Reviewed by Renee Kirk
Written and directed by Thomas Sainsbury, Fingerprints & Teeth Productions.
Musgrove Studio, Maidment Theatre, Wednesday 24 March.
Sometimes a plays best quality is its ability to entertain. A group of actors and actresses take to the stage and entice the audience to step into a fantasy world, far removed from their ordinary lives. They provide an alternative to thinking about day-to-day worries and allow some time-out, a chance to sit back and relax, have a laugh... possibly even leave feeling relieved that at least their lives aren’t like those characters in the play!
This was indeed the case with Thomas Sainsbury’s Dance Troupe Supreme, a very black comedy centred on a dance troupe touring the rural centres of New Zealand.
According to the programme this little number was conceived during a conversation between Sainsbury and Madeline Sami where she suggested he write a two-hander and they’d play back-up dancers.
As the script developed Sainsbury obviously realised the need for more characters and content, finishing with a 5-strong cast, including himself as Sean James, Madeleine Sami as Kellyanna, Morgana O’Reily as Amber, Jacquie Brown as Charlotte and Yvette Parsons as Honcho.
The cast’s first dance is a powerful opener and clearly the result of some clever choreography from Kerryn McMurdo. High energy, highly erotic and hilariously entertaining; the audience are in!
The troupe’s lead dancer is Kellyanna, a somewhat superficial, arrogant, fantasist who ‘made it’ dancing for Lady Gaga and Britney Spears. Sporting a blonde wig, Sami takes to this role with vitality and exuberance, dishing out some killer lines and some fantastic dance moves.
Sean James is on a mission to prove not all male dancers are gay and also to catch Kellyanna out on her questionable Britney-Spears-best-friend-status. Sainsbury looks the part, head wrap, leg-wamers n’ all and fits in nicely with the rest of his all-female cast.
Amber has given up food and knows all the tricks of the trade... diuretics, laxative tea and cotton wool for those annoying hunger pains. O’Reilly is truly delightful in this role, using her repertoire of crazy and quirky voices, expressions and mannerisms to bring this character to life.
The newbie on tour is Charlotte; timid, eager to please and very straight-laced. A different sort of role from the one Brown is best known for in her series The Jacqui Brown Diaries, yet she does naivety and sweetness equally well.
Honcho is the top techie and slightly in awe of said dancers – thank goodness someone is. Parsons does a fine job and adds further comic relief.
The whole cast also have a number of cameo appearances ranging from Dr Sami, Britney Spears, Charlottes parents and the tech team. Each actor manages their alter-egos superbly and it keeps things moving along at a fast pace.
Sainsbury’s stint as the technical supervisor is one of the best, portraying patronising white-collar-worker perfectly. Well acted and well scripted; firing Honcho but reminding her “...it’s like a door closing, then a sort of concertina effect and a window opening to the left.”
This was one just one of the many gems delivered during the course of the show, reminding all of Sainsbury’s skill as a playwright. True moments of insight and succinctness, where ideas and emotions are captured so clearly.
Along with the black humour there is plenty of parody, particularly in reference to the sexual nature of the industry (or ‘indust’ if you’re Kellyanna). This theme is aptly delivered via licking, touching, kissing, simulated sex and plenty of fondling and groping.
There were also jokes around the unsuitability of dancing as a career choice... the jobs being few and far between, the pay dismal. While this was something I’m sure dancers everywhere would relate to (except maybe the ones who really do dance with Britney Spears) it also seemed particularly humorous due to the relevance for the actors in their chosen profession.
Overall an extremely fun and feisty play. Plenty to laugh at and about, non-stop action and lots of quick and clever lines. A very welcome reprieve from the demands of everyday life - escapism and entertainment paired with some sizzling, saucy dance action!