SUPERB ACTORS IN SYNC IN 'SIX DANCE LESSONS'.

Byline: Evan Henerson Theater Critic

By about the end of dance lesson No. 2 - in a sequence of six - most people in the audience at the Geffen Playhouse should know instinctively each step that playwright Richard Alfieri will take in the next four.

We can guess when septuagenarian Lily Harrison and the snarky dance instructor she has hired for private lessons will dance, and when they will bicker. We know approximately when the phone in Lily's St. Petersburg condo will ring, and what has happened when it doesn't. We know when characters are lying, and in most cases, what truth they're concealing. And if you suspect there's a darker revelation designed to cement the friendship, folks, with this play you don't even qualify for a box of Snickers. That correct guess is worth a single 2-day-old Milky Way.

Formulaic and predictable doesn't begin to describe the play ``Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks.'' My God, after an emotional scene, instructor Michael Minetti turns to Lily and actually recites the line, ``May I have this dance?''

And somehow, amazingly, none of it matters. The spell woven by performers Uta Hagen and David Hyde Pierce is enough to make an audience very forgiving. This kind of chemistry - synergy, really - is rare, and beautiful to witness.

It's the old/young ``Odd Couple'' scenario made poignant and socially relevant. Michael - temperamental, bitter and nursing old wounds - thrusts, and Lily paries. ``Give me another chance,'' he says after an early outburst sends Lily to the phone to call his boss. ``You just took it,'' she growls back.

Then the roles switch and it's Lily who needs lessons in tact and civility. She has hired a private dance instructor primarily for a little company and social interaction. He needs the money, and, it turns out, a friend. They instantly push each other's buttons, and they forgive each other.

Each scene is a different dance - swing, tango, Viennese waltz, cha-cha and contemporary. The action takes place in Lily's 14th-story condo (designed in Floridian chic by Roy Christopher). Michael and Lily usually dress for the occasion (slick work by costume designer Helen Butler), and the one ``lesson'' we don't see occurs at a club where Michael takes Lily on a date.

Alfieri and director Arthur Allan Seidelman both have an eye for nuance; they allow Michael and Lily's relationship to develop in a way that lets us see it deepen. By the time instructor and pupil get to the point that cutting remarks no longer threaten to torpedo the relationship, the play has hit its stride.

Pierce, goateed and completely free in his body, is a stage thoroughbred, which should come as little surprise to people who know his work on ``Frasier.'' Alfieri gives him some great dialogue, and Pierce embraces every syllable. It's easy to believe this guy A) knows how to dance (it's his gait and body carriage as much as following Kay Cole's choreography) and B) is probably a lousy teacher.

Hagen is equally superb. Using a soft southern accent (Lily is from South Carolina) a quick wit and nuances learned from a lifetime of acting, Hagen gives Lily depth that the character might not otherwise have. We see it in the little primp she gives before answering the door for lesson 3, and in the look of complete untempered joy that steals across her face when she dances. (For the record, Hagen, who is 81, looks easily 15 years younger.)

Kudos to Seidelman for making this pairing look so effortless, and especially to Hagen and Pierce, who bring pretty slight material up to a higher level.

``SIX DANCE LESSONS IN SIX WEEKS''

Where: Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Westwood.

When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 4 and 8:30 p.m. Saturday, 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday; through July 8.

Tickets: $21 to $43. Call [phone].

Our rating: Three and one half stars

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There's no dancing around the predictable script, but David Hyde Pierce and Uta Hagen triumph nonetheless.