THEATER - JANUARY 28, 2004

BoarsHead shows the lighter side of marriage therapy

By T.E. KLUNZINGER

Michigan playwright Kitty Dubin’s “Dance Like No One’s Watching” has its mid-Michigan premiere at BoarsHead Theater Thursday night.

‘Dance Like No One’s Watching’ Play by Michigan playwright Kitty Dubin opens Jan. 29 at BoarsHead Theater to run through Feb. 22. Shows are 7 p.m. Wednesday through Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $19-$29 for adults, $14-$24 for seniors, $15 for college students, $8 for high school students, and can be secured through the BoarsHead box office, 484-7805.

It’s a comedy…. about marriage therapy. While that might seem an unlikely combination, it’s really not:

“This play initially seems like a sit-com, but then you begin to realize there’s something deeper there,” said director Geoffrey Sherman, who is also BoarsHead’s new artistic director. “The more you see, the more you’ll be tempted to shed a tear, and to laugh a lot.”

The story focuses on Michelle and Scott (Robin Lewis-Bedz and Thomas Hoagland) at a crisis point in their marriage, who seek help from a therapist (Loren Bass). But the sessions start to go off-track when it turns out that the therapist has his own troubles, too.

“One of the great things about this play is that it appeals to so many people,” said Sherman. “Anyone who has been in a relationship can identify with it.”

Dubin has first-hand knowledge of the elements of “Dance” since she worked as a psychotherapist for more than 25 years before gradually moving into full-time playwriting and the teaching of same at Oakland University.

Sherman first met Dubin when he directed her “The Day We Met,” a collection of four short plays, at the Jewish Ensemble Theatre in the Detroit area four years ago. He first directed “Dance” at the same venue in May 2002.

That dynamic has affected the current production, in which Hoagland and Lewis-Bedz are reprising their roles but Bass is new to the cast.

“When you revisit a show, it’s always a different experience,” Sherman noted. “This time around, the actors playing husband and wife have an established relationship, while the therapist is new to the mix. That’s had definite similarities to the therapy process, where there’s a natural distance between the patient and doctor. I’ve found there are now different values to the same scenes from 2002.

“In particular, Loren Bass has managed to create a totally different character from what we had before. And Nancy and Tom have gained more depth of experience as actors in the interim. The whole process has been quite fascinating.”

It should be noted that Bass does multiple dramatic duty in “Dance,” as he plays four other characters in addition to the therapist.

Sherman is aware that many BoarsHead patrons may be analyzing this for a clue to what his future choices may be, but that’s hardly necessary since he’s quick to state his philosophy:

“As artistic director of a professional theater,” he said, “I feel I owe it to the community to produce work from several different areas:

“Time-tested classics of western literature;

“Contemporary American classics from O’Neill, Williams, Miller and Kushner;

“New or small musicals; and

“New plays, which have either premiered elsewhere, or are what I call Geospecific, dealing with local situations or by a local playwright.”

“Dance Like No One’s Watching” is definitely in the latter category, as much of Dubin’s work has been produced in the Detroit area, although the play’s story is universal.

“Kitty is a remarkable modern playwright,” declared Sherman, “who has an excellent facility with our modern language of everyday life.”

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