The Ensemble Theatre Presents the ‘Tap Dance Kid’

HOUSTON, TX -- If you love dancing and singing, The Ensemble Theater’s latest musical in Midtown-Houston, ‘The Tap Dance Kid,’ written by Charles Blackwell, and directed by Kathryn Ervin, will bring great joy, and will leave you asking for more.

It’s a story about a ten year-old kid, Willi, played by the young actress Zemira Williams, who lives with a family, like many others in the early 1980’s, with an overbearing father, submissive mother, a sibling with life goals that are completely different from hers. Yet Willi, is set on her goal of being a dancer like her choreographer Uncle Dipsey (Hindolo Bongay), and the memory of her dead tap dancing grandfather, Daddy Bates (Alde Lewis, Jr).

Willi’s sister and rival Emma (Merritt Madison), is doing the right thing with her goal of wanting to be a lawyer, but her father William (Alex Kennedy) sees only Willi’s misdeeds in receiving bad grades, and wanting to be a dancer like Dipsey. The past has a big part to play with the story, and Willi’s mother Carol (Aishia Ussery), who had lived through hard times with Daddy Bates and Dipsey. William suffered as well, and desperately projects his success through hard work onto his children. His mistrust of Dipsey is apparent as well for the choreographer's lack of a guaranteed work schedule.

Carol submits to William’s demeanor, opting to live a queenly lifestyle rather than the squalor of her youth, but the treatment of her daughters by her husband becomes unbearable, introducing thoughts of breaking the marriage. Her brother Dipsey on the other hand finds Ginnie (April Wheat) as a partner, with both Carol and Ginnie singing of their predicaments in lovely songs.

Some will say that Willi’s character gets lost in the subplots of her elders, but Zemira Williams’ on-stage presence is still entertaining. The dream-dance sequence with Aide Lewis, Jr. is very touching, and it’s granted that Williams is not a trained dancer, but a few more scenes of her dancing, growing in the craft, would have made her case more compelling. There is no doubt that Williams’ lights up the stage. She energizes it. But to be fair to those who were expecting more kid dancing and less adult dialogue and dancing, they would be disappointed in that respect.

There is no doubt that choreographer Monica Josette probably wished for more dancers but the intimacy of the stage limited the number, but still the dancing was enjoyable yielding to the talent and expertise of the leader. Although the end is surprising, and the family does grow closer, the surprising resurgence of the father, played by Alex Kennedy, whose voice is hidden for most of the production, is let loose, and disappears into the audience, and most would have appreciated the time spent on-stage with his daughters, healing.

As usual with The Ensemble, the set was tops, and the music played by the small band behind the cityscape was very effective and in the goldilocks zone. The Tap Dance Kid is still worth the watch, just be aware that the kid will not do as much tapping as expected, and you will be OK.

‘The Tap Dance Kid’ runs until July 27th at The Ensemble Theatre. For tickets and donations: ensemblehouston.com

Ruben can be reached at: ruben@montgomerycountynews.net