Theater to embark on wacky ride out west
Mar. 9—fayetteville — The Historic Fayette Theater's spring production will include guns, fun, music and a large cast featuring a mix of theater veterans and newcomers.
Directing the "Wagon Wheels West" production will be Sharon Bibb, a frequent HFT performer who has guided several roles for the theater.
"I am learning that it is a little harder directing than being on stage," especially with a larger cast, Bibb said Monday.
The production debuts at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 10. After Friday, shows will be as follows: March 11, 17, 18, 24 and 25 at 7:30 p.m.; and March 18 and 26 at 2 p.m.
A special "High 5" promotion is planned for the 7:30 p.m. show on March 18, as all balcony seats will be $5.
"This year, we're actually doing a Saturday matinee in the middle weekend, and we're only doing one Sunday matinee the final weekend," Bibb said. (Both matinees in the past have been on Sundays.) "We're just mixing it up a little for people who may be driving to Fayetteville for the weekend."
The play will unfold in two acts and run about two hours long, and there will be a cast of about 40, with the youngest performers being 11 or 12 years of age. "There's a lot of new faces," Bibb said. "The new faces are great. We've got a lot of first-timers here." That includes Theatre West Virginia's Joe Dangerfield, making his first appearance on the HFT stage as Chuck Wagon, the wagon master.
"And I see families coming (to act together)," Bibb added.
"Wagon Wheels West" is labeled in promotional material as a "rootin' tootin' musical comedy." It is written by Tim Kelly and Bill Francoeur.
"It's written as a comedy, kind of a parody," Bibb explains. "A wagon train starts out heading to California and is interrupted on the trail, and they end up in a little town called Vinegar Bottle.
"And there's a bandit on the loose at Vinegar Bottle that's robbing everyone. He's notorious to help people break down on the wagon train and then rob them, and he's known as The Snake."
The production is fast-paced and offers a "good mix" of characters such as Candy Cane and Chuck Wagon, according to Bibb.
It marks the first time HFT has performed "Wagon Wheels West." "They'll definitely be entertained," Bibb said of what the audience can expect. She said there will be "some great acting, some great singing and some pretty good dancing.
"It's just going to be a good time."
Bibb said she aims for the proceeds of the upcoming production to be directed toward reinstituting a scholarship fund previously offered by the HFT.
The theater is located at 115 S. Court St. in Fayetteville. For ticket information and other details, the theater can be reached at 304-574-4655, via email at hft@historicfayettetheater.com, at the website fayettetheater.com or at https://www.facebook.com/HistoricFayetteTheater.
The musical comedy is produced by special arrangement with Pioneer Drama Service, of Englewood, Colorado, and with support from the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History.
Email: skeenan@register-herald.com; follow on Twitter @gb_scribe
