The 40-Year-Old Ballerino theatre review: Jumping for joy
Chris Davis finds an unexpected outlet for his emotions in middle age in a heartwarming and meditative ode to change
Chris Davis is warming up by the barre as his audience makes its way into the theatre. A late entrant to the ballet world, he found the medium through his ex-girlfriend, a professional dancer, and it’s a discovery that is still guiding him through life long after her departure. Sporting an all-white unitard, Davis’ story begins in lockdown, during the early days of his last relationship. He dances gracefully around the room, regaling the crowd with tales of a hazy honeymoon period spent smoking a little too much weed and bingeing sitcoms. There was a slight age gap between Davis, now 44 and a half, and his former partner, with differences in their life experience soon beginning to show.
What starts as a love story soon becomes a masterclass in yearning. Davis pays homage to the romcom Say Anything, holding a boombox aloft as he pines for the dancer who left him cast adrift after relocating her life and career from Philadelphia to Japan. It’s a powerful dissection of the relationship and his succinct spoken word delivery is effective, to the point of making it easy to forget that he dances without remission throughout the entire piece. Davis notes that during a ballet lesson, you must never turn your back on the barre: it’s clear that he never will.
The 40-Year-Old Ballerino, Venue 13, until 29 August, 2.45pm; picture: Ashley Smith.