Starting next Friday, April 24, Middletown Lyric Theatre goes through “Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks” with only two actors in one play.
In the show, a dance instructor near the end of his career agrees to give dance lessons to a much older woman who lives in a retirement community. As she gradually learns different dances, the characters learn quite a few surprising things about each other, said James Butch, the director of the play.
In keeping with its title, the play is structured around the dance lessons. Act 1 covers the swing dance, the tango, the Vienna Waltz and the fox trot. Act 2 covers the cha-cha, a contemporary dance, and finally, what Butch called a “bonus” dance that works as kind of an epilogue. The dancing serves as a segue between sequences.
The work most reminds Butch of a play that has no dancing in it at all: “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, ” which is famous for its squabbling couples. As it happens, the original cast of that play included Uta Hagen, who originated the role of the dance student in “Six Dance Lessons.” David Hyde Pierce of “Frasier” fame originated the dance instructor.
For Lyric Theatre’s production, the instructor is played by Charley Shafor, the company’s artistic director, and the student is Bett Kooris, who has worked at Cincinnati’s Aronoff Center.
“There’s deception and lying to each other about certain things in their lives. As they move through the story, they develop and build trust and respect,” Butch said.
Shafor found he could relate to his character in a number of ways.
“I’ve always been part of the theater and there were things I could relate to on a family level ... there are many things people can do in life and choices they have to make that can lead you to the most unexpected circumstances,” Shafor said.
Of the leads’ interaction, Butch said, “It’s almost romantic, except for the great separation of age. He’s about 45 trying to be 35. He’s on his last legs as a dancer. She lies about her age. She says she’s 68 but she’s 72.”
“If you approach it with an open mind, you’ll see relationships can sometimes go beyond the limitations we set upon each other, “ Butch said.
Shafor added, “Just because you’re thrown into unknown circumstances doesn’t mean there’s not some out there you can relate to it.
The challenges of the show “are all positive in that it’s a delight to direct only two people ... it’s billed as a comedy, but there are so many dramatic undertones. It’s extremely well written,” said the director.
C
ontact this reporter at erobinette@coxohio.com.
