Theatrius
  • Now Playing
  • All Reviews
  • Writers
  • Reflections
  • Millennial Notes
  • Join Us
  • About Us
  • Search Icon

Theatrius

Theater Reviews—San Francisco and Beyond

“Dancing Lessons” Shimmies and Shakes, at Center REP, Walnut Creek

“Dancing Lessons” Shimmies and Shakes, at Center REP, Walnut Creek

October 30, 2018 Beau McGlasson

Millennial Notes

Mark St. Germain Asks: Do We Have the Strength to Change?

by Beau McGlasson

Dance is pure human expression. It’s the carefree wildness of a club at 1 A.M., the controlled passion of tango. You can dance on your own to Robyn or tangle yourself in your lover’s arms. Dancing expresses frustration or liberation.

“Dancing Lessons,” the hilarious play by Mark St. Germain at Center REP, poignantly examines two people—a dancer who has injured her leg and a man who is trapped by Asberger’s—both stuck in time, fearing their futures. Can the magic of dance set them free?

Senga (whip-sharp Sharon Rietkerk) and Ever (lovable Craig Marker), neighbors in Manhattan apartments, have never met. Their lives collide when Ever knocks on her door to offer Senga an insane amount of money for a quick dance lesson to prepare for an awards dinner.

Sharon Rietkerk and Craig Marker. Photos by Mellophoto.com

Senga and Ever feel alone, anxiously terrified of exposing themselves. Senga is suffering a potentially career-ending injury. If the dance world finds out about her injury, she will be finished.

Ever, a climate scientist, fears all social interactions. His Asberger’s makes him feel uncomfortable and clumsy. To compensate, he sees life as transactional—just wins and losses. By reducing social encounters to transactions, he can win with logic, rather than expose his emotional insecurities.

St. Germain’s probing wit shines through in the interweaving of Ever and Senga’s dance lessons with Ever’s lectures on the looming dangers of climate change. The juxtaposition of dance and climate change demands action. They cry out for change, individually and globally.

Sharon Rietkerk and Craig Marker

As a dancer, Senga constantly struggles with life’s highs and lows: no one is crowned right or wrong. Instead, in dance, she expresses and lives in the struggle, constantly testing her dedication and skill.

The two grow close during the lessons, understanding one another slowly through twitty jokes that lower their defenses. Both feel injured and somehow less because they are not “perfect.”

At one point, Senga accuses Ever of making a joke at her expense. When Ever retorts, “Why would I make jokes when I don’t understand them?” Senga starts to re-evaluate their budding romance. Ever puts himself, honestly, on display in his own awkward and uncomfortable way. If Ever can be so genuine, can she lower her wall of sarcasm and jokes?

Craig Marker and Sharon Rietkerk

When a student asks Ever if he thinks people can change in time to save the Earth, he admits that change will be painful, scary. But Ever and Senga’s growing intimacy gives us hope that change is inevitable.

Finally, “Dancing Lessons” shows that we crave acceptance and love. St. Germain shows that sticking to old ways can be more painful than change. It’s a deeply personal example of how change affects the world.

 

“Dancing Lessons” by Mark St. Germain, directed by Joy Carlin, by Center REPertory Company, at Lesher Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek, California, through Saturday, November 17, 2018. Info:  centerrep.org

Cast: Sharon Rietkerk and Craig Marker.


Millennial Notes, Plays
Asperger's, climate change, Dance, emotions, Isolation, loneliness, love, Science

Post navigation

NEXT
“The Boy from Oz” Dances into Our Hearts, at Rhino, S.F.
PREVIOUS
“Arabella” Engages Musically and Theatrically, at S.F. Opera
Comments are closed.

Menu

  • Now Playing
  • All Reviews
  • Writers
  • Reflections
  • Millennial Notes
  • Join Us
  • About Us

BLM

Black Lives Matter

Subscribe for upcoming reviews!
Loading

Current Shows

  • “Dry Powder” Spotlights Wall Street Power-Brokers—at Left Edge
  • “Pride and Prejudice, The Musical” Enchants with Sass & Satire—at Ross Valley
  • “Clue” Melds Mystery & Comedy into Entertaining Adventure—at SF Playhouse
  • “Donna”: Intimate Interviews Celebrate Trans Triumphs—On Screen
  • “Fannie”: Sixties Spirituals Pave Path to Freedom—at TheatreWorks
  • “’Tasha” Tackles Raw Racism—at 3Girls
  • “Tea Party” Brews Up a Cup of America—at The Strand
  • “A Raisin in the Sun” Explodes with Drama and Power—at 6th Street
  • “Cambodian Rock Band” Deserves Its Standing Ovation—at Berkeley Rep
  • “Cambodian Rock Band” Mixes Nostalgic Hits with Terror—at Berkeley Rep
  • “Fun Home” Seduces with Strong Songs & Sultry Sass—at Berkeley Playhouse
  • “Anything Goes”: It’s Delightful, It’s Delicious, It’s De-lovely—at 42nd Street Moon
  • “SIX, The Musical” Celebrates Women’s Freedom & Individuality—at BroadwaySF
  • “Fun Home” Bursts with Love & Feeling—at Berkeley Playhouse
  • “Dear San Francisco” Wows with Kaleidoscopic Acrobatics—at Club Fugazi

About us:

If you want to see the best plays & performances around the San Francisco Bay or beyond, read our reviews. We promise to give you a true report on the best shows.
Bay Area Critics Circle

Barry David Horwitz, Editor of Theatrius, is a Voting Member of the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics' Circle, SFBATCC. Follow us on: facebook.com

© 2023   All Rights Reserved.