As I sit down to write this review, I’m desperately reaching for a metaphor I have in my head connecting my journey down the under-construction Rt. 12 to Greene last night and the trip taken by a fateful couple down the Colorado River in ‘Separation Rapid,’ but it’s just not coming to me.

Probably because Rt. 12, torn up, bumpy and off-course as it is down near Greene these days, doesn’t even come close to the perilous, treacherous and harrowing journey undertaken by newlyweds Glenn and Bessie Hyde in ‘Separation Rapid,’ no matter how far you can stretch a metaphor.

Maybe I tried because seeing the play last night at the Chenango River Theatre made me want to feel like an intrepid adventurer, when in reality the only thing I can steer clearly is a keyboard!

Based on the true story, “Separation Rapid” tells the tale of the bold and daring Hydes, who set out in 1928 on what they hope will be a record-breaking trip down the rapids of the Colorado as it winds through the Grand Canyon. The just-married couple aren’t merely thrill-seekers though ... they’re hell-bent on being famous, traveling the Vaudeville circuit, meeting presidents and queens, Earhart and Lindberg style. While a few men have survived the dangerous currents, Bessie would be the first woman to do so.