Is Huckleberry Finn Still
Relevant?
September 20, 2006
When a theatre company decides
to put up a play, the first question one must always ask is why produce this
play here and now? What is its relevance? How will it enlighten us about our
world today?
On the surface, “Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”, which opens at The
Western Stage October 7, may seem an odd choice. Granted, it’s a classic
American story by Mark Twain, one of the most beloved authors in the American
literary canon. True, Roger Miller ’s Tony Award
winning music and lyrics span the gambit of American music from blues to
bluegrass. And, of course, it’s one of the great American musicals. Opening in
1985, it ran a total of 1,005 performances and earned eight Tony awards.
But does the story of young
Huckleberry Finn and the runaway slave Jim still have something to tell us?
“Yes,” says Shaun T. Evans, a San Diego based actor playing the role of Jim in TWS’ upcoming
production. He should know. He’s played the role seven times before for, among
others, the San Diego Civic Light Opera and the Moonlight Amphitheater as well
as a regional tour in which he alternated performances with legendary Broadway
star Ben Vereen.
“He’s a good actor,” says Evans
of Vereen. “People know he’s a good singer and dancer, but he’s a really great
actor.”
A powerfully build man with an
air of quiet gravitas about him, Evans praises Vereen for finding the
vulnerability in his characterization of Jim. “Some people don’t want to play
Jim’s weakness at all,” says Evans. “So he becomes a caricature.” Vereen,
however, found a humanity and vulnerability in Jim that Evans found very
appealing.
Its Jim’s vulnerability, in
fact, which Evans believes draws Jim to Huck. Not only are both people who do
not belong in the world in which they have been thrust, but Jim also misses his
own children. Evans says that being with Huck fills a void in Jim.
A highly experienced actor who
serves as artistic director of the California Youth Conservatory in San Diego,
Evans sees more to the story of “Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” than just the
personal relationships. He also sees the story’s painfully obvious parallels to
our present political climate.
“There has been a political tide
lately toward taking whole groups of people and dehumanizing them,” says Evans,
his soft spoken voice growing firm with passion and conviction. “People are the
same everywhere. Muslim fathers love and miss their children just as much as
anyone. Freedom shouldn’t be an abstract notion.”
One only has to remember recent
headlines about Guantanamo Bay, Abu Ghraib prison, or even the round up and deportation
of Illegal Immigrant around the country to see Evans has a strong point to
make. Just as a slave holder must view his slave as mere property in order to
treat him so brutally, a soldier who ties his prisoners up and poses them in
humiliating positions for a digital camera must likewise view their captives as
less than human in order to perform such horrific acts.
Yet, for all its heavy and
chillingly resonant themes, “Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” is still a musical
whose aim is to raise the spirit. “I hope audiences leave the play feeling
uplifted and triumphant,” says Evans, pointing out the story is filled with
truly noble characters who rise to the occasion and fight to overcome the many
hurdles and traps that threaten to derail their journey to freedom.
“Big River: The Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn” plays at The Western Stage through October 28th.
Performances are Fri. and Sat. at 8 pm, Sun. at 2 pm. Tickets can be purchased through The Western Stage box
office at (831) 375-2111 or online at westernstage.com.
Dan Tarker
Literary Associate