CurtainUp Los Angeles Review: November 24, 2004
Modern Dance For Beginners
By Laura Hitchcock
"For someone so actively engaged in class warfare,
you're a real snob." ---Owen
British playwright Sarah Phelps uses sex as the choreography
for this savage witty tour de force. Its first two
scenes are heavily influenced by Britain's class system.
In Scene One, Frances, a bridesmaid at her cousin
Owen's wedding, accuses Owen, the nearly mute conventional
groom, of avoiding her and escaping their working
class background by marrying into the gentry. In Scene
Two, Julia, Owen's wife, tries to rape handyman Kieran
because Owen has no interest in her. Here again, Keiran
plays the class card, accusing Julia of playing Lady
Chatterly.
Phelps lightens up on this theme in Scene Three when
Frances spurns her lover Russell who wants more than
just sex from their affair. Owen is the love of her
life but in Scene Four we see that marriage hasn't
solved his problems. He has had an anonymous sexual
encounter with a young girl, Eleri, and, anxious to
be out the door, delivers a monologue about his arid
marriage and Eleri's striking resemblance to his lost
love, presumably Frances. Eleri says absolutely nothing
until the end of the scene at which point she declares
"I felt a lump. " Owen offers to stay with
her until a friend can come but she gently takes his
hand and puts it down the front of his pants.
In Scene Five we learn from Lorraine, an oncologist,
that she's treating a young man with a hopeless case
of testicular cancer. Lorraine tells Skinner who accosts
her in a bar that her name is Venetia. We learn they're
game-playing and Skinner is the menacing boss of Russell
and Frances. He says he had to fire a female executive
that day and, when we hear she spat at him, we assume
it's Frances. There's a poignant sixth scene that
serves as a coda.
In this second production from the new and excellent
V.S. Theatre Company, two actors play all the parts.
Robyn Cohen displays her versatility particularly
in the mute gentleness of Eleri after the anger and
pain of Frances, the desperation of Julia and the
frustrated game-playing of Lorraine. Phelps doesn't
write men quite as well as women but Johnny Clark's
conventional Owen is a completely different character
from macho Keiran, eager Russell and overbearing Skinner.
Ross Kramer's direction emanates dance and creates
fascinating choreography between the scenes as the
lights dim and we watch the characters change into
other costumes and rearrange the sparse tables that
compose the set. Scenic designer John G. Williams
uses stunning frosted glass sliding doors as a rear
wall which moves and makes a transparent curtain for
the actors. Renee Shimada's costumes are apt and exquisite.
Phelps dissects her people with a delicate scalpel
and the way in which the six scenes tell the story
of one doomed couple by displaying them in their most
naked relationships cuts very close to the bone. Each
scene could stand alone; the references to other characters
are so subtle sometimes their names aren't even used.
It's a stunning construction.
MODERN DANCE FOR BEGINNERS
Playwright: Sarah Phelps
Director: Ross Kramer
Cast: Johnny Clark (Owen, Kieran, Russell and Skinner);
Robyn Cohen (Frances, Julia, Eleri and Lorraine)
Set Design: John G. Williams
Lighting Design: Erin M. Hearne
Costume Design: Renee Shimada
Sound Design: Cricket S. Myers
Running Time: 90 minutes, no intermission
Running Dates: November 13-December 12, 2004
Where: Victory Theatre Center, 3324 W. Victory Blvd,
Burbank. Phone: (323) 850-6045
Reviewed by Laura Hitchcock on November 13.
