A new Big River opens July 24 on Broadway featuring deaf and hearing actors

From: Ottawa Citizen, Canada - May 16, 2003

Canadian Press

NEW YORK (AP) - An acclaimed reworking of Big River featuring deaf, hard-of-hearing and hearing actors, will open on Broadway July 24 as part of the Roundabout Theatre Company's summer season.

The production, which uses music, voice and sign language, was first done by Deaf West Theatre in California in 2001 and last fall was a big success at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles.

Big River, based on Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, won the Tony Award in 1985 for best musical. It has music and lyrics by Roger Miller, who won a Tony for his score. The Roundabout production, directed by Jeff Calhoun, will feature Tyrone Giordano as Huck and Michael McElroy as the runaway slave Jim.

Preview performances begin July 1 at the American Airlines Theatre. The show's limited engagement will end Sept. 14.

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