“Some stories are magical/meant to be sung”
-Paul Simon
“Ice contains no future, just the past, sealed away. As if they’re alive, everything in the world is sealed up inside, clear and distinct. Ice can preserve all kinds of things that way – cleanly, clearly. That’s the essence of ice, the role it plays.”
-Haruki Murakami
I settled into my seat for the premiere of ‘Twelve Kinds of Ice’ on Friday night. I looked out at the stage in front of me. I saw minimal props and sets that could be anything, and soon would be, whether the inside of an old but reliable pickup truck, a bedroom, a basement, or a field. Seeing so few props meant that this would be a wonderful and creative play. Talented actors would bring simple objects to life. Minimalism means that everything counts. Everything matters. Especially the small things.
This is the new musical at the Children’s Theatre Company but beyond the title I didn’t know what the play was about.
But that was my decision, I like going in blind for CTC’s productions.
‘Twelve Kinds of Ice’ is written by Ben Steinfeld and is adapted from the novel by Ellen Bryan Obed. It’s a memoir of sorts, but not of Ellen and her entire life, rather a telling of a relatively short but significantly impactful part of her life. If you grew up in the midwest, or anywhere that had icy and snowy winters, backyard ice rinks, lovingly and carefully created and cared for, were common sights.
There are parts of my childhood I don’t care to recall, but my own memories of lacing up skates and gliding (and falling) across the ice under starry skies came flooding back as I listened to Ellen (played by Katherine Fried) and her dad (played by John-Michael Zuerlein) sing, argue, and create ice rinks and memories.
What are the different kinds of ice? I mean, that’s a natural question when it comes to the title, but it doesn’t matter. Not really. Not to the audience. It matters to Ellen and to her dad.
This is a story of winter, of love, of loss. It’s a reminder that the short and quick years we have as children will remain with us for the rest of our lives. I thought about the moments from my own life I will recall when I am too old to twirl across the ice. I thought about what the kids in the audience they themselves will remember when they are older.
Nostalgic childhood moments like Ellen’s seem quaint and almost outdated in this world of AI and social media but walking on the frozen lake with your family is timeless.
As I write this I realize I haven’t really said what the play is about. Yes, there’s a story, there’s a retelling of a snapshot of Ellen’s life, but like the best stories, the magic is in the storytelling. How it’s told is sometimes more important that the story itself. Music, singing, imagination, creativity bring this tale to life, but the real magic is what the play pulls out of you. The memories that bubble up to the front of your mind. The stirring, whether comfortable or not, in your heart of your own childhood.
Traditions, especially those entwined with holidays, are sometimes forgotten and abandoned. We move on. We change. The things we did every Christmas become things we used to do, but they stay with us. They matter.
This play is a reminder that everything matters. Especially the small things.
Usually shows at CTC are enhanced by bringing the little ones in your life, but when you go to this play I think this time you should bring your parents.
Thank you to CTC for a lovely and captivating story. Not every story will make you laugh and hold back tears within moments of each other but this will.
‘Twelve Kinds of Ice’ closes on November 22nd.
Love, Hannah
P.S. Going to a play is one of the few remaning experiences one can have that is absolutely free of AI. It is a pure, human led and human crafted art form. We as a world are quickly running out of those.
