Nicole Wolcott and Larry Keigwin reunite for DanceNow at Joe’s Pub
By QUINN BATSON May 5, 2017
OffOffOffDance
Places Please! takes a journey through the last half century of music, show biz and dance, via the minds and bodies of Nicole Wolcott and Larry Keigwin (co-founders of Keigwin + Co.), in Joe’s Pub. It’s part silly fun, part rue/rumination, and all good.
Before anyone takes things too seriously, the duo don red glitter-helmets and “rehearse” a dance that they want to end with a bang. Leave it to these two to milk a silly gag to a satisfying end, to get the show rolling.
The ensuing flurry of costume changes is part “dressup-is-fun!”, part “power-of-the-wig”, part “we-still-have-the-bodies-to-strip-on-stage.” Wolcott channels Patsy Cline, Joan Jett/Pat Benatar and Nina Hagen before settling on a platinum bob — a taste of the zany flow to come.
The anxious “Chorus Line” song about ‘getting that part’ opens the first door to reflection and remembrance, as Keigwin recalls the pressure and opportunity Broadway presented, the money it meant for the first Keigwin/Wolcott show and the lasting disappointment of not becoming a Lloyd-Weber cat.
The two craft a series of short dances to a wide range of songs, dipping into some classic-era showtunes for flavor and style and SLAYING an ’80s music video satire/homage. Lauren Parrish hits the right cues with the right light to pull these together well.
One more onstage costume change gives Wolcott a way into a soliloquoy on dance age and what it means to dance into your forties or further. It is poignant and personal, but the beauty of her ensuing solo, in deep red and blue light, argues against stopping soon. A duet to ne me quitter pas (don’t leave me) lyrics is lovely as well; the words could be addressed to Dance or to each other.
Yes, their movement and bodies have descended from breathtaking to simply beautiful, but there is a power of soul that can build with age as well, and Keigwin and Wolcott are using humor and grace to find it.