James Jennings’ New Dancing in the Meadow Brings Feel Good Vibes to the ATA

James Jennings, legendary Founder of the American Theatre of Actors, brings another rich character study to the Beckmann Theatre, along with “a little night music”. The setting of Dancing in the Meadow, his latest production, is the home of songwriter Hank Anderson (Rick Jordan) and his wife June (Ginger Kipps), during a New York snowstorm. Hank, now past retirement age but still wonderfully motivated to pursue his art, is working on new material. June, however, is not impressed with the snippets she hears Hank singing, and with his apparent inability to see any of his works in progress to completion.

“If I hear any more of that sh—t, I’m gonna get one of the kids over here to toss your a-ss out into the snowdrift,” snarks June. “Now just cut this crap.” (June’s language is delightfully colorful throughout the play.) Hank was once involved with the Whispering Tumbleweeds, a country band fronted by his old friend Marvin Swing (Ken Coughlin), and boasts of the song he got on their sixth album. But that was 40 years ago, and the two haven’t crossed paths since. June is troubled by what she sees as Hank’s delusions, and would rather he focus on shoveling the snow. But Hank feels sure that a reunion with Marvin is imminent.

“Hey, I got to get ready,” says Hank, “you never know when he might show up.”

Their daughter Lucy (Chiara Aiello), an aspiring singer who just played The Bitter End, arrives to hear her dad’s old stories and her mom’s scoffing. But then, Marvin does indeed appear on their doorstep, resplendent in leather jacket and guitar-emblazoned scarf. He tunes Hank’s 12-string guitar and announces he is indeed here to make music, but wants it to involve more than one Anderson…

Dancing in the Meadow is a lovely piece that shows how the power of music can reunite old friends and connect generations. The interactions among the characters are genuine, moving, and fueled by Jennings’ trademark sparkling dialogue and wisdom about what makes people tick. The veteran cast sparkles in the first act of the production, and then return to the stage for a delightful surprise: Harmony in the Meadow, a concert with Aiello and Coughlin dueting as their characters. Coughlin’s excellent work on the 12-string and rich singing are accompanied by Aiello’s utterly gorgeous vocals, and we are treated to a set of some of the most beloved songs of the 1960s and beyond. Gems such as Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now,” Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Boxer,” and the Righteous Brothers “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling” are given marvelous readings by the duo, who I’d certainly love to see again in a concert setting. “Send in the Clowns” from the aforementioned A Little Night Music provides one of the most poignant moments, and “(I’ve Had) Time of My Life” from Dirty Dancing is the most uplifting. The half-play, half concert is one of the more joyous experiences you’ll have at the theatre this season, and another feather in the cap of James Jennings and the ATA.

Directed by James Jennings, Dancing in The Meadow runs at the American Theatre of Actors.