THOROUGHLY ENJOYABLE AND ENDEARING

By Trisha Cusack ⭐⭐⭐ | Press Invite

Meg Chizek delights in her one-woman comedy How to Give Up on Your Dreams. The autobiographical, hour-long show charts her lifelong ambition to become a professional dancer, and the eventual unravelling of that dream.

Chizek’s story is familiar to many who dream of “making it”. From childhood dance lessons and summer dance camp to majoring in dance at university, then moving to New York and spending every waking moment auditioning, she makes it clear that her whole existence revolves around achieving this goal – until she couldn’t do it anymore.

With nothing on stage but herself, a bag of props, and the occasional PowerPoint slide, Chizek succeeds in charming the audience throughout. Her comedic skills shine through in improvised moments, playful use of wigs to embody characters from her past, and a breaking of the fourth wall to discuss her theory that dance is, in fact, a cult. Audience interaction – including prizes for those who can correctly identify a musical theatre reference – paired with her earnest, optimistic energy makes it very hard not to smile.

There are, however, moments of real sadness when the harsh realities of a dancer’s life surface. Starving herself to pass weigh-ins at university and the relentless cycle of rejection while auditioning are among the painful truths she shares. It sometimes feels like a storyline from A Chorus Line, or for the contemporaries among us, Dance Moms. However, this was Chizek’s real life.

As a large part of the show’s appeal comes from Chizek directly telling her own story, some further development of the acting of the supporting characters would add texture and prevent the narrative from feeling one-note in places. It would be interesting to see how the show evolves in future iterations, particularly in a larger production setting.

The dance breaks are another, if expected, a highlight. Her talent is unmistakable, and the joy she still finds in dancing is evident in every high kick and tightly executed bite size of choreography.

One-person shows are notoriously difficult to execute well, yet How to Give Up on Your Dreams is thoroughly enjoyable, well-paced, and ends at just the right moment. The audience is left with the comforting reminder that it is okay to give up on your dreams, because the next one is always waiting.

How To Give Up On Your Dreams is currently running at Greenwich Theatre until Saturday 8 November.

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