On the day after the first frost of the season, seeing a new musical with a nostalgic view of winter was quite appropriate. There's a chill in the air that makes me look forward to the first snowfall, crisp clear nights, and getting cozy with a warm beverage. That's the feeling invoked by
Twelve Kinds of Ice, a world premiere new musical adapted from the children's book by Ellen Bryan Obed, developed by Children's Theatre Company. The book is based on the author's memories of her childhood in Maine, and in the musical adaptation the story is told as a memory play. This is not a big bold musical like you may see on CTC's main stage (e.g.,
School of Rock next summer), but a quiet, sweet, and beautiful one-hour two-person musical. It may still be spooky season, but
Twelve Kinds of Ice reminds us that winter is coming, and celebrates the magic that winter can bring when viewed through the eyes of a child (
continuing through November 22).
The play begins when Katherine Fried walks on stage and introduces herself as Ellen (the book's author) and tells us that she's writing a story, and needs our help. She then tells us a story about the twelve kinds of ice, describing each one as she encountered them in winter during her childhood. The author grew up in rural Maine, but this could just as easily be Minnesota, with the references to frozen ponds and backyard ice rinks. Her story is beautiful and whimsical and perfectly captures that nostalgic feeling when we look back on a decades ago childhood from adulthood, with fond memories that we realize may or may not be accurate, as memories go. But of course, this story is not really about ice, but about childhood and family, specifically about father/daughter relationships. Grownups may want to have a tissue handy; there's a reason Ellen is thinking of and telling a story about her father at this particular time.
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| Katherine Fried as Ellen (photo by Glen Stubbe) |
Truth be told, the reason this middle-aged child-free theater blogger chose to see this show is Katherine Fried. She always sings so gorgeously and emotionally true, as she does in this piece, and I was not disappointed in my choice. She's so great at connecting with the young audience in this show, speaking directly to us, asking questions, talking to a few kids in particular. She effortlessly transforms from the childlike Ellen to the adult Ellen, who is narrating the story, and occasionally jumping out of it to comment on it. This is Katherine's second two-person father/daughter new musical this year (after
The Postman's Daughter at Illusion Theater in the spring), and she's once again joined by a great dad. John-Michael Zuerlein gives a lovely and heartfelt performance as her beloved father of memory, who she realizes maybe wasn't perfect. The two have a sweet and believable father/daughter chemistry, through the fun and the tantrums and the disappointments and the joy of being together in Nature. Because if there's a third character in this story, it's Nature, and the things we can learn and experience if we listen and are patient.
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| Katherine Fried and John-Michael Zuerlein (photo by Glen Stubbe) |
As
Pinocchio closes in the main theater upstairs, making way for the annual arrival of
the green one, this little musical is playing out in the first floor Cargill Stage, which is a smaller black box theater, configured sideways with a long performance space and seating on three sides. The floor is covered in a light gray tarp that represents the ice. Minimal set pieces include a couple of solid gray wooden docks, a cart and wheelbarrow holding various props, and a couple of stools. White globes hang from the ceiling, with an impressive appearance by the moon and stars at the end of the show. The cast is dressed in cozy winter wear and boots that makes one anxious to put away their summer clothes and bring out the sweaters. (Scenic design by Michael McGarty, costume design by Sarah Bahr, lighting design by Marcus Dilliard, sound design by Melanie Chen Cole.)
CTC's Artistic Director Rick Dildine directs the play as a constant flow of music and dialogue, memories intertwined with present observations. His grad school friend Ben Steinfeld adapted the book and wrote the score, which is less of a list of songs and more of a constant musical landscape, that really invokes a feeling of nostalgia. The cast is accompanied by a one-man band, music director Justin Cook playing multiple instruments including piano, guitar, and percussion, sometimes at the same time!
I'm not sure I caught all of the twelve kinds of ice (which include first ice, field ice, black ice, garden ice), but when you think about it, ice is pretty magical, the way it appears one day out of nowhere, and builds to something that can support the weight of vehicles (for the record, my favorite kind of ice is the thin ice that develops on puddles in early winter that makes a delightful crunching sound when you step on it). This musical encourages us to observe the fleeting and ever-changing magic in ice, in Nature, and in our relationships. Yes, this is the Children's Theatre, and this musical is constructed to engage children, but in a way I think it'll resonate more with grownups, as we remember our long-ago childhoods.
