Not for the Faint of Heart

Dance Nation – Steppenwolf Theatre

The eight pre-teen members of an amateur Ohio dance troupe all  have their hearts set on winning a trophy at each of the upcoming district competitions. They passionately hope to eventually work their way up to the National Finals, which will be held in Tampa, Florida. Dance Teacher Pat (played with humorously stern seriousness and an almost callous demeanor by Steppenwolf ensemble member, Tim Hopper), constantly references one of his former young dancers who made him proud, winning the top honors a few years ago, and then going on to dance in the chorus of a Broadway show. Her framed portrait hangs on the wall of his dance studio, where the kids are encouraged to pay homage to her. But the price of such success isn’t easy, as theatergoers are about to discover.

A finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in Drama, Clare Barron’s one-act drama runs almost two hours, without an intermission, making it a long time to sit. The comic drama doesn’t follow a linear plot line; it’s constructed rather like a slide show or powerpoint presentation, featuring key moments in the Dance Nation tweens’ road to the finals. The play opens with the cast of seven girls and one boy costumed in sailor outfits dancing an “Anything Goes”-inspired tap routine. It’s executed with the kind of amateur skill and lackluster precision one might expect from twelve and thirteen-year-old students. During the routine, one of the dancers, played by talented Audrey Francis, suffers a grisly injury that removes her from the competition for the remainder of the show. Ms. Francis then appears throughout the production, winningly portraying of the mothers of various girls.

The play continues with Dance Teacher Pat’s announcement that the group’s next unusually-themed routine will be a salute to Gandhi. He explains that the dance will actually be about peace and resistance. After Pat holds auditions he casts Connie (Adithi Chandrashekar, as a convincing middle school girl) in the less demanding title role; but selects Zuzu, played with naivete and self-doubt by wonderful Steppenwolf ensemble member, Caroline Neff, as the lead dancer. She’ll represent the essence of Gandhi’s philosophy. But Zuzu knows that she’s undeserving of this honor, not being the troupe’s best dancer. She shoulders the guilt that her best friend Amina, beautifully played by Karen Rodriguez, should’ve been cast in this role.

The remainder of Barron’s play, well-cast, directed and choreographed with planned amateurish abandon by Lee Sunday Evans, is a series of dialogues and monologues, warmups and dance routines, that showcase each of the characters. The radiant Shanesia Davis, as Ashlee, offers up the most powerful speech of the night with her profanity-laced, very adult tirade about the unapologetic girl power that she’ll display in the near future. As Maeve, Ellen Maddow, who created the role at New York’s Playwright’s Horizon, shares her personal belief that she can actually fly. It should be noted here that Ms. Barron has indicated that her characters be cast with actors of all shapes, sizes, races and ages. Ms. Maddow, now in her seventies, is the elder member of this cast.

The rest of the ensemble are all engaging and each has his or her moment in the limelight. Many of these dramatic plateaus feature blood, for some reason. For example, Ariana Burks is delightful as Sofia, a sweet girl who unexpectedly enters puberty, right in the middle of a dance routine. This extremely frank moment became too graphic and uncomfortably off-putting for many audience members. In another strange, but unexpectedly humorous moment, the entire company turns into fanged vampires, biting their arms and drawing gore. Masturbation is explained to innocent Amina, and she attempts to master it with her pillow. 

As the only boy in the dance troupe, Torrey Hanson, who plays Luke, shyly pines away for Zuzu’s affection, although the thirteen-year-old girl barely notices him. Luke enjoys dancing, but endures some uncomfortable moments. when he’s forced to share a dressing room with the young ladies. He changes into his dance clothes just behind a thin curtain, allowing him to sneak a  view of the girls’ nudity (which the audience sees in full view), along with hearing all their unrestrained gossip. Then, while sharing a makeup table before a performance, the uninhibited girls begin talking about the pros and cons of circumcision and they repeatedly ask Luke the status of his penis.

Clare Barron has written a powerful play about tween-age girls coming of age, but it’s a comic drama that may shock more conservative audience members. There’s nothing left uncensored in this production, which is boldly directed and choreographed by Lee Sunday Evans. The play’s fragmented structure feels choppy and is sometimes confusing. As always, this Steppenwolf ensemble cast is stellar and features nine talented actors, all between the age twenty and seventy. Each character must navigate his or her own journey through the rough waters of puberty, peer pressure and various personal problems that will, eventually, lead them into the shaky land of young adulthood. But be warned: this isn’t an expedition for the faint of heart.

Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas                     

Presented December 12-February 2 by Steppenwolf Theatre, in their Upstairs venue, 1650 N. Halsted, Chicago.

Tickets are available in person at the box office, by calling Audience Services at 312-335-1650 or by going to www.steppenwolf.org.

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.