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| Sharon Rietkerk as Senga tries to teach Craig Marker as Ever how to fast dance. (Photo by www.mellophoto.com) |
Two suffering people find help in unexpected ways in
Mark St. Germain’s humorous and touching “Dancing Lessons,” presented by Center
Repertory Company.
This two-person romantic comedy features Sharon
Rietkerk as Senga Quinn, a talented professional dancer who has a possibly
career-ending knee injury; and Craig Marker as Ever Montgomery, a brilliant
geosciences professor whose autism means, among other things, that he can’t
stand to be touched.
However, he knows he must overcome this phobia
because he’s the honoree at an awards dinner dance.
He and Senga hadn’t met, but they live in the same
New York City apartment building. Thanks to its super, he knows she’s an
injured dancer.
As the play opens, she’s on her couch with her right
leg encased in a brace while she pops pills and washes them down with scotch. At
first she won’t let him in when he knocks on her door, but he persists. He
offers her more than $2,000 for an hour teaching him to dance.
His attempts at a fast dance are awkward but
gradually improve. The lesson progresses to shaking hands. Later it goes beyond
that.
During the lessons, which take place over several
days, they learn more about each other and themselves, their strengths and
weaknesses.
Other scenes show Ever characteristically shifting his
weight while lecturing about the perils of global warming because of human
actions. A pivotal moment comes when a student asks if people can change.
One lesson that both Ever and Senga learn is that
change takes courage. That means they have to recognize their problems and try
to overcome them.
Director Joy Carlin has fine-tuned this outstanding production
and elicited believably human performances from both actors. She and they also
mine the script’s ample humor along with facts about autism and global warming.
A video of Rietkerk’s Senga in a captivating dance (choreographed
by Jennifer Perry) showcases her great talent.
Design elements enhance the production with set and
lighting by Kent Dorsey, costumes by Brooke Jennings, and sound and projections
by Teddy Hulsker.
Running about 90 minutes without intermission,
“Dancing Lessons” will continue through Nov. 17 at the Lesher Center for the
Performing Arts, 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek.
