Musical Adaptation Of 'Huckleberry Finn' Coming To Haddonfield

HADDONFIELD, NJ — Haddonfield Plays & Players kicks off its 85th season with Roger Miller and William Hauptman's musical adaptation of Mark Twain's “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” next month. “Big River” runs Feb. 1-17 and tracks the adventures of rebellious teenager Huck, who takes off on a raft with runaway slave Jim. Together, they encounter con-men, an orphaned family, and bigotry along the way.

"At its heart, “Big River” is about developing one's own morality and sense of right and wrong as opposed to adopting indoctrinated thought without question," Show Director, Matthew Weil said. "We often treat stories that were written over 100 years ago as irrelevant...Big River is shockingly alive and relevant."

“Big River” won seven Tony Awards when it premiered on Broadway in 1985, including Best Musical, Best Book, Best Original Score, Best Direction, Best Scenic Design, Best Lighting Design, and Best Featured Actor.
Songs span the spectrum of musical genres, including Broadway show tunes, country, and bluegrass.

"I think this show has a lot of classic musical theatre to it — big numbers, fun moments, a couple fabulous ballads, and toe tapping comedy," Stage Manager Sara Viniar said. "But it also is full of delicious text work, especially from Huck, and is a show actors can really dig in to."

Haddonfeld Plays & Players present the show as American Vaudeville, which was the popular form of entertainment during the point in time when Mark Twain wrote the novel. The classic episodic story structure of “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” easily transfers into isolated vaudeville acts that provides the "cast of wayfaring misfits a wonderful playground of rich choices to explore," Weil said.

"We have been very fortunate to assemble many of South Jersey's finest performers. It will be a wonderful night of music," Weil said.

Tickets are now on sale for this production at www.haddonfieldplayers.com.

Show Dates
Thursday, February 1 at 7:30 p.m. (Preview)
Friday, February 2 at 8 p.m. (Opening)
Saturday, February 3 at 8 p.m.
Sunday, February 4 at 2 p.m.
Wednesday, February 7 at 8 p.m. (Mid-week special)
Friday, February 9 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, February 10 at 3 p.m. (Markdown Matinee) & 8 p.m.
Sunday, February 11 at 2 p.m.
Thursday, February 15 at 8 p.m.
Friday, February 16 at 8 p.m. (Date Night)
Saturday, February 17 at 8 p.m.

Image via Shutterstock