MONKEY DANCING
at Red Bones Theatre
Organic Theater Company Greenhouse, Lab Theater
Gay liberation was a distinctly American–indeed, New York phenomenon at first; so it’s interesting that the most provocative play I saw in a weekend of gay-pride theatergoing is from England. Monkey Dancing, the opening entry in Bailiwick Repertory’s Pride Performance Series, was written by London fringe artist Claire Dowie as a showcase for her own high-energy performance style; it serves as a fine vehicle for others in this superbly acted Chicago premiere. A variation on motifs familiar from Cabaret and Peter Pan, it concerns an intense relationship between a free-spirited rebel and a more average person who can’t resist the usual cycle of growing up and fitting in. Max and Max are nearly physical twins–tall, thin, boyish blonds–who think they’re psychic siblings as well. Male Max is a gay American studying at London University in the 1970s; he meets female Max when, thinking she’s a boy, he gropes her at a disco. (Surprise!) Their friendship provides a warmth absent from their sexual encounters, and they form a bond that confuses their lovers and appalls their gay and lesbian separatist chums. But defying labels is part of what draws them so close–until he becomes more conformist and she angrily blasts him for “monkey dancing,” performing for the crowd like a trained chimp.
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Much of this intermissionless program’s later portions leave a bitter aftertaste, as one realizes that McGivern hasn’t shown any joy in his life: he says nothing about lovers, except for a reference to a tawdry one-way romance in high school. This lapse isn’t likely to interfere with one’s enjoyment of the show while it’s happening, because McGivern’s an extremely effective performer who combines emotional honesty with skillful vocal and physical delivery. He’s a natural comic presence who shifts easily between funny and serious material and speaks from an unabashedly gay and Catholic perspective to a diverse audience without compromising himself. Like Quentin Crisp (though not as flamboyant), he can have fun with the stereotypes of the campy clown while exploring the reality behind those stereotypes.
