and Rick Fountain. Photo by Rich Wagner
Do you have a little toe-tapper or
ballerina in the house, or do you secretly dream of being in “A Chorus Line,”
dancing around the kitchen as you dry the dishes humming “I Can Do That,” or
does your heart beat just a little faster every time you hear the opening of “River Dance” or the signature dance number
from “42nd Street”? Or maybe you just enjoy being entertained for a
couple of hours by a group of extremely talented singers and dancers? If you
answered “Yes” to any of these questions, then you should make your way up to
Playhouse on Park in West Hartford to take in
“I’d Rather be Dancing.” Before the evening is over you might very well be
dancing yourself, for the production is, if nothing else, infectious.
There’s
a lot going on up at Playhouse on Park, from Comedy Nights to its “…on the Edge
Series” and its “Main Stage Series,” and then there’s it’s resident dance
company, stop/time dance theater,
founded by Darlene Zoller, who directed and choreographed (with a little help
from the spirit of Bob Fosse, and
flesh-and-blood Mike Barker and Spencer Pond) “…Dancing.” Zoller, who, among
other things, teaches at the Hartt School in Hartford ,
is also a co-artistic director and founder of Playhouse on Park. As the show
program notes, stop/time was created
to “give an outlet to talented adult dancers who have not chosen dance as their
career.” No, dance is not their career – many are teachers in local schools or
pursuing degrees – but it is evident that dancing is their passion.
“I’d
Rather be Dancing” has a frame, of sorts: a man dies before his time and finds
himself before the Pearly Gates. St. Peter is
on an extended coffee break and thus the gates are being guarded by two
angels-in-training yearning for their wings, so it falls to the head honcho to
judge whether or not the man should gain admittance or take the down escalator.
That’s about it – yes, it’s a little hokey, but it’s really all that’s needed
to hold together a series of songs and dance numbers that embrace ballet, tap
and interpretive dance a la Isadora Duncan.
There’s
something in the show for just about everyone as the 17 dancers and four
singers and actors present number after number, from “A Wild, Wild Party”
(which is, in fact, a bit wild) to the final disco sequence. In between,
there’s some nifty tap dancing – and a bravura “Tap Jam” – more gentle,
balletic moments, and some ensemble work that could most likely (and does)
raise the dead.
Some
of the songs are less than memorable, but others are either pop standards or
take-offs on familiar songs that are a lot of fun – try “Bye, Bye Life,” sung
to the “Bye, Bye Love” melody, or the very witty “If I Only Had My Wings,” a
play on the classic “…Had a Brain” from “The Wizard of Oz” film.
If you thrill to the rhythmic pounding of
dancing feet, or if you have tiny dancers dreaming, then “I’d Rather be
Dancing” is for you. Make the trip to West Hartford
and bring along your nascent tap dancers and ballerinas – they will be
transfixed and you, well, you will simply enjoy yourself (and perhaps spin
around the bedroom or tap across the kitchen floor when you get home).
“I’d
Rather be Dancing” runs through April 13. For tickets or more information call
860-523-5900, X10, or go to www.playhouseonpark.org
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