Reckoning at the Red Herring Tavern

You could feel the excitement in the air as everyone settled in their seats for the world premiere of Wonderbound’s Reckoning at the Red Herring Tavern in their temporary performance space on March 2. This was my second time attending a Wonderbound performance, and like the rest of the audience, I knew I was in for an emotional journey through masterful storytelling. The ability of Garrett Ammon, Wonderbound’s Artistic Director, to create so much new and compelling material every year is unparalleled and slightly superhuman, and it puts this company at the forefront of Denver’s art and dance scene. He did not disappoint with Reckoning at the Red Herring Tavern, a chilling tale covering very human themes of infidelity, family, and change over time.

The design elements set the stage for this show, providing a 3-dimensional canvas for the dancers. The show opened with a simple outer facade of a run down tavern. I felt like I’d been transported into an old British or civil war novel from the 1800s. The dancers were then able to manipulate the set to transform the space. The pieces detached to form the inside of a tavern, and the plain benches and bland, earth-tone colors highlighted the dancers and the stories they were telling. I loved shifting my eyes between banquettes, creating backstories for each tavern patron as the dancers demonstrated that they are true performers, not just dancers, acting through every inch of their bodies to develop their characters and convey their internal struggles and turmoil.

The lighting also enhanced the atmosphere created by the set and choreography. The lighting designer, Karalyn Star Pytel, tactfully employed many footlights at the front of the stage that swiveled to create pools of light and darkness on stage. This not only made the space feel more like a tavern, but it also highlighted the lead soldier’s internal conflict. In one scene, he performed a solo that cast shadows along the outside of the tavern. The multiple outlines of him moving along the wall in an anguished, anxious manner highlighted his internal conflict between the two women he was in love with. As an audience member, I wished each shadow could be a different version of him that followed a different path so he wouldn’t have to make this difficult decision and hurt people along the way.

Even though the show opened with a central couple, it became a truly ensemble piece that allowed the dancers and choreographer to showcase all of their talents. Every dancer demonstrated such grace and strength, throwing themselves from one partner to another and fully trusting each other with all of their weight. Their transitions between movements and into and out of lifts were fluid and flawless, making everything look natural and easy. Duets and trios between every combination of dancers as they explored their own relationships and boundaries highlighted their adaptability as movers and artists. This ensemble nature also set up a few red herrings. In an unexpected turn of events, the soldier’s mother, who in the first scenes was very angry at her son for cheating on the waitress, revealed that she was having an affair with another man. It also allowed the dancers to explore fidelity in all kinds of relationships. In a very emotional scene, the soldier’s father struggles with his hidden feelings for other men. He is married, but he clearly loves another man, and this leads into a breathtaking duet. In one moment where the father is lying on the floor with his lover hovering over him, I could feel his heartbreak envelop me from the stage

While all of these components helped convey the show’s themes, the most captivating part of the entire show was the music. Tom Hagerman composed this score as “a soundtrack that never existed,” and this show made it clear that the score had just been waiting for Garrott Ammon to come along. The music was haunting and sad, but also magical, and it mapped the emotions of the characters perfectly, tearing at the audience’s heartstrings. It was also beautifully composed, layering soaring melodies on top of somber string sections that the dancers were able to switch between. This created a sense of musicality and unpredictability that enhanced the themes of life’s messiness. I loved not knowing which part of the music the next movement would match. Each piece of music had its own style, but they all fit together like puzzle pieces into a robust score. I hope Wonderbound continues these tight collaborations between composers, choreographers, and other artists, and I can’t wait to see this company perform in their very well-deserved, newly-renovated space.

Gabrielle Welsh
Presenting Denver Writer & Editorial Board

Gabrielle is a graduate from the University of Maryland- College Park where she earned a BA in dance and a BS in ecology and evolutionary biology. During her four years there, she performed in works by Ping Chong, Leslie Felbain, Alvin Mayes, Orange Grove Dance Theater, and Pearson Widrig Dance Theater. She moved to NYC after graduation where she performed with the 92nd Street Y Musical Theater Development Lab, Mary Seidman, and Nicole Colbert Dance/Theater. She is very excited to continue her dance journey in Denver!