14
CURTAIN CALL
DECEMBER 8�15, 2021
LIVE THEATER AND MUSICAL
PRODUCTIONS AROUND EASTERN OREGON
From book to the stage: ‘Tuck Everlasting’
By Lisa Britton
Go! Magazine
‘TUCK
EVERLASTING’
7:30 p.m. Dec. 10
12:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Dec. 11
Elgin Opera House
www.elginoperahouse.com
I
’ve always wanted a T-shirt that
says “The book was better.”
I’m excited when a favorite
book is made into a movie, but
every time — without fail — I am
disappointed. It’s so easy to fi nd
fault when the fi lmmaker left out
a favorite part, or cast a charac-
ter that in no way resembles the
picture I made in my mind.
I know I should judge each —
book and movie — as separate
art forms. But it seems like mov-
ies can never quite capture the
same magic as a book, in my
opinion.
A move from book to stage,
however, is diff erent.
I most recently experienced
this with a trip to the Elgin Opera
House where I and my two kids
(ages 14 and 10) saw “Tuck
Everlasting.”
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Jay Van Tassell/Contributed image
Grant Deem is Hugo, a deputy-in-
training, in “Tuck Everlasting,” now
playing at the Elgin Opera House.
When I heard this play was
on the schedule, I checked the
book out from the library and
quickly read the volume, which
comes in at just 139 pages.
“Tuck Everlasting” was written by
Natalie Babbitt and published in
1975. The story has been made
into two movies (1981 and 2002)
and a Broadway musical.
And it is that musical we
watched on Saturday, Nov. 27.
The stage version does
diverge from the original book
just a bit, but not in any way that
Jay Van Tassell/Contributed image
Fern McConnell plays Winnie Foster in the Elgin Opera House’s production of
“Tuck Everlasting.”
greatly impacts the story.
It begins with the Tuck family
who, in the early 1800s, drank
from a spring in a wood. Years
passed but when they did not
age — and serious accidents
never resulted in death — the
Tucks realized the water had
made them immortal.
Then we jump to 80-some
years in the future, when a young
Winnie Foster (played by Fern
McConnell in her fi rst major role)
wanders in to the wood and
almost drinks from the spring
— but is stopped by Jesse Tuck
(Liam Bloodgood), who looks
17 but is indeed more than 100
years old.
And here is where Winnie has
a choice: drink from the spring
and live forever, or live out her
normal life in the fullest way
she can.
During the performance, I
didn’t once compare the musical
to the book. This is due, I think,
to the cast — each actor brings
something special to the stage
and I was transfi xed the entire
time (and I teared up several
times, as well).
Director Terry Hale said: “My
actors are so incredible. Each
one has captured the essence of
their character. Each one of them
is so very good. It’s magic watch-
ing them on stage together.”
I quite agree.
There are still tickets avail-
able for the fi nal three perfor-
mances of “Tuck Everlasting.”
The show on Friday, Dec. 10,
starts at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec.
11, has two shows: 12:30 p.m.
and 4:30 p.m. Tickets are $18
for the orchestra level and lower
balcony, or $8 for the upper bal-
cony. Purchase tickets online at
www.elginoperahouse.com.