"Wildest West" ready to take center stage

Beginning Friday, the Sidney High School auditorium will be transformed into the wild west as students take to the stage, and the audience take aim, for the school's annual musical production.

This year's production is "The Wild, Wild, Wildest West" by Christopher Gieschen and Bill Francoeur. The show is a comedic melodrama about a cold-hearted banker who attempts to defraud a widow of her land, while the local sheriff has to deal with a gang of villains who are tired of always losing and decide to go on strike.

The musical is under the direction of David Mead with choreography from Brett Avila.

Since January, the cast of nearly 30 students have met after school to learn their lines, songs and choreography for this year's production.

Senior Austin Jacobsen has participated in the school's annual musical for five years, beginning in eighth grade.

"It's usually just a high school musical, and you can do it freshman through senior year, but Mr. Mead asked me to be a part of the cast," Jacobsen said.

Jacobsen said the experience is different every year.

"It's kind of the same, but it's also very different with each one," he said. "They're all unique."

In this year's production, Jacobsen will portray the Schizophrenic Kid, a villain who changes his personality depending on which hat he is wearing.

"He really doesn't know what he does half of the time," Jacobsen said. "When he's wearing his black hat, he's going to be bad and nasty, but when he puts on his white hat, he's a real smart guy and thinks ahead."

Senior Bailee Christie said she is playing three roles in this year's musical: a townsperson, a saloon girl, and August, the eldest of four sisters.

"I've done multiple characters before in other plays," Christie said.

Leading up to this week, the cast has met Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday evenings for rehearsal. Now in dress rehearsal, they will practice their performance every weekday up until opening night.

"It's stressful, and everyone is kind of freaking out, but I think we're ready," Jacobsen said. "We put in a lot of hard work."

Christie echoed Jacobsen about the hard work in readying their performance.

"I put in a lot because I want to try to make this play the best I can," she said. "It's my last musical with Sidney High, so I've been trying as hard as I can."

The Wednesday dress rehearsal will be a special performance in front of family, which will help the students get some practice in front of a live audience before opening night.

The musical also features an audience participation element, where they will be handed multi-colored plastic balls and encouraged to throw them at the villains on stage. The cast will do their best to remain in character during the anticipated barrage.

Prior to the final performance on Sunday, an "old west" themed lunch will be served by the cast starting at noon.

"It'll be hot dogs and beans, some chips," Jacobsen said. "And we'll be in character the whole time, so you'll get to see how well we've developed our performance."

The musical will be in the Sidney High School auditorium beginning at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 8, and Saturday, April 9, with a Sunday matinee performance on April 10 at 2 p.m.

Lunch tickets for the character meal prior to the Sunday matinee can be purchased at the door.

Ticket prices for the show are $4 for students, $6 for seniors and $8 for adults, and can be purchased from cast members, through KSID radio or the Sidney High School main office.

For more information, follow the production on Twitter

@SidneyMusical or online at Facebook.com/SHSspringmusical.