[rating=4] If you love “Bluegrass”, then you will fall in love with “Big River”  ( The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn) with music and lyrics by Roger Miller. In this musical story written by William Hauptman, adapted from the writings of Mark Twain, we take a trip down the “Mighty Mississippi” with Huck Finn ( Newcomer Eric Amundson will knock your socks off with his interpretation of this timeless character) as he helps his friend Jim (deftly handled by Curtiss Bannister) escape from slavery to freedom.

What we find during this adventure is a number of meetings with men who are seeking to grab the slave and collect a reward or sell the man. Huck Finn has a number of friends, one of which is Tom Sawyer (Callan Roberts) who has a plan or two along the way.

The musical manages to bring all of the novel’s key characters to the stage. The actors who bring these characters to life are asked to play a multitude of roles, each character with their own personality.. Just to give you an idea, Roberts, in addition to playing Tom Sawyer, also portrays Counselor Robinson and Andy. David Stobbe plays Huck’s estranged dad, Pap as well as King and Silas.. His partner Duke is played by the very comical Gabriel Fries, who also plays Judge Thatcher, Doctor, and joins the ensemble for their numbers.

In fact, Amundson, Huck, and Jim ( Bannister) are the only cast members that are not playing additional roles. The rest of the ensemble members are: Cynthia Carter, McKinley Carter, Isis Elizabeth, Amanda Handegan, Marcus Jackson, Darryl D’Angelo Jones, March Marren, Coleen Perry, Haley Jane Schafer and Jake Ziman. The ensemble is a major part of this play’s effectiveness as every character brings meaning to the little stories contained within that create the big picture.

Smoothly directed by Christopher Chase Carter with great choreography by Ariel Etana Triunfo and musical direction by Malcom Ruhl ( a name synonymous with “Blue Grass” and “Country” music) on a marvelous set by Jaqueline and Richard Penrod, this is a visual production as well as one where the music is performed to perfection. The songs are probably not known by anyone in the audience, but each song moves the story along its path.  The strongest song of the show is “Free at Last” and Bannister “nails” it! In fact, watching this performance and hearing this song will send chills up your spine.

The five  musicians are on the stage for the entire show (except when two come out to the front). Led by Malcolm Ruhl (keyboards) Marques Stewart ( assistant Musical Director conductor) with Hillary Bayley (violin/Pennywhistle), Scott Sedlacek (guitar and mandolin) , Bob Kessler ( harmonica, clarinet and jaw harp) and Cesar Romero on guitar and banjo,  truly make Miller’s music come alive.

The lighting (Denise Karzcewski), sound (Kurt Snieckus) and costumes (Marquecia Jordan) are terrific as well as the props ( Jonathan Berg-Einhorn) and the wigs ( there are many of those) by Keith Ryan.

As I said earlier, if you are into “Blue Grass and Country, this show will make your day. If you are into great stories that are well told, you will love watching these adventures unfold. There are some wonderful comic moments as we venture along The Mighty Mississippi

“The Big River” will continue Thru – June 11th with performances as follows: