Specifically, the company has brought a folk hero back to life in "Sunrise in My Pocket: The Comical, Tragical, True History of Davy Crockett," the first production of the season for PRC. Edwin Justus Mayer's play, adapted and directed by Jeffrey Hayden, is running until Nov. 10.
Crockett always has been associated with the outdoors, so relocating the wilderness to an indoor theater was a necessary task. The play's crew has done wonders, using realistic tree props, changes in lighting, pre-recorded sound effects and other small touches to enhance the story.
The plot revolves around the famed frontiersman's journey from Tennessee to Texas to fight against Santa Anna's Mexican army. He also sees Texas as a "virgin country" that hasn't yet been violated by greedy speculators and bankers.
Davy has a ragtag team to accompany him. There's Crawling Caterpillar (Douglas Spain), his Harvard-educated Native American sidekick; Hardin (Mike Regan), a pugilistic pirate; Thimblerig (Jeffrey Blair Cornell), a cowardly con man; and Annie (Jamie Rose), a gutsy lady who prefers buckskins to dresses.
Although they seem one-dimensional at first, there's lifeblood running through each of these characters. Crawling Caterpillar is a living, breathing example of disconnection and culture shock. The portrayals of Thimblerig and Annie hint at evolving gender roles. Even the volatile, hard-drinking Hardin has a personal code of honor that he sticks to.
Guiding these misfits through their respective self-discoveries is Davy. He's played to perfection by PRC regular Kenneth Strong, who combines force, conviction and authority to make himself and the legend one and the same.
Like its main character, the play is able both to make grand, sweeping statements and to work in subtler ways. "Sunrise" hints at the notion of examining past mistakes in the hopes of preventing similar ones in the future.
With every mention of money-minded speculators and bankers, the current controversy surrounding big business springs to mind. And parallels can be drawn between Davy's march to the Alamo in San Antonio and present-day international conflicts that are coming to a head.
At first glance, "Sunrise in My Pocket" might seem like a fun but irrelevant blast to the past -- but there's more to it than meets the eye. In reminding us about what the United States used to be, the play invites discussion about what defines the nation today.
