ence will also find reasons to applaudnthe talents of Betty Comden and AdolphnGreen (who adapted their screenplaynfor the stage) and of director/nchoreographer Twyla Tharp. Now thatnshe has flexed her musical muscles innthis adaptation, I would love to seenTharp stage a totally original musical.nWith more attention to the fine pointsnof acting, her high spirits might bringnnew life to a dying Broadway.nBig River was brought to Broadwaynby Dodger Productions, the samengroup that staged Jim Wann’s rollickingnPump Boys and Dinettes. Theynmaintain the same standard of excellencenwith Big River, a musical adaptationnof Huckleberry Finn. Even beforenthe curtain goes up, the audiencenis eased into a 19th-century countrynmood, with crickets chirping in thenbackground and a handsome “antique”nmap of the Mississippi RivernValley over the stage. As the houselightsnare dimmed, the map fades asnthe river glows in soft shades of blue.nHeidi Landesman (scenic designer)nand Richard Riddell (lighting designer)nrichly deserve their Tony Awards fornthis and similar effects.nJohn Short as Tom Sawyer andnDaniel Jenkins as Huck Finn both arenmaking their Broadway debut in BignRiver, and neither is a disappointment.nThis Huck and Tom are not asnshiftless as their counterparts in MarknTwain’s classic, but then, if they were,nthey’d probably have long ago left thenBig Apple for Western territory. Insomehow cannot imagine Huck as ear-nRon Richardson (I) and Daniel Jenkins (r) are featured in “Big River: ThenAdventures of Huckleberry Finn.” Photo by Martha Swope.n421 CHRONICLES OF CULTUREnnnnest as he is here, but never mind. AsnHuck announces at the end, he nevernwould have started his story if he hadnknown how much work it was going tonbe. Jenkins works so hard at beingnHuck (on stage almost continually)nthat the audience cannot help but likenhim and his performance, includingnthe songs.nMore Tony Awards went to RogernMiller for the songs and WilliamnHauptmann for the dialogue. I wouldngrade the 17 original songs as “B”nwork. (My son — Huck’s age—wasnless impressed.) The songs in Act Onenare stronger than those in Act Two,nwhich sounded a little sappy. Thenbest-staged musical number is “Whennthe Sun Goes Down in the South”nwith Huck, the King, and the Duke.nThe audience’s favorite was “Hand fornthe Hog,” a philosophical solo sung bynTom. I would also give a hand to thenaccomplished country blues musiciansnwho provided the accompaniment.nMost of Act One takes place on andnnear the Mississippi, with an ingeniousnautomated raft and the illusion ofnthe river stretching out to the far horizon.nJim, superbly played by RonnRichardson (another Tony winner),nmakes the river come alive with hisngestures and grand style of singing.nThe theatrical experience of Jim, Pap,nthe King, and the Duke gives theirnroles depth and interest, which DanielnJenkins and John Short will be certainnto develop as Big River settles in for anlong, long run. ccnCaroline Morgan writes from NewnYork.nSCREENnTeenagers andnLower Forms of LifenKiss of the Spider Woman; Directednby Hector Babenco; Written bynLeonard Schrader; Based on thennovel by Manuel Puig; Island Alive.nWhile Teen Wolf was opening this pastnsummer in 1,500 theaters. Kiss of thenSpider Woman found only 15 receptivenmovie houses. This may seem odd,ngiven that Teen Wolf is a formula flick.n