Mormon Musical Review: KBYU In Performance: 1856 Long Walk Home

This is a combined telling of the Martin and Willey Handcart Companies in an operatic style.  It uses poetry, song (piano accompaniment) and poetic recitation to tell the story.  It includes some classic stories from the tragedy.  These include the words of Elizabeth Jackson Horrocks with regards to the death of her husband, and spending the night in the freezing cold under the stars with her children on her lap.  Also the words of Frances Webster, "We became acquainted with God in our extremities."

It also gives a fairly good idea of the conditions on the ships in the journey across the ocean.

However it does have some problems with telling two stories at the same time, and as a result it makes some factual errors.  It has the Martin Saints going up Rocky Ridge and crossing the Sweetwater for the sixth time going to Martin's Cove.  It was their first crossing, and they did not pull the handcarts up Rocky Ridge.  It also has Ephraim coming into camp before Martin's Cove, while he met the company after the Cove.

The genre was operatic, and not period, which would have been preferable.  The version of Brigham Young calling on the Saints was enjoyable, and the cords haunting.

This work, I could only mildly recommend.