★★★★✰
When thinking of Zumba, you often associate it with fun light-hearted cheesiness. But what if this frivolity was juxtaposed with disenchantment and bitter melancholy? This is exactly what Amelia Gann brings to the table in her witty debut comedy Dreamworld – a play which scintillates with vibrant choreographic parody and whimsical twists on the underdog trope.
Cathy Campbell is a dance teacher at a local leisure centre. From the outside looking in, she’s your average fun and motivational instructor, with an infectious smile, bubbly personality and overly friendly banter with the class. But this is a mere front. Her relentless pursuit of stardom had made her bitter and full of resentment for an unrealised dream. Her mum’s pressurising statements don’t exactly help matters – “unless you’re being noticed, what’s the point?” While no one can deny that she exudes passion in her choreography, what motivates Cathy isn’t really a love of dancing. In fact, she is driven solely by an obsession to be seen and valued.
She is finally given a chance to shine at a local village fete which invites amateur acts to perform on one of their weekend slots. However, after countless setbacks and being subjected to mockery in childhood talent shows, Cathy must make sure that all goes according to plan. This time, no one will rain on her parade!
Camden Fringe entries are renowned for their vibrant edgy style and Gann’s one-woman play is no exception. The plot experiments with the recycled premise of many well-known dance films. While our protagonist is undoubtedly the underdog wannabe dancer, we don’t warm up to her as easily as Tracy Turnblad or Alex Owens. She is self-centred and arrogant with malicious envy – a downright narcissist at times. The monologue approach to the play is stylistically effective at conveying this character’s egotistical nature as the other characters don’t really get a look in. While we know the ins and outs of Cathy’s life – her dreams, her relationship, her queer awakening – other characters only get two sentences worth of profiling or dialogue. Even her own girlfriend gets insultingly side-lined as she takes centre stage both literally and figuratively. According to Cathy, the only thing noteworthy about her is her agoraphobia.
Though what we little we do get from those other characters is comedy gold! Whether it be a glimpse at Angela’s disgustingly cheesy aerobics videos or when one of the elderly women does her best Irene Cara variation, these zany antics will leave audiences in stitches.
Credit must be given to Amelia Gann for her stellar acting and dancing skills. She excels particularly in her visual gags; the hopeless attempts at Zumba by virtually immobile senior citizens always guarantee a good laugh from the audience. Her striking movements make characters easily distinguishable which helps the narrative flow smoothly without any disjuncture. It is also a joy to watch her flawless execution of contemporary dance which is frequently spliced into the narrative.
Without giving too much away, the twist is certainly dark and unexpected but it lacks a gut punch. With so much joyful exuberance earlier on, this tonal shift comes abruptly and seems a touch out of place. By intensifying Cathy’s egregious personality and replacing the light-hearted pop with a fiery tune to create a sense of uneasiness, this could have made the twist that more impactful.
Nonetheless, Dreamworld excels in its quirky variation on a framework we’re all familiar with. Such a gleeful performance is a real showcase of Gann’s tremendous talent as an actress, dancer and comedian.
Words by Katie Heyes
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