A number of things are amiss in Curious Theatre’s well-played little party game, “A Number.”
A single father is breaking it to his distraught grown son that, well, yes, there are “a number” of others out there just like him. At some point, the father, named Salter, agreed to have his son’s DNA harvested as a boy. But why?
Perhaps because the original Bernard and his mother died in a car accident, and the grieving dad wanted a carbon copy. Or maybe because the first kid just didn’t turn out the way Dad wanted him to. Answering the why, when and “how many” are all part of this tantalizing game — complicated by the fact that almost everything out of Dad’s mouth is a lie.
And like any good party game, you’re on a clock. The sand runs out on this one in an hour.
Playwright Caryl Churchill scribbles to the beat of her own quill, but her ideologically pregnant “A Number,” while intentionally ambiguous, is perhaps the famed experimentalist’s most linear and accessible of her 70 plays.
That it’s a test-tube cloning story from the 2002 days of Dolly the sheep makes it feel dated at first. We’ve been down this road before. But “A Number” is also a mystery, an ethical drama, a nature-versus- nurture polemic, a middle finger to science’s abuse of power. Most potently, it’s a heartfelt (and horrifying) story of father and son(s).
And the ominous fear that we’re not who we really think we are — replicants as opposed to being “The One” — has pop-culture staying power, from “Blade Runner” to “The Matrix” to the more recent “Inception,” “Source Code” and “The Adjustment Bureau.”
Whether you’re a twin, an adoptee or a child conceived to help treat a diseased sibling (“My Sister’s Keeper”), the fear that we are not unique exists, to some degree, in everyone. I grew up the youngest of eight. Who hasn’t felt like a number? And what father hasn’t ever wished he could have a do-over?
John Hutton, on loan from the Denver Center Theatre Company, stars in this understated riddle opposite National Theatre Conservatory grad Timothy McCracken. They make a formidable duo playing out five scenes between Salter and widely varying identical sons struggling with the biggest question of all: “How did I get here?”
As if that matters. Or changes, explains or justifies why one boy grows into a caring family man and another a violent sociopath. That McCracken plays three sons of such vastly different character makes a strong argument that clones do not make the man — parents do.
There is real suspense as clues are dropped almost in passing regarding both the true origin of the Bernard species, and the harrowing consequences of this scandal.
Intense? Certainly. But it’s also no doubt fun watching McCracken juggle three roles through only slight shifts in mannerisms and voice; also seeing Hutton transform from the brazenly hypocritical liar we first meet into a humbled man whose own identity is unsure.
This all takes place entirely in Salter’s living room, elliptically designed by Brian Mallgrave and lined with dramatic swirls of hanging string that suggest human DNA.
Christy Montour-Larson’s gentle direction encourages natural displays of affection between father and son that make Salter seem less of a monster. We’re just not used to seeing Hutton laying a hand on another man if it’s not to strangle the life out of him.
Of the play’s many talking points, one will be the tone of its ending. One of Salter’s sons is a happy, curious teacher who’s not at all threatened to learn there are others out there like him. He tries to assuage Salter’s growing tumult with the scientific fact that we humans all have 99 percent the same genes as any other person, anyhow. So how much God did he play, really?
But the reason this fails to assuage Salter is the evident truth that there is far more than a 1 percent difference in the men his boys have become.
The poor guy is left with as many unanswered questions as he has unmet sons.
John Moore: 303-954-1056 or jmoore@denverpost.com
“A Number” ***
Cloning drama. Presented by Curious Theatre, 1080 Acoma St. Written by Caryl Churchill. Directed by Christy Montour-Larson. Through June 18. 1 hour, no intermission. 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays. $18-$42. 303-623-0524 or
Best bet: Re-creating a historic day at East High School
“Class Day 1945” is an intriguing new play that promises to faithfully re-create an assembly at Denver East High School that was held June 1, 1945, including speeches, awards and musical performances. It’s a living-history document covering all major events from one of America’s most turbulent years. Compiled by Matthew Shorr, it’ll will be performed on the same stage as the original assembly, with current East High students cast in the roles of their peers from the past. One night only; at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 1, 66 years to the day after the original. $12-$14. East High, 1600 City Park Esplenade. Info: classday1945 . John Moore
This weekend’s theater openings
Buntport’s One-Acts Buntport Theater wraps up its year of re-staging favorite original pieces from the past with an evening (or afternoon) of one-act plays. “. . . and this is my significant bother” is a series of vignettes about the tribulations of married life, based on short stories by James Thurber. “Cinderella” is a twisted and nearly wordless reimagining of the classic fairy tale. Through June 18. 717 Lipan St., 720-946-1388
Heritage Square Music Hall’s Excellent Musical Adventure They’re not calling them part of the “Loud” series, but this revue continues the Music Hall’s longtime tradition of performing pop-music hits through the years. Through Sept 4. 18301 W. Colfax Ave., Golden, 303-279-7800 or
“I Capture the Castle” In this charming children’s story by Dodie Smith, author of “The One-Hundred and One Dalmatians,” a budding writer and her Bohemian family live in creative abundance in a crumbling castle in the English countryside. Through Aug. 7. Creede Repertory Theatre, 124 N. Main St., Creede, 719-658- 2540, 1-866-658-2540, or
“Little Shop of Horrors” Equinox Theatre presents the classic, campy musical about a down-and-out skid row floral assistant who becomes an overnight sensation after he discovers an exotic plant with a mysterious craving for fresh human blood. But it’s promising some surprises that guarantee this will be one “Little Shop” you haven’t shopped at before. Through June 18. At the Bug Theatre, 3654 Navajo St., 720-434-5245 or
“Run for Your Wife” This popular Ray Cooney British farce, back for a fourth time, is the biggest-selling offering in Spotlight Theatre history. It’s about a man happily married to two women — but his worlds are about to collide. Through June 18. At the John Hand Theatre, 7653 E. FirstPlace, 720-880-8727 or .
“Uncle Jed’s Barbershop” Broadway big-shot Ken Prymus (“Cats”) returns to Denver for a weekend “concert reading” of this new musical by the local writing team of Ken Grimes and David Wohl. It tells the story of the only black barber in 1928 Monroe County, Ark., through the eyes of his great-niece. Through Sunday. Presented by Shadow Theatre at the Aurora Fox, 9900 E. Colfax Ave., 720-857-8000 or
Complete theater listings
Go to our complete list of in Colorado, including summaries, run dates, addresses, phones and links to every company’s home page. Or check out our listings or
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