Big River
Paramount Theatre, Jan. 6
The title, Big River, doesn’t necessarily give it away, but the subtitle says it all: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Outside of possibly Holden Caulfield, a character more beloved in American literature cannot be found than Mark Twain’s school-skippin’, pipe-smokin’, shack-dwellin’ boy, who fakes his own murder at the hands of his father and lights out down the Mighty Mississippi with Jim, the runaway slave. Back in the mid-Eighties, this epic musical, with book by William Hauptman and music and lyrics by Roger Miller, ran on Broadway for more than 1,000 performances and won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and with so many memorable songs, more than a few of the foot-stompin’, hand-clappin’ kind and a fine helpin’ of the black spiritual variety, and a story as beloved as this one, it’s not difficult to understand why.
It’s also not difficult to understand if you missed this TexARTS Association Equity production at the Paramount, as it ran for only three performances over two days. Outside of the uncredited costume design, which filled the stage with lovely earth colors dominated by the ginghams and calicos in the dresses of the ladies, the technical aspects of the show were not overly impressive, although the uncredited set design, with its large mural of a curving river and its easily moveable raft and docks, supported director Franchelle Stewart Dorn’s staging effectively, and Bill Mester’s sound, though more than slightly uneven, allowed the very full house to hear almost every word, sung or spoken. But this production wasn’t about visual design; it was a showcase for the musical talent that calls Austin home, and it had that to spare, from the legendary Miss Lavelle White opening the show with “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” to the guitar, harmonica, and fiddle trio, composed of Damian Green, Ryan Beavers, and Ed Kliman, that weaved in and out of the action to the inimitable Judy R. Arnold raising the roof with her rendition of “How Blest We Are” to the versatile Casey Daniel in multiple roles, all led with spirit and expertise by musical director Michael McKelvey. Most impressive of all were the duets between Lawrence Hamilton’s Jim and Daniel Adams’ Huck, and not only because Hamilton’s bass and Adams’ tenor blended so beautifully. Hamilton, a Broadway professional, gave a performance that was the moral and emotional centerpiece of the production, and watching him sing with Adams was like watching the present and future of American musical theatre blend into one. Top it off with what is becoming one of the best and sweetest things about Austin musical theatre – Robin Lewis’ always-inventive, story-centered choreography – and you’ve got one delicious and satisfying evening of theatre.
While TexARTS produced a concert staging of The Music Man last summer, this was their first foray into full-scale musical production, and it was more than impressive; it was energetic, entertaining, and joyous. Three performances? It deserved more, and here’s hoping that TexARTS will pull the kind of local support that will allow it to gain the attention and the audience it so richly deserves.
This article appears in January 12 • 2007.