by Gabriella De Brequet

Walking into the Invisible Theatre for the first time I was greeted by Susan Claassen, Artistic Director of the Invisible Theatre Company and Director of Dancing Lessons. As we prepared to enter the theatre, Ms. Claassen announced to the patrons that the show would run eighty-eight minutes with no intermission and that following the performance there would be a post-show discussion with Joshua Anbar, a board member at The Autism Society of Southern Arizona. Ms. Claassen told us that the subject matter of the play was near and dear to her heart and that she was excited to share the play with each and every one of us. We were ushered into the theatre, Ms. Claassen ripped our tickets and hoped that we enjoyed the play. Ms. Claassen’s incredible hospitality truly warmed my heart and I could not write this review without acknowledging it.

Samantha Cormier as Senga Quinn and Damian Garcia as Ever Montgomery. Photo by Tim Fuller, courtesy of the Invisible Theatre Company.

Dancing Lessons, by Mark St. Germain, is a romantic comedy about an unexpected friendship which emerges between an injured Broadway dancer, Senga Quinn played by Samantha Cormier, and a professor of environmental studies with Asperger’s Syndrome, Ever Montgomery played by Damian Garcia. The play centers around a series of dancing lessons in which Ever pays Senga to teach him how to dance for an upcoming public event where he is to be honored for his environmental work. The play explores what a relationship between a neurotypical and neurodiverse individual may look like while attempting to find a common ground in which they can successful communicate mentally, physically, and emotionally. The narrative is heartwarming and hilariously written with clear direction and a sharp focus on what it means to be human, no matter your genetic makeup. The performances were well orchestrated as both actors supported and actively listened to each other on stage. Mr. Garcia’s Ever was thoughtful, hilarious, and most importantly honest. Ms. Cormier’s Senga was loaded with subtext, intention, and physical comedy which helped illustrate the character’s need to suppress her fear of never being able to dance again.

The set design by James Blair and props design by Susan Claassen put us into a hyper-realistic, small New York apartment decorated with contemporary musical theatre posters, littered Lay’s potato chip bags, and a remote controlled stereo which helped set the play in the present. The only prop that didn’t quite fit in was the landline telephone which was used several times during the play. Let’s be honest: no twenty-something has a landline phone in their home in this day and age, but this small inconsistency was easy to look past once the play got rolling. The costumes by Maryann Trombino helped support both character’s state of mind and visually represented the drastic differences between the two characters.

Damian Garcia as Ever Montgomery and Samantha Cormier as Senga Quinn. Photo by Tim Fuller, courtesy of the Invisible Theatre Company.

Dancing Lessons left me feeling uplifted and hopeful that society can do better when it comes to adapting behavior to accommodate marginalized people from many walks of life. In a time where our communities can be so divided, it is incredibly important to produce work which reminds us that we have a lot to learn from each other. A world of kindness, unity, and understanding is a world in which we should all work harder to create.

Dancing Lessons plays Feb 5th through 17th at The Invisible Theatre located at 1400 North First Avenue. General Admission tickets are $35. For more information about show times call (520) 882-9721 or visit www.invisibletheatre.com.

Editor’s Note: Gabriella went to college with Damian Garcia and has played opposite him in academic productions at Pima Community College. As Tucson’s theatre community is tight knit, both a plus and a potential for bias we are well aware of and experienced in putting aside to provide quality reviews.