Big River
Music & Lyrics by Roger Miller | Book by William Hauptman | Adapted from the novel by Mark Twain | Directed by Lear DeBessonet | Choreography by Josh Rhodes | Scenery by Allen Moyer | Lighting by Paul Miller | for Encores! @ City Center NYC
The Encores! production proves to be unusually polished, dramatically compelling and often fun and joyful. - AM New York
The Encores! production of Big River is, in a word, perfect. And, in a few other words, moving, powerful and exhilarating. - Deadline
Allen Moyer's set of moving wooden platforms creates the river and its various craft onstage. A giant photograph of the Mississippi occupies the upstage wall. Lighting designer Paul Miller uses it to give a sense of the time of day and atmospheric conditions. It's an obvious choice, but the production really benefits from the presence of a big river hanging over the orchestra. -Theatre Mania