Huckleberry Finn and runaway slave Jim set out to float down the ol' Mississippi River as the Grand Theatre opens its production of the Tony award-winning "Big River," a musical adaptation of the Mark Twain classic "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn."
The musical, by Roger Miller, who is responsible for the classic country hits "King of the Road" and "Dang Me," is filled with bluegrass and folk tunes like "Waitin' for the Light to Shine," "Worlds Apart" and "The Boys."
But anytime Huck Finn shows up, regardless of its status as an American classic, controversy follows.
Over the years, many schools have struggled with its content, and parents have tried to get the book removed from the curriculum.
At issue: language.
"Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" uses the N-word more than 200 times, mostly said by Huck when referring to his slave friend, Jim.
"Big River" has kept Twain's language, using the word 17 times, and the Grand Theatre has chosen to do the same.
"The intention in keeping the language in there, Twain wrote it for a reason. And as difficult as it is, it shows where we are, and where we've come from," said Richard Scott, artistic director at the Grand.
To address the language issue, the Grand will have a brief announcement by a prominent member of the black community addressing the language prior to every show. It will also host a post-show discussion after the matinee on May 17.
"We wanted to make sure we brought that to life. It affects members of our community: our friends, our neighbors. We wanted to give it a little more vitality," Scott said.
"It was very intentional by Twain to use those racist words and what they meant. Because of contemporary society and the pain that that language can create, we thought it was important to address it and encourage people to talk about it."
Still, Huck Finn is a great adventure that, at its heart, is a story about friendship — a friendship against all odds.
"Big River" opens Friday and runs through May 19 at the Grand Theatre, 1575 S. State. Shows dates vary, show times are 7:30 p.m. with 2 p.m. matinees available. Tickets: $5-$24 (801-957-3322 or www.the-grand.org).
Here are the rest of this week's offerings:
"Caroline or Change" opens Thursday and runs through May 17 at the Studio Theater in Rose Wagner, 138 W. 300 South.
This is the Utah premiere of this Tony Award-winning musical. Set in Louisiana in 1963, while the country was wrapped up in the assassination of John F. Kennedy and a growing civil rights movement, Caroline is a black maid who befriends Noah, the son of the Jewish family for whom she works. It's a story about race, class, culture and community.
Shows are Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m., with 2 p.m. Saturday matinees available. Tickets: $15 (801-355-2787 or www.arttix.org)
"Charlotte's Webb" opens Friday and runs through May 10 at the Children's Theatre & School of the Arts, 237 S. State.
This is the Youth Stage production. Good ol' Wilbur the pig and his barn spider friend Charlotte are back in this stage version of the E.B. White children's story.
Youth Stage is a performance-based drama class with performers ages 8-18 years. The students have been working with professional directors and designers to learn the world of theater.
Shows are nightly, except Sunday, at 7 p.m., with 4:30 p.m. matinees offered on Saturdays. Tickets: $8 (801-532-6000 or www.childrenstheatreandschool.org).
"The Sound of Music" opens at Phoenix Theatre Friday and will run through May 24 at the Academy of Performing Arts Complex, 3188 S. 400 East.
The classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical is about young novice Maria, the handsome captain widower and his seven children. The production stars Taylor Hanson, Joy Newbold and Brent Sloan.
Performances are Monday, Friday and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., with two matinee performances available. Tickets: $10-$12 (801-486-2728 or www.academyofpa.org).
E-mail: ehansen@desnews.com