Musical version of Huckleberry Finn in Stamford

Mark Twain’s timeless classic, “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”, comes to life when the Tony Award-winning Best Musical, Big River, plays in The Kweskin Theatre June 7 through 29. Big River is Curtain Call’s final production of the season and promises to entertain with great song and dance and the wonderful characters Twain created 135 years ago.

In Big River, the irrepressible Huck Finn helps his friend Jim, a slave, escape to freedom at the mouth of the Ohio River. Their adventures bring to life characters from the novel —the Widow Douglas and her stern sister, Miss Watson; the uproarious King and Duke, who may or may not be as harmless as they seem; Huck’s partner in crime, Tom Sawyer, and their rowdy gang of pals; Huck’s drunken father, the sinister Pap Finn; and of course, the lovely Mary Jane Wilkes.

“I’ve been a huge fan of this show since seeing the original Broadway production more than 30 years ago,” said Lou Ursone, Curtain Call executive director and producer for the show. “Having had the chance to perform in it several years ago cemented my affection for this great score and the terrific characters, so it has been on my list of shows to mount here for a while,” Ursone added.

Ursone is not the only one enamored with the play: with music and Lyrics by Roger Miller and book by William Hauptman, Big River took home seven Tony Awards in 1985, including Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score and Best Musical! Time Magazine said, Big River is "a classic American musical with the most fetching score of the decade." CBS TV said, "A rousing, high spirited show that sets your hands to clapping, your feet to stomping and your heart to rise within you!"

When director, Larry Gabbard, mentioned in passing to Ursone that Big River was a show that he really wanted to direct, it seemed like the perfect time for Curtain Call to mount this production. Gabbard directed the wildly successful production of Bye, Bye Birdie at Curtain Call last summer and has been seen on stage in numerous roles there as well.

"The great thing about Big River is that it is a fully developed story with this cast doing a great job with good old fashioned storytelling. In the midst of this classic tale are all of these heartfelt Roger Miller songs that I challenge anyone to not get stuck in your head. They are infectious and a lot of fun," said Gabbard.

“Once I knew Larry had a passion for the piece, putting the rest of the team together was easy,” Ursone noted mentioning his fondness for music director, Tony Bellomy and choreographer, Jason Summers. Other members of the creative team include set design by Peter Barbieri, Jr., lighting design by Peter Petrino and costume design by Megan Latte Ormond.

The cast of 33 has many performers making their debut at Curtain Call and is also the first time the organization has cast two actors doing roles in rep. Sam Ruck and Kevin Sell will both be performing the roles of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, alternately, at each performance. The role of Jim is shared by Levy Brunette and David Tate. (Tate is principal at Stamford’s Cloonan Middle School.) Others in the cast include: Katherine Atkin-Dahm, Monica Castillo, Jim Chiles, Sara DeFelice, Jake Enman, Karen Everett, Robert Failla, Matthew Feinberg, Eli Foodman, Brendan Garnett, Philip Glazer, Grace Heiser, Anna Hicks, James Hisey, Henry Kanlian, Steven Kaplan, Tracey McAllister, Matthew McArthur, Empress Makeda, Simone Palmer, Bob Praid, Zully Ramos, Victoria Razhanskiy, Markiss Robert, Emma Sawch, Ava Spinelli-Mastrone, Tilden Todd, Dan Travers, Libby, Whitely-Scherer.

Gabbard said, "This cast is a pleasure work with. They truly make these songs come alive. I could listen them to over and over." Gabbard, who considers himself a country boy at heart, grew up in Indiana, and feels that Big River speaks to his country roots. (His grandmother didn't have plumbing in her home until he was 28.)

"Big River is that classic Mark Twain Huckleberry tale, but one cannot help but deeply think about how far we have, or haven't, come as a nation with regard to our history. It is at once a super thought-provoking show, while simultaneously being super entertaining," said Gabbard.

Big River is sponsored by the Britta & Denis J. Nayden Charitable Foundation, Ltd. with additional support from the CT Office of the Arts, in cooperation with the City of Stamford. It is presented by special arrangement with R & H Theatricals, NY, NY.

Following Big River, Curtain Call’s summer season will include Much Ado About Nothing (outdoor free Shakespeare on the Green program in July) and Matilda, the summer youth theatre production in August. Additional information is available at www.curtaincallinc.com or by calling 203-329-8207.

Curtain Call is the non-profit community-based theatre company in residence at The Sterling Farms Theatre Complex, 1349 Newfield Avenue in Stamford. Year-round productions and educational workshops for all ages are presented by and for area residents in The Kweskin Theatre and The Dressing Room Theatre.

Curtain Call was voted Fairfield County's BEST LOCAL THEATRE GROUP ten years running in the Annual Readers' Poll of the Fairfield County Weekly and has received similar BEST OF awards from Stamford Magazine and StamfordPlus magazine for 2008 through 2019. Curtain Call received The Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts in 2011 and the ACE Award for Excellence in Arts & Culture from the Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County.