Popular Frost Fire musical ends this weekend

By Christopher P. Jacobs
Movies Editor

The 27th annual summer musical at the Frost Fire Theatre, about a three-hour drive north of Fargo, seven miles west of Walhalla in the Pembina River Gorge, is one of the company’s most popular productions. “Big River” is a musical version of Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” written in a bluegrass, country, and gospel/spiritual style by musician Roger Miller. Frost Fire performed the show previously in 1992 and 2000. The show opened July 9th and has its final performances this Saturday, July 30th (at 2 pm and 6 pm) and Sunday, July 31st (at 2 pm).

Directed by David and Amy Jo Paukert, the cast is made up of 16 actors, mostly Grand Forks and other area veterans of university (UND, NDSU, Concordia), high school, and community theatre productions. Most of them double or triple up in several character and ensemble parts throughout the show.

Jared Kinney does a solid job in the main role of Huckleberry Finn, making him likeable and portraying the troubled teenager’s inner conflicts and character development believably as he sets off down the Mississippi river with his friend Jim.

For this year’s show, noted singer-actor E. Dwayne Moore returns to North Dakota from his home of Omaha, Neb., (where he’s with the Omaha Opera) to repeat the key role of Jim, the runaway slave he played in 2000. He also played Frederick Douglass in Frost Fire’s 2001 production of “Civil War.” Jim not only provides the conscience of the story that leads to Huck’s self-realizations, but he gets the most songs of all the characters, many of them duets with Huck. Moore delivers an outstanding, sensitive performance, both dramatically and vocally.
While Huck and Jim are the only two characters given much development, the briefly seen character of Alice, another slave who is sold down the river, is memorably played by Daniella Lima with a wonderful solo and an off-stage duet with Jim. Patrick DeMars is strong as Huck’s abusive father and later as a scheming con-man teamed with David Paukert as an actor-turned-con-man..

Other characters are effectively portrayed by Frank Matejcek (as Tom Sawyer), Caitlin Lien (as Miss Mary Jane), Walter Criswell and Justin Nelson (each in three roles), Luke Hoplin (in four roles), Jenny Morris (as Miss Watson and later as a mysterious river woman), Jordan Thornberg and Mare Thompson (as two characters each), along with Carly Flaagan, Jackie O’Neil, and Kelsey Misialek.

The musicians are also well-worth noting, with Jeff Anvinson on guitar, Spencer Black on bass and banjo, Brandon Hettwer on percussion, and Amy Jo Paukert on keyboard, with two cast members joining in on saxophone and trumpet for brief jam sessions after each act.
Tickets are $26 for adults and $12 for children, and can be reserved by calling 701-549-3600.

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