Theater Review -- Tom Titus

Costa Mesa’s Trilogy Playhouse has, in its first year and a half,

mounted some ambitious productions in its limited staging area -- “The

Secret Garden” and “The Sound of Music” come to mind -- but nothing the

theater has produced in the past quite approaches the scope of “Big

River.”

This musical version of Mark Twain’s novel “Huckleberry Finn” has been

staged locally in the more spacious venues of the Laguna Playhouse and

the Orange County Performing Arts Center, where scenic spectacle often

overshadowed the show’s performance aspects. At the Trilogy, the Roger

Miller-William Hauptman story receives a more intimate -- and ultimately

more immediate -- treatment.

Director Alicia Butler wisely double-casts a number of roles -- giving

Don Nikois three memorable, and highly contrasting, stage turns as author

Twain, Huck’s drunken father and a smooth-talking con man. Viewing the

show without a program, playgoers probably wouldn’t make the connection.

Any production of “Big River” rises or falls on its Huckleberry Finn,

and here the Trilogy plays one of its aces. James Mulligan, who’s

performed in nearly every Trilogy show and designed every set,

successfully sheds about 10 years to slip comfortably into the skin of

the adventurous teenager who frees his guardian’s slave and accompanies

him on a rafting trip down the Mississippi, with as many twists and turns

as the river itself.

Mulligan renders a thoroughly convincing performance as he struggles

inwardly with the morality of the time (“abolitionist” being a dirty word

in 19th century Missouri) to unshackle his black friend on more than one

occasion. He also handles the musical numbers with verve and gusto, most

effectively teaming with R.J. Dickinson -- superbly enacting the slave

Jim -- in the signature number “River in the Rain.”

Dickinson is given ample opportunity to exhibit what appears to be a

voice classically trained in gospel music, which reaches its peak in the

emotional “Free at Last” number. He also excels in enhancing the human

side of a character regarded by most as “property” in a moving

performance.

Nikois and Tim Anderson contribute memorable performances as the King

and the Duke, con men who traverse the Mississippi looking for a quick

and easy buck. Anderson particularly excels in this segment, crucifying

Shakespeare in a rambling soliloquy and extolling the virtues of a

carnival attraction called “The Royal Nonesuch,” while Nikois also

renders a powerful interpretation of Huck’s cruel and avaricious “Pap.”

Michael Mulligan -- brother of James -- jumps into the role of Huck’s

buddy Tom Sawyer with both feet, concocting wildly complicated plots to

achieve the most basic of goals, all in the name of adventure. His

high-stepping solo, “Hand for the Hog,” is goofy but funny.

Sharon Simonian does fine double duty as the stern Widow Douglas,

Huck’s guardian, and the more accessible Sally Phelps, Tom’s aunt, much

later in the show. Suzy Thatcher has a fine, frosty turn as the widow’s

Bible-thumping friend and Jim’s owner. Priscilla Robinson injects a

welcome dose of sweetness into her role as Mary Jane Wilkes, who stirs

heretofore unnoticed emotions in Huck, and Megan Morrison chips the “e”

off Twain’s Joe Harper character to play Huck’s buddy as a thinly

disguised female.

James Mulligan’s scenic backdrop beautifully sets the tone for the

story, and choreographer Jimmy Hippenstiel puts the troupe through some

intricate dance paces in the Trilogy’s limited performing area.

“Big River” proves that old adage that good things often come in small

packages. The Trilogy doesn’t skimp on staging (the show runs a full

three hours) to bring the stage version of this literary classic to

exuberant life.

* TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Daily Pilot. His reviews

appear Thursdays and Saturdays.

FYI

WHAT: “Big River”

WHERE: Trilogy Playhouse, 2930 Bristol St., Costa Mesa

WHEN: Through July 21. Performances will be 7:30 p.m. Fridays, 3:30

and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays, and 5 p.m. Sundays.

COST: $15 or $17

PHONE: (714) 957-3347, Ext. 1