By Amy Metler
The SCERA’s latest summer musical is Big River, written by William Hauptman with music and lyrics by Roger Miller, is based on the novel by Mark Twain. It’s the story of Huckleberry “Huck” Finn (Zack Elzey) picking up where The Adventures of Tom Sawyer ends. Huck is being cared for by Miss Watson and the Widow Douglas but he doesn’t care much for the school and church they force him to attend in attempts to civilize him. Huck’s Pap reappears and kidnaps him, but Huck manages to escape by faking his own death and sets sail on the Mississippi River with Miss Watson’s runaway slave Jim. h Big River tells the story of Huck and Jim as they head down the river and get sucked into scams, one of which lands Jim back in chains. It takes the heart of Huck and the scheming of his friend Tom Sawyer to free Jim again. Big River opened on Broadway in 1985 and won 7 Tony awards. I was excited to see SCERA Shell Outdoor Theatre’s production of Big River and share it with four family members who had never seen the production nor heard the music. Director Jerry Elison does an excellent job taking us on an adventure down the Mississippi River and getting us to fall in love with Huck Finn. Elzey creates a fun, adventurous title character and does a fantastic job transitioning from the Huck at the beginning who accepts things the way things are to the Huck that understands the social injustices of slavery; he grows up before our eyes. Jonathan Gustavson, the runaway slave Jim, has a beautiful voice and I loved listening to him sing. Gustavson is very convincing and not only teaches Huck but reminds us all that we are all similar even though we may seem “Worlds Apart.” Bradley Maclean is the scheming, fun, playful Tom Sawyer and my favorite of the evening. Maclean has great comedic timing and brought humor to the play and created a great character. You could see the wheels in his head turning and the sparkle in his eye as he created an unnecessarily complicated plan to free Jim, just so it would be an adventure. Logan Beaux and Ryan Knowlton are fabulous as the scheming Duke and King and really make you hate them and want to see them get caught in their lies. Some of the best vocals of the evening came from Harper McGee as Mary Jane Wilkes and Abigail Crist soloist in “How Blest We Are” and “Waitin’ For the Light to Shine”.
The set design by Teri Griffin and Elison is fantastic and like nothing I’ve seen. At one point, the center of the stage moves apart and there is an actual “river” for the Huck and Jim’s raft to float down. During “River in the Rain” it was impressive as rain actually fell from the top of the stage. When we exited the theater, we all looked back from atop the hill down at the stage and noticed how beautifully the real water of the river meshed with the painted backdrop. Kudos to the scenic artists Cameron Jaster, Braden Nelsen, Sarah Thornton, and Griffin for creating such a beautiful illusion.
The ensemble is full of talent. The vocal director J. Arden Hopkin and choreographers Kristen Bradley and Jasmine Petrell do a great job taking the talent and helping to create the story. Costume Designer Deborah Bowman creates simple yet appropriate costumes. Elison added the presence of Mark Twain (Steve Winters) who oversaw the telling of the story and made sure Huck got it right. It added a new element I hadn’t seen before and quite liked, as did the members in my group.
Big River is a great production that entertains and also makes you think how the same issues are easily applied in today’s world. The entire cast and crew create a fun, entertaining evening and I had a hard time not singing and dancing in my seat. If you’re not familiar with the SCERA Outdoor Theatre, you can rent seats or bring a big quilt and sit on the grass. Either way, you’ll love Big River’s heart, soul, and beauty.
The SCERA Center for the Arts presents Big River, book by William Hauptman, music and lyrics by Roger Miller.
SCERA Shell Outdoor Theatre, Scera Park, 699 State St, Orem, UT 84058
July 6–21, Monday-Tuesday, Thursday–Saturday, 8:00 PM
Tickets: $12–$16
Contact: 801-225-2787
SCERA Shell Facebook Page
Big River Facebook Event
Our family saw this production last night, knowing virtually nothing about this musical. It was fantastic. This review pretty well describes our sentiments of the evening. The young actor (Zack Elzey) who plays Huck turns in an entertaining, energetic, infectious portrayal of the title character. And, Jonathan Gustavson’s performance of Jim is moving and real. If you plan to go see some movie, do yourself a favor and see this production full of local, talented people instead.
Thank you for your comments! It seems like the SCERA has another show that has wowed audiences young and old.
The set was amazing! Hats off to the SCERA for that. Elzey and Gustavson both did fantastic work. The show was really well executed.
I do question the choice of musical a bit, or at least I wish that the director had been a bit more inventive in modernizing the show — definitely a hard task, given that Big River is a 1980s musical based on a novel published in the 1880s about the 1830s. Still, I’m sad that the writers didn’t center Jim’s viewpoint and that he doesn’t get a self-focused song to himself until Act 2, and I’m not a fan of how Mary Jane Wilkes (and the actress for her did an excellent job, so my comment is in no way meant to disparage her) was portrayed as innocent and angelic despite apparently being totally fine with slavery.
In the end, all those issues are with the play and the writers, though. I hope to see the SCERA do a more modern show centering characters of color and their perspectives in the future!
Thank you, McKenna, for sharing your valuable insights. We all go to shows hoping for certain messages. The SCERA is one of those theaters that welcomes feedback, so I know your comments will help them improve their already amazing productions.
Jen Mustoe, CEO/Editor-in-Chief, Front Row Reviewers Utah