Whether you're hearing or you're deaf, the national tour of "Big River" presents a groundbreaking theatrical experience that poignantly speaks to the heart. Broadway's first sign-language musical offers a sensitive insight into deaf culture, as meaningful for what is not said as for what is.
It all started at a small theater in North Hollywood. Deaf West wanted to stage a sign-language version of the 1985 Tony-winning musical, "Big River." Soon Broadway director/choreographer Jeff Calhoun signed on, and the production subsequently moved to the Mark Taper Forum, where it received numerous awards, then on to Broadway, where it garnered the 2003 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical.
Based on Mark Twain's beloved 1885 coming-of-age classic "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," "Big River" follows the exploits of the irrepressible Huck and his friend Jim, a runaway slave. The phrase "big river" refers to the mighty Mississippi, so dear to Twain's heart, and a means of escape for Huck and Jim. Huck is fleeing his abusive father Pap; Jim is trying to reach the Free States in the North. As they float downriver on their raft, they discover their common humanity in spite of their differences on the surface. In this production those differences are not only black and white, but hearing and deaf as well. The actor playing Huck is deaf, and the actor playing Jim is not.
Deaf West's version features hearing and deaf actors performing each role in a synchronized ballet of speaking and signing. Deaf actors sign songs, while hearing actors simultaneously sing and sign. Some roles are double-cast, and stage directions have been modified - actors can't hold props when they sign. But through music, dance and storytelling techniques, spoken English and American Sign Language blend seamlessly into a "third language," blurring the line between the hearing and deaf audience experience.
The late composer/singer Roger Miller wrote the music for "Big River," collaborating with playwright William Hauptman, who adapted Twain's classic novel into a book for the musical. When the original Broadway production opened in 1985, the show snagged seven Tonys, including Best Musical and Best Score. Patti Cohenour, a favorite actress on Seattle stages, was part of that original cast.
A country-music legend, Miller was already known for his Grammy-winning singles "King of the Road" and "Dang Me." But for his "Big River" score he mixed Cajun, gospel, folk-country and blues in songs like "Worlds Apart," "Muddy Waters," "Do You Want to Go to Heaven?" and "Waiting for the Light to Shine."
On the tour, both Michael McElroy and Tyrone Giordano, reprise their Broadway starring roles of Jim and Huck. McElroy is a hearing actor who speaks, sings and signs his lines and songs; Giordano is a deaf actor who signs his dialogue and lyrics while a hearing actor speaks and sings for him. You may also recognize Giordano from the film "A Lot Like Love," in which he plays Ashton Kutcher's brother. And he'll soon be seen as Diane Keaton's deaf brother in the forthcoming movie, "The Family Stone."
Two Seattle natives are also featured in this national tour. Benjamin Schrader, a hearing performer, plays Tom Sawyer and sings "We Are the Boys." Schrader was last seen in 5th Avenue Theatre's productions of "Hair" and "Kiss Me Kate." Ryan Schlecht, a deaf performer who's been part of the "Big River" cast since its North Hollywood bow, plays the Young Fool and sings "Arkansas."
Deaf theater is not a new concept. National Theatre of the Deaf has been around since 1967, and deaf schools and colleges regularly stage their own productions. Seattle Children's Theatre created a Deaf Youth Drama program in 1993 and now produces an annual summer musical using both deaf and hearing students. Before Deaf West's revival of "Big River," "Children of a Lesser God" was Broadway's last big sign-language production in 1979.
As a deaf playwright, Raymond Luczak has seen both deaf and hearing actors perform his work onstage. "I find it even more gratifying that the seemingly novel notion of two very different worlds coming together onstage is becoming more mainstream," observes Luczak. "What's new for hearing non-signers now, though, is that, like most NTD productions, deafness is not the focus of the show. Sign language is just part of the overall production."
In the song "Worlds Apart," Jim and Huck drift down the Mississippi, singing and signing the lyrics: "I see the same stars through my window that you see through yours ... but we're worlds apart.... I see the friendship in your eyes that you see in mine ... but we're worlds apart ... together but worlds apart."
The creators and cast of "Big River" hope these worlds will come together for the audience. And that we will leave the theater understanding the common bonds of humanity that unite us all, whatever our differences may be.[[In-content Ad]]
