Powerful lead actors in BIG RIVER
Central to the story is the friendship that could not have formed on land – between Huck and Miss Watson’s runaway slave Jim – as they find themselves on a raft together, sharing smokes and escape plans. In Muddy River, they sing:
…I got a need for going some place
And I got a need to climb upon your back and ride…
A BFA student at Chicago College of Performing Arts, Eric Amundson immediately makes us care about Huck, in this reviewer’s opinion. The same can be said for his co-lead Curtis Bannister whose acting credits are national in scope. Bannister’s towering stature and voice convey the tiny margins of an enslaved black man’s life while Huck views his own options on a grand scale simply because he is white.
The glories of their Muddy River duet and the nascent bond that it expresses don’t last long. A dense fog throws them off course and two con artists play upon Huck’s loyalty to Jim. No line of dialogue is needed when Huck goes off with Duke and King at the close of Act I. Everything can be found in Jim’s face.
Act II’s adventures continue to test Huck’s moral fiber as much as it continues to provide a showcase of engaging performances by the rest of the cast. For just about anyone who appreciates a good show, Mercury Theater’s Big River delivers Twain’s rough universe as a folk, not folksy, story of America.
