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Hand it to 'Big River'; cast knows how to tell a story

The silence speaks the loudest in "Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." As the hands did the talking along with the voices, a mediocre musical became a ballet with a heart as big as the Mississippi in this Jeff Calhoun-directed production of Deaf West Theatre's Tony-winning revival. The seamless combination of deaf and speaking actors, all using American Sign Language, brought an elegance and depth to the work that wasn't there when the original production, sans the American Sign Language, first hit Broadway in 1985. The signers' hands swayed, poked, glided, hopped - as the hands danced, they gave a deeper resonance to the words and emotions. "Big River," with music by the late Roger Miller, concentrates on the adventures of young scoundrel Huck and runaway slave Jim as they float down the river toward, they hope, freedom. The chemistry between Tyrone Giordano as Huck and Michael McElroy as Jim is magic. The tenderness and conflicts that permeate their relationship spill over and ring true in this production. In one scene, as they float down the river and sing "Worlds Apart," the divide between black and white, hearing and deaf, suddenly seems to evaporate. McElroy has an electric voice and presence. When he sings, signing each word with hands that flow like water, it's impossible not to be moved. And Giordano, who is deaf, practically bubbles over with Huck's rambunctiousness, heart, innocence and mischievousness. When he's on stage - which is almost always - he demands your attention. But he never gets it by upstaging; he's a generous actor. Adam Monley, in the duel role of Mark Twain and Huck's voice, captured Huck's sense of youth and wonder; he was a fine match for Giordano's characterization. The music, some gospel, some country, doesn't stick with you, but the interpretations in this production do. One song in particular, a reprise of "Waitin' For the Light to Shine," sends chills: At the height of the ensemble song, the band stops playing; the singers stop singing, and the cast, in silence, completes the song in sign language. A universal language, indeed. Director/choreographer Calhoun packed this piece with enormous feeling, some beautiful voices, first-rate acting, and an exquisite sense of movement. The clever set by Ray Klausen is oversized book pages that opened to become a cave, a home, the Mississippi, and even a grave. The audience jumped to its feet at the end of the production. Clearly, most felt the way blond-haired, blue-eyed Erin Twarogal, 10, did. Erin, who, like Ed Waterstreet, the creator of this version of "Big River," is the only deaf person in her family. This was the first play she had ever attended. She liked it. A lot. 'It's funny," she explained, speaking through interpreter Devon Hammer. "And it's cool seeing deaf actors."