Get ready to ‘Sing Hallelujah!’ Perry Players takes you to church starting Friday

Certainly, nobody in these parts would be able to relate. A small country church, welcoming a new young pastor, who then encounters all sorts of suspicions about his qualifications.

But it will happen for a few nights in Perry … the stage of the Perry Players Theatre that is. Beginning Friday and running every weekend through Nov. 22, it’s the musical comedy ‘Sing Hallelujah!” directed by Carol Strandburg, who brought to the stage last season the Agatha Christie murder mystery “The Mousetrap.” (What is that thing on the front pew?)

“It’s a musical comedy that takes place in a small Baptist church (Shady Creek) in North Carolina,” said Strandburg. “The church is expecting a new minister to come in, and of course there are many personalities in the church that try to tell him exactly how he should run the church. From there ensues all the comedy.

“It is also a musical. There’s a lot of gospel music, some things we know and some things we don’t.

“It doesn’t disrespect anything. It is a show I did once in Macon many years ago, and we had so many church groups come see the show. It’s just general good clean fun for the whole family, and excellent music.”

In fact, the music to back up the chorus and solos isn’t coming from a soundtrack as it was last year for “Oliver!” or this summer for “The Addams Family.” No, this is live music brought to the audience by musical director Suzanne Webb on piano. Joining her are Linda Manfrida (bass), Lucy Kemp (drums) and Hannah Kemp (keyboard).

“People love musicals,” said Strandburg. “They’re a little harder to do. They’re a little more expensive to do. We’re trying to give the public what they want.”

Can Rev. Higgins, the new pastor of Shady Creek, give the congregation what it wants? That’s the story unfolding, beginning with his first service after seminary (or is it cemetery?). The reverend is played by Mark Strandburg DMD, son of Carol and the show’s sponsor.

Chad Martin is Don Griffin, who opens the service (show). Those who give the reverend the closest scrutiny are Victoria Johnson (Cathy Hutto), Penelope Sapphire Pope (Jaloo Zelonis) and a somewhat confused Jonas Spalding (Mark Blankenship).

“They are wonderfully talented,” said Strandburg. “In the chorus we have a lot of new people who have never done theatre at all.”

There will also be experienced people in drama, so the director had the chore of mixing the newbies with the veterans. But she said that’s the whole idea of community theatre, giving anybody a chance to gain experience on the stage.

“We depict a church, and we couldn’t find anyone who had pews they would loan us,” said Strandburg. “We had to build the pews. That was a construction challenge because they have to hold six to eight people.”

She added they were able to get some set pieces, like chairs and a pulpit, from Perry United Methodist.

For information on Perry Players shows, call 987-5354 or go to perryplayers.org. The theatre is located at 909 Main St.

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