Big River

This is the last weekend for the University of Oregon Dept of Theatre's Big River and the second weekend of the Lord Leebrick's Fiction. (You should hit up both if you haven't yet!)

And though I enjoy writing reviews to certain lengths for the paper (and I tend to be a reviewer who concentrates on script, larger meaning, etc.), there are always things I want to say that get cut or don't quite get in.

So, random thoughts after the jump:

My review of the UO Theatre's Big River comes after the jump. It will come out in the paper on Thursday (and on the online version of the paper). FYI. (And I'll post photos here as soon as I get them.) Meanwhile, hope you enjoy these YouTube clips of other people's productions ... (Hey, UO Theatre, if you've got some, let me know! I'd be happy to post 'em!)

River in the Psyche
UO Theatre's musical Huck Finn swirls through currents of U.S. history
by Suzi Steffen

The rollicking fun of the University Theatre's Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn deals with exactly the problem Mark Twain's most famous book sets out. That is to say, unless they're pesky, problemtaized Stephen Sondheim productions, musicals — like "those adventure books" that Huck's friend Tom Sawyer (Colin Lawrence) likes so much — traditionally present narratives that end tidily.