‘The Crossword Play’ a must-see at Lake Dillon Theatre

One-woman show takes some unexpected turns

The Crossword Play (or Ezmeranda’s Gift) by Donna Hoke and directed by Lara Toner Haddock runs through June 12 at the Lake Dillon Theatre in Silverthorne. If you can make it, I urge you to go see this play. It’s well worth your time.

Honestly, I had no idea what to expect going into the production and I was delighted to come away thoroughly satisfied. The play is smart, funny and entirely mesmerizing. Never have I once thought about how a crossword puzzle is constructed, and now I’m a little obsessed with the idea.  Did you know all mainstream crossword grids have 180° rotational symmetry, meaning that when the grid is turned upside down, the black squares and white squares are in the same locations? Me neither. Fascinating when you think about it.

With a script full of wordplay and double meanings, it’s a word-lover’s paradise. It doesn’t surprise me one bit to learn that Hoke is an actual crossword puzzle maker.

Emily Fury Daly (aka The Puzzlemaker) guides the audience (aka workshop participants) through the creation of a personalized crossword puzzle that her ex-boyfriend’s new girlfriend commissions her to do. The Puzzlemaker decides to make the most of the opportunity to woo him back. But the process leaves her puzzled about the past — to say the least.

So genuine, easy-going and funny, Fury Daly had me convinced I was attending an actual workshop for nearly two-thirds of the way through the production. The set looked exactly like the community room of a local rec center. That is, until the play takes a tragic turn and the set’s lighting brings you far away to another place and time.

Fury Daly was simply adorable in this role. She made me smile, she made me laugh and she made me cry. It’s pure theater magic when one woman has the capacity to give you all the feels and then some.

I came away with the knowledge that the New York Times daily crossword puzzle is a 15 x 15 grid, while the Sunday crossword measures 21 squares × 21 squares.

I also came away with one big grandiose plan to make personalized crossword puzzles for everyone I know.

But most importantly, I came away with the realization that someone’s life can be so very different from what you originally think it is. The truth is, we never really know what somebody else is going through.