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The River City community Players’ newest production, “Mixed Nuts,” has come with a series of surprises for the cast and crew alike.
Director Jonathan Wehmeyer, a theater instructor at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan., who will be making his directorial debut in the show that starts Friday, said as it relates to his actors, those surprises have been pleasant.
“What’s fun about the cast is that none of them are necessarily what I originally had in mind, but each person that auditioned brought so much energy to the characters that they just fell into place,” he said.
With only eight members in the cast, Wehmeyer said finding the right people was crucial.
“Mixed Nuts” tells the story of Michael Caldwell, a Dayton, Ohio, transplant who moves to New York City to seek fame and fortune as a writer. Renting a scummy apartment for $100, he soon discovers he shares his building with an “eccentric” group of people, including a Russian ballerina convinced she is a descendant of the royal Romanov family, a method actor who specializes in portraying fruit and vegetables and Philomena Della Vecchia, a sarcastic actress. Michael soon reveals that he too, has an eccentric side and, later, a fondness for Philomena.
Kyle Hyde, a Lansing High School student who portrays Michael, said “Mixed Nuts” has been something of a surprise for him as well. Having worked on “The Wedding Singer,” the last RCCP production, he said he showed up to auditions intending to help out.
“I wasn’t planning on auditioning,” he said.
But he said he was handed a script and ended up with the part.
Meghann Roberts of Tonganoxie plays Philomena. She said she had seen a few RCCP shows and acted in high, but auditioned for “Mixed Nuts” on a whim.
She said the cast has been working together to fill out their characters and work together.
But it hasn’t been too far of a stretch.
“I think we were all a little bit like our characters to start out with,” she said.
As director, Wehmeyer has given the actors some space to allow that process to happen, Hyde said.
Having recently been involved the tragedy “Antigone” at Benedictine, Wehmeyer said he enjoys a variety of different theater styles.
“When I do a comedy I like to do this kind of comedy — big, blown out of proportions, fun, almost farcical,” he said.
The constant throughout all those different styles, Wehmeyer said, is a focus on his cast.
The River City community Players’ newest production, “Mixed Nuts,” has come with a series of surprises for the cast and crew alike.
Director Jonathan Wehmeyer, a theater instructor at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan., who will be making his directorial debut in the show that starts Friday, said as it relates to his actors, those surprises have been pleasant.
“What’s fun about the cast is that none of them are necessarily what I originally had in mind, but each person that auditioned brought so much energy to the characters that they just fell into place,” he said.
With only eight members in the cast, Wehmeyer said finding the right people was crucial.
“Mixed Nuts” tells the story of Michael Caldwell, a Dayton, Ohio, transplant who moves to New York City to seek fame and fortune as a writer. Renting a scummy apartment for $100, he soon discovers he shares his building with an “eccentric” group of people, including a Russian ballerina convinced she is a descendant of the royal Romanov family, a method actor who specializes in portraying fruit and vegetables and Philomena Della Vecchia, a sarcastic actress. Michael soon reveals that he too, has an eccentric side and, later, a fondness for Philomena.
Kyle Hyde, a Lansing High School student who portrays Michael, said “Mixed Nuts” has been something of a surprise for him as well. Having worked on “The Wedding Singer,” the last RCCP production, he said he showed up to auditions intending to help out.
“I wasn’t planning on auditioning,” he said.
But he said he was handed a script and ended up with the part.
Meghann Roberts of Tonganoxie plays Philomena. She said she had seen a few RCCP shows and acted in high, but auditioned for “Mixed Nuts” on a whim.
She said the cast has been working together to fill out their characters and work together.
But it hasn’t been too far of a stretch.
“I think we were all a little bit like our characters to start out with,” she said.
As director, Wehmeyer has given the actors some space to allow that process to happen, Hyde said.
Having recently been involved the tragedy “Antigone” at Benedictine, Wehmeyer said he enjoys a variety of different theater styles.
“When I do a comedy I like to do this kind of comedy — big, blown out of proportions, fun, almost farcical,” he said.
The constant throughout all those different styles, Wehmeyer said, is a focus on his cast.
Whether it’s King Lear or the colorful characters of “Mixed Nuts,” he said it’s important that the audience believe what is happening on stage.
“As a director I really like I try to focus on the acting aspects, because if the acting isn’t up to standard than no matter how nice the set is, no matter how great the costumes are, then the rest of the show just isn’t going to pull the audience into that,” Wehmeyer said.
The River City Community Players’ production of “Mixed Nuts” will be performed at 8 p.m. April 22, 23, 29 and 30 and May 6 and 7. There will be a matinee performance at 2 p.m. May 1.
