Huck Finn adventure rolls in ‘River’

The show is now at Lyric Stage Company, under the direction of Spiro Veloudos and with an appealing cast that makes the most of the sketchy material they have been given by the late Roger Miller (score) and William Hauptman (book).

Some of Miller’s songs, such as “Muddy Water,’’ do soar, while others, like the opening ensemble number “Do Ya Wanna Go to Heaven,’’ sparkle with the bouncy cleverness of his pop classic “King of the Road.’’ At other times, though, Miller’s lyrics feel interchangeable and generic, as if they were pulled from the songwriter’s desk drawer and dropped into “Big River’’ rather than arising organically from specific characters.

This is especially problematic with songs like “Worlds Apart.’’ This second-act number should be a high point of the show, since it underscores the radically different perspectives of young, rebellious Huck Finn (Jordan Ahnquist) and an escaped slave named Jim (De’Lon Grant), yet also touches upon the bonds of friendship and understanding that are growing between them. But “Worlds Apart’’ dissolves into radio-ready generalities.

Veloudos directed a masterful two-part production last year of “The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby,’’ another stage adaptation of a 19th-century novel by a literary giant (Charles Dickens). But while there are certainly poignant moments in “Big River,’’ such as “River in the Rain,’’ a duet between Huck and Jim, the show just doesn’t get under the skin the way “Nicholas Nickleby’’ did.