Richard Alfieri’s Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks breaks through negative stereotypes about both elderly and gay people while portraying the development of an unlikely yet beautiful friendship.
Lily Harrison, the widow of an intolerant Baptist minister, has reached out for dance lessons from a company that sends Michael Minetti to instruct her in her condo in St. Petersburg Beach, Fla. The two get off to a bad start, lying to and insulting one another.
Longtime local star Dede Klein plays uptight Lily, whom Ryan Zarecki’s Michael assumes is a woman of privilege whose life has been easy. Nearly all of their dance lessons start out with these characters antagonizing each other, with the most delightfully witty quips coming from the snarky and distrustful Michael.
It’s fun to watch Klein start out acting proper and judgmental, but slowly let her hair down as Lily and Michael bond through dance. The sessions allow two lonely souls who have been avoiding the world to connect deeply with each other.
Alfieri has written a compact piece with a perfect structure as Lily and Michael meet for a lesson in a different style each week: swing, tango, Viennese waltz, fox trot, cha-cha and contemporary. The lessons make Lily feel alive again and the two slowly share their life stories, fears and joys with each other.
Lily and Michael harbor deep pain and need the support of one another to find renewed hope. Along the way, this touching comedy with dance and music also addresses ageism, intolerance and mortality.
Alfieri’s charming comedy has enough of an edge that it never crosses into the realm of sappy. It premiered in 2001 in Los Angeles, starring Uta Hagen and David Hyde Pierce, before running just one month on Broadway in 2003, with Polly Bergen and Mark Hamill.
The show has been translated into 14 languages and performed in more than 24 countries. It was also made into a 2014 film starring Gena Rowlands and Cheyenne Jackson. The play contains a few instances of adult language.
At Coach House, it’s a treat to watch Klein and Zarecki, an excellent acting duo, show each of their characters’ hard exteriors gradually soften. Their dancing’s a lot of fun, too, seven scenes of it (there’s a bonus lesson) choreographed by Zarecki’s wife, Katie.
Their dance even includes lifts, and it’s priceless seeing Klein’s smile as they execute them. The two actors look comfortable and natural dancing together, and Zarecki takes the graceful lead. (He’s well-known as the stage combat choreographer for Ohio Shakespeare Festival.) Klein is beautiful in several breathtaking costumes, and Zarecki carries himself with a wonderful charm and ease.
The beauty of the ending is likely to leave audience members in tears, as this comedy so skillfully taps into the heart of what makes us human.
Arts writer Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or kclawson@thebeaconjournal.com. Like her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kclawsonabj or follow her on Twitter @KerryClawsonABJ .