From Mel Gussow’s NY Times Review, March 5, 1982
ROB PENNY’S ”Who Loves the Dancer” at Henry Street Settlement’s New Federal Theater is a disarming new play about a boy growing up in Philadelphia in the 50’s. The hero, played by Giancarlo Esposito, dreams about a career as a professional dancer, but he is trapped by expectations of his mother, his social environment and racism. Deep in the second act, these pressures become burdensome, and Mr. Esposito releases his emotions – and his lithe body – in a dance, gradually building into an intuitive expression of his free creative spirit. When dealing with an artist on stage, it is always dangerous to show that art in action, but Mr. Esposito easily meets the challenge. As he demonstrates, he is happy when he is dancing.
| Credit | Artist | Photo |
|---|---|---|
| Playwright | Rob Penny |  |
| Director | Shauneille Perry |  |
| Assistant Director | Elizabeth Van Dyke |  |
| Musical Director | Cliff Terry |  |
| Choreographer | Bob Johnson |  |
| Stage Manager | Dwight R. B. Cook |  |
| Set Designer | Robert Edmonds |  |
| Lighting Designer | Sandra Ross |  |
| Costume Designer | Judy Dearing |  |
| Sound Designer | Reggie Life |  |
| Actor | Andre Robinson Jr. |  |
| Actor | Giancarlo Esposito |  |
| Actor | Louise Stubbs |  |
| Actor | Jewel Brimage | |
| Actor | Peter Wise |  |
| Actor | Rosanna Carter |  |
| Actor | Kim Weston-Moran |  |
| Actor | Martin D. Pinckney |  |
| Actor | Cliff Terry | |
| Actor | Terrance Terry Ellis | |
| Actor | Kevin Hall | |
| Actor | Richard H. Arnold Jr. | |
| Actor | Sloan Robinson |  |
| Actor | Richard Gant |  |
| Actor | Aissatou Parks |  |
| Actor | Natalie Ryder |  |
All 1981-82 Season productions: