Review of New Light Theater Project and Chicago Dramatists' Still Dance the Stars

Once upon a time I went to a show and it was called Still Dance the Stars. It was by Jayme McGhan and directed by Sarah Norris. It was about a couple, James (Martel Manning) and Anne (Bethany Geraghty), who were going through some rough times after being a viral sensation with their YouTube proposal. There were these stuffed animals that they used to collect from theme parks and carnivals when they were happy. They come to life in the couple's minds and have adventures that reveal things about why the couple's relationship has fallen apart, but also show a way back to happier times. It is about trying to rebuild relationships, loss, and finding your way home. I think this is a really really moving show. I cried so much. It was also quirky and had its humorous moments. It had such a beautiful meaning, and I really loved it.

I thought that it worked pretty well how each of the stuffed animals were played by, and somewhat influenced by, someone in the couple's actual life. There was a crew member of the television show that was going to interview Anne and James named Phillip (Michael Allen Aguirre) and his stuffed toy persona was a potato. I thought that was very funny because he was so awkward and sort of simple; the character really seemed ordinary and plain like a potato. Anne's sister Ashley (Courtney Knysch) was a thingus, which is basically a stood-up caterpillar with striped pants and like three tiny legs. She is very upbeat, sort of weird, and quick-witted. James doesn't really like her but Anne is getting a lot of help from her and is grateful. Anne likes all the weird toys, like the potato, and her weird thingus sister. But James isn't so keen on it. Anne's mother Margaret (Claudia Campbell) is a giraffe as a toy and is a minister in real life who has a very young husband about whom she talks pretty explicitly. I think she is a giraffe because she is very poised and sweet and helpful and comforting. I don't know why I think giraffes are comforting; maybe because they seem very slow, vegetarian, and chill. James's dad Clayton was a crocodile. He is a version of someone who has done a lot of damage, but is sweet and well-meaning now--like a taxidermy alcoholic crocodile, but slightly less morbid than that. There was also the person who would be interviewing them, Layna (Dana Martin), who plays Captain Lame-o. She is basically the villain of this alternate universe. She's not as bad in real life because she is an actual person, but she does seem to be taking advantage of them and asking questions she knows will be hard for them to answer. Hope (Ariana Sepúlveda) is a stuffed hippo ballerina who doesn't seem to have another version of them in the real world. But the play eventually reveals who she is, and it is very gut-wrenching.

There were a lot of impromptu dance battles (choreography by Ashlee Wasmund) in this show. I thought they were hilarious and ridiculous, and sometimes they were even good. There were moves from break dancing, hip hop, ballet, and modern. The moves were very classic to the genres that they were performing, which I think showed how, in the mind of James, a guy who isn't a professional dancer, this is what he thinks these genres of dance would look like. I thought Hope and Anne in particular were good dancers. They had a dance together that was really moving. I was about to cry, and it was great.

This show wasn't all sad. I thought it was really funny when Phillip was asking Ashley out and he was talking about taking Ashley to White Castle, which is literally the least romantic place on this planet--I mean a graveyard is more romantic than White Castle; Buffy the Vampire Slayer makes that possible. I guess a sewer, but really the place you go for your first date should be a lot higher than that on the romantic-ness scale. I also thought the mom, Margaret, was really funny with all her inappropriate references. They are generally about her husband and her daughter finds them disgusting, which is hilarious. I think there was a perfect contrast between the humor in the fantasy scenes and the sadness when you see reality creeping back into their lives. That just made every time that something sad would happen even sadder. It is very true because the more fun you have in real life, the sadder the sad parts that come after are.

People who would like this show are people who like impromptu dance battles, White Castle, and taxidermy alcoholic crocodiles. I think that people should definitely see this show. It is hilarious, moving, and silly. It closes Saturday, so everyone should go see it while you still have the chance!


Photos: Tom McGrath