Winter Settling Moon II
Kate and I went into Denver to the Curious Theater for a production of Charles Ives Take Me Home by Jessica Dickey. Ives has long been one of my favorite composers and I had a chance to hear his music often when I attended St. Paul Chamber Orchestra concerts.
This is a play for three actors, staged on a minimal set with almost no props. The theater is an old church sanctuary so almost every seat is close to the stage. We had seats in the first row of the balcony.
The play had several memorable moments including one evocation of the aftermath of a father’s death. You realize then, Charles Ives says, that there is no one between you and the top of the sky. At another point near the end a second male character, a devotee of Ives and a violin player, suffers a heart attack. Ives tells him that there is nothing to worry about, he’s dying. Just play through it. This actor, a violinist who plays frequently during the drama, does just that, playing as he dies. Poignant.
Another memorable moment came when the violinist’s daughter, a basketball coach (source of much friction between art loving father and sports loving daughter), speaks to the young girls of her first team in their first game. If you want to succeed, to do your best, you have to dive for the ball. Dive recklessly. You have to play the game unreasonably.
This was a professionally handled piece from beginning to end and made me feel good about the Denver arts scene. Also, the theater was full and it was Superbowl Sunday. We were there for the 2 pm matinee.