BIG RIVER breaks boundaries in Philly

From: Advance of Bucks County - Newtown,PA,USA - Nov 24, 2004

By:Jason Stacchini, Editor

Groundbreaking Broadway musical tours The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn with an original twist.

The Deaf West Theatre Company has turned sign language into something more than a means of communication for the deaf.

Theater lovers are getting a special look at sign language as a form of art in the Deaf West's production of BIG RIVER, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which is currently running through November 28 at The Academy of Music in Philadelphia.

The performance is part of The Kimmel Center's Broadway at the Academy 2004-05 series, but unlike the other shows on the schedule, BIG RIVER stands out for its ingenious use of what is described by The Kimmel Center as a "synchronized ballet of speaking, signing, gesture, song and dance."

The story follows Huck escaping his drunken father on a raft on the Mississippi River in the 1840s. After meeting up with Jim, a runaway slave, the rest of the journey is chronicled through an adventurous series of events that happen to the two as they make their way downstream.

The show won numerous awards after being developed at Deaf West Theater in North Hollywood in the fall of 2001, and continued it's success with a year-long run on Broadway in 2003-04 until finally being developed into the touring production that has landed in Philadelphia.

At the forefront of this extremely talented cast since its inception in 2001 is Tyrone Giordano, who was born deaf into a deaf, bi-lingual family in the small town of Tarriffville along the Farmington River in Connecticut.

"What it was about Huck that attracted me to the role was that here was the quintessential American boy hero, and portraying him was a daunting challenge," said Giordano through an email interview.

"Everyone who knows about Huck has some preconceived notion about who he is, what he looks like, how he talks and behaves, so I had fun creating my own version of Huck for everyone to take from. What stands out the most about the character of Huck is that he's about the struggle between what you're taught is right and what you feel in your heart is right. It's that struggle that Huck lives through that he's able to see past the difference of race in his growing friendship with the runaway slave Jim."

Tyrone originated the role of Huck when BIG RIVER debuted in 2001.

"I know for a fact that deja vu does exist," Giordano said. "It has been such a blessing to be with the show from the beginning at Deaf West Theatre. I'm one of 5 members of the current cast that have been with the show from the start. The others are Troy Kotsur, Melissa van der Schyff, Ryan Schlecht, and Rod Keller. Not many actors get a chance to reprise a role--so it was truly an opportunity for me to expand and grow as an actor, finding new ways to reinvent Huck each time the show was mounted. It's been an honor to work with many different actors each time around."

Giordano credits his education at Gallaudet University for his ability to cross the barrier of working with a cast of hearing, hard-of-hearing and deaf actors in BIG RIVER.

"My interactions with hearing people growing up have definitely prepared me for the challenges I have and will face working in a predominantly hearing field," he said. "Somehow, it was going to Gallaudet University, a college with a student body that's predominantly deaf, that actually improved my interaction with the world at large."

The cast utilizes an intricate series of cues that allow transitions to flow seamlessly without tipping the audience.

"For deaf actors offstage needing a cue to go onstage, there are cue lights, which are used by hearing actors as well," Giordano said. "Also, we help each other onstage, giving little nods or shoves or gestures that are built in and help each other know where they are when. Also, there are television monitors up where the lights are mounted, also standard for theatre, where the music conductor can be seen, and can give cues from there."

Previous to his role as Huck, Giordano worked in Arena Stage's production of Miracle Worker after graduating college. The support of his family (his father, mother, stepfather and uncle are deaf and graduates of Gallaudet University as well) not only helped Giordano work his way into a successful career onstage, it follows him as he is ready to make his move to the big screen as the brother of Ashton Kutcher's character Oliver in the upcoming film A Lot Like Love, due out this Valentine's Day.

"My mom has always supported whatever choices I made in my life," he said. "I did not begin working in the theatre until after I graduated college in 1999. My mom didn't care what I did as long as I was working, but more importantly that I had a decent health insurance plan. Somehow, the insurance was more important than the job I had! She was great about my decision to act professionally, and joining the Equity actor's union has put her insurance worries to rest."

BIG RIVER runs through November 28 at The Academy of Music. Tickets range from $25 to $75, with a limited number of $85 box seats. Tickets can be purchased by calling 215.893.1999 or online at www.kimmelcenter.org/broadway.

©Newtown Advance 2004