| WHENEVER A THEATER REVIEWER opens the cover of a script by a new writer, he often secretly wonders, "Which level of hell will it be this time?" When it's the first full-length play by an unknown who started writing in a workshop class three years ago - but who "would rather act" - it's sure to be a level Dante never even dared imagine.
Occasionally, however, strains of Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" begin and rescue the jaded from torture and torment, lifting them to a place where it is again possible to believe genuine talent still exists. This is the case with novice playwright Don Scime's play, "The David Dance," running May 1-11 at The 78th Street Theatre Lab.
Told in flashbacks, "The David Dance" observes gay radio show host David Patrone's struggle with his life, lover, career and idea of family in the wake of his older sister's death. She is killed flying to Brazil to adopt an orphan. Skeptics would call crafting an intimate and intricate story that works this well "beginners luck."
A recent interview with author, Scime, and the director, Karen Case Cook, revealed that luck isn't necessary when you have three sisters by your side.
"It was the conversations with my sister, Sally, when she was considering adoption, that inspired the play. In fact, one of the passages in it is almost verbatim from one we had," said Scime.
Naturally, artistic license took over and different facts and facets of Sally were stretched, like her having been married three times. When asked how she felt about being killed off before the play even starts, Scime laughed, and said, "she was fine with it … until the first time she had to fly in a puddle jumper like the sister is killed in!" When the writing was finished, Scime's "second sister" Kate had arrived.
Part of Scime's objective in writing "The David Dance" was to create a role and a job for himself when it got produced. As such, every night he gets to slip into his alter ego, David, and live a life and relationship with onstage sister Kate.
When asked if it is difficult for him to "shut off" the writer while on stage and only be David, he said, "Not really. I was trained as an actor first so my instincts lead me that way naturally."
Making sure he keeps his dual roles of writer and actor clear and separate is sister three, director Karen Case Cook, who has been at the helm since the staged reading a year ago. Cook continued with the premiere last October, and is back again for this production.
Maybe "back again" are not the right words; Cook admitted that because the interaction between her and Scimé is so fraternal, it was hard to imagine she wouldn't return.
"I've loved working on David Dance from the beginning," said Cook, "but the real joy has been the continuing creative process. Each time we come back, we discover new things about the characters and their relationships. That is what's exciting to me."
She looks to continue her work with the play for the long haul. Cook is already in the planning stages of remounting the production when "The David Dance" moves to The New York International Fringe Festival in August.
The festival will be the play's third full production in under a year - a remarkable achievement by anyone's standards, as even skeptics and the jaded would agree.
Hopefully, it's only the start of a very long waltz with success for Scime and "The David Dance." Thus far, a trio of sisters has guided him in life, on stage and off, and has never let him down. Perhaps there is a fourth sister waiting in the wings who this talented new writer can call "Angel," ready to produce the touching and funny play, and guide it on to commercial success.
Who knows? As for "The David Dance," you'd better see it now. Why take a chance on it selling out if Angel is next on Scime's dance card?
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