Incitation to the Dance at Theatre West

Incitation to the Dance

Theatre West
3333 Cahuenga Blvd. West Hollywood

Malcolm and Asher are a long-term couple. Malcolm is a film historian and professor. Asher is an unemployed dance instructor. They’re dealing with Asher’s depression since losing his job. Malcolm’s delight in teaching his class, “Gunsels and Gay Blades” (a survey of homoerotic coding in Film Noir), exacerbates Asher’s hopelessness. Finn, a determined young man, upends their world with his provocative blend of candid sexuality and menace.

Thru - Mar 15, 2026

Fridays: 8:00pm

Saturdays: 8:00pm

Sundays: 3:00pm

Price: $30-$40

Show Type: Comedy

Box Office: 323-851-7977

www.theatrewest.org

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Incitation to the Dance Reviews

Average Rating based on 4 reviews

Highly Recommended
Recommended
Somewhat Recommended
Not Recommended

Stage and Cinema - Recommended

"...Incitation to the Dance is not a great play, but it’s better than the production suggests. Besides, any play like this that has male nudity, a pie in the face, and well-timed lederhosen, is worth a look."

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- Nick McCall

Stage Scene LA - Not Recommended

"...An intriguing premise-sultry queer Millennial insinuates himself into the lives of a couple of gay married Boomers-falls flat in Theatre West's overlong, overwrought, credibility-defying World Premiere melodrama Incitation to the Dance."

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- Steven Stanley

Showmag - Highly Recommended

"...Incitation to the Dance, written by member playwright Michael Van Duzer, is sweet, sexy, and celebratory. The world of two long-time gay lovers, Malcolm (Michael Gambiano) and Asher (David Mingrino), have their world turned upside down when Finn (Casey Alcoser) follows Malcolm home from the club where he’s a dancer."

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- Leigh Kennicott

Stage Raw - Recommended

"...Noticeable about the script of Incitation to the Dance are its intriguing parallels to Tom Jacobson’s recent work Tasty Little Rabbit, a play which premiered at Moving Arts last year depicting two older gay men and their young male lover in 1936 Fascist Italy. Though their cultural contexts and thematic conclusions are vastly different, the contrast in exploration of intergenerational masc-for-masc relationships between artists of different disciplines may intrigue viewers who wish to compare."

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- Socks Whitmore

Incitation to the Dance at Theatre West