Times"Sounding the River (Huck Finn Revisited)" a new play written and directed by Edward Morgan opened February 23rd at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater and will be playing through April 1st. From the Rep's 2000-2001 schedule brochure: Times "Twain's novel is turned inside out and springs to life with music, humor and ghostly surprises. Old Huck and Old Jim relive their famous journey down the Mississippi, remembering and wrestling with their legacy, race, and Mark Twain himself." Comments from playwright/director Edward Morgan in Prologue, newsletter of Milwaukee Rep: "I began with a simple idea: If we retold the story with an Old Huck and Old Jim watching the events as they occur, then we could 'editorialize' where necessary, we could emphasize modern parallels, and most importantly, we could try to bring an African-American point of view to the story. Jim, in effect, could speak much more for himself. Obviously, this focused the story even more on the issue of race. It also introduced the theme of memory and personal retrospection--which I found complementary to Twain's themes. And what I hoped is that by exploring these themes with two old friends who've already been through it all before, then we could create an experience that was inclusive, rather than divisive. It grew from there. Given the conceit that these two geezers were somehow magically alive--its seemed to me they could use magic to 'conjure up' a young Jim and Huck, and all the other necessary spirits. And once they were in charge, then there might be ways that Old Huck and Old Jim would try to monkey with the story. And before long, the two men were off on a new kind of adventure. Then came the music. Virtually all of American music is, in part, an interplay between black and white cultures. So this became a wonderful opportunity to draw from the well of southern music--blues, old time, country, spirituals--to help evoke the days of yore. I decided on an Old Time Singer and Fiddler to embody the white music; and a Bluesman to give voice to the black experience. And as young Huck and Jim are carried downstream, trusting, and relying on each other more and more, the music too, began to flow together. So I hope we'll end up with a fresh window on this great story, a kind of fantastic exploration of a great American myth, told through three pairings of black and white voices-Jim and Huck, Old Jim and Old Huck, and the music. I have no delusions that I've improved on the original-but a novel is far from a play-and our great opportunity with classics in the theater is to pull away the mothballs of assumptions and clichés, and give them new life in modern, dramatic mediums. And so, with apologies, Mister Clemens, that's what we've set out to do." Additional info: The cast includes Jim Baker as Old Huck, Charles Dumas as Old Jim, Sean McNall as Huck, Raphael Peacock as Jim, James Pickering as Pap/Sam. Also La Shawn Banks as Young Slave, Paul Bentzen as King/Rigby Hopkins, Mark Corkins as Duke/Doc Penrod, Darin Dahms as Raftsman, Jonathan Gillard Daly as Silas/Blake, Olivia D. Dawson as Jennie, Laura Gordon as Miss Watson/Liza, Chris Mayse as Henshaw, Carl Palmer as Parker/Burton, Rose Pickering as Widow/Aunt Sally, Charles R. Schoenherr as Lafe, L.J. Slavin as Fiddler, Cedric Turner as Bluesman, and Scott Wakefield as Old Time Musician. Scenic Designer: Bill Clarke; Costume Designer: Martha Hally; Lighting Designer: Robert Jared; Music Arranger/Director: Chic Street Man; Sound Designer: Steven LeGrand; Dialect Coach: Pamela Christian; Dramaturg: Paul Kosidowski; Fight Choreographer: Lee E. Ernst. The Milwaukee Repertory Theater is located at the Patty & Jay Baker Theater Complex, 108 East Wells Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin For Tickets call 414-224-9490/ Fax 414-224-9097 or go to the theater's web site, 0000,0000,00FFwww.milwaukeerep.comTimes 0080,0000,0080