NATCHEZ &8212; The story and characters are familiar &8212; Mark Twain&8217;s Huck Finn, the runaway slave Jim, Tom Sawyer and the others. But the musical &8220;Big River&8221; has surprises, director Tommy Jackson said.

For one thing, the music may surprise those who attend the show, which opens Saturday at 8 p.m. at Natchez Little Theatre, 319 Linton Ave.

The famous composer-singer-entertainer Roger Miller wrote both the music and the lyrics, which Jackson describes as &8220;very fine country, toe-tapping music.&8221;

Another surprise is the youthfulness of the cast, Jackson said. &8220;The cast is very young this year, but very willing. They have worked hard, and they&8217;re just like sponges. They pick up things fast.&8221;

Eight members of the cast are veterans from 2005, Jackson said. The other 15 are new to the show, which is one of the evening entertainments during Fall Pilgrimage, which begins Saturday and continues through Oct. 14.

&8220;Big River&8221; will be performed every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. during Pilgrimage, with an extra performance on the day after Pilgrimage closes, 2 p.m. on Oct. 15.

Ric Luss, a newcomer to Natchez Little Theatre, plays the role of Jim. A Californian by birth, he moved to Monterey, La., to be with his grandparents during his school years and complete high school at Monterey High.

In Monterey, he worked for a while with music teacher and performer Sylvia Johns Ritchie. &8220;She called me out for this part,&8221; Luss said.

Luss became interested in music early in life, he said. &8220;At age 12, I began to teach myself to play instruments,&8221; he said.

He spent two years in the U.S. Navy, having a short stint in the Navy chorus.

Still, he feels his talent is with instruments, not with his voice. &8220;I&8217;m really not a singer,&8221; he said.

Jackson disagrees. &8220;Ric is fabulous. His acting is very understated, and when he sings, he&8217;s like an angel.&8221;

Layne Taylor, NLT executive director, returns in the role of Duke, for which he received acclaim in 2005.

&8220;It is a great comic role, and Layne is great in it,&8221; Jackson said. &8220;He is a joy to work with, as he is so well trained.&8221;

Darlene McCune is musical director. She has worked closely with the 15 new singer-actors, Jackson said.

&8220;She has been teaching all the vocal lines and has done a great job teaching all the new ones how to read music. Six of them had never been in a musical before.&8221;

Their talents have blossomed, Jackson said. But the best quality of the cast is generosity toward one another.

&8220;The triumph of this show is that this cast has no ego,&8221; he said. &8220;They help each other so that each person shines.&8221;