I must confess that before seeing Dear Michelle Kwan, I had to Google who Michelle Kwan actually was. For anyone equally uninformed, she is one of America’s most celebrated figure skaters and a two time Olympic medallist who later served as US Ambassador to Belize. The characters at the centre of this production, however, would be horrified by such ignorance.
In Triple Lutz Productions’ UK premiere of Christie Spessard’s Dear Michelle Kwan, the legendary figure skater is less sporting icon and more patron saint to the young skaters at the centre of the story.
The play opens with what feels like a ritualistic act of devotion, each skater addressing their idol with a variation of “Dear Michelle Kwan” before launching into a confession, request or desperate plea connected to their own ambitions. It is a device that recurs throughout the show, but one that never becomes entirely clear in either purpose or meaning.
That lack of clarity becomes a recurring problem. Written as an absurdist exploration of ambition, obsession and identity, the play follows a group of aspiring skaters under the watchful eye of their domineering coach. Manipulative, controlling and determined to mould her students in her own image, she rules the rink with an iron fist. When a snowstorm forces the group to shelter in place, events take an increasingly surreal turn.
From that point onward, Dear Michelle Kwan descends into a whirlwind of shouting, emotional outbursts and increasingly bizarre interactions. There are undoubtedly ideas buried beneath the chaos. The pressure placed on young athletes, the dangers of idol worship and the pursuit of perfection all seem to be present. Unfortunately, the production never successfully draws these themes together into a coherent whole.
The result is a script that often feels directionless. Scenes drift into one another without a strong sense of progression and the narrative becomes increasingly difficult to follow. While absurdist theatre does not require straightforward storytelling, it does need some internal logic to guide an audience through the experience. Here, that structure feels largely absent. Ryan Pangracs’ direction keeps the production moving at a relentless pace, but even that energy cannot entirely disguise the script’s lack of focus.
Hannah Breshears, Isabella Fay, Jasmyn Donya Molaei, Skyler Sajewski and writer Christie Spessard throw themselves into the material with admirable commitment and energy, embracing the play’s eccentricity without hesitation. Their enthusiasm is difficult to fault. Yet even their determined performances cannot overcome problems with the script.
While the audience around me responded with laughter, it frequently felt as though they were laughing at the bewilderment of what they were witnessing rather than the comedy itself. Dear Michelle Kwan is certainly unique, but originality alone is not enough to make for compelling theatre.
Listings and ticket information can be found here
