Mikey doesn’t like it. And that’s not a reference to his cereal, but his actual (lowercase) life.
Teenager Mikey’s life is an unhappy mess when we first meet him at the beginning of “Up,” the attainably existential new Bridget Carpenter play running at Curious Theatre through June 18.
High school student Mikey (Sean Mellott) connects most with his dreamer of a dad, Walter (Erik Sandvold). Mikey tolerates his realist of a mother, Helen (Mare Trevathan). He loathes his life as a student, though he finds redemption in academia when he meets Maria (Misha Johnson), an outgoing — and pregnant — fellow student.
Mikey has his troubles — not that “Up” is Mikey’s story alone. He shares them with his family. And while Mom and Dad aren’t any happier than Mikey with their lives, “Up” remains a triumphant dark comedy that never delves too deep into the heavy territory.
Walter is an unemployed inventor best known for tying weather balloons to a lawn chair and enjoying a short, moderately successful flight 16 years ago — a story he excitedly recounts at any opportunity. He’s hapless and happy. Downtrodden and delusional, too.
Helen is the rock of the family, a letter-carrier with the Postal Service keeping everybody fed, housed and on time. She’s not much of a dreamer, but she does often speak loftily about her “real husband” who fulfills her basic needs and modest desires.
When she pushes her husband to get a job, he does. Of course, he has his secrets, including an ongoing, if imagined, conversation with one of his heroes, high-wire walker Philippe Petit (Brian Landis Folkins). It wouldn’t be a successful script if Mikey and Helen didn’t have their own secrets to keep, and they have them. And they keep them — for a while.
“Up” is a dynamically straightforward play. It’s about a family and the people with whom they interact. Friends at school. Colleagues at work. Figments of imagination. Its ability to keep its hands clean is part of its charm, though the argument could be made that the play could focus more on the pain associated with much of the story.
Some of the play’s twists are more obvious than topsy-turvy, but the cast and crew make them work. It helps that the lead actors in Curious’ staging are seasoned professionals.
Sandvold plays Walter as an affable, competent man with borderline psychosis issues. That you can never quite tell if Walter is completely delusional or just mildly underdeveloped is a credit to Sandvold.
Trevathan expertly plays the exasperated Helen, and she owns the play’s most challenging emotional moments with an alarming sense of sincerity and understanding. And 26-year-old Sean Mellott is masterful in his portrayal of Mikey. Mellott acts with purpose and care for each moment, every conversation, and his performance — his last before leaving Denver for New York City — leaves a lasting impression.
Curious artistic director Chip Walton’s direction is clever and resolute, and his use of the stage is natural and visually compelling — in part due to Charles Dean Packard’s excellent set design. With Packard’s design and Walton’s direction, the high-wire act that acts as a backdrop to “Up” and its characters is a treasure of a spectacle.
Ricardo Baca: 303-954-1394 or rbaca@denverpost.com
“Up” ***1/2 (out of four stars)
Ode to dreamers. Presented by Curious Theatre, 1080 Acoma St. Written by Bridget Carpenter. Directed by Chip Walton. Starring Erik Sandvold, Mare Trevathan and Sean Mellott. Through June 18. 2 hours, 15 minutes. 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays. $18-$42. 303-623-0524 or
Video: Actor Brian Landis Folkins learns to walk the tightrope
This weekend’s theater openings
“Books on Tape” In this comedy by local playwright William Missouri Downs, four strangers are looking for love in the modern world. Performs at 10:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 7:30 p.m. Sundays. Through June 21. Vintage Theatre, 2119 E. 17th Ave., 303-839-1361 or and here’s
“The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged)” Backstage Theatre brings back its popular staging that shows three actors trying to perform all the plays written by Shakespeare — in less than 90 minutes. Through May 31. 121 S. Ridge St., Breckenridge, 970- 453-0199 or backstage
“An Evening on Broadway” An evening of Broadway showtunes from shows including “Wicked,” “Les Miserables,” “The Sound of Music,” “Phantom of the Opera,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” “West Side Story” and more. Saturday and Sunday only. Presented by Inspire Creative at the Mizel Center, 350 S. Dahlia St., 303-790- 0875 or
“Fiddler on the Roof” National touring production of the classic musical about change in the small town of Anatevka that is famously rooted in tradition. Tevye the milkman is played by Harvey Fierstein. Through Sunday, May 23. Ellie Caulkins Opera House, Denver Performing Arts Complex, 14th and Curtis streets, 303-893-4100 or and here’s
“A Hotel on Marvin Gardens” A friendly game of Monopoly turns into a night of ruthless strategy and good old American greed in Nagle Jackson’s acclaimed play. Through June 19. Presented by Spotlight Theatre at the John Hand Theatre, 7653 E. First Place, 720-880-8727 or
“Jugged Rabbit Stew” Buntport’s final production of its ninth season is another unusual musical collaboration with Adam Stone. Alec the Amazing and All-Powerful Magician and his assistant, Mystical Marl, have had to put their magic shows on hold because Snowball, the white rabbit who is supposed to emerge from the top hat, is depressed … and life as they have known it seems to be vanishing. Through June 19. 717 Lipan St., Denver, 720-946-1388 or
Complete theater listings
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The Running Lines blog
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