‘Tom Sawyer’ closes youth season

Tom Titus

Most of us have vivid memories of our “first times” at various

milestone of our lives. I remember, for instance, that the first book

I ever read, as a grade schooler, was “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.”

Perhaps it was because Mark Twain’s title character and I were

fairly close in age, not to mention that we shared the same first

name. Since I grew up in a small town not unlike Hannibal, Mo., minus

the riverboats, it was easy to identify with Tom’s forays into

piracy, first love and mischievous school days.

Those memories will come rushing back next weekend when I revisit

some of my best-remembered characters from childhood at the Laguna

Playhouse, where the Youth Theater is winding up its 2002-03 season

with the stage version of the Twain classic.

The Laguna production will differ somewhat from the novel in that

it’ll be a musical presentation. Mark Turnbull, long associated with

the Playhouse and creator of the original musical “Manet,” has

composed original music and lyrics to accompany the play.

Youth Theater director Joe Lauderdale has adapted the stage script

from Twain’s novel, but he’s turned the directing duties over to

Donna Inglima, the playhouse’s education director.

“Joe has dedicated the adaptation to me in honor of our four-year

collaboration as Youth Theater colleagues,” Inglima said. “‘Tom

Sawyer’ is a celebration of friendship, adventure, innocents and

first love.”

The addition of Turnbull as a singer/narrator functions as a

bridge between youth and maturity, Inglima believes. “His music for

‘Tom Sawyer’ is evocative of time past and present all in one

breath.”

Dwight Richard Odle -- who recently was presented the 2002

lifetime achievement award for scenic design by the Los Angeles Drama

Critics Circle -- is creating the costumes for “Tom Sawyer.” The

settings are being designed by Don Gruber, head of design at Long

Beach City College.

Laguna’s production, which runs for two weekends and is selling

out rapidly, will feature Jared Wigdor in the title role, with Bamdad

Miradi as Tom’s buddy, Huckleberry Finn. Jazz Brice is the love

interest, Becky Thatcher, with Trevor Evans, Richard Cerato and Nick

Mirman cast as Tom’s schoolmates and Jordan Sandfer as his bratty

stepbrother, Sid.

Other Youth Theater members in the cast are Liz Pacini, Amanda

Ward, Brooke Parsekian, Taryn Goldstein Bryce Sheldon, Matt Stoner

and Taylor La Barbera. Among the adults in the cast, Aunt Polly will

be played by April Morgan, Sereny Harper by Karan Benton, Muff Potter

by Cory Casoni and the villainous Injun Joe by Blake Chambers. Daniel

Jensen and John Peterson have multiple assignments.

“In the dramatic literature we have worked on with our Youth

Theater classes, ‘Tom Sawyer’ stood out for us as particularly

textured,” Inglima relates. “It offers layered acting challenges and

is tricky in its simplicity.”

Setting “Tom Sawyer” to music isn’t such a radical idea. Look what

Roger Miller did with Huckleberry Finn when he created “Big River.”

This one will jog more than a few memories.

* TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Coastline Pilot.