A night with ‘Uncle Golden’
Though he has been dead since 1938, Jonathan Golden Kimball, one of the most colorful leaders in the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is alive and well Saturday nights at The Book Table on Main Street. Thanks to a script written by Utah playwright James Arrington, local actor Bruce Ackerman is giving Cache Valley residents a chance to meet “Uncle Golden,” as Kimball was often called. The show is fast-paced, witty – and sometimes a little irreverent – insight into an eccentric cowboy called to serve as a member of the leading body of the church he loved. Alternating between humorous stories and tender reflection on his love of God and loyalty to his faith, the character J. Golden Kimball comes across as very human, a man whose imperfections endeared him to his people, and made him a legend of Mormon culture. J. Golden Kimball was, by the end of his life, the senior member of the Latter-day Saint Quorum of the Seventy, Ackerman said. An unorthodox leader in many respects, Kimball had a habit of swearing, even from the pulpit, and never quite gave up coffee, which is against the Latter-day Saint health code known as the “Word of Wisdom,” Ackerman said. “[J. Golden Kimball] achieved his folk-hero status on stories of swearing at the pulpit, etc. But he deserves to be remembered for much more than that,” Ackerman said. “He deserved his position as senior member of the Quorum of the Seventy. He was a common man who loved the people.” “A moment I cherish was opening night in Provo, 1983,” Ackerman said about his role as J. Golden. “When I stepped into the spotlight, I felt the love of J. Golden for the people he had spoken to; it makes me want to be a better person.” None of the audience members Saturday night appeared to be offended by the occasional profanity that slipped from Uncle Golden’s lips. Indeed, it would be difficult to be offended by the speech of a character who, throughout the course of the show, showed a sincere effort to repent of his ways, but the show is certainly not for children. While Ackerman is obviously a younger man than the character he plays, and at times has to work to portray an age he is not, this is a detail soon forgotten as the audience becomes reeled into the stream of comical yarns spun by J. Golden’s reflections on his experiences with missionary work, marriage, debt and the Latter-day Saint Church’s former practice of polygamy. Personally, I would say an audience member would be likely to enjoy the show if he/she is interested in or knows enough about Latter-day Saint/Utah culture and folklore to catch the allusions to Latter-day Saint practices. Amid dreams of making his Uncle Golden impersonation a year-round weekly event in Logan, Ackerman admits it has been difficult to draw a good crowd. In fact, the final performance for this year is Saturday. I would encourage anyone who is even mildly curious about local culture and folklore to attend, it is one of the more unique shows I have ever seen in Cache Valley. Tickets to “J. Golden Kimball” are available at The Book Table for $8.50 regular price, $7 for students and $6 with a coupon found in The Herald Journal and various other local publications.