Theater Online - New York Theater Reviews

Soft, elegant piano music sets the stage for Martin Zimmerman’s quiet new play, “Three Movements”, about a renowned choreographer’s struggle to maintain control over his art and his dancers late in his career. The story was inspired by the life of George Balanchine, although it’s main character is named Alexei (played by Mike Timoney). “Three Movements” is the third production to be presented by the fledgling Heiress Productions, an organization dedicated to raising cancer awareness and funds through professional theater.

Alexei’s fifth wife and former prima ballerina, Sonia (Maria Portman Kelly), is crippled with polio. Refusing to believe that she will never dance again, Alexei pressures her into undergoing several surgeries but the results yield little more the wiggling of toes. Scenes alternate between Alexei’s crumbling marriage with Sonia and his growing relationship with his latest protégée, the eighteen-year old Lindsay from Cincinnati (Erin Fogarty). Alexei’s lectures to his new class of ballerinas is interspersed throughout.

It is clear from the beginning that Alexei’s and Sonia’s marriage is doomed, and the scenes between them become somewhat redundant and rather frustrating to watch. More intriguing are the scenes between Alexei and Lindsay as he instructs her in the art form and gradually becomes more possessive of her, attempting to run her life and turn her into his next great creation. Alexei describes Lindsay as being like wax paper, solid and yet translucent at the same time. However, Sonia, ballet critics and even Lindsay herself are more than aware of the lifelessness in her dancing. Alexei claims that her lack of emotion makes her the perfect canvass on which others can project their desires. Unfortunately, lifeless wax paper does not make for a very interesting character onstage –in ballet or theater- and the scenes between Alexei and Lindsay fall short of achieving anything truly dramatic or unexpected.

Dancing is used effectively throughout the play and the skill of the two actresses on point is admirable. Timoney is a competent actor though never entirely believable as a brilliant Russian choreographer. The heavy handed direction by Maura Farver only makes further evident what was already clear in the script. “Three Movements” attempts to raise questions of grappling with one’s mortality, struggling for perfection and the repetition of history. Zimmerman makes a valiant effort to examine the topics but regrettably fails to shed new light on them. Still, it was an altogether pleasant evening and I look forward to seeing what Mr. Zimmerman and Heiress Productions have to offer in the future.