Review: ASTORIA Brings the Founding of Oregon's Oldest City Vividly to Life, at Portland Center Stage

I read Peter Stark's Astoria last year on the suggestion of Portland Center Stage Artistic Director Chris Coleman. It's the history of the John Jacob Astor-funded expedition to establish a fur trading post on the Pacific. He sent one party by land and another by sea to Astoria, Oregon, which became the first American settlement in the Pacific Northwest. The whole time I was reading, all I could think was, "How did they make it?"

The truth is, many of them didn't. More than half died or went mad along the way, from starvation, the cold, and, often, violent encounters.

It was a gripping read. A long, exhaustively researched and reported read, but a gripping one nonetheless. Coleman's ASTORIA, now playing at PCS, is an adaptation of the first half of the book -- the journey to Astoria. The second half will provide material for a future production.

ASTORIA is a colossal undertaking. Coleman and the cast do an incredible job of bringing the history to life via the stories and struggles of the men -- and woman -- who made up the traveling parties.

What I liked a great deal:

The set. The story takes place on land and sea, over mountains, on rivers, and occasionally at Astor's home in New York. The set is deceptively simple, until the backdrop starts moving to show the overland party's progress over the mountains and tables turn into boats. Very cool.

The music. Some of the explorers were French Canadian voyageurs, hired for their skill at paddling canoes. They would sing to keep pace while they paddled. I used to live in Montreal, and many of the folk songs they sang in the play were the same ones you'll hear today at a traditional farmers' market.

Ben Rosenblatt. Rosenblatt plays Thorn, the captain of the Tonquin, the ship engaged to travel to Astoria around Cape Horn, as well as one of the voyageurs in the overland party. He's awesome.

Gavin Hoffman. He's perfect as the stubborn Scot, Duncan McDougall.

The humor. There wasn't a lot to laugh at in the book, or much dialoguE. Coleman uses the invented dialogue to inject some much-needed levity into what was essentially a series of impossible situations.

What I could have liked better:

The dialogue-to-narration ratio. The characters do a lot of narrating their own actions. It would have been easier to emotionally engage in the story if there were more dialogue. Cutting down on the narration would also help with...

The length. At just under 3 hours, the play is long. And, at times, it feels that way. With a trim of some of the narration and perhaps some of the many characters, the production could fit into a more comfortable 2 ½.

The ending. I imagine it must have been very difficult for Coleman to decide where to split the story into two. As it is, we leave the overland party still making their way across the country. Especially after 3 hours, it would have been nice to reach a more certain ending.

If you like history, or history plays, you'll certainly enjoy ASTORIA. It runs through February 19. Get your tickets here: https://www.pcs.org/astoria-part-one

Photo credit: Jennie Baker