Tom and Huck and Jim Review

Last weekend I had the pleasure of seeing some of my friends perform in Tom and Huck and Jim, a children’s play by Margaret Larlham. Having worked on 1001 Grains of Sand last year, I had gone into it with expectations of song, dance, and lines that sometimes go over the heads of the children in the audience. However, almost instantly my expectations were shattered and the bar instantly raised. The instant the play started I was captured by the story and characters. I found everything about it intriguing and interesting, especially the story and writing of the play. In addition, everyone was cast extremely well, and you could tell that the actors were all incredibly committed to their characters. (And their accents!)

I was pleasantly surprised by Margaret’s choice to cast Loren Schrieber as Mark Twain. I honestly didn’t know that he had ever acted before, and I was extremely excited to see him after taking his THEA240A class. He played an extremely convincing Twain and carried himself with a languid quality that extruded the presence of the Mississippi itself. In addition, his vocalization was extremely new to me, he masterfully manipulated his voice and accent so he wasn’t Loren anymore, and I was taken into the play instantly.

I also found Eric Dowdy and Megan Stogner to be extremely entertaining. The two expertly carried themselves in both their neutral “narrator” roles, and also in the other characters they portrayed. They both were very different in each role and managed to convey different people in different situations. I especially liked the courtroom scene at the end of act I where Eric portrayed the judge, and Megan portrayed both the prosecutor and defense. It was very entertaining to see Megan jump back and forth between both hats and personalities.

The title characters were all also expertly cast. Bradley Sattler as the mischievous Tom Sawyer was extremely convincing and committed. His paintbrush/ fence sequence was extremely entertaining and childlike. I perfectly remembered that part of the book, and I loved the way he conveyed it. Jon Wat as Huck Finn was incredible. He managed to communicate to the audience a sense of immaturity and youth, yet maturity and a yearning to be a bit older than he really is. DeAndre Clay was an excellent Jim as well. I had never really seen him act before, and he blew me away. The way he carried himself lightly through the play, however also encompassed a tinge of sadness or worry. These actors all masterfully conveyed multiple levels in their characters and portrayed every facet perfectly.

Altogether I absolutely loved the play and all the actors, music, songs, and the whimsical journey it took the audience on. Margaret Larlham has really outdone herself this year, and I can’t wait until next year’s show she devises.