performers, each of whom creates a believable, strong, unique and
powerful character. As with their more experienced partners, it takes only
minutes to shed any disbelief regarding their ages, and together they work
extremely well. Maya Gangadharan, Asia Marie Hicks, Rashna “Rashi” Sarwar, Katy
Schoetzow and Matt Wallace deserved all the loud applause they received on
opening night.
And then there’s Joel Mitchell as Dance Teacher Pat, a
role that proves he really can play just about anything and excel at it –
especially characters you’d never envision him tackling.
Choreography by Geri Elise Conner is exactly what one
would expect of a middle-school-aged dance troupe of varying skills and talent.
Costumes by Vince Kelley help define each character.
If there’s a flaw it’s a minor one with the script: A
couple of monologues are a bit too long, with the added time not contributing
anything of substance to the character or the story.
But that didn’t stop me from chewing on and mulling over what
I’d seen – which is a sign that the playwright, director, actors and
technicians all did their jobs extremely well.
And I can’t help but thank my lucky stars that I’m
neither a 13-year-old girl nor holding down the fort in a 21st-century
dance studio. I’m not sure I’d survive either!
Dance Nation continues at The Ringwald Theatre in
Ferndale through March 16. CLICK HERE for complete details!
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