Theater -- Tom Titus

The last time “John Brown’s Body” was performed for local consumption,

the year was 1965, the venue was the old Laguna Playhouse, and the

pivotal role of a rebel soldier was played by a young actor named Harry

Ford, later to gain some cinematic notoriety using his full first name,

Harrison.

Yes, o7 thatf7 Harrison Ford, a.k.a. Han Solo, Indiana Jones and

Jack Ryan. And, as memory serves, he was pretty good. So was the

production, and why it hasn’t been done since is anyone’s guess.

Orange Coast College’s theater department chairman, Alex Golson, also

saw that Laguna show.

“My English instructor at Estancia High School made me go see it and

do a paper on it,” he recalls. “I enjoyed it very much and, as a result,

have always wanted to do it.”

It’s taken him 37 years, but Golson finally is getting his chance to

put the dramatic history lesson on stage. OCC’s version of “John Brown’s

Body” opens tonight and, according to its director, “We have a good,

strong cast for this production.”

The play tells the story of the Civil War in poetic language. The poem

“John Brown’s Body” was written by Stephen Vincent Benet in 1927 and

received the Pulitzer Prize. It covers some of the major incidents and

engagements of the war, such as the attack on Fort Sumpter, the raid on

Harper’s Ferry, Bull Run, Gettysburg and Appomattox.

“This is the most challenging production I’ve ever done at Orange

Coast College,” declares Golson, who’s done quite a few of them over the

years (my favorite, for personal reasons, was “Inherit the Wind” in

1989). “I actually selected the piece because I thought it would be

relatively easy, but boy, was I wrong. It’s all poetry, and our students

are speaking a language they’re not used to.

“Also, I’ve discovered that the students really aren’t very familiar

with the Civil War. Many thought that General Lee fought for the Union

Army. I’ve had to give a couple of lectures on the war, and they’ve

looked at the film ‘Gettysburg’ and portions of the Ken Burns PBS

series.”

Searching for a way to relate the events from 1861 to 1865 in

contemporary terms, Golson related the story of abolitionist John Brown,

his capture and execution.

“His trial was the O.J. Simpson trial of pre-Civil War America,” the

director notes. “It generated lots of emotion and divided the nation.”

“This is a production that isn’t often done,” Golson says. “Charles

Laughton did it in the 1950s, and it starred Tyrone Power, Raymond Massey

and Edith Evans.”

Then, of course, there was the 1965 Laguna production, which also

spotlighted local legends Douglas Rowe (who also directed), Marthella

Randall and the late Robert Wentz.

Golson noted that music is a big part of the show.

“In fact,” he says, “the production almost could be characterized as a

concert. We have a choir of 18 students and seven actors -- James Grant,

Chris Meditz, Raya Belna, Janelle Smith, James McGinnis, Jared Carns and

Lauren Kushin.”

That 1965 English class assignment at Estancia High has taken a few

years to culminate in a stage production at OCC, but the onetime student

is now teaching a new generation of young people about American history

in dramatic fashion.

CALLBOARD

The Trilogy Playhouse will hold auditions for its Family Theater

Ensemble production of “Big River” from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Monday at the

theater, 2930 Bristol St., in Costa Mesa’s Lab Anti-mall.

Major roles are Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, both age 17 to 25,

and Jim, an African American in the 30 to 50 range. There are ensemble

roles for 14 Caucasian and African American males from 14 to 50 and seven

females from 12 to 50. All performers must be able to sing country

gospel.

All roles are open. Material from the script may be picked up after

5:30 p.m. on audition day and actors should bring pictures and resumes.

“Big River” opens June 28 and runs through July 21. Call (714) 957-3347,

Ext. 2, for more information.

* TOM TITUS writes about and reviews local theater for the Daily

Pilot. His stories appear Thursdays and Saturdays.

FYI

* What: “John Brown’s Body”

* Where: Orange Coast College Drama Lab, 2701 Fairview Road, Costa

Mesa

* When: Performances 8 p.m. today through Saturday and May 9-11, and 2

p.m. Sunday and May 12

* Cost: $8 or $10

* Phone: (714) 432-5880