In “Many Happy Returns,” words may fill the air, but the real dialogue happens through dance. This partially improvised performance, created by Monica Bill Barnes and Robbie Saenz de Viteri, unfolds at Playwrights Horizons with a unique blend of movement, text, and music. At its heart lies an exploration of the human spirit — a joyful, tender experiment in connection.
Barnes, a dancer and choreographer, plays the silent yet expressive body of the main character, while Saenz de Viteri, speaking throughout, embodies her mind. Together, they create a hybrid persona, one whose insecurities and joys are laid bare through a seamless interplay of movement and language. “She’s a woman who carries herself with total clarity, a clarity she might not even always exactly feel,” Saenz de Viteri notes, capturing the essence of the character’s paradox.
A Celebration of Connection
Set in a space reminiscent of a school gymnasium decorated for a dance, the production invites the audience into an intimate, participatory experience. Flowers are arranged, hats are borrowed, and an audience member delivers a prewritten toast. These moments create a communal atmosphere, underscoring the show’s central theme: finding camaraderie in a fractured world.
The soundtrack — featuring Bach, Blondie, and Talking Heads — sets the tone for this “kind of a party,” as Saenz de Viteri describes it. Yet beneath the joviality, there’s an undercurrent of vulnerability. Barnes, through her precise and impulsive physicality, embodies a character whose dance is both armor and expression. Her movements, whether spinning with abandon or snapping her fingers in delight, reveal a mix of self-doubt and resilience.
The Art of Improvisation
The performance thrives on spontaneity, with Saenz de Viteri weaving stories from interactions with the audience. A borrowed fedora, purchased on a trip to Italy, becomes a narrative thread that transforms the mundane into something captivating. Meanwhile, Barnes’ quicksilver movements — from flapping a leg to twirling with gale-like intensity — balance her partner’s verbal dexterity.
Her expression, often a mask of warmth or deadpan blankness, contrasts with Saenz de Viteri’s open-book demeanor. “Her face wasn’t always telling everyone how she felt about everything,” he remarks, “the way mine always is.”
A Dance of Solace and Unity
Barnes finds solace in duets with three friends from her past — Mykel Marai Nairne, Indah Mariana, and Flannery Gregg — who appear and vanish through doors at the back of the stage. Together, they balance yoga mats, strut to the Bellamy Brothers’ “Let Your Love Flow,” and lip-sync to “Islands in the Stream.” These moments of shared movement create a sense of unity, as if the dancers are twins bound by rhythm and memory.
Near the show’s conclusion, Saenz de Viteri reflects: “It might be a good idea to move. There’s a chance I think that talking doesn’t actually make all of us feel better.” This sentiment leads to a sweeping final dance to Talking Heads’ “(Nothing but) Flowers.”
A Lasting Afterimage
As the four performers dance to Blondie’s “Dreaming,” the audience is reminded of the impermanence of movement and the enduring impact of its afterimage. “Many Happy Returns” leaves us with a simple yet profound truth: while movement and connection may be fleeting, their resonance is eternal. And, much like the cost of admission, dreaming — and dancing — is free.