Big River: Twain’s tale takes stage at playhouse

By Michelle Muellenberg, Journal correspondent | Saturday, July 05, 2008

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Mark Twain’s great American novel depicting a young man’s journey floating along the Mississippi River is coming to the Black Hills Playhouse, but with a slight twist. The story of Huckleberry Finn and Jim, his runaway slave friend, will be told through music and song.

The cast of 20 has had a handful of rehearsals so far to prepare for the Thursday, July 10, opening night of the musical “Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” The show runs through July 27.  

“Big River” is the playhouse’s third production and second musical of the season.

“I love the story,” Dan Workman, director of “Big River,” said of Twain’s 1884 novel.  “When you read this as a youth, you were required to read it. It is the classic American story. Now, when you go back and look at the book. it’s like ‘Wow, this really is a good book.’”

“Big River’s” first Broadway production opened on April 25, 1985. While Workman has never seen a production of “Big River,” he has read several reviews of the musical.

“A lot of the dialogue is taken directly from Twain’s book,” said Workman, also the artistic director of the Black Hills Playhouse.

Huck Finn, Twain’s young hero, is played by Noland Hayes and Jim, Miss Watson’s runway slave, is played by Lee Bussie. The auditions for “Big River” took place at the beginning of the year. Workman found his cast by visiting locations such as the Midwest Theater Auditions in St. Louis, Minneapolis and Vermillion.

“We have people here from Virginia to California,” he said.

As a musical, “Big River” proved to be more challenging than other shows, according to Workman.

“A musical has more elements to it,” he said. “You have to do the music (and choreography) as well as learning the lines.”

Musicals also tend to have a lot more scenes, Workman said.

“When you add in all the elements, it tends to be more technically involved,” he said.

Since the story tells of Huck Finn’s travels down the river and the people he meets, several different sets are needed. Workman said there are eight different locations in Act 1 and eight in Act 2.

“Kathy Voecks has done a wonderful job of creating the world of the play,” Workman said of the playhouse’s charge scenic artist and set designer for “Big River.”

Workman said one of the most complicated sets is creating an illusion of being on a river in a raft.

“We’ve got some good ideas,” he said.

“It does have to move around the stage pretty freely,” added Voecks.

For most of the scenes, the designers are using certain elements to suggest where Finn and Jim’s journey has taken them.

“They need to go from one location to another … we are using the basic elements of those locations,” said Voecks, an assistant professor at Kansas State University. Voecks and her husband come up to South Dakota in the summers to work at the Black Hills Playhouse.

When the two characters travel to a town, the scene will suggest the location by having rooftops, Voecks said.

The one unit that will remain constant on stage is the Mississippi River – the main location of Twain’s story.

“The river is the backdrop. It is there all the time,” Voecks said. A change in lighting will help with the illusion of Finn and Jim traveling on the river.

The playhouse’s 2008 summer season also includes “Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure,” which runs from July 31 to Aug. 10, and “The Boys Next Door,” which runs from Aug. 14 to Aug. 24.

If you go

What: “Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” Mark Twain’s timeless classic tale, takes audiences on a whirlwind journey with Huck Finn down the mighty Mississippi.  

Where: Black Hills Playhouse, Custer State Park

When: July 10-13, 15-20 and 22-27; Tuesday through Saturday performances at 8 p.m.; matinee performances on Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m.

Tickets: $25 for adults; $10 for ages 18 and younger. For reservations, call 255-4141.

A Custer State Park entrance sticker is required to attend performances.