About the Show

In Creative Arts Lab's stage adaptation of Edgar Lee Masters' 'Spoon River Anthology,' two strangers return to their hometown to say one last goodbye to their pasts.

Julia and Ham meet and journey together through the Spoon River cemetery. There they—and the audience—encounter the town's departed who speak and sing of their lives, their loves, and their town as they guide the living in their search for truth. These memories are complemented by performances of traditional American songs and hymns such as “Down to the River to Pray,” “Simple Gifts,” and “Battle Cry of Freedom.”

Critic Reviews (1)

“The individual stories lack narrative fluidity and cohesion…Under Arment’s direction, the cast’s delivery of the outdated language sounds unnatural and stilted, at times recitative, at other times cloying and histrionic, with mugging and emoting that miss the mark for either drama or comedy…The performances as a whole are generally lacking in credible emotion. As a result, the show’s underlying didacticism seems little more than an antiquated cliché."
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Trailer

Creative team