Leslie Caron and David Engel in Laguna Playhouse’s production of Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks
Culture Writer
Does 75-year-old Lily really need the dance lessons for which she hires instructor Michael? You could head over to the Laguna Playhouse and catch a performance of Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks to find out.
In a big sense, this production is all about the extra-special two-person cast engaged to play instructor and pupil, as the play itself takes too many gratuitous turns, rendering it far short of greatness. More about that in a minute. Back to the cast.
David Engel, who created the part of Smudge in Forever Plaid and has further won the hearts of Southern California theater-goers in numerous more recent song-and-dance roles, masterfully delivers the role of Michael. None other than super-star Leslie Caron— yes, the Oscar winner of An American in Paris and Gigi fame, among others— plays Lily.
Michael Arabian directs, while musical staging is the work of another well known star— Donna McKechnie, who originated the role of Cassie in A Chorus Line.
In keeping with the old adage about the whole being greater than the sum of the two parts, the enormously charismatic Engel and Caron are even more enchanting together. Somehow, the two achieve a remarkable, even romantic, chemistry in spite of the considerable difference in their ages and in their characters’ sexual orientation. The pairing is loaded with charm.
For the first dance lesson, Michael arrives at Lily’s spacious St. Petersburg, Florida condominium sporting quite an attitude. Michael curses and otherwise behaves badly for no apparent reason other than impulse control— our first clue that playwright Richard Alfieri’s treatment may be a bit heavy-handed.
Fortunately, Lily’s ocean view is spectacular, and scenic designer John Iacovelli and lighting designer D. Martyn Bookwalter have provided audiences with the most gorgeous sunsets and other lighting effects imaginable through the apartment’s floor-to-ceiling windows. Hence, some of the script’s indelicacies might tend to be overlooked.
Lily and Michael’s acquaintance begins as a hopelessly mismatched encounter virtually begging for Lily to terminate it pending Michael’s next acerbic utterance. She doesn’t, and every dance lesson has Michael and Lily revealing more about themselves and their difficult life stories. The relationship gradually evolves into a most unlikely yet ever deepening and caring friendship. A number of highlights come to mind, such as the final lesson’s aftermath, the lesson having been spent at a community senior citizens’ dance instead of the solitude of Lily’s condominium. Another is the heartwarming and surprising final scene of the play.
The actual dance segments, though brief, entertain and delight.
In spite of a prolific list of literary achievements and awards, Alfieri could have done far more with Six Dance Lessons. But he let his overpowering social justice sensibilities get in the way. Meriting an A+ for political correctness, he gets a generous D for self-restraint. His play suffers for it. A shame.
Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks continues at the Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Rd. in Laguna Beach, through June 8. Performances are Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday evenings at 7:30pm; Saturdays at 4pm; Sundays at 2pm. Note— The Saturday May 31 performance will be at 2pm. Tickets are $35 to $76 and can be purchased online at lagunaplayhouse.com or by calling (949) 497-ARTS (2787). Student discounts are available at the box office. Group discounts are available by calling (949) 497-2787 ext. 229.
