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.

Theatrical Review: John Horner: My Father's Field

However John Horner was a good man, a church man.  Church was held in his home on many occasions.  He was also a good friend to the missionaries traveling to the South Pacific and Hawaii.  I read in the Millennial Star the story of how some missionaries traveling west were told to seek him out, and he helped pay their passage to Hawaii.  At the first state fair he was declared "The first farmer of California."  It is ironic that he left California and ended up pioneering agriculture in Hawaii.

I visited the temple grounds to see the musical, My Father's Field.  It was enjoyable.  I had read about John Horner on several occasions  How he had purchased his property on several occasions, with different people saying it belonged to them, and then how he had to buy the same property three or four times.  Then after being a success, he lost everything by over extending himself in signing notes for others, and not keeping $30,000 available as advised by the Prophet.

I took those of the family who wanted to see this, a couple years ago to Regional Center in Oakland.  This presentation had some entertaining parts, and they set up conflict between John and a banker to keep the show interesting.  However some of it was contrived and only mildly entertaining.  In fact I must admit, I became bored and we did not stay to the end.
http://www.wheelwrightenterprises.com/musicals/MyFathersField.htm