The heat was back on at the Chilkat Center Wednesday, a relief for the 30 actors and actresses who’ve been bundled up for six weeks, rehearsing Rogers and Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma!” and awaiting boiler repairs.
“It’s a good sign,” said Mark Sebens, who along with Elisé Lammers, is co-directing the Lynn Canal Community Players show that opens 7 p.m. Friday at the center. Additional performances are 7 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday.
Moose hunting, wood chopping, and housebuilding have interrupted rehearsals, Lammers said, but the show was coming together and holds some surprises for folks who may think of it as dry or slow.
“It’s an upbeat, big-laugh musical and there’s some unexpected humor,” Lammers said. The show’s song and dance numbers are backed up by a nine-member orchestra.
Pete Redshaw, a musician who plays sheriff Cord Elam, said learning dialogue and acting have been fun and nerve-wracking. “I’m good at learning songs, but this is more than a song.”
Mistakes in the last week of rehearsals aren’t necessarily a bad thing, he said. “Mistakes right before the show put your mind on alert and keep you from getting too complacent or relaxed.”
The show’s lead actors include Andrew Cardella as cowboy Curley McLain, Hannah Reeves as Curley’s love interest Laurey Williams and Lorrie Dudzik as Laurey’s Aunt Eller.
Cardella’s local acting debut was as Lt. Cable in “South Pacific” two years ago. He said he’s never held a leading role or had to learn so many lines, plus he’s never ridden a horse. But Reeves knows all her lines, so that helps, he said. Reeves performed in LCCP’s “The Music Man.”