Photo credit: Paul Ruffolo
Mad Li(m)bs is Danceworks Performance Company’s funniest show in years. Choreographer Dani Kuepper, her five-woman company and their guest artists have created an ambitious comic concert that also capitalizes on the performers’ many dance and theater skills, but above all on the talent of the exemplary Melissa Anderson, who is perfect in featured roles.
Most scenes are partly improvised from gracefully solicited audience suggestions. There’s one clever musical theater number in which an audience volunteer takes a central role, but that brave soul is easily, lovingly guided through the choreographed routine. In the close quarters of the Danceworks studio, the deep communal atmosphere created by this mix of vulnerability, generosity, trust and good humor was heartening. That can be said of the whole show.
The role of improvisation is introduced in a prologue in which a fine piece of Kuepper’s pure dance choreography is gradually demolished by voice-over comments, suggestions and finally the onstage interference of guest actors Andrea Moser and Jason Powell playing innocent rubes from the audience. The trace of self-mockery here is the show’s weakest aspect, but it’s quickly replaced by a confident, full-hearted improvisation by Anderson and guest artists Morgan Williams, Christa Smutek and Bobby Miles, led by Moser and Powell. The audience-directed subject will be different at each performance. On opening night, it was an unwritten children’s book, Goodnight Mars. Two other challenging and unusual improvisation games are played later in the program.
Two aerobic dance parodies by the company with guest artists Zach Schorsch, Moser and Miles are screamingly funny (one audience member fell from her seat). “Mammalcizing” is the newly trendy aerobics technique displayed in the first segment and later made grounds for a national contest (Russia manipulates the result). The audience names an animal and an emotion; thus, performers “dancerized” intensely on opening night as frustrated platypuses, super-happy whales and toothbrush holders (don’t ask). Anderson and Powell brilliantly improvised commentary for the competition from audience cues gathered preshow.
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A two-part spoof of the ballet Giselle features Anderson (Giselle), Williams (Albrecht, bravely costumed by an audience member), Schorsch (Hilarion) and Kim Johnson (Bathilde), all stellar. I’ll forever treasure the abandoned silliness of Giselle’s mad scene as rendered by Anderson. My only quibble is with Powell’s scripted narration: His clownish misuse of critical theory isn’t funny to me; it’s too probable in these Breitbart-riddled days. I did enjoy the teeth-bared Wilis, though, and the ballet’s happy ending.
Due to overwhelming demand, Danceworks Performance Company has extended the run of its sold-out first concert of the 2017-18 season, Mad Li(m)bs. The final performance will take place on Sunday, November 19 at 7pm. For tickets, visit danceworksmke.org or call 414-277-8480, ext. 6025.
