Cast, crew taking on a big challenge

Get ready to be entertained. An American classic, "Arsenic and Old Lace," is coming to the stage in Southwest Nebraska and Northwest Kansas.

Following two months of rehearsals, the play will open Friday night at the Fox Theater in McCook. The shows in McCook will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights and at 2 p.m. Sunday afternoon.

Then, after taking a five-day break, the cast will travel to Oberlin Saturday, Oct. 30, for the final performance at 7:30 p.m. at the Gateway Events Center.

A stage play of this scope is an immense undertaking for a local theatrical troupe. Work started last summer, when Chuck Trail and the stage crew began building the set. That took ingenuity, as the setting is from Victorian times in a Brooklyn home. Once again, Trail and other members of the stage crew have come through with a winner, capturing the mood of the era to perfection.

Not too much later, the versatile cast swung into action. Rehearsals started Aug. 23, and have continued four days per week, three hours per practice, through this week. "We have rehearsed Monday, Tuesday and Thursday nights, and Sunday afternoons," said Bill Marshall, who is making his directing debut.

"It has been interesting to say the least," Marshall said. "The main thing is getting everyone working together."

That has been no small task as more than 30 people are involved in the production, including 14 cast members. Playing the leading roles are two maiden aunts, portrayed by Cheryl Scott of Hayes Center and Alice Harpst of McCook, and a drama critic, played by Bill Longnecker of McCook.

Marshall also had words of praise for three teen-age boys -- Casey Sines-Baker, Ethan Poore and Nathan McCarty -- who are playing adult roles. Poore and McCarty are McCook High School students and Sines-Baker is home-schooled.

The director also lauded the cast and crew for their special efforts. For example, Cheryl Scott participated fully in practice, even though it meant round trips each time from Hayes Center. And special effort will also be required Oct. 30, when the cast and crew will move the entire set to Oberlin for the final show.

It takes a lot of time and practice to present a play of the caliber of "Arsenic and Old Lace." It's a compliment to the local cast and the crew that they have taken on the challenge. We look forward to their two-state presentation.