Invention of Love
Set Design
In his dying days, as he is ferried across the river by Charon, the Old Housman stumbles upon the riotous days of his youth again. Between nurse check ups and his medicine schedule, Old Housman rewatches Jackson, his lifelong love interest, rowing the boat in their school days, his toned body in the prime of youth. Other times, he catches a glimpse of their middle age years, reading the papers and talking in their small apartments. He speaks to his younger self about philosophy, literature and love. He explains the failures, regrets and deficiencies he has gathered over the years, and these conversations are poignant and witty, profound but humorous.
This set is as much a physical setting as Housman’s head space. There is no distinction between the linoleum corridors and the river Styx. The Old Housman sits on his bed, looks up at the glass ceiling wonders if he has crossed the threshold of life. Charon glides in atop a gurney, and the nursing home caretakers take no notice.
