FALLING IN LOVE WITH LAUGHS AND LEAPS
Sadly a review of record, but this experimental, eclectic mash-up from Chicago looks to have a life beyond its short runs in the cities of wind and angels; in fact, The Art of Falling returns next year to the Harris Theater in Chicago where it had its world premiere a year ago. Given the improvisation in both dance and comedy, this disarming delight deserves a lengthy run.
When two arts troupes that are poles apart shared the Ahmanson stage in a merry merger of movement and mockery, the result was life-affirming, amusing, and—best of all—constantly surprising and innovative. Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and The Second City, mainstays of modern-day dance and sketch comedy/improv, respectively, have fashioned a fresh fusion of fun and form that—even with its faults—is one of the most satisfying dance events to visit L.A. in some time (not surprising, really, when you consider that Chicago has become the beating heart of the arts in America).
The sketches (written by 5 writers and “casts of The Second City”) weren’t necessarily cutting edge but they were decidedly modern. Pleasingly, we even got to revisit characters and watch their storyline develop. At the core was a bi-racial gay couple coping with family friction and an inability to commit (I never really bought them as a couple, but their adventures were heartfelt nonetheless).
Then there’s the white “corporate clown” who had a non-romantic meet-cute with a mature black lady on a turbulent Southwest flight which had them coming face to face with their loneliness. A third story involved an office temp named Kate in a surrealistic workplace made up of dancers who became human props or spun across the stage on rolling desk chairs spoofing Swan Lake. In this scene especially, we could see that slapstick wasn’t the creators’ intention, but the physical humor was so wildly creative that it generated hysterics.
The dancers—16 from the main company and 6 from the second (Hubbard Street 2)—didn’t just fool around in sketches: some of the best moments were when these amazing artists showed off why Chicago is the dance capitol of the country. Leroy Anderson’s “Typewriter” was cleverly mimed like clockwork cygnets, and a delightful piece that opened the second act was an excerpt from Ballet Arizona’s “Second to Last,” a series of sensuous duets that was a terpsichorean treat (there are 5 choreographers in all).
And in the vein of Story Theater (originated by Second City’s founder Paul Sills), the gorgeous Hubbard dancers used their lithe bodies to become a tunnel of love, a cyclone, off-balance airplane passengers, sky divers, and more. One of the more imaginative inventions involved the actors lying flat on stage while, high above them, a closed-circuit camera made them suddenly vertical when projected onto a screen above the stage; thus when actors walked by with clouds on their head, it made the actors on the floor look like they were floating in the sky.
Ingeniously shaped by director Bill Bungeroth with a wonderful score played live by composer/musical director Julie B. Nicholas and an uncredited combo, this collaboration created a synthesis between verbal and physical humor that actually didn’t take itself too seriously as both companies ribbed each other’s art. It was infectious when these contrasting forces came together in song and dance, as in the first-act finale “Don’t Be Afraid (of Love)” (Robyn Mineko Williams, choreography), which had the huge ensemble gyrating and then plunging in duos off the apron into the orchestra pit. Dance purists may scoff, but I ate it up.
photos by Todd Rosenberg
The Art of Falling
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago & The Second City
presented by Glorya Kaufman
The Music Center’s Ahmanson Theatre
played November 6-8, 2015
for more info, visit The Second City
and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago
