‘Big River- — A really fun show for all audiences

“ Big River”

Lyric Theatre

Based on Mark Twain’s Classic, “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”

Book by William Hauptman

Music and Lyrics by Roger Miller

Directed by Michael Baron

By Franci Hart

Theatre Critic

Fun! Joyful!

Lyric Theatre’s “Big River” is a delight! This Theatre for Young Audiences production has something for everyone: broad comic gestures, pantomime, lively action, and most of all Roger Miller’s wonderful music.

This new version of the Tony Award winning “Big River,” as a way to relate to younger audiences, has Huck (Alex Rodriguez ) and Jim (Maximus White) as teenagers. And, it is more music than narrative, which is just fine because the music is so good.

Huck is fed up with the Widow Douglas (Elizabeth Dragoo) telling him what to do. So he runs away. Jim is also running away because the Widow Douglas has decided to sell him. The boys take a raft up the river, hoping to reach Cairo, Ohio, where Jim will be free. Along the way, good natured Huck allows two scoundrels, the Duke (Joshua Morgan Thompson) and the King (Mariah Warren), to join their adventure. But the Duke and the King prove to be too much for the boys and even sell Jim to a farmer. However, all ends well.

Dear Wise Elder: There is an older couple next door to me whose driving is honestly unsafe, especially at night. And yet they persist, digging in their heels to continue as if they were 15 years younger. Of course their driving is just one of many obvious signs of decline. I know the grown children well. Should I reach out to these now 50-yearold professionals? What would I say? How can I open the conversation?

Dear What to Say: “Hello, Johnny. This is Sue, your parents’ next door neighbor.

Rodriguez’s Huck is charming, naïve and most of all likeable. He carries the show and can sell a song with the best. Yet, he is a true ensemble player, playing nicely with the other players.

White’s Jim is the antithesis of Rodriguez’s Huck: serious, practical and realistic. His “Muddy Waters” and “Free at Last” are show stoppers.

Thompson and Warren as the Duke and King bring broad physical comedy to the production. Completing this compe-

Although this is a difficult call to make, you need to know that your parents are in danger and need your help making some changes. Please come and spend 24 or 36 continuous hours with them, and I think you will want to help take some action. I’m happy to visit further after you come. I know they will love having you home again and you will learn a lot. After all, they took really great care of you; now it is your responsibility.”

- Courtesy VillagesOKC, www.VillagesOKC.org

(405) 990 6637 tent ensemble are Emma Lee Hamilton ( Mary Jane), Nia Sier (Alice), and Greg Gore (Judge Thatcher). The music is the show! And this fast-paced production leaps from one musical number to the next. One hardly needs a story to enjoy Roger Miller’s songs.

Lyric’s “Big River” is a coproduction with Adventure Theatre Maryland, in association with Rogers and Hammerstein Theatricals and First Stage Milwaukee.

You can have your ad here! $20 a week. Call (405) 755-3311 for details.

75th Anniversary Founders Day filled with satellite parties, festival, gala

Casady School celebrated the culmination of its 75th Anniversary with three exciting events for the Casady Community during Founders Week.

Casady’s Founders Day on Friday, Feb. 17, marked the occasion in 1947 when then Casady Hall’s Board of Trustees met for the very first time, setting in motion a legacy of outstanding education that has endured and grown for more than 75 years. On Thursday, Feb. 16, Casady Alumni around the United States gathered in 10 major cities for Cyclones Coast to Coast. These satellite parties provided an opportunity for Alumni across the country to celebrate their alma mater’s anniversary by gathering in friendship and fellowship.

Friday, Cyclones of all ages attended the Cyclone Festival in Bennett Athletic Center. The Casady Community enjoyed bounce houses, a cake/bake walk, face painters, balloon makers, popcorn, concessions, and more in a family friendly carnival atmosphere.

Finally, the Casady Community gathered Saturday evening at the Omni Hotel in Oklahoma City for the 75th Anniversary Gala, which was a sold out event with nearly 1,000 guests. Attendees viewed displays of alumni artwork, perused artifacts from Casady’s past, took a walk down memory lane to see Decade Tables that showcased the school’s history, and ate fresh popped popcorn at a tailgate area that included the Jimmy’s on the Go Concessions Cart. Hunt Lowry, a member of the class of 1973, Distinguished Graduate in 2013 and a film producer in Los Angeles served as the emcee. During the program, theater students in Middle and Upper Division performed excerpts from recent Casady Theatre productions “The Casady Chronicles” and “The Music Man,” while orchestra students and fourth grade and Upper Division choirs debuted a special arrangement of “The

Casady Hymn.”

At the gala, Head of School Nathan L. Sheldon and Board of Trustees Chair Jenee Naifeh Lister ’82 delivered keynote remarks, illuminating the Vision for Casady School and its commitment to staying faithful to the past while moving bravely into the future. Lister announced Casady’s $38 million comprehensive campaign that includes capital projects; support for faculty, programs, and financial aid; continued growth in the annual fund; and legacy and planned giving.

After the conclusion of the program, galagoers danced the night away to “The Wavetones.”

“To all our faculty and staff, thank you for believing in our vision and creating relationships with our students that allow them to reach their full potential,” Sheldon said during his remarks. “To all our trustees, past and present; your leadership and support have allowed this School to thrive and continue to be the premier educational institution in Oklahoma. And, finally to our parents, grandparents, and friends; thank you for believing in and supporting great learning and for helping us create a strong sense of community and belonging. Let’s never rest on the past, let’s continue to seek new ways to positively impact students today and into the future.”

Casady School’s founders envisioned a school focused on children’s intellectual growth, physical health, and spiritual formation. Small classes and personal attention from faculty cultivate the students’ intellectual life, a healthy sense of competition improves their physical prowess, and religious instruction deepens their understanding of spiritual reality.

In September of 1947, Casady Hall opened its doors to 36 students and a faculty of four. In May of 1948, the school was renamed Casady School, and today boasts more than 1,000 students, more than 200 faculty and staff, and more than 4,500 alumni worldwide.