Theatre in Review: Ain't Done Bad (Pershing Square Signature Center)Are we witnessing the birth of a new musical theatre sub-genre? Suddenly, the narrative dance piece is making a bid for recognition. First, Illinoise, choreographed by Justin Peck to a scenario by Jackie Sibblies Drury and set to songs by Sufjan Stevens, made a surprise move to Broadway, earning Tony and Drama Desk nominations. (Twyla Tharp, the mother of the format, has been missing from the theatre of late.) Now comes Ain't Done Bad, created and choreographed by Jakob Karr featuring the songs of Orville Peck, the enigmatic country music singer. (His real name is Daniel Pitout and, for reasons that remain unclear, he always performs wearing elaborate masks.) Well, birds of a feather, as they say. Actually, Ain't Done Bad and Illinoise may come too obviously from the same aviary, relying as they do on strikingly similar scenarios involving friendship, loss, and a young gay man's sexual awakening. In Ain't Done Band, Karr, who also takes the lead role, is a sensitive youth growing up with an adoring mother and bullying father. It's the classic, not to say clichéd, setup: Mom teaches him the finer points of makeup and Dad belittles and pushes him around. (There's also a brother, with whom he has a fraught, competitive relationship.) Relying on emotional support from his friends, he finally flees this less-than-nurturing environment, discovering the world of men who love men. Following several passionate, but ultimately meaningless, grapplings, he finds his true love and returns home where -- not entirely believably -- all emotional wounds are healed in an orgy of reconciliations. It's a wish-fulfillment fantasy, admittedly staged with expertise and performed with undeniable skill (Wait for the midair spins of Josh Escover, as the lover; Adrian Lee and Megumi Iwama bring real nuance to the stereotypical roles of the father and mother.) Karr -- who choreographically challenges himself constantly while providing many a showcase moment for his fellow dancers -- stages the action swiftly and with an eye toward audience-pleasing gestures. Lighting designer Philip Lupo, working with a set (by himself, Joey Coombs, and Blake Schulte) consisting of torn-up wooden fences, multiple mirrors, and one very discreet mirror ball, creates a remarkable range of looks, from romantic moonlit, backwashes to stark, desaturated atmospheres. The well-chosen songs, featuring Peck's gritty vocals (which sound a bit like early Johnny Cash) add to the mood of longing. This smoothly engineered entertainment may well find an audience, thanks to its gay-friendly scenario (why didn't it open during Pride Month?), especially among those who fondly remember Karr from his appearances on So You Think You Can Dance. (This prior experience is, I assume, the reason for his sizable entrance applause.) Still, if Ain't Done Bad has a lot of things going for it, it rather noticeably lacks the emotional punch of Illinoise. There are many possible reasons -- the scenario is too simplistic, and the choreography often prioritizes flash and dazzlement over tenderness and deep feeling -- but the simple answer probably is that Peck is a mature artist while the undeniably talented Karr is still feeling his way. Right now, he isn't quite up to creating a fully coherent dramatic work: Each sequence seems to function as a stand-alone showpiece and the dance vocabulary is limited, so much so that the depictions of wrestling and lovemaking are remarkably similar. This might be part of Karr's point, but I don't think so. In addition, the company seems constrained by their thinnish roles; it isn't until the curtain call that most of them get to show off their sparkling personalities. It's a bit of bad timing -- if Ain't Done Bad had opened a few months ago, it might seem less vulnerable to invidious comparisons -- that nevertheless shouldn't distract from the fact that Karr is ambitious, skilled, and most likely going places. The audience reaction at the performance I attended suggests that he already has a following on which to build a career. I imagine we'll be hearing from him again. --David Barbour 
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