Faulkner State’s Theater Group Presents ‘Big River’ – March 2010
Bay Minette, Alabama—- After months of rehearsals, props collection and construction, the Faulkner State Theater Group turned down the lights and re-created ‘Big River’ for over 800 people Friday and Saturday night. The College’s performance was based on the Broadway musical production created from William Hauptman’s Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, an adaptation of Mark Twain’s “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’. Music and lyrics were written by Roger Miller. The play ran more than 1,000 performances during the 1980s.
The timeless classic transported the audience to St. Petersburg, Missouri, and the mighty Mississippi River of the early 1800s. That rascal Huckleberry Finn and his good friend Jim the slave set off on an adventure that was in turns hilarious, suspenseful and heartwarming. Favorite characters emerged throughout the play, the Widow Douglas and Miss Watson, the uproarious King and Duke, the infamous Tom Sawyer and friends, Huck’s drunken and sinister father Pap Finn, Miss Mary Jane Wilkes and her family. Not to mention the colorful supporting cast who constantly captured the audience’s delighted attention.
The cast, all students of Faulkner State (except Pap Finn played by Marcus Willis, Baldwin County High School Theater Instructor), and most of them members of the Sun Chief Sound and the Faulkner Singers, donned dresses with crinolines, suspenders and knickers, servant apparel and river rat clothing to create the full effect of the era. The music, a celebration of Americana, captivated the audience and delighted them with the imaginative choreography.
The Faulkner State production was an exceptional rendition of the much loved story and Mr. Twain would truly have been proud of the results. Each night the cast and crew received standing ovations from a well-pleased audience.
The directors of the production were Mr. D. Jackson Ayers, Musical Director and Dr. Erin B. Hammond, Speech Instructor. The cast included: Max Reed, Gabriel Willis, Brianna Johnson, Stephanie Graham, Deonte’ Evans, Tim Huber, Mallory Barrett, Jordan Collier, Gary Wallace, Joseph Turlington, Marcus Willis, Drew Butler, Erica Beech, Angela Jordan, Ryan Balthrop, Justin Fobes, Amsley Dummond, Deeon Hyde, Eva Stringer, Kate Sherrill, Sheby Shuttlesworth, Candace Wheat, Charender Williams, Jessica Browning, Aiden Faulk, Desmond Fields, Alain King, Rachel Peaden, Anthony Williams. Technical crew: James Hammond, Buddy Brock, Daniel Martin, John Fielding, Ashley Fuqua, Amaris DePalma, Sara Floyd, Frankie Howard, Daisy Snow, Crystal Williams, Karre Ellis, Ellis Beachy, David Moore, Dave Evans, and Erin Owen.
‘Big River’ was presented through special arrangement with R & H Theatricals.
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