Una Noche de Sueños Vidi Flores: A Dream of Flowers

When most people think of Jewish theater, they tend to envision Woody Allen-esque humor or dramatic retellings of historical persecution -- not fiery dance numbers put to sensual tango music. A Traveling Jewish Theater has set out to shatter this unfortunate misconception with an amorous piece of theater that consists entirely of modern dance and love songs, sung in both English and Ladino -- the mostly lost language spoken by 15th-century Jews. Written by ATJT member Albert Greenberg, the songs in Flores are performed by Latina beauty Yolanda Arenas and by Greenberg himself; much like the dance that accompanies them, the exotic songs encompass the myriad emotions that love yields -- jealousy, lust, anger, and softness. The pounding "All Expectation and No Relief," danced by Sally Clawson, finds a young woman in the throes of intense disappointment and sexual frustration; "I Will Always Love You" illuminates the thin line between violence and passion; and "You Hold Up Half the Sky" is a sweet duet that illustrates a steadier, more mature love that grows over time. Through Sonya Delwaide's innovative choreography, the relationship among the three dancers (Clawson, Patricia Jiron, and Eric Rhys Miller) changes throughout the night, feeling at times like a complicated lovers' triangle, at others like an intimate ménage à trois. The costumes -- with the exception of Arenas' hot red-velvet dress -- are surprisingly unremarkable, in contrast to the lush, dreamy material onstage. But the movement is sexy and fresh, as is the music; Greenberg's deep, rich voice never wavers, offering a nice complement to Arenas' sultry tones. Flores is nothing if not romantic, and although the show closes just before Valentine's Day, it's definitely one to see with your honey.