In an article which appeared in the Los Angeles Times late in 2001, referring to the award-winning stage production, Big River, a reviewer commented that the voice of the mourning Mary Jane sounded "straight from the hills." The musical is based on the story of Huckleberry Finn, and in the role of Mary Jane (Huck’s girlfriend) was Melissa van der Schyff, a young singer/actress from Victoria, British Columbia, who had acquired a BFA in Acting at the College of Santa Fe, New Mexico, and studied at the British American Drama Academy in London, where she appeared in Old Heads and Young Hearts at the Drill Hall.
Since that time she has gone from strength to strength: to Broadway, where she won a Tony Award for Special Achievement in Theatre, along with her Big River cast mates; to numerous other productions including films and sitcoms; and, most recently, to An Italian Straw Hat: A Vaudeville at South Coast Rep, and the musical Zhivago at the La Jolla Playhouse. Most recently she has been rehearsing for her role as Catherine, a widow with a young son, in the classic Pippin, which has just opened at the Mark Taper Theatre in LA.
In a January 18, 2009 story, again in the Los Angeles Times, Karen Wada writes, under the heading, 'A singin', signin' Pippin,' that Deaf West Theatre is trying to conjure magic again at the Mark Taper with a reimagining of the hit '70s musical. “Not so long ago,” Wada goes on to say, "the idea of staging a musical with performers who can't hear music might have seemed crazy. But then Deaf West Theatre offered up its version of Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which leaped from a 75-seat house in North Hollywood to the Mark Taper Forum in 2002, to Broadway in 2003. A new art form — one that combines singing, speaking and American Sign Language — was introduced.”
Learning American Sign Language (ASL, or Ameslan) — the dominant sign language of the deaf community in the United States, the English-speaking parts of Canada, and parts of Mexico — in order to act, speak, and sing the part of Mary Jane (as well as provide the voices for some of the other actors) must have been a daunting prospect, but Melissa van der Schyff succeeded brilliantly in Big River. She laughs when she is reminded of the night she might have forgotten her lines if she had not been able to "read" her hands!
Article comments
1 - Dawn M
Isn't she fantastic? It really is wonderful when those who have got, try and share with those that have not. You have no idea how it brightens lives whether deaf, blind or wheel-chair bound. May Melissa go from strength to strength.
2 - Marie Warder (author of the article)
In a message posted on Facebook, Melissa van der Schyff writes:
“I was wondering if there is any way to amend a part of the article...ASL is the dominant language for the Deaf in the USA, but not in Canada or Mexico. They have their own sign language, thus "ASL"American" Sign Language. These are the kind of facts that are confusing sometimes but can be helpful to educate people. Thank you for the complimentary article though."
My response.
Thank you for brining this to my attention. Your concern is justified, and I trust that in publishing your message, I shall help to correct the info which I obtained directly from Wikipedia. (I see that updates are invited on that website and maybe some public-spirited citizen will feel moved to provide them.)