Review: Theatre Raleigh's 'Adventure Road' tells engaging story of Tom, Huck

There are a lot of storylines in Mark Twain's classics "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" and "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer." Their antics involving all sorts of mischief have captivated readers for more than a century.

These days, however, young readers likely are more familiar with the feats of Harry Potter or Percy Jackson than Tom and Huck. And that's why I love that Theatre Raleigh picked these stories to tell in a new show that had its world debut Friday night in downtown Raleigh.

"Adventure Road: A Story of Huck & Tom" is the latest new family show for the Raleigh-based theater company that's led by Lauren Kennedy Brady, a Raleigh native brings her own experience performing on Broadway.

The show continues this weekend and runs on select days through April 29 at the Duke Energy Center for Performing Arts in downtown Raleigh. Running just under an hour, the show is recommended for third graders and up (but a boy of about four declared "that was amazing" as he walked out of the show Friday night, so I think younger kids will enjoy it too).

"Adventure Road" doesn't cover every single escapade of Huck and Tom (and, of course, not all of them are incredibly politically correct for today's audiences), but it covers many of the big ones. And it certainly captures the heart of the stories - Tom as a rascal under the attempted watchful eye of his Aunt Polly, and Huck as a practical adventurer who is making his way in the world on his own.

Like other Theatre Raleigh family shows, including the recent "A Midsummer Night's Dream," the story is helped along with a narrator, who fast forwards through some of the storylines to keep the show under an hour and the young audience engaged.

In this first production, the cast isn't huge - just six people are on stage play a total of 15 or so characters. Tom, played by sixth grader Andrew Farmer, and Huck, played by seventh grader Keegan Story, can focus on those single roles (both with a lot of passion and energy). The other remaining actors have a lot of shoes to fill - from members of an old-timey band to Aunt Polly, Becky Thatcher, Aunt Sally, Susan and Jim, the freed slave, who Tom and Huck help along the way.

There are plenty of laughs. Actor David Bartlett, who plays, at first, a man, transforms quickly into stern Aunt Polly. The robbers in the "haunted house" don't quite have their acts together. And Bonnie Webster as Aunt Sally is hilarious as a flustered mother and caregiver (but maybe me, as a flustered mother and caregiver, just can totally relate to her performance). There are some sweet moments too. I especially loved the relationship that develops between Jim and Huck.

The music for the show is written by Michael Kennedy, Brady's brother, who is on stage for much of the show, playing guitar and performing with the band, along with the other characters on stage. That keeps the action lively - important for a show that aims to appeal to sometimes squirmy kids. And it's not really a "stage." They perform in the center of a black box theater of about 100 seats, pulling the audience into the action sometimes.

"Adventure Road" is another really entertaining show for families from Theatre Raleigh. It's a perfect opportunity for parents to introduce kids to live theater and to classic American stories.