The piece, which Taylor dedicated to "all vaudevillians, especially those who went on no matter what" in the program notes, is the choreographer's comical interpretation of the early 20th century theatrical form. Vaudeville shows were usually made up of several unrelated acts involving minstrels, dancers, acrobats, magicians and even burlesque strippers. "Now Playing" mimicks this format with its 15 short segments.
Hilarity ensues, as the vaudevillian characters portrayed by Taylor's dancers are endearing hacks. In the opening section, the dancers pose with Chaplinesque awkwardness -- all dangling limbs and ungraceful gestures. By the time Taylor's dancers trot out dressed as daisies and ponies, it is obvious that they are embracing their characters' inner fools and enjoying themselves. The enthusiasm at the performance on Tuesday was contagious, and the audience never stopped laughing.
"Now Playing" challenges the seriousness that often surrounds modern dance. The pieces are set to the triumphant marches of Gaetano Donizetti, whose compositions contrast starkly with the characters floundering about the stage.
Taylor also turns one of the most traditional ballet dances -- Anna Pavlova's "The Dying Swan" -- into a pretentious joke. Taylor's version of the dance involves the performer, Julie Tice, staggering around en pointe, trying to find the correct moment to "die."
Most endearing is the segment called "Stagehand's Dance." A dancer acting as a stagehand twirls with a broomstick, longing for his moment to shine on the stage instead of working behind the scenes. In the end, all of the characters in "Now Playing" have the same aspiration -- to win the audience's affection.
Taylor's choreography is outstanding throughout the work. His signatures, including ordinary movements like running and jumping as well as elegantly misaligned bodies, are all present, and perhaps more appropriate for this piece, with its vaudeville theme, than for any of his past works. In "Strip," dancer Eran Bugge channels a burlesque dancer lacking any sex appeal, awkwardly shuffling back and forth on stage while slowly taking off her elbow-length gloves with her teeth.
Even a dance depicting a brawl plays out with fluidity and lyricism. In a genius plot line, Taylor explores the explosive relationship between a prostitute and her pimp. The two dancers in the segment roll around on the floor, moving easily from chokes to kicks. The prostitute ultimately emerges victorious, as the stagehand returns with a crutch to carry her pimp off stage.
Taylor and his production crew replaced the black backdrop, simple costumes and single spotlight which are standard in modern dance with more elaborately produced effects. Set and costume designer Santo Loquasto worked with lighting director Jennifer Tipton to capture the mood of the vaudeville era.
A false proscenium painted with winged cherubs outlined the stage.
A translucent red scrim lifts to reveal the dancers behind and a white semi-transparent scrim is situated farther upstage.
The white scrim allowed audiences to see the dancers in the wings dressing or darting behind the fabric to their next entrance.
Loquasto costumed the dancers in shades of black, white and grey (although there was the occasional splash of color -- a red matador's cape, yellow flowers), simulating the effect of an old-fashioned black and white television screen during the vaudeville era.
According to Suzanne Carbonneau, Taylor's biographer who gave a lecture on campus last Tuesday, Taylor most likely became familiar with the look and feel of vaudeville though movies, T.V. and the occasional show at the National Theater in his native Washington, D.C.
The genre made a strong enough impression that, in addition to the strictly-vaudeville "Now Playing," the choreographer had borrowed vaudevillian elements for several of his past works as well, Carbonneau said.
The Paul Taylor Dance Company also performed on Tuesday the classic "Esplanade," which debuted in 1975 and has become one of the major works of modern dance, and "Beloved Renegade," Taylor's 2008 work addressing poetry and death.
