Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks
Produced by Ensemble Theatre Company

Cast: Todd McKenney, Nancye Hayes

Written by: Richard Alfieri
Director: Sandra Bates

Publicist: Merran Doyle

Australian Premiere: Sydney Opera House, Playhouse, NSW. Thursday, February 2, 2006.


The Lowdown:
Part of the Ensemble Theatre's 2006 season. A huge hit - toured the country after the Sydney season and returned to a bigger venue.


AussieTheatre.com Review:
The best thing about Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks is the rare treat of seeing two of Australia’s most loved entertainers on stage together in such an intimate piece. Both Nancye Hayes and Todd McKenney produce stellar performances in this slightly predictable play about companionship, understanding and the hurt life can provide.

The play focuses on Michael, a former New York chorus boy who has just taken up a new job teaching people to dance. He meets Lily – an elderly lady who doesn’t quite need the lessons, but enjoys the company. Michael and Lily’s relationship is a strange one – they reach the height of argument many times, but as the play progresses, they find comfort in each other and start to form a remarkable bond.

Both have trouble with honesty – we discover Michael is lying about having a wife, we find out Lily is not as young as she suggests and it’s revealed that Lily may not exactly be telling the truth about her husband. The unravelling of the truth provides a great comedic element to the play, and for most of the first act, it’s the comedy and sharp one-liners where it secures its audience’s attention.

The second act is vastly different, and the final two scenes take the play from a light-hearted comedy to a serious drama, which even manages to evoke one or two tears from a tightly captivated audience. The second last scene is emotional and moving as Lily recounts the death of her daughter. It is a thought out, powerful and undeniably brilliant ten minutes – the best of the entire show.

But despite the flashes of brilliance the show provides, there’s a downside. It’s way too long – this could have been condensed into one act without a problem, and it’s too predictable. The whole thing, minus a few details, can really be worked out in the first 20 minutes, and while there’s still some surprises to come, there’s no great element of “what will happen next” left in your mind by the time the second act begins.

While this play has been performed all over the world, I’m still not convinced it can’t be improved. The writing could be tighter, the scenes could be shorter, and some of the jokes that go on way too long (such as Ida’s constant phone calls, which while eventually becoming a focal point of the play, gets a little tired) could be written out.

In an honest and captivating performance, Todd McKenney is superb. He’s free and easy and simply outstanding as Michael, who really sees Lily as a mother-figure, and someone he can rely on. Nancye Hayes, as always, is brilliant – she’s still got it after all these years and would have to be our most diverse, talented and loveable performer. She’s always had the back of tricks, and by gee, she hasn’t let them go.

Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks is an enjoyable and cute little production, with its cast the main attraction. There’s a brilliant script hiding away somewhere here – just dying to come out.


Production Shots:



Further Information:
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