True Twain portrayed in 'Hannibal'
Mary Barile's "Leaving Hannibal" debuts Thursday at the Corner Playhouse.
Published Sept. 13, 2005
Students have the opportunity to catch a glimpse into the childhood of one of the Missouri's most famous authors, Mark Twain.
"Leaving Hannibal," a new play about Sam Clemens, the man who grew up to take the pen name of Twain, will open at the Corner Playhouse on Thursday.
Cheryl Black directs the show that was written by Mary Barile, an MU graduate student and Hofstra University alumna, whose shows have been produced in the United States and Canada.
"Leaving Hannibal" is a biographical coming-of-age show about the young Sam Clemens and his life growing up in Hannibal.
The show examines Clemens' dysfunctional family's role and the need the young writer felt to leave home.
All of the characters are based on actual Hannibal residents from Clemens's life, with one exception: the mystical character Julia.
The antics and adventures of young Clemens and his friends are considered models the writer later used in creating the dynamic duo of mischievous American literary history — Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Autobiographical books, including "Life on the Mississippi," directly reference Clemens's early life, though whether these are accurate depictions of real life is up for debate.
In "Leaving Hannibal," Barile wanted to focus on the reality behind the original backstory, which might have been more myth than non-fiction.
Cheryl Black
Director
"I hope (the audience) will empathize with the conflicting emotions that Sam experiences about his family, his girlfriend and his hometown. I hope our audience will get a sense of the time and place: Hannibal, MO., 1853, a sense of who these people were and what it was like to live in Hannibal in that time."
Matt Galbreath
Characters:
Professor Barton and Todd
"It's a coming-of-age story which is relevant because college students are at a transition. I want people to feel that it's OK to look back on their memories, smile and still move on. I play Professor Barton and he's the great wizard of the West. He's very confident, to the point of arrogance. He's arrogant but you still kind of like him."
Erin Reavis Castle
Character:
Jane Lampton Clemens
"Jane is very spry and quick-witted. She has a good sense of humor and good relationships with her children. She is different from the other characters for the aforementioned characteristics. She is older, wiser and well acquainted with the joy and the pain that happens within a lifetime of experiences.
David Shapiro
Character:
Henry Clemens
"Henry is a 'good boy.' He is a 14-year-old who gives contrast in respect to his brother Sam. For instance, Sam believes slavery is wrong, where Henry believes it is right. Henry is not a racist, though. He is just a 14-year-old who is ignorant on the topic and goes along with the social norm."