what: charles ives take me home by jessica dickey
where: strawdog theatre's space in lakeview
accompaniment: becky + her slew of gentlemen
drinkability: great little bar in the space, perfect for a glass of cab sav for the show.
show length: 75 minutes, no intermission
out of four: three and a half/four
here's a pro tip for you: when your longtime friend messages you and offers you comp tickets for a show, especially one at strawdog, you take it. worry about what its about later.
that's exactly what i did leading up to last thursday evening, where i found myself in strawdog's home yet again, last time visiting to see the production of BIG LOVE. as this was only my second visit to the space, i was immediately surprised at how they morphed the same room that felt so huge for BIG LOVE into a small, intimate space for this show. becky and i were lucky enough to be seated in the front row- in which our seats were spots on coach starr's (stephanie chavara) bench.
we open with a greeting from the jolly charles ives (company member jamie vann) who casually greets the audience and eases us into the show. from there we follow the story of john and laura starr, a father/daughter team who are wildly passionate about vastly different things. for him: its violin. her: basketball. the war rages on as passions don't always align appropriately.
laura is a women's basketball coach who is loud, tough, tells it like it is, and pushes the young women towards their success. chavara had me convinced from the moment she stepped on stage that these were the shoes she was filling. she moved with strength and confidence, and throughout the show transformed in age without the help of costume or makeup, and did so flawlessly. she ran, she dribbled, she yelled, she breathlessly beats her way through the seventy-five minute show, all while filling audience members with a love for her and her love for basketball.
her father john, played by the multi-talented dave belden, gave me goosebumps upon his first appearance. vann introduces us to him, as we hear a violin playing offstage. for a fleeting moment i worried that we wouldn't get to witness him play on stage in front of us, and as he walked out, grinned, declared he studied at julliard and touched the bow to the strings, my heart swelled. i could have watched him play for the entirety of the show, and i admired the way in which he worked in emotion through his violin that didn't need to be spoken aloud. the violin was such a magical addition to the show, and i was consistently blown away by the poise and accuracy of belden's performance.
vann's interpretation of charles ives lived as the threads that tie the story together - both as storyteller and john starr's biggest influence and idol in the musical realm. he also serves as a sweet breakthrough for john and laura, one of which i won't spoil here. vann was a delight to watch as ives, especially as he and belden played together in a piano and violen duet.
three worlds collide into one, a true showcase that while music and sports may not be the same language, deep, longing, unending passion for something translates across all boundaries.
this show is not to be missed. i caught a preview performance so luckily you have plenty of time. CHARLES IVES TAKE ME HOME runs through june 21st.
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upcoming may shows:
-saturday may 17th: aston rep's wit
TBD
join me, will you?