Review: The Klunch Presents Kinetic Comedy THE LAST CLASS: A JAZZERCIZE PLAY

For a play that is essentially about deciding when it's time to say goodbye to the one dream that has made you happy, THE LAST CLASS: A JAZZERCIZE PLAY is as funny as it is insightful. Trying to retain her place in a fitness-class world that has long since moved on to Zumba, Kelsea (Megan Hill, also the play's writer) has continued to teach Jazzercize to an ever-shrinking class at the Chikatawnee Valley Community Center. The Klunch brings the DODO production of JAZZERCIZE to DC, featuring the original cast from the recent New York City premiere and direction from Margot Bordelon.

Joined by a rotating cast of participants who have volunteered in advance, the real-time Jazzercize class has the momentum of a musical as the actors slip straight into ridiculous workout lingo and spot-on choreography (Sarita Lou). The set is minimal, with a few necessary props: one-pound weights and retro headsets for Kelsea and her mild-mannered assistant instructor MJ (Amy Staats). The workout playlist pulses with top-40 songs, and sweat begins to drip, creating an immersive effect and making it hard not to want to follow the movements that are called out with such joy.

But the class starts to devolve and the moves become frenzied as Kelsea angrily explains, a smile still on her face, that her arch-nemesis Chelsea is shutting down Jazzercize after today. Kelsea won't go down without a fight, however, and she has a petition at the ready to keep her community center class alive. In a hilarious sequence, Kelsea freestyles some violent moves while MJ acts as a foil, encouraging the pair of class participants to stay calm and on track. The pounding music and partly-shouted conversation seems authentic, but frustratingly, the headsets slip sometimes and certain spoken lines can't be heard.

Though it's clear from the beginning how important being an instructor is to Kelsea, who sports a jean jacket emblazoned with "Jazzercize" and tells nostalgic stories about participating in the activity with her mother and grandmother, it becomes obvious that teaching Jazzercize is the only thing that has ever made her feel fulfilled. In an inspired soliloquy when the music fades to an echo and the lights go down (lighting design by David C. Ghatan), Kelsea voices as much. Hill's portrayal demands empathy - we've all known a Kelsea or been a Kelsea. The same is true of Staats's performance as MJ, as she tries mightily to be supportive while preserving her own sanity.

An unexpectedly meaningful comedy, JAZZERCIZE manages to use a single fitness class to explore some complexities of female friendship and the pain of letting go of a lifelong dream. Reality sets in as the class comes to a close and Kelsea struggles both to hold onto her relationship with MJ and to let go of her role as an instructor. The true impact of the production sets in, too, when the studio space goes dark.

Running time: approximately 60 minutes without an intermission.

The Klunch presents THE LAST CLASS: A JAZZERCISE PLAY through August 21st, 2016, at the Trinidad Theatre at the Logan Fringe Arts Space, 1358 Florida Ave. NE, Washington, DC 20002. Tickets can be purchased at theklunch.com.

Photo: Megan Hill as Kelsea; promotional image courtesy of The Klunch website.

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