Cornish chorale gets to the “bottom” of it

Lynn Volkens

05/15/2008 - It’s no revelation to Gilpinites-the County is full of mines. But do you know how the hard-rock miners of days past defined these networks of shafts, tunnels and stopes? “A mine,” said the Cornish, “is a deep hole in the ground with a Cornishman at the bottom of it.” That definition was the inspiration for this year’s Peak to Peak Chorale’s spring performance.

  The thirty-member chorale performed “Cornishmen at the Bottom of It” on Friday and Saturday evenings at Doc Holliday’s in Central City. For the price of their tickets, patrons were first treated to dinner in the upstairs banquet hall. Tommyknocker Brewery and Pub of Idaho Springs catered barbeque on Friday and a Mexican buffet on Saturday. Then the packed house (both nights) reassembled in front of the stage and the fun really began.

  This play was penned by chorale member Cora Jean Leenheer (you couldn’t miss her in the purple plumed chapeaux) who based the plot on real Cornish miners from local families. Mary Gibbs, Jackie Marrone, Linda Curnow Skeen, Susan Curnow, Don Bennallack and Linda Jones were all helpful resources with whom Leenheer said she enjoyed a “cup of tay” and an interview. All of the characters portrayed in the performance were real folks. Leenheer wrote the script to portray them with accuracy, true to their very human natures and personalities.

  After the introduction by Chorale president, D’Lynn Morse, and a memorial tribute to chorale member Al Price, who passed away earlier this year (and a presentation of roses to Mary Lou), the scene opened with Dad (Frederic Rodgers) turning pages of the family album and explaining to his (real life) son (Gabe Rodgers) about the Cornish ancestry of their family. With Gabe asking questions, and Dad explaining such things unique to the Cornish (pumps, lunchboxes, stoves, Tommyknockers), the Chorale wove their songs amidst silhouettes of the Cornish miners who “knew how to pry the ore out of the ground” and built the original dry-stack rock walls prevalent in mining towns.

  Those in the audience learned how the “thick-headed, thick-chested” Cornish came to Colorado and some of their shenanigans in Gilpin’s earliest days. That included a miner who went off one morning, as he did each day – and didn’t return for two years. Seems he went back to Cornwall for a visit (the wife’s aunt in the homeland tipped her off in a letter), then returned to their home as if nothing had happened. “He never said a word,” she says, “so I didn’t either. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction…” (They went on to have seven more children.)

  The Cornish were known for wrestling matches and musical talents. The Chorale portrayed the latter with a bonafide brass band, a flute duet, and a couple of couples waltzing. There were several verbal potshots taken at the chief rivals of the Cornish – the Irish. “The ‘Jacks’ (‘Cousin Jacks,’ a colloquial term for Cornishmen) were a feisty independent lot,” Gabe’s Dad explains, “and didn’t pick a fight as quick as the Irish.” The Chorale later gave a nod to the Irish by performing the traditional Irish children’s song, “Tell My Ma.”

  The music was plentiful, varying from pious to bawdy, melancholic to rollicking. The soloists were superb. The actors had perfected their costumes and Cornish accents, portraying their characters with sincere credibility. Their stories, sometimes sad, sometimes funny, sometimes both, were matter-of-fact. They are an important part of Gilpin’s history. As promised in Morse’s introduction, the audience “caught a glimpse into the colorful culture and past of the Cornish.” Those attending also caught a glimpse of Gilpin community at its best. Local businesses and governmental agencies pitched in to help with the costs of the performance and provide equipment and a venue. Chorale members wrote script, choreographed, adapted music and lyrics, developed characters, created costumes and rehearsed for months to entertain their appreciative friends and neighbors. Just like the Cornish, Gilpinites continue to make their own fun.