From the archives…

[6] THE BALLAD OF JOE HILL (Swim Pony Performing Arts): Fringe review

The crumbling interior of Eastern State Penitentiary provides the perfect setting for Swim Pony’s sold-out remount of its 2006 Fringe hit THE BALLAD OF JOE HILL, an original take on the real-life historic songwriter and labor activist executed in Utah in 1915 for two murders he probably didn’t commit. Combining song, storytelling, and movement to convey the events surrounding the working-class hero’s martyrdom for the cause, the visually stunning production employs dramatic staging down the bays of the long and narrow cell block, haunting spot- and back-lighting, vintage music, and redolent costumes that conjure the era and evoke the dreamlike mood of an old sepia-toned photograph. Live singing by James Michael Baker, accompanying himself on guitar and harmonica, and a wistful performance by Dawn Falato as Hilda, the mystery woman who might have been Hill’s alibi, are highlights of the show. more…