The cast of “Death of the Pugilist” is shown. The musical play is set for 2 p.m. Sunday at Carbondale’s Thunder River Theatre.
“Death of the Pugilist,” a story about a young man’s journey through the world of boxing in 19th-century England, will come to the Thunder River Theatre on Sunday.
It is based on Daniel Mason’s short story of the same name and features an ensemble of five musicians that blend classical, blues and Irish traditional music. Brought to Carbondale by BenFeng Music Productions, it will play at Thunder River Theatre at 2 p.m. Sunday.
MinTze Wu — artistic director, violinist and founder of BenFeng Music Productions — chose the show because of its “unlikely appeal.”
“From the first time I read the story of an unlikely title — neither death nor boxing were especially appealing to me — I was mesmerized,” Wu said in a news release. “I continue to feel that way each time we perform it with music creating a visceral experience of it.”
“Death of the Pugilist” is a story of professional boxer Jacob Burke and his duel with Blandman McGraw in 1820s England. Jem Moore narrates the show, and also plays guitar, flute and the bodhran in it. Moore has made more than 100 short films, music videos and documentaries that have been featured at festivals throughout the United States, Taiwan, Thailand and Australia. He was the co-founder of Cloudgate Studios and the founder of Descant Productions.
Colorado native Eric Thorin plays the upright bass, guitar and tuba in the show. He has arranged music for Elephant Revival with the Colorado Symphony and Colorado Music Festival Orchestra and produced the debut recording of a traditional Irish band, Take Down the Door. He’s an adjunct faculty member of the University of Northern Colorado and has taught at music camps and festivals across the state.
“Death of the Pugilist” debuted in 2008 in Newfoundland, Canada. It follows Burke as he comes of age amid the working-class life in 1820s England. There are 11 different instruments played on stage throughout the show.
“‘Death of the Pugilist’ is a powerful blend of story and sound, where every note and melody pulls you deeper into the world of the fighter’s journey,” Blayne Chastain, a whistler, guitarist, flutist and bodhran player in the show, said in the release. “It’s a rare experience to see music and narrative so intricately woven together on stage, creating something truly unforgettable.”
Chastain is a musician, filmmaker, educator and music director at St. Patrick Presbyterian Church in Greeley. He received his master’s degree in Irish Traditional Music Performance on the Irish flute from the University of Limerick.
Joy Adams, the vocalist, cellist, banjoist and mandolinist in the show, described it as a “reverse silent film.”
“Instead of a picture with no spoken dialogue or narration, you get the spoken story with no picture, but with a soundtrack so incredibly moving and vivid, your brain will fill in the picture itself,” she said.
Adams is a classical musician who attended the Aspen Music Festival, soloed with the Spokane Symphony, toured with the Selden String Quartet and more. She received a doctorate of musical art at the University of Miami Frost School of Music and has performed and recorded with artists like Renee Fleming, Bobby McFerrin and Chick Corea.
Ticket information for “Death of the Pugilist” can be found at thunderrivertheatre.com/events.
