Review: SIX DANCE LESSONS IN SIX WEEKS at Players Circle Theater

Players Circle Theater has chosen a play that I’m guessing hit close to home for many in the audience. In Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks, a lonely older woman hires a younger male ballroom dance teacher to come to her St. Petersburg condo for lessons.

At first blush, the two couldn’t be more different. Theater co-founder Carrie Lund as the uptight Southern belle spars drily with over-the-top, profanity spewing Thomas Marsh. The comedic timing between them is perfection, and the deftly written script gives them plenty of barbs to fling at one another to the audience’s delight.

Director Robert Cacioppo said he had done this show twenty years ago but wanted to bring it back since many of the plot points are still relevant. Prejudice and intolerance haven’t gone anywhere. Growing old isn’t for sissies. And love can be found where you least expect it.

As the two dance through the weeks and their relationship deepens, secrets emerge and past hurts are revealed. The bickering, though it remains, begins to seem like that of an old married couple.

The best part of attending a play in such a small space is the opportunity to see the actor’s expressions so well. Anger and joy and pathos are beautifully revealed on the faces of both Lund and Marsh. They also meet the physical demands of the six dances, choreographed by Parker Slaybaugh, with verve.

The dances continue through the set changes with videos of each dance projected on the wall in succession along with recordings of classic dance music from the past. These design elements were nicely assembled by Andrew Zebroski.

A special nod to costume designer Sallyanne Bianchetta. Marsh’s duds for each dance were spot on, and the description of one of Lund’s dresses got one of the biggest laughs of the night. I won’t spoil that for you.

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