Ain’t Done Bad

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Jakob Karr conceived, choreographed and directed his full-length dance/drama, Ain’t Done Bad currently heating up the Irene Diamond Stage at the Pershing Square Signature Center just west of Times Square.  It is a courageous, if generic, look at the trials and tribulations of a young gay man confronting his inner demons and his hard-as-stone father.

Karr as the Son eventually finds his path in life and love, a tale expressed in voluptuous dance movement performed by a superb company of dancers. But he has to go through a domestic purgatory before arriving at a heaven of his own making.

First seen at a simple dinner table, his Father (Adrian Lee, wonderfully domineering) twists his torso and pounds on the table communicating his anger, while the Mother (Megumi Iwama, way too young looking to be Karr’s mom!), Karr and the Brother (Ian Spring) react with agitation and angular movements.  Karr’s choreography doesn’t elucidate the reason for the Father’s agitation, but does push Karr’s Son to escape this domestic prison.

The Brother has an odd confrontational duet with Karr that has some, probably intended, sexual overtones.

Relief comes when Karr discovers an exciting happy place:  a dance bar inhabited by two buoyant Friends (Yusaku Komori and Jordan Lombardi, both ebulliently energetic and upbeat).   This venue is his portal to happiness.

Karr’s choreography is set to songs of the eccentric gay country music artist Orville Peck, famous for performing masked.  Here his music and lyrics suggest moods rather than narration, his sonorous vocals melding perfectly with Karr’s choreography.  At the most romantic moment of Ain’t Done Bad, the Righteous Brothers’  “Unchained Melody” provides the perfect, over-the-top accompaniment to a duet between Karr and his new Lover (Josh Escover, handsome and sensual), the penultimate scene in the ballet.

Although it is difficult to put the sturm und drang of Ain’t Done Bad’s plot in a particular place, the scenic designs of Philip Lupo, Joey Coombs and Blake Schulte make a stab at portraying a non-urban locale.  Vertical structures made of slats of wood hang all over the stage.  Several of these structures are on wheels and, when reversed, become mirrors that give spatial variety to the dimly lit stage (moody lighting by Lupo doing double duty).

The costume designs, which appear to be uncredited, did nothing to add to the specificity of place.  The family wears dark outfits that would fit in with a portrait of either an urban or rural family.  At the dance club glittery tops are the indications of festive club wear.

Double casting Lee and Spring as Karr’s lovers adds confusion to the plot:  Why are the Son’s Brother and Father acting so seductively?  It takes a while to notice subtle costume changes that clarify these oddities, particularly when rethinking the Karr/Spring duet.

Even so, Ain’t Done Bad is consistently filled with rich choreography, full of jumps, spins, sensual partnering and a telling gestural vocabulary all performed by a good-looking bunch of dancers who are totally in tune with Karr’s vision, but still retain their individuality.

Although the story of a young gay man finding his truth isn’t exactly original any more, Karr manages to energize the old story with zestful movement and unabashed sensuality.

Ain’t Done Bad (through September 1, 2024)

The Irene Diamond Stage at the Pershing Square Signature Center, 480 West 42^nd Street, in Manhattan

For tickets, visit http://www.aintdonebad.com

Running time: 90 minutes including one intermission