| Show A nostalgic trip down I Big River at The Grand IL ww vv-ww sk a iM liW Diana Jones Arts Reporter Big River is geared to those enthralled with recollecting on the familiar stories of Huck Hu k Finn The rebellious fictitious character infamous for his tricks and mischievous behavior gets the musical treatment in Big River Primarily focusing on the relationship between Huck and the slave Jim who strives for nothing but to be free Big River rings with cultural resonance Set at the back drop of the the play opens with Mr Twain himself played by Gary Neilson providing an amusing interlude to the commencement of the play Neilson who takes on an uncanny resemblance to the late author weaves off and on stage and d also plays a secondary character later on as many of the cast members do It is Huckleberry Finn however played by Andrew Marshall who narrates the tale also informing audiences of events that are not portrayed on stage The play is selective about the well-known well adventures it highlights from Hucks Huck's faked death troubled relationship with his drunken father to Jim and Hucks Huck's entanglement with backwards swindlers The main concentration however is on Huckleberry Finn and Jim as their friendship develops A secondary conflict I battle batik concerns Hucks lucks moral m ral between being a rebellious boy and his conscience concerning the antics that ensue The entire cast has a great time and translates tra s' s their excitement ment over to the audience audien e Greg Bearden playing Jim does doe's an excellent job for his first time performing with the Grand He offers a more subdued performance and showcases outstanding vocal talents The atmosphere is also very well developed luminous blue blueback blueback blueback back lighting used to create the illusion of night is notable for generating a ri rich ch ambiance Indoor Jig Big River Continued on AS Big River Continued from Al settings are implemented by lowering an oversized picture down above the stage floor On a side note the play opens opens with a disclosure provided by Pastor Eric Morgan warning the theY C Y audience of racial epithets that can be considered c offensive It is asserted that these suggestive undertones are maintained in the production for purposes of realism and accuracy only Those already familiar with Mark Twains Twain's work may remember the controversy his tales created even to the extreme of his books being banned in some schools throughout the country Despite this the play is fairly offensive non-offensive with only a ai at 1 t I j. j few suggestive words am and I I is mostly light-hearted light and mild The musical numbers numbers' themselves are intermittent and well implemented Without a doubt those who are fans of Mark Twains Twain's work as well as ast as students with families will viII willbe be sure to enjoy Big River now playing at the Grand Theatre until May 17 v L 4 I 1 I t t 1 I Il l' l r o |
