The Pershing Square Signature Center, New York, NY.
July 12, 2024.
Ain’t Done Bad, the new dance theater production conceived, directed, choreographed and performed by Jakob Karr opened at the Off-Broadway house Signature Center in NYC in mid-July. The show is set to the music of country artist Orville Peck with no spoken dialogue or live singing, the story told solely through dance. A few months ago, I wrote about another show, Illinoise, that followed the same format but with the use of live musicians, and it’s interesting to see other interpretations of the structure.
The seven-member casts role shift to create various worlds through which the main character (Karr) travels on his journey as a gay man coming out and seeking acceptance with himself and from his family. Plot-wise, it’s a straightforward fairytale coming of age story and not that groundbreaking. However, the other elements of the show were enticing enough to keep me engaged for the 90-minute (no intermission) duration.
The set and costumes were dark and drab, but some elements occasionally popped out, like the bright colors on one dancer and a glitter vest that made several appearances. This tone provided a contrast to the dancing, however, which was anything but drab. Karr was a So You Think You Can Dance contestant and his choreography reflects much of the dazzle and style we see in competition dance. But this was a dazzle with teeth, because each dancer on stage possessed a high technical level and executed the work with great passion. The obvious commitment each had with the work at large infused the evening with a palpable sense of authenticity.
For Karr, a first show of this magnitude is an ambitious undertaking given the many hats he wore. What the story lacked in nuance was easy to overlook with the brilliant dancing and general high quality production of the entire show. It would have been fine with an intermission, perhaps improved. All in all, it’s exciting to see this new format of dance/theater/musical on stages more frequently, and this show showed its heart the entire time.
By Emily Sarkissian of Dance Informa.
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