Review: Hale Centre Theatre's BIG RIVER is a Literal Rush

Hale Centre Theatre's production of BIG RIVER in West Valley is joyous and tender, with a literal rush of water that amazes.

BIG RIVER (music and lyrics by Roger Miller, book by William Hauptman), which is based on Mark Twain's classic novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, was the recipient of 7 Tony Awards in 1985, including Best Musical. It follows the unruly Huck Finn on his journey down the Mississippi River with runaway slave Jim, chronicling his escapades with pal Tom Sawyer and two con men self-titled The King and The Duke.

The score is a pleasing mix of bluegrass and country music that fits the story and characters, even if a couple of out-of-place numbers are head-scratching. The book tells the complicated story simply and expressively and is for the most part solid, with the exception of the out-of-left-field inclusion of Mark Twain in a few scenes (though this may have been less confusing with more clear direction).

Matthew Richards as Huckleberry Finn (double cast with Kooper Campbell) has a strong singing voice and a likeable persona. Harry Bonner as Jim (double cast with Conlon Bonner) successfully embodies the character with the needed pathos. They both make the audience want to root for them.

Nate Brogan is paired well with Richards as a cheery Tom Sawyer (double cast with Spencer Hohl). DRU as The King (double cast with David Stensrud) and John Roring as The Duke (double cast with Chandler Bishop) have both found just the right balance between over-the-top sensationalism and survivor's grit.

The star of the show is the river itself--an impressive 9,000-gallon tank of flowing water that Huck and Jim maneuver on their raft. Combined with fog and real rain at various junctures, it wows as it encapsulates the feeling of traveling on the water.

The only thing wrong with the river is that it lasts for such a small amount of time. It is deep into the first act before the river is stunningly revealed, and by the time intermission rolls around, it is covered back up in its wooden casings, never to appear again. The river and raft are referenced and visited multiple times in Act II, so it makes sense to ask why the raft does not at least come back floating in a square of water as it did when it was first introduced. Last season's BIG FISH successfully made running water a permanent element of the scenic design, and it's a shame that something similar could not have happened here. With so much ambiance-setting water trapped beneath the stage for most of the performance, it's too bad it couldn't have made even just a farewell appearance in the finale.

Otherwise, the set design by Jenn Taylor is both visually attractive and practically useful, and it is wonderfully enhanced by Michael Gray's evocative lighting design.

If you're a fan of Huck Finn's story and have never experienced this musical retelling, this BIG RIVER is worth taking a raft ride down.

BIG RIVER plays through July 23, 2016. For tickets, call the box office at 801-984-9000 or visit www.halecentretheatre.org.

Photo Credit: L-R Conlon Bonner (Jim) and Matthew Richards (Huck)

To post a comment, you must register and login.