08:21:52 am 
Big River – A Fun Ride Down the Mississippi – and the Connecticut
Categories: UncategorizedA country/gospel score, strong vocals, engaging sets and the wit of Mark Twain combine with the perfect setting, the Victorian-era Goodspeed Opera House overlooking the flowing Connecticut River, for an enjoyable raft ride with Huck Finn in Big River.
William Hauptman’s adaptation of the classic follows the adventures of Huck (Will Reynolds) and runaway slave Jim (in a nice vocal turn by Russell Joel Brown) as they make their way down the Mississippi. Huck narrates the tale of how he escaped life with the Widow Douglas (Mary Jo McConnell) and Miss Watson (Nancy Johnston) and his abusive Pap (Kenneth Cavett) by faking his death and jumping on a raft in a quest for freedom with Jim. Along the way the young men share adventures with two con artists (played to good comedic effect by Ed Dixon and John Bolton) Tom Sawyer (Jeremy Jordan), the Wilkes sisters (Marissa McGowan and Jill Kerley) and Tom’s relatives (Johnston in a dual role and Robin Haynes), among others. Through these encounters, Huck discovers that he and Jim aren’t as different as he once thought.
Rob Ruggiero directs a strong ensemble cast which gives vocal gusto to “King of the Road” Roger Miller’s sometimes bland tunes, which are guided by Music Director William O’Flaherty. David M. Lutken stands out among the musicians He plays a wide variety of musical instruments from guitar, to harmonica to dulcimer on stage and brings the crowd back from intermission with some fantastic banjo picking. He also has a minor role in the show: he floats around the two stories of Michael Schweikardt’s simple wooden set which opens to reveal a scenic river when the adventurers take to the raft that moves around on stage. In an especially nice effect, the movement of a group of captured slaves crossing the river behind Huck and Jim’s floating raft makes the river depicted on the backdrop appear to flow.
Among the actors, Cavett gives a nice turn as Pap and his humorous drunken rant against the “Guv’ment” strikes a current-events chord with the audience. Interstingly the most memorable moments from the production come from a minor player, A’Lisa D. Miles as slave Alice. Miles delivers a beautiful rendition of the soulful “How Blest We Are” and proves exceptionally forceful in a gutwrenching dramatic scene when Alice is forcibly parted from her daughter who has been sold to another plantation.
The cast, in Alejo Vietti’s detailed, authentic period costumes, romps through the songs, humor and John MacInnis’ choreography (which appears forced with over exaggerated movement) for a wholesome night of fun on both Mississippi and the Connecticut rivers.
. ---- Lauren Yarger
Big River plays at The Goodspeed Opera House (6 Main Street, East Haddam, CT) through Nov. 30. Performance times are Wednesday at 2pm and 7pm; Thursday at 7:30pm (with select performances at 2pm) , Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 3pm and 8pm and Sunday at 2pm (with select performances at 6:30pm) Additional performance Thanksgiving week. Tickets are $26.00-$63.00 and can be purchased by calling 860-873-8668 or by visiting www.goodsped.org.
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