Much has changed since the late nineteenth century when the American icons of President Theodore Roosevelt and writer Mark Twain lived and made their marks on the nation. Just the same, much has not. The importance of opposing opinions being voiced in open communication is still important to keeping both the smallest of villages and the nation as a whole strong. It is with this thought in mind that the Fayette Opera House welcomed Dr. Jan Younger and illustrator Polly Keene as they prepared their presentation of Dr. Younger’s play “As Different as a Frog and a Grizzly”.
The play, which imagines a debate between Twain and Roosevelt, is part of the Steinem-Nyce series which hopes to stimulate civil conversations and civic engagement at the local level and is aimed at portraying not only the differences of Twain and Roosevelt, but also how they both worked through conversation and open dialogue in an attempt to better the world they lived in.
With a vast difference in the opinions held by Roosevelt and Twain on a wide variety of topics, the play showcased these opposing sides as well as that perhaps that neither man, as inspirational and iconic as they were, was completely right all the time. Criticizing each other’s philosophies, politics – or, at times, lack thereof, lifestyles, and values, the play’s emphasis is not that either man is correct. Instead, the emphasis lies on that as much as they differed, Twain and Roosevelt still carried mutual respect for one another.
The Fayette Opera House’s performance was a proud reflection on Dr. Younger’s work and goals in the writing of the play. With Randy Stuckey playing Theodore Roosevelt, Ruth Marlatt as The Narrator, and Tom Spiess portraying Mark Twain, the cast was a set of familiar names to many in attendance – and a reminder that the debates aren’t always national; they’re local as well.
Dr. Younger notes that all of the lines spoken by Twain and Roosevelt throughout the dramatized debate are words actually spoken by the men in their lifetimes. While the timeline in which the words might have come from creative license, the juxtaposition of such real words showcased just different and passionate each man was. Dr. Younger also notes that he is still working on and growing the play, which is now in its approximately eighth version, making it a play that will be worth watching grow and change over time. After all, the characters are legendary and the theme is timeless.