Living & Arts

A 'Dance' to remember

In print | March 24, 2005

It’s here, it’s now… the time you have all been waiting for. This year’s musical, “Dance Dangerously” is being performed this weekend in LPAC. The buzz is out and the show is in so get ready, ladies and gentlemen, because this musical comedy will have you at the edge of your seat begging for more. From the jazzy musical numbers to the giant puppets that narrate from the sidelines, the show is sure to capture your imagination and make you laugh.

“Dance Dangerously” tells the story of Bella (Tiffany Pao ‘06), a technically gifted dancer whose only flaw is a lack of inspiration, and George (Evan Buxbaum ’06), the boy next door who is madly in love with her. The plot is set in motion by a bet placed between Billy (Marty Griffith ’05), Bella’s sleazy boyfriend, and Jen (Lauren Ianuzzi ‘07), Bella’s rival dancer. The bet is Jen’s attempt to sabotage Bella’s performance at the upcoming dance competition, but, like all true stars, Bella is able to find the strength in herself to pull through.

This may seem like your average romantic plot, but the characters who contribute to the show make the musical far from normal. “It’s interesting because most of this play is made of nutty and insane characters,” said Buxbaum, who plays one of the only sane characters in the show. Without diminishing the importance of George in the musical, Buxbaum wants his character to be subtle enough to bring out the other crazy characters, such as the strawberry lemonade vendor (Jeff Merkle ’07) and the toy man (Dwight Smith ’08).

Matt Armstead agrees. “So many of the characters are not as you ever imagine characters to be…they are way more extreme,” Armstead said. According to Buxbaum, the actual show ended up being a lot crazier than he had anticipated. “It comes alive on stage and there’s a lot of improv that went into the script and score,” Buxbaum said.

With the show only days away, all 60-plus members of the cast and crew are geared up and working hard to pull all the elements together. Director Ethan Ucker ‘07 is especially aware that this is crunch time. "It’s sort of a rush to the finish putting things together," Ucker said. According to Ucker, time has been a problem throughout the rehearsal process. “We just have a lot to do in a short amount of time,” he said. However, Ucker remains confident that the musical will be a success. “I feel good about all the different elements, and if they come together it will be delightful,” Ucker said.

In fact, the entire cast and crew seem excited with the way the show is developing in these final stages of rehearsal. “Everything is starting to come together, and all the elements are finally starting to look like they’re right for each other,” said Charles Coes ‘06, the resident lighting expert. "We’re really making progress towards a more cohesive whole," Coes added. In fact, for many cast and crew members, watching the musical progress in the last few days has been the most exhilarating part of the rehearsal process. “It’s amazing to see these things being put together,” said Buxbaum.

After all the hours both the cast and crew members have put into the show, it’s not surprising that things are coming together. Despite the occasional missed rehearsal, most cast and crew members have been particularly devoted to making this show a success. According to Merkle, the consistent effort of the cast has been inspiring. “I’ve never been in a show before where people gave 100 percent all the time,” Merkle said. “I’m just trying to hold up my small end of it, but being inspired by all of it,” Merkle added.

With everything from script to costumes designed by students, there is plenty in this musical to admire and enjoy. Merkle said his expectations for the musical were exceeded one hundred fold. “I didn’t know you could get so many talented people all together,” Merkle said. “If this show is done right, it’s going to be 100 percent about joy … about having a good time,” Merkle added. And if that’s not enough to get any Swat student out of the library and into the theater, what is?