Homer Alaska - Arts

Hoop skirts, bow ties and European accents will be all the rage in Pier One's 2010 youth production, Mark Twain's "Is He Dead?" which opens this weekend.

The performance not only celebrates the 100th anniversary of Twain's death, but also the talents of a cast of 11 Homer youth thespians all under the age of 17 as well as the culmination of directors Leeza Mastre's and Clara Noomah's first completed season as Pier One's youth directors.

"This is the grand finale of the summer," Noomah said. "I'm hoping nothing else could top this production. It's going to be one of the best productions Pier One youth theatre has seen in a number of years."

"This play exemplifies the skill level of our students," Mastre said.

"It's rich with situational irony and hilarity. It's perfect for a cast who is at an age where silliness comes naturally."

"Is He Dead?" was written in 1898, but only published for the first time in 2003 after it was fished out of the archives of the Mark Twain Papers. At the show's center is Jean-Francois Millet, a fictional version of the real French painter. Millet is an impoverished and unrecognized painter played by 14-year-old Owen Duffy.

With the help of Millet's inner circle of friends, an American, played by Johnny Hamilton, a German, played by Jonah Noomah, and an Irishman, played by Patrick Latimer, Millet is convinced to fake his own death in order to raise the value of his paintings. Millet disappears from life and reappears as his imaginary twin sister and complications involving cross-dressing, mistaken identities, social satire and romantic deception ensue.

From left, Cassidy Soistman, 14, as Marie Leroux, Zoe Story, 14, as Cecile Leroux, and Jacob Mayforth, 15, as Andre Bastien, rehearse a scene from "Is he Dead?"

"This is Owen's moment to shine like nothing else," Noomah said. "He has seized this role and made it his own."

Duffy in his purple hook skirt and bean-padded bra are vaguely disturbing in all the right ways. Duffy, a seasoned Pier One actor — most recently he was a stage hand for "Dead Man's Cell Phone"— has accepted his first starring role with confidence.

"Even though I'm playing a character from the 1800s, there is so much humor and ridiculous situations in the lay that the character is very accessible," Duffy said. "And though I'm wearing a corset and bra, I'm totally confident in my masculinity."

If you can get past the cheap jokes about Lindberger cheese, "Is He Dead," is a humorous "what if" story raising questions about the value of art, greed and fame that the Homer community, and any struggling artist can relate to.

"Is He Dead?" opens Friday and plays through Aug. 1 and the following weekend of Aug. 5-7. Contact Pier One at 235-7333 for reservations and ticket availability.

Jessica Knox is a freelance writer who lives in Homer.