“Big River,” Roger Miller’s musical adaptation of Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” was one of Broadway’s biggest hits in the 1980s.
Miller’s eclectic gospel, folk and country music score and Twain’s story of adventure and self-discovery combined to win seven Tony Awards including Best Score and Best Musical in 1985.
Fast-forward nearly two decades and a new production of “Big River,” performed by a cast of both hearing and deaf performers, was reprised on Broadway with critical and box-office success.
| “Big River”: Tuesday through June 5 at the Paramount Theatre, 911 Pine St., Seattle. $23 to $61 at Ticketmaster, 206-292-ARTS, www.ticketmaster.com.
“Cowgirls”: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays today through June 25, Anacortes Community Theatre, 918 M Ave., Anacortes. $16, 360-293-6829. |
The Deaf West Theatre’s production of “Big River,” in which spoken English and American Sign Language (ASL) are interwoven with music, dance and storytelling techniques, is now a touring production, and it opens Tuesday in Seattle.
The award-winning production was originally developed at Deaf West Theater in North Hollywood in the fall of 2001 and went on to Broadway in the 2003-2004 season.
“Big River,” which plays Seattle’s Paramount Theatre, is the story of Huck Finn, who sets out on a raft on the Mississippi River in the 1840s escaping from his drunken father. He meets up with Jim, a runaway slave, and their journey downstream is an American classic.
“Big River,” with book by William Hauptman, is directed and choreographed by Jeff Calhoun and plays eight performances Tuesday through June 5 at the Paramount.
“Cowgirls”: Anacortes Community Theatre presents “Cowgirls,” a musical comedy by Betsy Howie, opening tonight and running through June 25.
In the story, Jo hires a cowgirl Western band to save her father’s saloon from foreclosure, only to find she’s actually booked the Coghill Trio – classically trained musicians on a reunion tour. The musical is a joyous, irreverent cross-breeding of classical and country. The musical is directed by Judy Hendrix.
Joan Marcus photo
A scene from “Big River,” with Michael McElroy (top) as “Jim” and Tyrone Giordano as “Huck.”
The cast of “Cowgirls” includes Judy Crane, Marilyn Pinquoch, Shari Weaver, Elizabeth Baker Powell, Valerie Thomas and Amanda McCartney.
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