The 40-Year-Old Ballerino by Chris Davis
Schedule
Thu, 20 Feb, 2025 at 07:00 pm to Sun, 23 Feb, 2025 at 03:00 pm
UTC-05:00Location
Skinner Studio at Plays & Players | Philadelphia, PA
Chris Davis mixes dance and storytelling in a 50-minute comedy that shows you change is always possible, no matter what your age.About this Event
PHILLY FLIGHTS: A MID-WINTER MINI SOLO FEST
Early Bird Discount Runs til January 31st!
The 40-Year-Old Ballerino
written & performed by Chris Davis
directed by MK Tuomanen
At 40 years old, Chris Davis seizes on ballet class as a way to replace all other addictions -- drugs, alcohol, Modern Family, and the toxic tropes of 90s John Cusack movies. With only a barre for support, Fringe favorite Chris Davis mixes dance and storytelling in a 50-minute comedy that shows you change is always possible, no matter what your age.
"...you should get your tickets to The 40-Year-Old Ballerino now." - Broad Street Review
"the kind of innovative spirit that the Fringe was originally created to showcase." - The List ★★★★
"a strikingly original writer & performer." - The Scotsman
February 20 - Thursday - 7pm
February 23 - Sunday - 2pm
VENUE
Skinner Studio @ Plays & Players (3rd floor, no elevator)
1714 Delancey St.
Philadelphia, PA
https://youtube.com/shorts/eJ28B3_PRjU
"Chris Davis, creator of , now a December Philly tradition, branches out with the premiere of his new and much more personal solo show, The 40-Year-Old Ballerino, in this year’s Fringe. By his own admission, “a guy talking and doing ballet” might not seem like a hot ticket. But Fringe-goers should hurry to get theirs."
"This performance strikes a winning contrast with the professional ballet realm, which usually finds sumptuously costumed dancers looking as if they were born into their ballet slippers—from the audience, all easy, long-limbed grace and cool perfection. Watching the perspiration pour off of Davis in his white leggings and tee is a reminder of how difficult ballet really is, and it’s a tribute to the essential, often-unseen process behind any meaningful art form."
"Davis sticks with “advanced beginner” movements that seem simple, mostly a serene choreography of barre exercises that punctuate his stories with countless stretches, port de bras, and pliés (though I suspect he’s more adept and flexible than he lets on here). Layered with Davis’s monologue, these repetitive movements do not bore the audience. Their quiet effort and habitual precision elevate these memoirs and remind us that just like dancers, good storytellers will never find and keep an audience without breaking a sweat—and committing to years of unglamorous practice."
Alaina Johns - Broad Street Review
Read the full review
Where is it happening?
Skinner Studio at Plays & Players, 1714 Delancey Street, Philadelphia, United StatesUSD 23.18
