On an
appropriately cold evening (but nothing really close to Chicago in February, as
I understand it), those who braved the snow were well-rewarded with a
performance of “Red Line Stories” by Loveland’s native daughter, Carrie Lee
Patterson.
This montage
of strangers on the famous El (click here
for map), was read, or more accurately, performed, by the author: what a treat
to have a professional actress reading, especially a work with so many distinct
voices and so much rhythm, especially her own work.
Although not
inclusive of all the Redline stops, the work was structured around key ones (19
if my count is accurate), each featuring a particular character imagined to
life by Patterson’s deep observation of the world, and people, around her.
For me, it
is very difficult to choose a favorite, especially since the whole is certainly
more than the sum of the parts in this finely crafted and conceived work. Still, “Clark and Division” stood out not only
for its rendering of a tortured soul, but also for its beat and play on words: Clark
and Division, as well as fault, lost, and twin. The opening vignette (Loyola) about the
professor of English was understandably dear to me. And “Granville” was haunting not only for
what it said, but what it left feared.
Accompanying
the reading were images from the Redline by photographer Elissa
Shortridge. The shots of the station names
aided the transitions between stories, but also included were arresting scenes
from the train—beautiful (window box of flowers), ordinary (a primary color
inter-city playground) and stark (an Apostolic church sign painted on a brick
building). The best images lacked people (leaving the stories to paint them in), but a few of men from the torso down artfully focused the eye on the tales told by men’s
shoes.
In the
question/answer session at the end, Patterson referred to “the ride you took
today”: how very appropriate. I did feel like I rode the Redline and took
the El through the intimate lives of nearly two dozen strangers.
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