.gif)
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (musical)
Encyclopedia
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is a musical comedy based on the novel
by Mark Twain
with the book by Ken Ludwig
and music and lyrics by Don Schlitz
.
The musical is the story of a fourteen-year-old boy growing up in the heartland of America
. This Broadway
musical version of Mark Twain's novel is set in 1840 in St. Petersburg, Missouri
, a bustling town on the banks of the Mississippi River
. In the course of the story, Tom matches wits with his stern Aunt Polly, falls in love with the beautiful, feisty Becky Thatcher, and goes on the adventure of his life with Becky and that irresistible renegade, Huckleberry Finn
. Along the way he meets a terrifying villain named Injun Joe, Tom's bratty half-brother Sid, and all the other boys and girls in the village.
at the Minskoff Theater on April 26, 2001 and closed on May 13, 2001, after 21 performances and 34 previews. The musical was directed by Scott Ellis
with choreography by David Marques, and featured Joshua Park as Tom Sawyer, Kristen Bell
as Becky Thatcher, Jim Poulos as Huckleberry Finn, with Tom Aldredge
(Muff Potter), Stephen Lee Anderson (Doc Robinson/Pap), Jane Connell (Widow Douglas), John Dossett
(Judge Thatcher) and Kevin Serge Durand (Injun Joe).
In 1840, Tom Sawyer is fishing outside St. Petersburg, Missouri as his friends arrive, and the children play a game of Robin Hood ("Hey, Tom Sawyer"). Tom’s Aunt Polly sends him to school, where he tricks the schoolmaster, Mr. Dobbins, into letting the class have the day off. Aunt Polly, Mr. Dobbins and the preacher, Reverend Sprague lament that they "Can’t Do A Thing About the Boy".
Aunt Polly orders Tom to whitewash a fence in front of their house, and Tom’s half-brother, Sid, is happy. Frustrated, Tom is frustrated and plans to run away (Here’s My Plan).
As Tom procrastinates, he meets a beautiful newcomer, Becky Thatcher and they are mutually attracted. The town's outcast and Tom's best friend Huckleberry Finn says that painting the fence looks like fun. Tom then tricks his friends into painting the fence for him, and paying ("Smart Like That").
At night, Tom and Huck visit the local graveyard and see Injun Joe, a troublemaker, fighting with Doc Robinson ("Hand All Clean"). Joe murders Doc Robinson and the boys run away and swear in blood to keep quiet forever about what they saw ("The Vow"). Injun Joe has a vagrant, Muff Potter, blamed for the murder.
On the way to church, Aunt Polly and Judge Thatcher, single parents, lament about "Raising A Child By Yourself". In church, Tom tries to impress Becky by fooling Reverend Sprague into giving him the "Bible Prize" ("It’s In The Bible").
Tom tries to convince a fearful Huck to learn to read. When Huck saves old Widow Douglas from the advances of the town drunk, she offers to teach him to read and to live in her home. However, Huck declines ("It Just Ain’t Me").
Tom and Becky proclaim their undying love for each other ("To Hear You Say My Name").
Muff Potter is arrested for murder, and he pleads with Injun Joe to save him from hanging. Joe agrees to help, but wants a map that Muff has found: a map leading to a treasure, Murrell’s Gold.
At Muff Potter’s trial, Tom tells the truth and swears that Injun Joe committed the murder. Injun Joe yells "You are dead, boy!", throws a knife at Tom, and runs from the courtroom ("The Testimony").
Act Two
As school ends for the summer the children and their parents celebrate ("Ain’t Life Fine"). After weeks of secret tutoring by Widow Douglas, Huck finally learns how to read and they celebrate ("I Can Read!").
At the annual town picnic the festivities start with the exploration of McDougal’s Cave. As the town people go to the cave, Injun Joe arrives in town. He is also going into the cave to find Murrell’s Gold ("Reprise"). But Tom and Becky get lost in the cave; Aunt Polly and Judge Thatcher, with the rest of the town people, frantically search for them ("Angels Lost").
Underground, as Tom and Becky seek a way out of the cave, Tom comforts Becky ("Light"). Although Injun Joe grabs Becky, Tom jumps out from behind a rock and Huck arrives. The three friends win in their fight against Injun Joe. The shaken children find Murrell’s Gold and see daylight shining through a crack in the wall. They escape from the cave, finally safe.
As people of St. Petersburg hold a funeral service for the lost children ("Reprise of Light") Tom, Huck and Becky limp into town. They realize that they’re watching their own funeral. The children are discovered and the town people are wild with happiness (Reprise of "Ain’t Life Fine"). Huck tells Tom that he can read, and the two friends join the celebration ("Finale").
Act II
Winner
Tony Award
Nominees
Drama Desk Award
nominees
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain is an 1876 novel about a young boy growing up along the Mississippi River. The story is set in the Town of "St...
by Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
with the book by Ken Ludwig
Ken Ludwig
Ken Ludwig is an American playwright and theatre director.Born in York, Pennsylvania, Ludwig was educated at the York Suburban Senior High School, York PA Haverford College , Harvard Law School, and Trinity College at Cambridge University...
and music and lyrics by Don Schlitz
Don Schlitz
Donald Alan "Don" Schlitz, Jr. is a country music songwriter. For his songwriting efforts, Schlitz has earned two Grammys, as well as four ASCAP Country Songwriter of the Year awards...
.
The musical is the story of a fourteen-year-old boy growing up in the heartland of America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. This Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
musical version of Mark Twain's novel is set in 1840 in St. Petersburg, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, a bustling town on the banks of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. In the course of the story, Tom matches wits with his stern Aunt Polly, falls in love with the beautiful, feisty Becky Thatcher, and goes on the adventure of his life with Becky and that irresistible renegade, Huckleberry Finn
Huckleberry Finn (character)
Huckleberry "Huck" Finn is a fictional character created by Mark Twain, who first appeared in the book The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and is the protagonist and narrator of its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. He is 12 or 13 years old during the former and a year older at the time of the latter...
. Along the way he meets a terrifying villain named Injun Joe, Tom's bratty half-brother Sid, and all the other boys and girls in the village.
Productions
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer opened on BroadwayBroadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
at the Minskoff Theater on April 26, 2001 and closed on May 13, 2001, after 21 performances and 34 previews. The musical was directed by Scott Ellis
Scott Ellis
Scott Ellis is an American stage director and television director.-Biography:Ellis has directed numerous Off-Broadway and Broadway productions, including the New York City Opera Company revivals at the New York State Theatre: A Little Night Music and 110 in the Shade up to his current show, the...
with choreography by David Marques, and featured Joshua Park as Tom Sawyer, Kristen Bell
Kristen Bell
Kristen Anne Bell is an American actress. Although her first film role was an uncredited appearance in Polish Wedding, Bell previously acted in stage and musical productions. In 2001, she made her Broadway debut as Becky Thatcher in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer...
as Becky Thatcher, Jim Poulos as Huckleberry Finn, with Tom Aldredge
Tom Aldredge
Thomas Ernest "Tom" Aldredge was an American television, film and stage actor.-Life and career:Aldredge was born in Dayton, Ohio, the son of Lucienne Juliet and W. J. Aldredge, a colonel in the United States Army Air Corps...
(Muff Potter), Stephen Lee Anderson (Doc Robinson/Pap), Jane Connell (Widow Douglas), John Dossett
John Dossett
John Dossett is an American actor and singer.-Early life and education:Dossett attended Mount Pleasant High School in Wilmington, Delaware from 1972 through 1976, where he was an announcer for the school's radio station, WMPH, and appeared in student theater productions.-Career:Dossett made his...
(Judge Thatcher) and Kevin Serge Durand (Injun Joe).
Synopsis
Act OneIn 1840, Tom Sawyer is fishing outside St. Petersburg, Missouri as his friends arrive, and the children play a game of Robin Hood ("Hey, Tom Sawyer"). Tom’s Aunt Polly sends him to school, where he tricks the schoolmaster, Mr. Dobbins, into letting the class have the day off. Aunt Polly, Mr. Dobbins and the preacher, Reverend Sprague lament that they "Can’t Do A Thing About the Boy".
Aunt Polly orders Tom to whitewash a fence in front of their house, and Tom’s half-brother, Sid, is happy. Frustrated, Tom is frustrated and plans to run away (Here’s My Plan).
As Tom procrastinates, he meets a beautiful newcomer, Becky Thatcher and they are mutually attracted. The town's outcast and Tom's best friend Huckleberry Finn says that painting the fence looks like fun. Tom then tricks his friends into painting the fence for him, and paying ("Smart Like That").
At night, Tom and Huck visit the local graveyard and see Injun Joe, a troublemaker, fighting with Doc Robinson ("Hand All Clean"). Joe murders Doc Robinson and the boys run away and swear in blood to keep quiet forever about what they saw ("The Vow"). Injun Joe has a vagrant, Muff Potter, blamed for the murder.
On the way to church, Aunt Polly and Judge Thatcher, single parents, lament about "Raising A Child By Yourself". In church, Tom tries to impress Becky by fooling Reverend Sprague into giving him the "Bible Prize" ("It’s In The Bible").
Tom tries to convince a fearful Huck to learn to read. When Huck saves old Widow Douglas from the advances of the town drunk, she offers to teach him to read and to live in her home. However, Huck declines ("It Just Ain’t Me").
Tom and Becky proclaim their undying love for each other ("To Hear You Say My Name").
Muff Potter is arrested for murder, and he pleads with Injun Joe to save him from hanging. Joe agrees to help, but wants a map that Muff has found: a map leading to a treasure, Murrell’s Gold.
At Muff Potter’s trial, Tom tells the truth and swears that Injun Joe committed the murder. Injun Joe yells "You are dead, boy!", throws a knife at Tom, and runs from the courtroom ("The Testimony").
Act Two
As school ends for the summer the children and their parents celebrate ("Ain’t Life Fine"). After weeks of secret tutoring by Widow Douglas, Huck finally learns how to read and they celebrate ("I Can Read!").
At the annual town picnic the festivities start with the exploration of McDougal’s Cave. As the town people go to the cave, Injun Joe arrives in town. He is also going into the cave to find Murrell’s Gold ("Reprise"). But Tom and Becky get lost in the cave; Aunt Polly and Judge Thatcher, with the rest of the town people, frantically search for them ("Angels Lost").
Underground, as Tom and Becky seek a way out of the cave, Tom comforts Becky ("Light"). Although Injun Joe grabs Becky, Tom jumps out from behind a rock and Huck arrives. The three friends win in their fight against Injun Joe. The shaken children find Murrell’s Gold and see daylight shining through a crack in the wall. They escape from the cave, finally safe.
As people of St. Petersburg hold a funeral service for the lost children ("Reprise of Light") Tom, Huck and Becky limp into town. They realize that they’re watching their own funeral. The children are discovered and the town people are wild with happiness (Reprise of "Ain’t Life Fine"). Huck tells Tom that he can read, and the two friends join the celebration ("Finale").
Character list
- Tom Sawyer - 10-year old, in love with Becky
- Huckleberry Finn - A Charming Renegade
- Aunt Polly - Tom's kind but stern aunt
- Becky Thatcher - Tom's girlfriend
- Amy Lawrence - In love with Tom
- Injun Joe - The villain
- Miss Dobbins - The school teacher
- Muff Potter - A local vagrant
- Pap - The town drunk, and Huck's father
- Reverend Sprague
- Sid Sawyer - Tom's half-brother. An insufferable goody-goody
- Widow Douglas - A kind, old woman who teaches Huck how to read
- Alfred Temple- son of Gideon and a friend of Tom's
- Benjamin Rogers - Joe Harper's best friend
- Doc Robinson- The man murdered by Injun Jo
- George Bellamy
- Gideon Temple- Tom Sawyer's lawyer
- Joe Harper - Tom's second best friend, and best friend of Benjamin Rogers
- Judge Thatcher - Becky Thatcher's father, an old judge who just moved to Missouri
- Mayor Lanyard Bellamy
- Suzie Rogers
- Lucy Harper
- Jim Hollis
Songs
Act I- Overture: Civilization- Orchestra
- Hey, Tom Sawyer- Tom Sawyer, Aunt Polly, Lemuel Dobbins, Reverend Sprague, and the People of St. Petersburg
- Here's my Plan- Tom Sawyer
- Smart like That!- Tom Sawyer, Ben Rogers, and Boys
- Hands all Clean- Injun Joe and Doc Robinson
- The Vow- Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn
- Raising A Child- Aunt Polly and Judge Thatcher
- Old Hundred- Ensemble
- In The Bible- Tom Sawyer, Reverent Sprague, and Ensemble
- It Just Ain't Me- Huckleberry Finn
- To Hear You Say My Name- Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher
- Murrell's Gold- Injun Joe, Muff Potter, Tom Sawyer, and Huckleberry Finn
- The Testimony- Tom Sawyer and Ensemble
Act II
- Ain't Life Fine- Company
- This Time Tomorrow- Aunt Polly
- I Can Read- Huckleberry Finn and Widow Douglas
- Murrell's Gold (Reprise)- Injun Joe
- Angels Lost- Aunt Polly, Judge Thatcher, and the People of St. Petersburg
- Light- Tom Sawyer
- Angels Lost (Reprise)- Becky Thatcher
- Light (Reprise)- People of St. Petersburg
- Finale- Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, Becky Thatcher, and Ensemble
Awards and nominations
Theatre World AwardTheatre World Award
The Theatre World Award, first awarded for the 1945-46 season, is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or off-Broadway.-History:...
Winner
- Outstanding New Performer (Joshua Park)
Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
Nominees
- Lighting Designer (Kenneth Posner)
- Scenic Designer (Heidi Ettinger)
Drama Desk Award
Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
nominees
- Outstanding Orchestrations (Michael Starobin)
- Outstanding Set Design of a Musical (Heidi Ettinger)
- Outstanding Costume Design (Anthony Powell)
- Outstanding Lighting Design (Kenneth Posner)