{image1}At one point in this play, the man accuses the woman of being the sort who always obeys rules, and you realize you're watching "Saturday Night Fever" set in 1910 New York. But there's nothing wrong with that, and you also get the most entertaining curtain call you'll ever see.
Allan Knee's romantic comedy "Syncopation" begins when frustrated factory worker Anna Bianchi answers an ad for a dance partner, and finds herself in the tenement lair of a demonstrable nutcase. Her first impression of the eccentric Henry Ribelow is that there's something creepy about him. There is, but it turns out he's harmless, and also obsessively determined to find the proper partner so that he can realize his dream of "dancing before royalty". Anna's impulse is to give the nice man plenty of space and get out of the room - fast - but with few other options available to assert some control over her dreary life, Anna shrugs off her initial misgivings and comes back for more, and more is what she gets.
My Funk and Wagnall's define syncopation as a shift of accent in a passage or composition that occurs when a normally weak beat is stressed. For both Anna and Henry, an escape into dancing is a welcome stress on the weak beat in their lives, their almost pointless existence outside of work. Henry's meatpacking job has filled him with ennui at the abattoir; Anna's long hours at the sweatshop are not only dull, but also exacerbated by her impending marriage to an even duller storekeeper. The shy and withdrawn Anna is almost overwhelmed by Henry's aggressive extrovertism, but as things progress, her enthusiasm exceeds his, and off they go to see if it's possible to find adventure while waltzing your way through life.
And adventure it is. As Henry and Anna discover the delights of Gotham, they also discover delight in each other. On a riverboat excursion, Henry and Anna dance up a storm before falling overboard, leading to a heroic rescue as Anna hauls the hapless Henry to shore. You'll get lost in a wonderful scene under the 4th of July fireworks, as the couple seems to dance on air. The inevitable rift occurs as an emboldened Anna tries to discover who she is without Henry, or anybody else, but the path of true love is a danse de deux, and she can't keep herself away from her light-footed dreamer. "Syncopation" is a pleasant little play, with lots of charm that will leave you with some happy memories.
The weak script is actually more implausible than a Tammany Hall election, but the night is saved by strong performances and even stronger direction. While watching Norman Moses as Henry Ribelow, don't distract yourself trying to figure out his accent. Instead, soak up his concise and subtle portrayal of a man determined not to starve at the feast of life. His various soliloquies, punctuated with dance, take you on a delightful tour of a veritable zoo of ethnic oddities. With a winsome passion that's volcanic but never out of control, his Henry Ribelow is a remarkable accomplishment, a strange but convincing portrayal of a strange but determined man,
The chipmunk-cheek cute Molly Rhode is picture-perfect as Anna. In counterpoint to Moses frenetic Henry, Anna is a wallflower who is bent on blooming, and Rhode takes you on her emotional journey that is as mysterious as it is satisfying. During some of the final dance scenes, you'll note that her delight in dancing is in strong competition with your delight in watching her. And as entertaining as they are during their moments alone, the interplay between Moses and Rhode leaves you not only in wonder at what's happening, but also wondering what happens next, which is usually a pleasant and unexpected surprise.
What really makes this show come alive is director/choreographer Pam Kriger's thrilling vision of it. "Syncopation" is actually a weak script, with a thin plot and even thinner characters. In lesser hands, it would be an unremarkable and hokey love story, but with an assist from ballroom dance expert Martin Cawston, Kriger brings it to vivacious vigor by brilliantly meshing dialogue, mime and dancing into a crisp, fast-paced evening that challenges my ability to describe it. Kriger cunningly draws you into the story, and keeps things moving with a clever use of production values that that turns a sparse, one-room set into the marvelous sight of a long-vanished city. It's a dazzling display of directorial dexterity.
The ending drags out a little too long - we know they're in love by now, you don't have to beat it to death - but it's worth the wait for the curtain call, as Henry and Anna showcase their dance routine in it's now polished perfection. If you have nickels, be sure to throw them. Yet another in a growing series of intriguing productions by Renaissance TheatreWorks, "Syncopation" is indeed a gay old time - using the 1910 definition of "gay" - and plays at the Broadway Theatre Center in downtown Milwaukee through October 16, with a pay-what-you-can night on Monday, Oct. 10. Call (414) 291-7800 for tickets.
